Zion National Park photo by Tim Avery

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
Zion National Park is a 229-square-mile park located in Washington, Iron, and Kane counties. A prominent feature of the park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles long and up to half a mile  deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River. The lowest elevation is 3,666' at Coalpits Wash and the highest elevation is 8,726' at Horse Ranch Mountain. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park's unique geography and variety of life zones allow for unusual plant and animal diversity between the desert, riparian, and Ponderosa dominated habitats.  The park is basically split into 4 different areas: Zion Canyon, Kolob Terrace, Kolob Canyons, and the eastern section.  Each section is quite different and offers a variety of habitats including desert, canyon, riparian, shrubsteppe, mixed Gambel's Oak and Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands, Aspen, and mid-elevation conifer forest.  There are various birding hots pots within that park that include: The Narrows, Angel's Landing, Canyon Overlook, Emerald Pools, The Grotto, Hop Valley Trailhead, Kolob Canyons, Kolob Terrace Road, Kolob Terrace, Kolob Reservoir, Lava Point, Pa'rus Trail, Riverside Walk, Taylor Creek, Watchman Trail, Wheeping Rock, and the South Campground.  Zion Canyon is the most popular and most birded location, and is primarily riparian, dominated by Box Elder, Fremont Cottonwood, maple, and willow. Slot canyons off of Zion Canyon contain pinyon-juniper and Ponderosa pines as well.  Like most national parks there is an entrance fee, and Zion Canyon is closed to public traffic most of the year, so a shuttle system buses you form the visitor center up to the many locations within the park.

Birding:
The birding in Zion is about as varied as the habitats, and number of places to look for birds.  Since there will be specific hot spot information about areas within the park this is a general guide to birding in Zion--specifically Zion Canyon.  You can go birding year round in the park, but it is most popular from early April through October when the trees are green and bird life in the park is at its height.  The end of April through May is perhaps the absolute best, when migrants mix with resident birds and the cacophony of sounds fills the canyon.  The riparian habitat is home to southwest specialties such as SUMMER TANAGER and LUCY'S WARBLER, along with lots and lots of YELLOW WARBLERS.  CANYON and ROCK WREN singing bounces off the canyon walls, while the twittering of WHITE-THROATED SWIFT an be heard above.  Its not uncommon to see WILD TURKEY near the Zion Lodge or along the road.  Due to the mix of habitat, you also tend to get the mixed Gambel's and Pinyon-Juniper specialists close to or in the riparian habitat as well. BLACK-THROATED GRAY and VIRGINIA'S WARBLER, as well as BUSHTIT, and JUNIPER TITMOUSE are all seen with regularity during the summer months. Two species are often sought out in Zion Canyon--the first being the breeding PAINTED REDSTARTS that represent the northern limit of their range.  Typically found along the river walk or near the Temple of Sinawava, they can be hard to find, but are worth the search!  The other species is the "Mexican" SPOTTED OWL which is found throughout the park but can be hard to detect outside of breeding season when they are singing.  One of the best locations to look for them is in Refrigerator Canyon on the hike to Angel's Landing, as well as Hidden Canyon, and various other slot canyons in the park. The park is one of the most popular biridng parks in the state and the list of vagrants is impressive, including: BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD, GILDED FLICKER, RED-BREASTED SASPSUCKER, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, HERMIT WARBLER, HARRIS'S SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, and ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK. In recent years CALIFORNIA CONDOR are occasionally seen perched high on canyon walls or soaring above--they are also seen with regularity on the Kolob Terrace.  The talking about birding could go on for pages--so instead I say to you--go birding in Zion--you won't regret it!

Directions:
From I-15 north of La Verkin, take Exit 27 east/south to La Verkin. From south of La Verkin, take I-15 exit 16 onto SR-9 eastbound.  One in La Verkin follow the signs onto SR-9 east to Zion National Park--about 20.3 miles away.  From Hwy 89 east of the park take the turn off to SR-9 and follow the signs to the east entrance.

Hite Crossing at Lake Powell photo by Tim Avery

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona. It is the second largest man-made reservoir, by maximum water capacity, in the United States behind Lake Mead, storing 24,322,000 acre feet of water when full. Lake Powell was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon by the controversial Glen Canyon Dam, which also led to the creation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. It lies in parts of Garfield, Kane, and San Juan counties. The northern limits of the lake extend at least as far as the Hite Crossing Bridge. A map centered at the confluence of the Escalante River with the Colorado River gives a good view of the extent of the lake. Besides the Colorado, several smaller rivers flow into the reservoir, including the Escalante, the Dirty Devil, and the San Juan river.  There are 100's of canyons with smaller springs and water sources.  The reservoirs is surrounded by red rock and desert, and trees and other brush are scarce.  Where springs and rivers are present there are usually Fremont Cottonwoods, willows, and other deciduous brush and trees.  In some area Salt Cedar is quite prevalent providing food and cover for migrating songbirds.  There are numerous access points and birding location at the reservoir including:

Birding:
Various waterbirds use the lake year round.  Migration sees an influx in the number of species and total amount of birds.  The overall species list for the reservoir isn't very big, and as a birding destination it isn't very popular.  This is unfortunate, as the reservoir is likely one of the major catchalls in the southwest ofr vagrant waterbirds, including pelagic species not normally found inland.  Other reservoirs in the Colorado River drainage are proof of this, but unfortunately the distance from most people and sheer size make it an underbirded location.  Some of the notable birds to show up here include: ROSEATE SPOONBILL, GLOSSY IBIS, YELLOW-FOOTED GULL, RED-THROATED LOON, the majority of Utah's YELLOW-BILLED LOON sightings, BROWN PELICAN, and LITTLE BLUE HERON.  Aside from the rarities the birding is very typical of southeast Utah and the Colorado Plateau deserts.  CANYON and ROCK WREN, BLACK-THROATED SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, and HOUSE FINCH are all common here.  The various rivers, canyons, and small migrant traps here could turn up just about any songbirds during migration.

Directions:
There are various access points on the lake.  The major ones include Hite Crossing, Bullfrog Marina, Halls Crossing, and Wahweap Marina.  Aside from these, there are dozens of small dirt roads that access various side canyons, bays, and out of the way spots.  The reservoir can be accessed from the north, south, east and west via various roads.  Please consult Google maps for the best directions to the area you are interested in birding.