Morgan County Side from Google Street View

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
Big Mountain Pass is located on the Salt Lake and Morgan County lines along SR-65.  At 7,420' it sits right in a belt where numerous habitats meet.  Among Utahns it is known for two things. It is on the original route of the Mormon pioneers who crossed it in 1847 on their way to the Salt Lake Valley; and it is a great place to watch the sunset over a sliver of Salt Lake visible from the area.  Where the highway tops out there is a large gravel parking area on the south side of the road.  The Great Western Trail coming from the north crosses the road here, and continues to southeast from the east side of the parking area.  There are restrooms and several benches here.  Aside from the trail heading southeast, there is also one that follows the southwest slope down into Mountain Dell Canyon, and another going northeast into Upper East Canyon.  Down the west side and on the hills to the north the habitat is generally mixed oak woodland; some aspen and conifer can be found as well.  To the south and southwest is a huge patch of aspen that stretches for miles both directions. On the northeast and east sides are mid elevation coniferous forest.  Some willow and riparian like habitat exists here minimally.  There is also shrubsteppe on the west slope leading down the canyon.  The county line splits the parking area in half and is marked along the road.  For a while this was one spot but in order to accurately split the data there are not spots on both side of the county line--this matters because generally you are birding on one side or the other.  The details for the the Morgan County side are below--the Salt Lake County birding information can be found here.

Birding:
Big Mountain is one of my favorite birding locations in Morgan County.  The birding on the way up, while there and down the other side into East Canyon makes for a great span of habitats and locations and although nothing terribly out of the common really shows up here, the resident breeding birds are easy gets on almost any trip.  Form mid May through July early in the day or in the evening SWAINSON'S and HERMIT THRUSH can both be heard singing in the woods here.  WESTERN TANAGER, LAZULI BUNTING, and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK add some bright color to the trees.  MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD are often heard calling overhead, or seen on the north side of the road.  HOUSE WREN chatter is a constant, while DUSKY FLYCATCHER can usually be found calling in the woods.  MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER can be found in the dense thickets on the slopes here.  Both GREEN-TAILED and SPOTTED TOWHEE are present at the pass as well. Overhead VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW are usually seen as well.  Hiking the trails into the hills you can access other habitat and species typical of the conifer.  From the east/northeast side of the parking lot I like to stand and listen and watch down the gulley here.  I will also often head up the Great Western Trail going southeast.  100 yards up the trail you are in forest away form the parking area noise.  At the radio tower here is a great spot to look for most of the species mentioned above as well.  RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER are often in the trees here, while WARBLING VIREO make a racked in the woods. At night FLAMMULATED, LONG-EARED, and NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL have been heard here.

Directions:
From I-80 exit 134 in Parley's Canyon head north onto SR-65 and follow this 8.2 miles past Mountain Dell and Little Dell Reservoir through Mountain Dell Canyon.  The road switchbacks and has a couple sharp turns before eventually reaching the pass with a parking area on your right.

Henefer Lek from Google Street View

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
The Henefer Lek is a well known Greater Sage-Grouse Lek on the Morgan and Summit County line.  The lek site has historically been right on SR-65 and this has caused mortality among the birds each breeding season.  In recent years special fencing has been put up along the highway and the birds are generally now seen in the fields to the west of the road.  The habitat is shrubsteppe on both sides of the highway and county lines.

Birding:
The reason people go to the Henefer Lek is to view strutting GREATER SAGE-GROUSE typically between March and May every year.  This lek site is the most well known and most visited in Utah and very accessible form Salt Lake City.  Other birds are also present but not the focus.  Birds typical of shrubsteppe like WESTERN MEADOWLARK, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, COMMON RAVEN, BREWER'S SPARROW, LARK SPARROW,and HORNED LARK may be present depending on what point in the season you visit.

Lek Etiquette:
by Mark Stackhouse, Westwings, Inc.

