Looking at the calendar, I’ve noted that it’s time to prepare for the upcoming 2013 Great Salt Lake Bird Festival (GSLBF) happening May 16-20. Since 2009, I have co-led a GSLBF birding field trip in downtown Salt Lake City with the expert assistance of bird watching enthusiast Terri Clemons. The excursion is called the City Center Bird Walk.

Learning to fly is a process, not a single event, and almost all peregrines come down to earth at least a few times. And the downtown area is a difficult place to learn to fly. Everywhere you look, there are hard surfaces: asphalt, concrete, brick, metal, glass and motor vehicles.

Whether it’s winter, summer or somewhere in between, there’s always something exciting to see in Utah. We hold a variety of Watchable Wildlife program events across the state throughout the year. Here’s a quick look at 10 of our most popular annual activities.

It happened again the other night: I fell asleep on the couch and woke up well after midnight. After turning off the TV, I wandered out to the frosty patio and looked around. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something large soar through the air across my backyard.