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<title>My Fishing River Otter</title>
<link>https://wildaboututah.org/my-fishing-river-otter/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Greene]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:41:57 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Chub]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Otter]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Reintroduced Otter]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Threatened Fish]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=17156</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Many years ago on a gorgeous fall day, I was standing on the bank of Green River in the Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur National Monument. I was visiting the site for our upcoming Utah Envirothon competition to assess the lay of the land and all it contained- plants, wildlife, soils, and aquatics. These were … 
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/my-fishing-river-otter/" class="more-link">Continue reading "My Fishing River Otter"</a>
The post <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/my-fishing-river-otter/">My Fishing River Otter</a> appeared first on <a href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_17157" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17157" style="width: 2000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-river-otter-seedskadee-refuge.jpg" target="newWindow"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-river-otter-seedskadee-refuge.jpg" alt="River Otter, Lontra canadensis Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer" title="Click for a larger image in a new tab or window " width="2000" height="1462" class="size-full wp-image-17157" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-river-otter-seedskadee-refuge.jpg 2000w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-river-otter-seedskadee-refuge-250x183.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-river-otter-seedskadee-refuge-1024x749.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-river-otter-seedskadee-refuge-768x561.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-river-otter-seedskadee-refuge-1536x1123.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17157" class="wp-caption-text">River Otter, Lontra canadensis Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer</figcaption></figure>Many years ago on a gorgeous fall day, I was standing on the bank of Green River in the Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur National Monument. I was visiting the site for our upcoming Utah Envirothon competition to assess the lay of the land and all it contained- plants, wildlife, soils, and aquatics. These were the main areas covered in the competition, so I would report back to my Logan high students on what local knowledge they might be tested on.
<figure id="attachment_17166" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17166" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-humpback-chub-gila-cypha.jpg" target="newWindow"><img decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-humpback-chub-gila-cypha.jpg" alt="Humpback Chub Gila Cypha Courtesy US FWS, S Nev. FWO" title="Click for a larger image in a new tab or window " width="250" height="132" class="size-full wp-image-17166" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-humpback-chub-gila-cypha.jpg 1250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-humpback-chub-gila-cypha-250x132.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-humpback-chub-gila-cypha-1024x539.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-humpback-chub-gila-cypha-768x404.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17166" class="wp-caption-text">Humpback Chub Gila Cypha Courtesy US FWS, S Nev. FWO
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake.jpg" target="newWindow"><img decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake.jpg" alt="River Otter, Lontra canadensis Blue Lake National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Ted Narveson, Photographer" title="Click for a larger image in a new tab or window " width="250" height="141" class="size-full wp-image-17158" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake.jpg 2454w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake-250x141.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-narveson-ted-otter-blue-lake-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> River Otter, Lontra canadensis Blue Lake National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Ted Narveson, Photographer
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-wheeler-barbara-malheur-nwrriver-otter-usfws-volunteer.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-wheeler-barbara-malheur-nwrriver-otter-usfws-volunteer.jpg" alt="River Otter, Lontra canadensis Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Barbara Wheeler, Photographer" title="Click for a larger image in a new tab or window " width="250" height="167" class="size-full wp-image-17161" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-wheeler-barbara-malheur-nwrriver-otter-usfws-volunteer.jpg 2000w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-wheeler-barbara-malheur-nwrriver-otter-usfws-volunteer-250x167.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-wheeler-barbara-malheur-nwrriver-otter-usfws-volunteer-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-wheeler-barbara-malheur-nwrriver-otter-usfws-volunteer-768x512.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-wheeler-barbara-malheur-nwrriver-otter-usfws-volunteer-1536x1025.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> River Otter, Lontra canadensis Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Barbara Wheeler, Photographer
