Helping Utah's migratory birds in your own backyard

Simple solutions to make your home and landscape a safe stopover for songbirds, raptors, hummingbirds and more!

Ashley Kijowski
Coordinator, Eccles Wildlife Education Center

Brandon Jones
Wildlife Technician, Eccles Wildlife Education Center

The Great Salt Lake ecosystem is like an oasis in the desert for migrating birds. About 12 million birds made up of 338 species visit the Great Salt Lake ecosystem each year. On top of that, many bird species visit our waterways, reservoirs and open spaces throughout the state of Utah.

In urban areas, our backyards, parks and even small green spaces are critical stopover habitats where birds can find food, water and shelter. Here are some easy ways to protect and help birds in your own backyard and beyond.

Prevent deadly window strikes

One of the biggest threats to birds in urban and suburban areas is window strikes. According to Tracy Aviary, 365 million to 1 billion birds die due to window collisions in North America every year. Birds see reflections of the sky or trees on windows and don't realize they are flying toward a solid glass barrier. Installing bird strike prevention dots or window stickers can make a huge difference.

We were fortunate to get window film from Collidescape (donated by Great Salt Lake Audubon) installed at the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center Conservation Hall. We added this subtle film to key windows, and you can do the same at home. Even small adjustments like closing blinds or moving indoor plants away from windows can help reduce collisions.

Lights out during migration

Each spring and fall, millions of birds migrate through Utah following ancient flyways. Unfortunately, bright lights from houses and buildings can disorient them, leading to exhaustion and deadly crashes. By turning off outdoor lights during peak migration seasons (March-May and August-October) you can help birds navigate safely.

In addition to turning off lights during spring and fall migration, consider installing outdoor lighting using dark-sky responsible principles to help birds that navigate by the stars or are drawn by light. Wildlife-friendly outdoor lighting choices — such as downward-directed and shielded lighting, and avoiding blue, cool lights — can help birds and many other species that fly by night.

Avoid rat poison to protect raptors

Did you know that using rodenticides (rat poison) harms more than just rodents? Hawks, owls and other raptors often eat poisoned rodents, leading to secondary poisoning and death. Instead of poison, consider snap traps or better yet, encourage natural predators — like barn owls — by installing owl boxes.

Keep cats indoors

Domestic cats are one of the top predators of small birds. According to the American Bird Conservancy, free-ranging cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds each year, and that's just in the United States.

Keeping cats indoors, or providing an enclosed outdoor space, keeps both birds and cats safer. If outdoor access is necessary, using a leash or a supervised outdoor enclosure can be a good compromise. At the very least, by keeping your cat inside during peak migration seasons (March-May and August-October) you can help more birds survive.

Clean your bird feeders

Bird feeders make for great backyard bird-watching and also nourishment for birds, but if not properly maintained, they can spread deadly diseases. Cleaning bird feeders at least once a week with a 10% bleach solution (or hot, soapy water) and regularly replacing seed helps keep visiting birds healthy.

There are four commonly seen hummingbird species that migrate through Utah each year. Hummingbirds rely heavily on our hummingbird feeders to fuel up for their migration journey going either north or south.

It's extremely important to clean hummingbird feeders out as often as possible because the sugar water can grow mold that is harmful (and sometimes deadly) to birds. You should clean a hummingbird feeder at least once a week, and in hot weather, it's best to clean it every two or three days, or even daily.

Audubon recommends cleaning hummingbird feeders with hot tap water combined with a weak hydrogen peroxide or vinegar solution, and avoid using dish soaps that can leave a harmful residue in the feeder.

More ways to help

• Plant native vegetation: Native plants provide food, shelter and nesting sites for birds.
• Provide water: A birdbath (cleaned frequently) is a lifesaver, especially in dry regions.
• More Audubon tips to make your yard bird-friendly.
• Volunteers can participate in large-scale monitoring efforts, like the Salt Lake Avian Collision Survey. These projects track bird fatalities caused by window strikes and lighting, providing critical data to reduce future risks.

Bird conservation starts at home, and small changes add up to make a big impact. By taking these simple steps, we can all help ensure that future generations get to enjoy the sight and sound of birds in our neighborhoods. For more information about birds and how you can help, please visit or call the Eccles Wildlife Education Center.

Learn more

• Follow the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center on Facebook!
• Tracy Aviary "Lights Out" pledge
• Wildlife-friendly outdoor lighting
  • DarkSky.org: Assess your home's outdoor lighting
  • Audubon Rockies: How to make your outdoor home lighting bird-friendly
• Where to purchase bird collision prevention stickers/dots (not an exhaustive list):
  • Collidescape
  • American Bird Conservancy
• Wild Aware Utah: "I found a baby bird. What should I do?"
• Humminbird feeding FAQ (and nectar recipe)
• DWR WILD podcast, episode 19: Birdwatching at the wildlife center
• DWR WILD podcast, episode 66: Hummingbird banding

Ashley Kijowski

Ashley Kijowski has worked for the Division of Wildlife with a focus on the Great Salt Lake ecosystem since 2013. She values collaboration because it can accomplish big goals, like the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey. She currently manages the Eccles Wildlife Education Center, where she gets to continue partnerships and projects with the goal of teaching the public about this amazing ecosystem and the wildlife that rely on it.

Brandon Jones

Brandon Jones is a wildlife technician at the Eccles Wildlife Education Center. He has been working for the DWR for a little over a year, but had previously been a volunteer at EWEC for many years. He has an impressive knowledge of all wildlife species, but especially birds. He is a professional bird photographer (all of the bird photographs in this post are his) and skilled waterfowl hunter. We are lucky to have Brandon on the EWEC team!