1. Arrive early—preferably while it’s still dark, or at very low light.

2.  Drive up slowly, park, and turn off your motor and lights.

3.  Stay in your car. This is probably the most important! —until the birds have finished displaying and left the lek. Even if you need to leave before the display is ended (it’s better to stay in a parked car throughout), don’t leave your vehicle, but simply drive off slowly.

4.  If you open your windows, keep your voices low, and movements slow.

5.  Avoid driving too close to any birds next to the road.  Grouse in the throws of their mating displays often seem oblivious to everything around them, and it’s easy to imagine that what we’re doing isn’t even noticed. However, perhaps because they are so pre-occupied, the choice of a safe lek-site is very important, and the birds do notice if there are things around which make them uneasy. If this disturbance is frequent, then the lek is likely to be abandoned.

Directions:
From Salt Lake take I-80 east bound past Park City towards Cheyenne.  Take exit 168 for I-84 towards Ogden.  Go 3.7 miles to exit 115.  At the end of the on ramp turn left onto SR-65. Follow the road through town and take the left to stay onto SR-65 into East Canyon.  Go approximately 6 miles to the Summit/Morgan County line and the lek.  Drive slowly as you approach in case any birds are in the road.  Historically parking on the east side of the road was a best practice, but with the birds in the fields to the west, most observers, now park on the west side of the road.  I'm not sure if this is effecting the birds or not, so please be mindful when you visit.

Lower East Canyon from Google Street View

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
The lower section of East Canyon stretches 10 miles from East Canyon Reservoir Dam to the town of Morgan following SR-66.  The road travels through mostly mixed oak forest along a riparian corridor, with some patches of conifer and other trees.  Eventually the canyon teeters out into a valley and mostly agricultural land before the town.

Birding:
If taking a loop from Upper East Canyon back towards the Wasatch front, a drive through Lower East Canyon is a logical way to go.  The canyon is mostly Gambel's Oak and has species typical of that habitat.  During the summer months that includes SPOTTED TOWHEE, LAZULI BUNTING,  and BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK.  During the winter months the birds may be sparse.  Near the dam CANYON WREN can be picked up in the cliffs.  In the canyon year round one can find WILD TURKEY fairly easily.  There is a lone record of BLUE JAY from the area, moving with flocks of Scrub, and Steller's Jay.

Directions:
The reservoir can be reached from 3 different directions, via SR-65 from the south and the northeast, and from SR-66 from the northwest.  The most direct route from Salt Lake is to take I-80 east bound and take exit 134 north on to SR-65 towards East Canyon (closed in winter).  Go about 19.2 miles till the fork with SR-66.  Go left here and go 2.5 miles to the dam and the top of the lower stretch of the canyon.  Alternatively, you can take I-84 exit 103 south toward Morgan on State Street/SR-66.  After a few miles you will be in farm land and eventually make your way into the canyon.

East Canyon Reservoir from Google Street View

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
East Canyon Reservoir is a 608 acre lake sitting in East Canyon State Park, open year round.  The park sits at about 5,700' in elevation in a valley/canyon in the Wasatch Mountains.  The reservoir is mostly surrounded by shrubsteppe, with some cliffs, and some conifer and other habitat.  SR-65 follows east side of the south leg, and the south side of the east leg, while SR-66 follows the north shore to the dam in the northwest corner.  There is a campground and picnic area where a day use fee is imposed.

Birding:
The reservoir is ice free usually form March through November and during spring and fall migration it is a popular birding location to look for migrating divers and waterfowl.  COMMON LOON and WESTERN GREBE are both common here during migration.  HORNED GREBE are seen occasionally while PACIFIC LOON is recorded almost annually.  RED-THROATED LOON have been reported on multiple occasions as have RED-NECKED GREBE. Diving ducks like COMMON MERGANSER and HOODED MERGANSER can often be found, and all 3 SCOTERS and LONG-TAILED DUCK have been recorded..  BALD EAGLE are a common sight during the late fall through spring here.  NORTHERN SHRIKE are infrequently encountered along SR-65.  On September 10, 1981 there was a reported Parakeet Auklet.  However unlikely this sounds, the observer described the birds perfectly.  This unprecedented report is generally regarded as a mis-identification of a scoter, grebe, or some other waterbird--but was worth mentioning here due to its magnitude.