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-scaled.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-scaled.jpg" alt="River Otter, Lontra canadensis Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer" title="Click for a larger image in a new tab or window " width="250" height="178" class="size-full wp-image-17162" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-250x178.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-1024x731.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-768x548.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-1536x1096.jpg 1536w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-koerner-tom-north-american-river-otter-seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge-min-2048x1462.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> River Otter, Lontra canadensis Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-scaled.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-scaled.jpg" alt="River Otter, Lontra canadensis Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tim Holman, Photographer" title="Click for a larger image in a new tab or window " width="250" height="163" class="size-full wp-image-17165" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-250x163.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-1024x668.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-768x501.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-1536x1001.jpg 1536w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-holman-tim-turnbull-nwr-river-otters-min-2048x1335.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> River Otter, Lontra canadensis Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tim Holman, Photographer
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-scaled.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-scaled.jpg" alt="River Otter, Lontra canadensis Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Mike Budd, Photographer" title="Click for a larger image in a new tab or window " width="250" height="174" class="size-full wp-image-17160" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-250x174.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-1024x713.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-768x535.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-1536x1069.jpg 1536w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws-budd-mike-river-otter-lontra-canadensis-min-2048x1426.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> River Otter, Lontra canadensis Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Mike Budd, Photographer</figcaption></figure>I stood mesmerized by the beauty of the tranquil setting and glowing cottonwoods dwarfed by rainbow colored cliffs. The spell was suddenly shattered by a large aquatic mammal swimming nearby. Thinking it was a beaver, I awaited the telltale slap of its tail as it neared my position. Suddenly it began swimming wildly in a river backwater immediately in front of me. A river otter! This was my first sighting of a freshwater otter. I had seen many much larger marine otters on the west coast lying on their backs in kelp forests using rocks to crack open shellfish.
River otters had been nearly extirpated from Utah and recently reintroduced from 1989-1992, all of which doubled my excitement! As the otter accelerated, a fin emerged about a dozen feet in front of the predator. A large fish and strong swimmer, it led the otter on a wild, zigzag chase in the backwater. Finally, the otter captured the exhausted fish- an endangered humpbacked chub! It hauled out with a fish dinner on a flat boulder protruding from the water no more than 20 feet from where I stood. It cradled the large fish in its arms prepared to deliver the death bite through the head when it suddenly realized my statuesque presence.
Startled by my presence, it allowed the humpback to flip loose and return to the water. The otter was immediately on it, but the fish surged from the calm backwater to the main river channel current and disappeared. I was stunned by what happened next. The otter returned to the flat rock where it had held the fish, looked directly at me, and hurled what had to be a stream of otter profanity toward me! Me Me Me Me!!! (repeated several times) I have yet to fully recover from the insults!
River otters are important as indicators of healthy aquatic environments. They have a low tolerance for polluted water and require an abundant prey population. Due to their secretive nature, wide ranges, and low densities, otter populations are difficult to monitor. Currently, there is not a population estimate for Utah. Knowing where they are located is vital to managing this species. Recreationists can help with their management by reporting any sightings.
River otters primarily eat fish, but are also known to prey on small mammals, aquatic birds, crayfish and insects.
Now I must revisit the Disney film “Flash, the Teenage Otter”, to get reacquainted with this playful, highly intelligent and comical relative!
Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I’m forever Wild About Utah’s River Otters & Humpback Chubs!
Credits: 
Images Courtesy US FWS, photographers marked with each image 
Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver <a href="https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/</a> 
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, <a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/</a> 
Additional Reading: Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, and Jack Greene, Author, Bridgerland Audubon, <a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/</a>
Additional Reading:
Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/</a>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Flash, the Teen-age Otter - The Wonderful World of Disney" width="525" height="295" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RXl0Lk-2cnY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Flash, the Teenage Otter
