Flocks of Bird Watchers Will Be In St. George This Weekend

Southern Utah is known for many things; the red rocks, and its sunny blue skies, but it's also known for its variety of birds. 

In Utah bird-watching communities, Southern Utah is a gem since the different terrains can be home to unique birds you may not see up North. In fact, St. George is where they host the Red Cliffs Bird Festival since it’s a great location to gather and then regroup to go find the birds.  

The festival is put on by the Red Cliffs Audubon group in Southern Utah which is dedicated to birding. 

The Red Cliffs Bird Festival is a three-day bird-enthusiast event that starts on April 27. Locals gather and converse while discovering the birds in the area. Attendees will be able to listen to guest speakers, go on guided tours/field trips, and attend themed events. This will be the third year of the festival.  

This year there will be 50 field trips over the course of the three days Red Cliffs Audubon President and Director Paul Jaussi said.  

Surprisingly, the event can get pretty big since the local members of the Red Cliffs Audubon already have numbers in the hundreds.  

“You just pick the one you want to do each day sometimes. And so, we have about 50 bird-watching tours. And then in the afternoon, we have maybe a dozen naturalist tours you can choose from like geology to archeology to desert botany”, Jaussi said. “Typically, what happens is birding is the best in the morning and then as it warms up, the birds get quiet. And so, then people can go out and do other tours, go look at reptiles. And then we have our evening program. We have a little social each night, and we bring in keynote speakers.” 

The keynote speakers include a member from Las Vegas Audubon who is speaking on birds in the Mojave Desert and a biologist and author who studied roadrunners. However, there is an event on Saturday that’s open to the public.  

On Saturday, The Southwest Wildlife Foundation of Utah’s Martin Tyner will be in town to do an educational presentation on raptors and falcons. Tyner is a federally licensed falconer who works out of Enoch. He will of course be bringing down several of the birds of prey to show the audience.  

The presentation will be at the Hilton Garden Inn at 6:30 p.m. and there is no need to register.  

However, if you would like to do any of the other events you can register here.