Now is a great time to visit a treasure in our own back yard

Get out your binoculars! This month, Utahns can see the newly hatched birds that breed locally, and also glimpse some species headed to Canada's Boreal Forest. These folks are at the Bear River Refuge outside of Brigham City. Courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

You might say it is “right in our own backyard” and a guide at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County says a lot of people don’t realize what an interesting and exciting place it is to work at or to visit.

On KVNU’s For the People program Monday, Alyssa Stegmire said a good time to come is on a Saturday where free tours are available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. She says the three-hour tours are available through August 28th.

Stegmeier says the refuge provides habitat for more than 200 bird species.

“We have some of the largest populations of birds such as pelicans and American avocets,” Stegmire explained. “All sorts of birds like to stop here because there isn’t any food for them at the Great Salt Lake, at least not enough for them to eat there.

“They like to stop over here to get lots of food. One of the best reasons to come visit now is because we have a lot of nesting birds, which means a lot of baby birds.”

The address for the bird refuge is 2155 West Forest Street in Brigham City. To schedule tours, or to get more information, call (435) 723- 5887.

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