Each spring, the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival attracts enthusiasts from all over the world to witness what many Utahans don’t even notice. The Great Salt Lake is the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world and provides critical resources to 10 million migratory birds every year consisting of 330 distinct species. The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival allows attendees to focus on the habits, interactions, and sounds of these many feathered creatures, along with the unique habitats they depend on.

Jason and I have attended the festival a few times now. This year, we did two tours at the event: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Behind the Gates and Best of Antelope Island. One was four hours long, and the other was five. Those may seem like lengthy stretches to be staring at winged beings, but the time went surprisingly fast.

Another thing that went fast during the festival? Sleep. I had to get up at 5:00 the first morning and 3:45 the next to make it to the shores of the Great Salt Lake and Bear River at the appropriate times. I guess the early bird gets the worm, but does it also get the coffee?

My sister and parents joined us in attending this year. Another sister and her family were scheduled to also come, but COVID had other ideas. While COVID may not have cooperated, the weather did. Despite the tours’ early hours, I only needed a jacket for the first stint of both.

Jason and I saw 59 different species of birds over our two excursions. My favorites were black-crowned night heron, ruddy duck, burrowing owl, western tanager, chukar, white-faced ibis, and long-billed curlew.

Jason won the prize for the most bug bites, an honor I’m sure he was just itching to receive. The biting gnats got him 22 times. He wore a head net, but he was pretty unconcerned about positioning it snuggly when he thought it wasn’t necessary. Clearly, they aren’t called no-see-ums because their presence is obvious.

As always, our soaring and wading friends delighted. If you are interested in attending the festival, be aware that tickets completely sell out within minutes, so make sure you are online and ready to buy when they become available. Typically, that’s in mid-March.