Filmed almost entirely at a Wisconsin game preserve, this episode of “”Walt Disney Presents”” was based on a book by Emil Liers. The program chronicles the early life and adventures of two otters, Flash and Fleta, and their close-knit family. Upon reaching their rebellious teen years, Flash strikes out on his own, experiencing all manner of exciting and life-threatening exploits, especially when coming in contact with that predatory species known as Man. But as the “”teaser”” to this episode tipped off a week in advance, Flash is ultimately and happily reunited with his loved ones. “”Flash, the Teenage Otter”” was released theatrically in 1961. <a href="https://thetvdb.com/series/the-wonderful-world-of-disney/episodes/245964" target="newWindow">–more–</a>
Flash the Teenage Otter, The Wonderful World of Disney, [Review above from] TheTVDB.com, A Whip Media Company, <a href="https://thetvdb.com/series/the-wonderful-world-of-disney/episodes/245964" target="newWindow">https://thetvdb.com/series/the-wonderful-world-of-disney/episodes/245964</a> 
See also: 
Liers, Emil, An Otter’s Story, The Viking Press, April 3, 1953, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Otters-Story-Emil-Liers/dp/0670529753" target="newWindow">https://www.amazon.com/Otters-Story-Emil-Liers/dp/0670529753</a>
Humpback Chub, , Utah Species, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, <a href="https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=gila%20cypha" target="newWindow">https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=gila%20cypha</a>
Northern River Otter, Utah Species, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, <a href="https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=lontra%20canadensis" target="newWindow">https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=lontra%20canadensis</a>
The post <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/my-fishing-river-otter/">My Fishing River Otter</a> appeared first on <a href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
</item>
<item>
<title>Solar Calendars</title>
<link>https://wildaboututah.org/solar-calendars/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Newell]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:41:39 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Astronomy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Experiential Learning]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Petroglyphs]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[solar calendar]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sun dial]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sundial]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=17095</guid>
<description><![CDATA[High on a remote butte on the Colorado Plateau, two spirals were etched into the rock centuries ago by Ancestral Puebloans. The petroglyphs are tucked discreetly behind three sandstone slabs that lean against the bedrock wall. The play of light that reaches through the gaps in the slabs bisect the large spiral on summer solstice … 
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/solar-calendars/" class="more-link">Continue reading "Solar Calendars"</a>
The post <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/solar-calendars/">Solar Calendars</a> appeared first on <a href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_17129" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17129" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/sdagger2_s1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/sdagger2_s1.jpg" alt=" This [observatory in Chacho Canyon, NM], is constructed of three large stone slabs [.https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/sdagger_s1.jpg] wedged upright with smaller stones. On the day of the summer solstice, a dagger of light cast by the rising sun bisects a spiral carved into the rock behind the stones. On the winter solstice, two daggers of light frame the spiral. https://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/suntime/images/sdagger2_s.jpg" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="800" height="541" class="size-full wp-image-17129" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/sdagger2_s1.jpg 800w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/sdagger2_s1-250x169.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/sdagger2_s1-768x519.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17129" class="wp-caption-text">This [observatory in Chacho Canyon, NM], is constructed of <a href="./wp-content/uploads/sdagger_s1.jpg" target="_blank">three large stone slabs</a> wedged upright with smaller stones. On the day of the summer solstice, a dagger of light cast by the rising sun bisects a spiral carved into the rock behind the stones. On the winter solstice, two daggers of light frame the spiral. Courtesy NASA Solar Science <a href="https://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/suntime/talk1.stm" target="newWindow">https://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/suntime/talk1.stm</a></figcaption></figure>High on a remote butte on the Colorado Plateau, two spirals were etched into the rock centuries ago by Ancestral Puebloans. The petroglyphs are tucked discreetly behind three sandstone slabs that lean against the bedrock wall. The play of light that reaches through the gaps in the slabs bisect the large spiral on summer solstice near noon. On winter solstice, two ‘daggers’ of light bracket the large spiral perfectly. The smaller spiral is bisected with another shaft of light on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. This is not accidental.
Indigenous people in the far reaches of the planet, constructed monuments with intention that mark the position of the sun on the solstices and equinoxes—the pyramids of Egypt, the moai on Rapa Nui (the most isolated island on earth), the temples of Chichén Itzá, Stonehenge, and numerous others.
These solar calendars where created thousands of years ago, before airplanes, satellites, space shuttles, and smartphones. They were likely constructed without any knowledge that other people in other parts of the world were doing the same. Each of these monuments are distinctive in their approach, a testament to both human curiosity and creativity.
