Seeing Utah's birds and wildlife

Utah is an international crossroads for migratory birds, and other creatures can certainly be espied in the state's many forests, canyons and wildlands, as well as around its reservoirs and lakes.

But if you want to head to a location set aside for the animals — and for those who want to find them in their natural settings — you can't beat a bird or wildlife refuge.

Utah

Here are just a few of the sites set aside for wildlife, most a day-trip away from northern Utah's most populous areas:

Antelope Island State Park: OK, it's not a refuge technically … but it is. A handy visitor center, a renowned bison herd, antelope, eagles, hawks, shorebirds, songbirds — Antelope Island, the Great Salt Lake's largest — has a lot to offer. And it is so easy to get to, sitting off the shore of Davis County proper and accessible via the county's causeway. You can hike, bike, ride horses, launch a boat or kayak, or just drive along the east side road to the historic Fielding-Garr Ranch. The causeway itself offers great bird-watching. There's even a campground. The park entrance fee is $9 and there is also a $2 causeway fee. The principal roads are paved. To get there, take I-15's Antelope Drive exit and head west to Syracuse.

Phone: 801-773-2941

Web: www.utah.com/stateparks/antelope_island.htm

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge: Just west of Brigham City off I-15/I-84's Forest Street exit. Established in 1928 and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge includes the James V. Hansen Wildlife Education Center (a visitor center) and a loop drive along dikes in the Bear River delta. It covered some 74,000 acres of marsh, open water and mudflats. (Construction is under way on the road to the sanctuary, though reserved tours are available; call ahead.) Forest Street is paved — or or being repaved; the loop is a gravel road.

Phone: 435-723-5887

Web: www.fws.gov/bearriver class="bullet-item"> Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area: Probably the nearest for most Utah city-dwellers, this 12,000-acre refuge, first built in 1935, has documented more than 200 different bird species, and is noted for as a home to great blue herons, ducks, geese, eagles and various hawks. It is managed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. There are multiple entries; the main one is via Farmington's Glover Lane (925 South) off I-15 (though the lane itself does not have an exit; approach Glover via the east-side frontage roads from Centerville and Farmington). There is a small visitor center; the interior roads are gravel.