The Ranches form Google Street View

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Description:
The Ranches Golf Club is an 18-hole championship facility nestled in the hillside valley between Lehi and Eagle Mountain. Featuring a Western theme and carved from the native prairie, the course's 220 acres present golfers a true links-style experience. Designed by noted architect Ron Garl, the golf course was created to play a challenging 7,050 yards from the back tees, yet offering multiple tee boxes to cater to players of all skill levels.  To the South is Lake Mountain. To the East towers the Wasatch Front. To the West are the peaks of the Oquirrh Mountains, and Utah Lake is visible to the Southeast.  This is not a birding destination, but birding is typically done while golfing here given the great open habitat.  The native habitat around the course is mostly grasslands and shrubsteppe, but most of the surrounding area is now homes.

Birding:
If you golf an watch birds you see a few here.  As mentioned above this really isn't a destination--there are no ponds or water features for birds here, so it really limits what you will see.  Along the course from spring through fall WESTERN MEADOWLARK, HORNED LARK, BREWER'S SPARROW and LARK SPARROW can be seen.  You can bird the surrounding neighborhoods but most of the trees here are still very young.   One caveat is that with the open spaces raptors are often see here.  Year round you'll find GOLDEN EAGLE, RED-TAILED HAWK, PRAIRIE FALCON, and possibly FERRUGINOUS HAWK.  In The winter months BALD EAGLE and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS move in--and during the summer SWAINSON'S HAWKS can be found.  Further south from the golf course along Pony Express Parkway there are a number of apartment communities with fruiting trees, and berry bushes.  During waxwing irruption years it is not uncommon to find numerous CEDAR WAXWINGS here, and BOHEMIAN have been found mixed in.  The course is private property so unless you're golfing, there isn't much point to birding here--but if you are golfing please submit a checklist; maybe we're missing something!

Directions:
From I-15 Exit 279 for Lehi Main Street, head west on Main fro 1.2 miles.  At the traffic circle continue straight on Main as it becomes SR-73 for 3.7 miles.  The road will turn south and keep going for .3 miles.  Turn right onto Pioneer Crossing which becomes Cedar Fort Road.  Go 1.9 miles then turn left on to Mt. Airey Drive for .2 miles.  Turn left on to Clubhouse Lane and make your way to the parking area.