<figure style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal7.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal7.jpg" alt="Solar Calendar and Sundial Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="188" class="size-full wp-image-17104" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal7.jpg 960w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal7-250x188.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal7-768x578.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Solar Calendar and Sundial Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
Mount Logan Discovery Solar Calendar
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal8.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal8.jpg" alt="Solar Calendar - How it Works Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="333" class="size-full wp-image-17105" /></a> Solar Calendar – How it Works Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal6.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal6.jpg" alt="Solar Calendar Design Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="316" class="size-full wp-image-17103" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal6.jpg 740w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal6-250x316.jpg 250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Solar Calendar Design Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal13.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal13.jpg" alt="Observing From the Solar Calendar
Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="188" class="size-full wp-image-17110" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal13.jpg 2048w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal13-250x188.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal13-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal13-768x576.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal13-1536x1152.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Observing From the Solar Calendar Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal1.jpg" alt="Completed Solar Calendar Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="224" class="size-full wp-image-17098" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal1.jpg 1440w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal1-250x224.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal1-1024x919.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal1-768x690.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Completed Solar Calendar Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal2.jpg" alt="Solar Calendar Near Solstice Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="187" class="size-full wp-image-17099" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal2.jpg 1440w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal2-250x187.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal2-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal2-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Solar Calendar Near Solstice Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal5.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal5.jpg" alt="Solar Calendar Layout in the Snow Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="188" class="size-full wp-image-17102" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal5.jpg 1224w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal5-250x188.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal5-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal5-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Solar Calendar Layout in the Snow Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal9.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal9.jpg" alt="Observations: The Shadow Grew Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="889" height="1027" class="size-full wp-image-17106" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal9.jpg 889w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal9-250x289.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal9-886x1024.jpg 886w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal9-768x887.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px" /></a> Observations: The Shadow Grew Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
Mount Logan Discovery Human [Analemmatic] Sundial
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal11.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal11.jpg" alt="Human Sundial, Pre-Installation, Month Stone Layout Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="333" class="size-full wp-image-17108" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal11.jpg 720w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal11-250x333.jpg 250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Human Sundial Pre-Installation Month Stone Layout Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal10.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal10.jpg" alt="Students Install the Solar Sundial Month Blocks Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell" title="Click on to view the images in a new tab or window " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="188" class="size-full wp-image-17107" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal10.jpg 960w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal10-250x188.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/MLS_SolarCal10-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Students Install the Solar Sundial Month Blocks Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell</figcaption></figure>When I started teaching 6th grade science at Mount Logan Middle School (in Logan, Utah), in 2003, state curriculum standards required me to teach why we have seasons, why we have night and day, and the basics of the solar system. The science textbook would put insomniacs to sleep. I struggled to figure out how to teach these concepts in ways that would captivate my students’ attention and allow them the chance to construct knowledge through project-based learning.
I was explaining my fascination with ancient solar calendars to my sixth graders in class one day and in the moment I said, “Hey, we should build a solar calendar at our school.” My students cheered a loud “Yeah!” and a new project was born.
I did some research, wrote and received a $500 grant from the Logan Schools Foundation for materials, ruffled a few feathers, and set to work with a simple plan that involved my 6th graders at every step. We cemented a metal pole in the ground on the edge of the soccer field, decorated with student art representing the four seasons. We surrounded the pole with a circular pattern of paver stones, enlisted the sand blasting services of a local headstone company, and then we started marking the shadow of the tip of the pole throughout the year. We had no idea how it would turn out.
What I thought would be a year-long project became a five year project. The shadows cast by the pole were not always easy to observe with storms and cloud cover. Cache Valley inversions—that trap fog and smog in the valley—made marking winter solstice shadow lines especially illusive.
We would mark the tip of the shadow throughout the day and then connect the dots to trace and identify the patterns. On the spring equinox a curious thing happened—we discovered the shadow line makes a perfectly straight line that runs exactly west to east. The same is true for the autumnal equinox. We did some research and confirmed our findings. This is something you can try anywhere. This year the autumnal equinox occurs September 22nd. Mark the tip of the shadow of any pole or post throughout the day on fairly level ground in your yard—an hour or two apart if you want, but the intervals don’t really matter. Then connect the dots and see what happens.
The solar calendar at Mount Logan Middle School marks the time of year and is our evidence that the earth’s axis is tilted.
We added an interactive sundial, with a human gnomon. When you stand on the correct month stone, your shadow falls on the time of day. The human sundial is our evidence that the earth spins on its’ axis.