Directions:
The reservoir can be reached from 3 different directions, via SR-65 from the south and the northeast, and from SR-66 from the northwest.  The most direct route from Salt Lake is to take I-80 east bound and take exit 134 north on to SR-65 towards East Canyon. It's about 15 miles to the reservoir, on your left.  This road is closed during the winter.

East Canyon from Google Street View

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
The upper section of East Canyon runs from East Canyon Reservoir along SR-65 up to Big Mountain Pass at the Salt Lake County line.  The canyon is primarily mixed conifer and aspen forest but also contains riparian habitat, and mixed oak habitat. The main canyon portion is about 5.5 miles in length form the pass down, before opening up into a valley above the reservoir.

Birding:
Upper East Canyon is most notably popular for nocturnal birding and the breeding population of FLAMMULATED OWL that are very common here from May to August.  These birds can be found through the entire length of the upper section and are usually associated with the aspen habitat, or areas where the aspen mixes with conifer or oak.  NORTHERN SAW-WHET, NORTHERN PYGMY, LONG-EARED, and GREAT HORNED OWLS have all been recorded here as well.  Both COMMON NIGHTHAWK and COMMON POORWILL are found here with some frequency as well.  During late summer in July and August, the hummingbird feeders at Hatcreek Outfitters at the mouth of Drouby Canyon (near MM 10) are very active and all 4 of Utah's northern hummers can be found including RUFOUS and CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS.  If you want to view the feeders ask permission and please respect the rights of the property owners.  Bret Heiner owns Hatcreek and has been very accommodating to birders in the past--I suggest donating a bag of sugar, or leaving a tip if you take advantage of the great opportunity his property provides.  The habitat in the canyon is like elsewhere along the Wasatch Front, so the birds are similar.  DUSKY FLYCATCHER, HOUSE WREN, MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, WESTERN TANAGER, CHIPPING SPARROW, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER and RUFFED GROUSE are all seen here regularly as well.

Directions:
From I-80 take exit 134 north on to SR-65 towards East Canyon.  Follow this road over Big Mountain Pass.  From Big Mountain Pass you drop into Upper East Canyon.

Jeremy Ranch Road photo by Tim Avery

• eBird Checklist
• Flickr Photos

Description:
Jeremy Ranch Road is a dirt road connecting SR-65 just above East Canyon Reservoir, to Jeremy Ranch on the south end and I-80.  The road follows East Canyon Creek and provides riparian habitat along with agriculture, shrubsteppe, and Gambel's Oak woodlands.  The Morgan County portion on the north end is covered here, while the southern portion in Summit County has its own page here.

Birding:
Jeremy Ranch Road is often used as a shortcut to East Canyon from Park City, as well as a side trial for birding in East Canyon.  The riparian habitat near SR-65 is great for YELLOW WARBLER, WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, and  HOUSE WREN .  There are often AMERICAN DIPPER found here near the bridge on the left after the parking area.  Dipper can be found along the entire stretch.  Some of the specialty species found here include SWAINSON'S THRUSH, often heard singing near SR-65; FOX SPARROW on the hillsides along the creek; GRAY CATBIRD and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT along the creek; and COMMON NIGHTHAWK at dusk over the fields and riparian tracts.  The most notable sightings include BULLOCK'S ORIOLE which can be difficult to get--and an early June record of TENNESSEE WARBLER.  Birding is best between May and September, especially walking the north end of the road along the creek.  If you head south along the road you will eventually reach the Jeremy Ranch Road -- Summit County hot spot.

Directions:
From I-80 take exit 134 north on to SR-65 towards East Canyon.  Follow this road over Big Mountain Pass into Upper East Canyon, for 13.6 miles.  As you come out of the canyon there will be a dirt road on your right.  Take this and you are on Jeremy Ranch Road--you can park at a round turnout on the right after a hundred feet. Alternately if you come from Jeremy Ranch Road -- Summit County, you will eventually reach Morgan county coming from the south.