Winard stayed at the refuge until the sun went down, and her life would never be the same, she says. That's the joy of birds that she hopes to convey through her photographs.

With sight and sound, the exhibit tries to create an "immersion environment," said Winard, who visited the museum in December. "I hope people get a feel for the reality of what's going on."

She hopes her photos may encourage people to open their hearts to these birds as she has. But she also hopes they will help educate people to the threats the birds face as their habitat diminishes.

Some 50 percent of the wetlands that existed 100 years ago are gone, says Winard. In the 10 years that she has been taking pictures, she has noticed dramatic changes. In 2004, when she photographed pelicans at Chase Lake in North Dakota, "30,000 birds were counted there, but in 2005 the colony was devastated. For the first time in 100 years, not a single chick was fledged that year."

The same thing happened with the "world's largest breeding population of white ibises on the Great Salt Lake; the summer of 2007 was a near washout for them."

If we lose the wetlands, she says, not only does it throw ecological systems into unbalance — among other things, wetlands act as a buffer; take them away and flooding increases — "but the world will lose this beauty."

Not everyone likes birds, she knows. "Some people are scared of them. I was at a beach in Los Angeles with a biologist watching a colony of black-crowned night herons. On the other side of some trees was an apartment building, and we met a woman who thought the birds were dangerous. She had never been out on her balcony to watch this wonderful sight because she thought the birds would hurt her."

Winard hopes her work will "open a door, will change how other people see birds." She wishes everyone could see what she sees. She sees beauty of form and movement, but she also sees personality. That has been a big discovery for her. "Some birds are shy; some are bold; some are curious; some are playful. No two are alike."

Of course, the whole idea of flight has long fascinated humans, but birds are so much more than flying machines, she says.

"Bobby Kennedy talked about how nature is the infrastructure of community. It is part of life, part of the community we live in. We need to make sure that spiritual essence is always there. Is beauty an essential of life? I have no question."

E-mail: carma@desnews.com

If you go …

What: Wild Birds of the American Wetlands

Where: Utah Museum of Natural History, 1390 E. Presidents Circle, University of Utah

When: Through Feb. 22, days and times vary

How much: adults, $6; children 3-13, $3.50

Phone: 801-581-6927

Web: www.umnh.utah.edu

Also: Raptor Rapture with HawkWatch International, Feb. 2, 3-4 p.m.; Live Bird Demonstrations, Jan. 31 and Feb 22., 11 a.m. 2 p.m.; Discovery Classes for Kids: Birds of a Feather or Winter Adaptations, Jan. 24, 1-3 p.m; Up. Up, Away, Feb. 21, 10 a.m.-noon.