Outside of school hours, you can find and interact with the human sundial and solar calendar on the soccer field at Mount Logan Middle School, located north of the sand volleyball court. Even though I no longer work there, I visit a couple of times each year. I take my weed eater, a shovel, and a blower and clean up the paver stones that mark the shadow lines of the solstices and equinoxes. I am frequently there alone in the evenings when I do this. While I work, I wonder about the hands that carved those spirals in the Cliff House Sandstone behind the slabs of rock in the New Mexican desert. I always set down my tools for a few minutes and watch with amazement as the shadow tracks along the pathways my sixth graders marked two decades ago.
I am Eric Newell, and I am wild about Utah and equinoxes and solstices.
Credits: 
Images: Courtesy NASA Solar Science and Courtesy & Copyright Eric Newell, Photographer and author 
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Anderson, Howe, Wakeman 
Text: Eric Newell, <a href="https://cehs.usu.edu/edithbowen/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University</a> 
Additional Reading: Eric Newell & Lyle Bingham
Additional Reading
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/author/eric-newell/" rel="noopener" target="newWindow">Wild About Utah Pieces by Eric Newell</a>
<a href="http://MountLoganDiscovery.org/" target="_blank">http://MountLoganDiscovery.org/</a> (Hint: Select Projects on the left to find links to the Solar Calendar and Human Sundial pages) 
<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mountlogandiscovery/mount-logan-discovery" target="newWindow">Mount Logan Middle School Solar Calendar and Human Sundial Webpages</a> (Hint: Select Sundial or Solar Calendar below the image.) 
<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mountlogandiscovery/solar-calendar" target="_blank">Mount Logan Discovery Solar Calendar</a> 
<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/mountlogandiscovery/human-sundial" target="_blank">Mount Logan Discovery Human Sundial</a>
Archeoastronomy in Stone, National Park Service, 
<a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/archeoastronomy-in-stone.htm" target="newWindow">https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/archeoastronomy-in-stone.htm</a>
Ancestral Puebloan Sun Calendars 
<a href="https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm%3Fid%3D4A2A3F5E-7710-4A87-BC20-A8E833CBCE17" target="newWindow">https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm%3Fid%3D4A2A3F5E-7710-4A87-BC20-A8E833CBCE17</a>
Schaefer, Bradley E., Stamm, James, A Case Study of the Picture Rocks Sun Dagger, Pluss a Review of the Intentionality of Sun Daggers, <a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2008/PictureRocks_Sundagger_JAHH.pdf" target="newWindow">https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2008/PictureRocks_Sundagger_JAHH.pdf</a>
Friday Finishers: Logan landmark, The Herald Journal (HJNews), Jun 28, 2013, 
<a href="https://www.hjnews.com/allaccess/friday-finishers-logan-landmark/article_7c9554ee-df82-11e2-b142-001a4bcf887a.html" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://www.hjnews.com/allaccess/friday-finishers-logan-landmark/article_7c9554ee-df82-11e2-b142-001a4bcf887a.html</a>
Sundial Registry, Logan, UT Number 804, North American Sundial Society, <a href="https://sundials.org/index.php/component/sundials/onedial/804" target="_blank">https://sundials.org/index.php/component/sundials/onedial/804</a>
Making an Analemmatic Sundial, North American Sundial Society, September 22, 2019, <a href="https://sundials.org/teachers-corner/sundial-construction/299-making-an-analemmatic-sundial.html" target="_blank">https://sundials.org/teachers-corner/sundial-construction/299-making-an-analemmatic-sundial.html</a>
The post <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/solar-calendars/">Solar Calendars</a> appeared first on <a href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.
