Cedar Fort from Google Street View

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
Cedar Fort is a small town west of Eagle Mountain with a population of around 400 people,  This rural farming community is made up mostly of farms, and surrounded by some grasslands and shrubsteppe.  Established in 1852 many of the trees around town are mature and tall providing excellent perches for raptors.  Various roads head east out of town through the farms while the slopes leading west into the hills are covered in juniper. There are two canyons accessible directly west of town which lead into more riparian and high elevation habitats.

Birding:
The Cedar Fort area has long been a raptor hot spot in Utah--year round.  GOLDEN EAGLE, NORTHERN HARRIER, and RED-TAILED HAWK can be found year round.  During the winter months both FERRUGINOUS and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK are usually easy find here, while species like BALD EAGLE and MERLIN are occasionally reported.  In the summer months SWAINSON'S HAWKS fill in for the winter raptors.  Other species found year round include EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, COMMON RAVEN, and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE.  Summer resident include MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, WESTERN KINGBIRD, and occasionally EASTERN KINGBIRD.  The list in eBird has a few too many high elevation species on it, leading me to believe that some of the checklists include birding into the mountains to the west.  The lower environs where the junipers are present are worth checking for WILD TURKEY year round, while GRAY and DUSKY FLYCATCHER, PLUMBEOUS VIREO, VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, and LAZULI BUNTING might be present during the warmer months. I primarily visit here int he winter months for easy raptor viewing and photography.  From downtown Cedar Fort take 100 North and go east into the fields.  You can drive the back roads on this side of town and usually be the only person around!

Directions:
From I-15 Exit 278 in Lehi go west on Pioneer Crossing--it will eventually turn into UT-73/Cedar Fort Road. The town is 16.6 miles from the exit off I-15.