The Deseret Ranch Birding Experience

When we first began conducting bird surveys of the Deseret Ranch eleven years ago, we quickly realized that the ranch was not only home to some of the best birding in Utah, but also had the potential to become one of the finest birding-tour destinations anywhere. Since then, hundreds of birders from across America (including many who have visited several times) have discovered that birding the ranch is like birding in your own, personal national park.

At nearly 250,000 acres, Deseret Ranch is Utah’s largest piece of privately-owned property. With its boundaries stretching through five counties in northeastern Utah, the ranch has examples of nearly all of the habitats of the region. The eastern third of the ranch has rolling hills of sagebrush and grass, with extensive areas of wet meadows and marsh, along with many ponds and several large lakes. The western portion of the ranch consists of mountain ridges and  valleys, with a mosaic of coniferous forest, aspen woodlands, and meadows. Willows and cottonwoods line the numerous streams. From the tops of the ridges, stunning panoramas of the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains greet the viewer.

Deseret Ranch is one of the best examples of holistic ranch management in the west. Under this philosophy, the ranch is managed in order to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Increased biodiversity is actively encouraged. As a result, the ranch abounds with wildlife. Elk, Moose, Deer, Pronghorn, Coyote, Badger, Prairie Dog and Beaver are some of the mammals that can be easily seen. Of course, there are lots of birds on the ranch. Our surveys have found over 270 species of birds on the ranch, with many new species still being added each year. Bird-watching trips to the ranch, which began in 1994, typically record over 120 species on single-day outings. We continue to discover new birding opportunities on the ranch each year.

The anticipation for what you know will be a big day builds as we make the early morning drive from Salt Lake City to the ranch. As soon as we enter the ranch, the serious birding begins. The seven-mile long “driveway” of the ranch passes through grasslands and wet meadows where we see many species of waterfowl, waders, and shorebirds, as well as specialties of the sagebrush grasslands. After a rest stop at the guest house, we look to see what has been “caught” in the “migrant trap” around the house, before heading up into the hills. For most of the morning we bird in the aspen and evergreen forests of the mountains. Then we drop down into the lower part of Lost Creek Canyon, to have lunch among the cottonwoods and willows, where there are many birds. After lunch, we bird the “lake country” on the ranch, where numerous ponds, lakes and reservoirs are filled with water birds, and pass through some juniper-covered hills, where yet another habitat type adds its own, unique birds to our list. We finish the day at Neponset Reservoir, the largest lake on the ranch, where rookeries of waders, cormorants, gulls and terns combine with a host of waterfowl to create a fantastic birding spectacle. All too soon, the day is over, but our list of sightings seems to go on forever!

No matter what your best days of birding are, you’ll be sure to count your Day at Deseret among them.

Arrival and Departure information: The tour begins in Salt Lake City at 6 AM, and returns to the same place at about 8 PM (sometimes later, depending upon the desires of participants). The departure and return point for the tour is the southeast corner of the parking area (near the Red Lobster restaurant) at the Sugar House Center shopping center, just north of the 1300 East exit from Interstate 80 in Salt Lake City. Tour participants who are staying in hotels in Salt Lake City can make arrangements for pick-up at your hotel (call for details). This tour does not include overnight accommodations, but we can make a reservation for you if you wish.

If you have further questions regarding this trip, please call toll free (866) 552-0221, or e-mail to cbirds@westwings.com