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<title>The Logan Island Twin Rivers Reverence Vibe</title>
<link>https://wildaboututah.org/the-logan-island-twin-rivers-reverence-vibe/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hilary Shughart]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 13:41:30 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Springs, Rivers, Lakes and Streams]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Urban]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=17057</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The City of Logan has a special Logan Island Vibe anchored in the two arms of the Logan River which wrap around the heart of town as living blue trails and green stripes. We are the rivers, wetlands, and riparian buffers keepers. Our stewardship is dictated by the laws we enact, and those laws include … 
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/the-logan-island-twin-rivers-reverence-vibe/" class="more-link">Continue reading "The Logan Island Twin Rivers Reverence Vibe"</a>
The post <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/the-logan-island-twin-rivers-reverence-vibe/">The Logan Island Twin Rivers Reverence Vibe</a> appeared first on <a href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_15507" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-15507" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min.jpg" alt="The first reach of the Little Logan River at River Hollow Park. This is the river’s connection to the Logan River, and in the proposed Logan River Watershed Plan it will be an excavated to bury piped water, severing the historic Little Logan River from the Logan River forever. Courtesy &amp Copyright Hilary Shughart, Photographer" width="2560" height="1920" class="size-full wp-image-15507" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min.jpg 2560w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min-250x188.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min-768x576.jpg 768w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/shughart.hilary.little-logan-river-at-river-hollow-park-point-where-lrwp-wants-to-pipe-into-canal-min-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-15507" class="wp-caption-text">The first reach of the Little Logan River at River Hollow Park. This is the river’s connection to the Logan River, and in the proposed Logan River Watershed Plan it will be an excavated to bury piped water, severing the historic Little Logan River from the Logan River forever. Courtesy &amp Copyright Hilary Shughart, Photographer</figcaption></figure>The City of Logan has a special Logan Island Vibe anchored in the two arms of the Logan River which wrap around the heart of town as living blue trails and green stripes. We are the rivers, wetlands, and riparian buffers keepers.
<figure id="attachment_17062" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17062" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://apps.nationalmap.gov/viewer/" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/USGSLoganIslandMap.jpg" alt="This USGS map shows both the Logan River and the upper Little Logan River. These rivers define the Island district where Logan was originally founded. Click for a larger view and zoom in to Logan, UT" title="Click for a larger view in a new tab or window and zoom in to Logan, UT " style="border: 1px solid black;" width="250" height="141" class="size-full wp-image-17062" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/USGSLoganIslandMap.jpg 1226w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/USGSLoganIslandMap-250x141.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/USGSLoganIslandMap-1024x578.jpg 1024w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/USGSLoganIslandMap-768x433.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17062" class="wp-caption-text">This USGS map shows both the Logan River and the upper Little Logan River. These rivers define the Island district where Logan was originally founded.   Click for a larger view in a new tab or window and search for or zoom-in to Logan UT, <a href="https://apps.nationalmap.gov/viewer/" target="_blank">https://apps.nationalmap.gov/viewer/</a></figcaption></figure>Our stewardship is dictated by the laws we enact, and those laws include science-based riparian buffers based on best management practices. Let’s preserve and rehabilitate our natural resource treasures, not least of which the Logan River system, which includes the Logan River flowing out of Logan Canyon, and then forking into the North and South Branches which embrace the Logan Island.
Let’s celebrate our Logan Island Twin Rivers Reverence Vibe with poetry and conservation actions, such as planting native plant riparian buffers and ensuring this Tree City USA maintains a healthy tree canopy, clean water, and a thriving Natural Stream Environment, filled with the delights of birds and bird song, which are actual metrics of the health of a city.
The Logan Island Twin Rivers Reverence Vibe
The Logan River meanders gracefully from the mouth Logan Canyon, 
Generating electricity here, filling First Dam Reservoir there, 
Flowing through the World Class Utah State University Water Research Laboratory, 
With a mile and a half southwesterly meander past Herm’s Inn here, and River Hollow Park there, 
Forking to wrap around the Logan Island, twin blue trails 
weaving green stripes of riverside parks, 
Sustaining our urban ecosystem, 
This one wild and beautiful Logan Island 
Twin Rivers Reverence Vibe, 
Natural Community, 
Lifeline.
I’m Hilary Shughart with the Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I am Wild About the North and South Branches of the Logan River, and I am Wild About Utah!
