Kirkland believes that with a more recent dinosaur discovery at Crystal Springs nearby, there might actually be a fourth layer with even more buried treasures.

"Here's this little thin interval of time representing 30 (million) to 35 million years of earth history. That's half the entire age of mammals — an incredible record," Kirkland said. "And we're finding fossils at every level. That's exciting. We can actually see the transition from Jurassic to Cretaceous. This is the only place in North America where that exists."

In this one area alone where the bird tracks were discovered, preservation is so complete that even the ripple pattern of water is preserved. From stone that has fallen from the cliffs, DeBlieux this week will carefully shear the sandstone slates, about an inch thick, where the 30 plus tracks are embedded. They will eventually be displayed at the Utah Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah.

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E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com

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Editor's note: The Deseret Morning News has an ongoing news-gathering relationship with KSL.