FLOCK OF PELICANS FLY OVER THE GREAT SALT LAKE NATURE CENTER

Photo by Joe Ford, ©2008                                                                  Photo by Erin R. Hotchkiss, ©2008                                                   Photo by Deedee O'Brien, ©2007                                  Photo by Justina Parsons-Bernstein, ©2007

Migratory Birds Connect Us All !!!

           Join Club FLyway and Explore the Fascinating World of Migratory Birds!

 

                                  WHAT IS A FLYWAY ANY WAY?

  Migratory birds use aerial highways, called FLYWAYS, that span states and regions and countries to access their feeding, courting,

  nesting, and resting areas. It is important to realize that Farmington Bay WMA and the habitats that make-up WHEREVER YOU ARE

  RIGHT NOW are links in the same long chain of habitats that help keep birds alive. We must all work together to help keep or restore

  each of our links so that habitat chain can be STRONG and HEALTHY.

 

Photo by Ellen Sutton, ©2008                                                                                                                                                                        Photo by Ellen Sutton, ©2008

  To see maps and explanations of the Many Different Flyways that run through North America Click Here:   North American Migration Flyways

 

                                       WHAT IS CLUB FLYWAY?

  CLUB FLYWAY is a virtual exploration and discussion club coordinated by the staff of the Great Salt Lake Nature Center at

  Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in Utah--which hosts birds from both the Central and Pacific Flyways. 

  Club Flyway is a place where YOU can connect with other people who live along the FLYWAYS that run through the area YOU

  live. We already have participants from along the Central Flyway in Saskatchewan, Canada and Utah, USA ready to tell you

  about their bird sightings and exchange habitat conservation ideas with you!

  We hope to get participants from the southern end of the the Central Flyway in Nayarit, Mexico in on the online conversation

  and exploration by this winter.

  Explore below to find out more about the participating areas of Club Flyway.

 

                                       UTAH: Great Salt Lake Nature Center

                                 at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area

 

  Photo by Kathy Herring, ©2008                                               Photo by Kathy Herring, ©2008                 Photo by Ellen Sutton, ©2008                                                      Photo by Justina Parsons-Bernstein, ©2007

  The Great Salt Lake Nature Center at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area in Northern Utah is a great place to explore

  Emergent Marsh, Alkali Mudflats, Ponds, Streams and other habitats where birds, bugs, frogs, snakes and other creatures hang

  out. Wherever YOU live also provides homes and habitat for a variety of creatures. In fact, we might even share some of the very

  same animal visitors--like Migratory Birds.

  Many people do not realize how IMPORTANT the Great Salt Lake in Northern Utah is as a resting, nesting and feeding area for

  migratory birds from both the Pacific and Central Flyways. The Great Salt Lake as a whole hosts 10,000,000 birds a year!!!!!!!!

                                                              Utah Members of the From My Way to the Flyway project include:

                                                        Venture Academy Club Flyway and Bonneville Elementary Club Flyway.

 

                MIGRATORY BIRD IDENTIFICATION BY SIGHT AND SOUNDS

                                                

                                                 Here are some photos of migratory birds that visit Farmington Bay WMA.

                      Do you know what kinds of birds they are? Can you ID them? Do you know what their calls sound like?

 Do these birds visit an area near you? Have you personally seen any of these birds? Which ones? Where? What time of year?

    All Bird Photographs in this section by Joe Ford, ©2008

 

  Match the Photos Above to the Names Below—then follow the links to the The Western Soundscape Archive (WSA)

  housed within University of Utah’s Marriott Library Virtual Collections. The WSA “features audio recordings of animals

  and environments throughout the western United States." After you have heard the sound recording, click the Back Button

  at the top of the sound archive page to get back to this Club Flyway website.

  

  

Black-necked Stilt

 

American Avocet

Mallard

 

White-faced Ibis

 

Great Blue Heron

 

Cinnamon Teal

 

Bald Eagle

 

Killdeer

 

Yellow-headed Blackbird

 

Long-billed Curlew

 

Peregrine Falcon

Snowy Egret

 Black-crowned Night Heron (juvenile)

 

   For more information about the Western Sound Archives visit:   http://westernsoundscape.org/about.php

                                         

                                          Saskatchewan, Canada  

  Saskatchewan, Canada is on the nothern end of the Central Flyway. Saskatchewan has many types of habitats that migratory

  birds use including Prairie Potholes.

 

  Here are some photographs of habitat and birds from our friend Bob Santo of Nature Conservancy Canada in Saskatchewan.

   Burrowing Owls                                                         Shoe Lake                                               Horned Lark

 

   Old Wives Lake                                                        Reed Lake                                                  Prairie Pothole Region Near Moosejaw

                                       What are Prairie Potholes?

  The Canadian Province of Saskatchewan is famous for its thousands of Prairie Potholes which are shallow precipitation

  and spring-fed ponds that were created about 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age as glaciers melted. These

  potholes are the breeding and feeding grounds for tens of millions of waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds and gamebirds

  many of which migrate south for the winter months.

  

 

Here Are Some Fun and Really Interesting Resources for You

to Learn More about Bird Migrations

 

 

Bird Migration

http://www.wbu.com/education/birdmigration.html

 

Bird Migration and Navigation

http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Birds/Avian-migration.html

 

The Miracle of Winged Migration

http://whyfiles.org/006migration/index.php?g=2.txt

 

The Mystery of Migration

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/birds/weeklyfeature/migration/

 

Timing of Bird Migration

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/birdrad/COM4B.HTM

 

Migration of Birds

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/migratio/index.htm

 

The Migration Game

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/conservationandscience/migratorybirds/education/kids_stuff/woth_game/default.cfm

 

 

               Send me (Justina, Director of the Great Salt Lake Nature Center)

                                                    jparsonsbernstein@utah.gov

                                 photographs of YOUR area habitat and birds

                                     and maybe I will post them on this website!!!

                                                                        

                             Snowy Owl in Saskatchewan, Submitted December 10, 2008

              

                    This photo of a Snowy Owl from Morse Club Flyway in Saskatchewan

           was taken by Wildlife Management Class Students Chelsea, Emily, Ashley, and Jesse
                            Teacher Mike Francis and Life-long Learner Lori Wilson

 

Monitoring Macroinvertebrate Populations in Farmington Creek near Nature Center.

              

This photo is of the Farmington Jr. High Science Club--which is also the

Farmington Bay Jr. High Club Flyway. Teacher Gary Domgaard heads up the group.


                          FUN THINGS FOR YOU TO DO!

                                                        1. How about tracking YOUR OWN Migration?

                  Follow this fun 5-day exploration of your own migrations and behaviors. Share what you learned with Club Flyway!

 

 

 

 

Check Back at this site every week

as we make it more interactive

and provide ways for you to communicate

with Club Flyway members

in other cities, states, provinces and countries!

Send Comments, Questions and Ideas to Club Flyway Director Justina at:

jparsonsbernstein@utah.gov