Credits: 
Images: Little Logan River Courtesy & Copyright Hilary Shughart, Photographer 
Featured Audio: Courtesy Friend Weller, Chief Engineer Retired, UPR.org, Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, <a href="https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver</a> 
Text: Hilary Shughart, President, <a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/</a> 
Additional Reading: Hilary Shughart and Lyle Bingham, <a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/</a> 
Additional Reading
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/author/hilary-shughart/">Other Wild About Utah pieces authored by Hilary Shughart</a>
Save and Restore the North Branch of the Logan River (Little Logan River), Bridgerland Audubon Society, <a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/llr/" target="NewWindow" rel="noopener">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/llr/</a>
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<td style="line-height: 1.1; font-size: 90%; width: 95%; border: 2px solid black; background-color:lightgray; padding: 5px 5px 5px 5px;">Guide to The Logan River Trail 
iFIT parking lot to Trapper Park 
Read to Logan City Council April 1, 2025 
by Logan Poet Shanan Balkan,
First, we pass under the traffic bridge 
where barn swallows build nests of mud. 
They disappear in late autumn 
leaving stains where their nests once clung 
to the underpass. 
The river blurs turquoise to brown 
under the bridge.
Bright green watercress thrives 
year-round in the little stream— 
see how it grows thicker by the day. 
Notice the informational signs about what kinds of birds 
live near the river: 
red-winged blackbirds with a patch of ruby on their wings, 
emerald-headed mallards, and raucous kingfishers— 
now we pass a sign of fish who live in the river— 
iridescent rainbow and Bonneville Cutthroat trout who wave 
their tails in the swift green current.
See the majestic Wellsville mountains 
jut sharp into the western sky. 
They shine white, snow-covered, 
late into summer. 
Did you know that they are the steepest mountains 
in the lower 48 states?
Turn around and see the Bear River Mountains 
rise emerald behind us in the east.
Now we pass the pastures that fence horses— 
dozens of them, black, white, chestnut. 
A few hang their velvet snouts 
over the fence to greet passersby. 
The pastures shine with puddles, 
bright pale hay. 
The pastures smell of rich thaw, 
horse manure.
Hear the music of frogs croaking, 
and see the black-necked garter snakes 
coiled, shy and olive-bodied, 
on the edges of the trail in the grass.
The air vibrates with the jubilant 
conk-conk-la-ree! 
of red-winged blackbirds 
and the cheerful chick-a-dee-dee-dee of black capped chickadees. 
Listen! Can you hear the busy chatter of the crested kingfisher? 
Can you hear the mallard skimming to a stop on the surface of the river?
At the bend in the trail, we hear 
the lonely call of a great-horned owl 
tangled in blue branches at dusk.
Here comes the man with one hiking pole 
and the old cowboy riding his bike 
and the woman who smells like patchouli glides by— 
here come the mothers pushing strollers 
as they chat with one another, smiling as we pass, 
and all the people walking dogs—low-slung black Dachshunds, 
gregarious yellow labs, and dozens of doodle mixes, 
curly-haired, copper and blonde, and the golden retrievers 
who love people, and lick everybody’s hands.
Past the pond, 
an off-shoot of the river, 
where we see minnows, 
their shadows doubling them, 
we can’t tell which is minnow, 
which is shadow, 
and a solitary kingfisher, 
slate-blue, perches on a bare tree 
that stands straight and tall, 
and a small gray 
bird skims the water, leaving riffles, 
before being swallowed into a gray shrub—
there is the black metal bench 
on the side of the trail where we stop to sit 
and have a sip of water.
In summer, there are clouds 
of white cabbage and pale yellow sulfur butterflies, 
and a few orange and black monarchs.
Onto the second bridge, 
this one too over a shallow pond, 
where in summer small white flowers 
dot the water, and wild cucumbers 
with their spikey shells drape 
on their vines. The silt is gray 
and dappled and here we hear 
the raspy call of a marsh wren 
rattling cattails.
We pass the mobile home park 
with blue and yellow homes 
and over the bridge where on both sides 
we are surrounded by gold cattails, 
slowly exploding fluff, 
and in summer, the blue of blue vervain.
And then onto the cow pastures 
where Canadian geese nest and squawk. 
We see a pair of sandhill cranes 
in winter gray feathers 
in the pasture, picking their way 
between gold cattails. 
They each have a bright red dot 
under their eyes. 
Look! A bald eagle! 
Slow, deliberate flapping, 
ebony-winged, ivory-headed.
And then to the sidewalk 
that is lined with fragrant pink wild roses in June. 
We see Trapper Park in the distance, 
the new brick restrooms, 
the pavilion with new exercise equipment, 
and the brown bear perpetually climbing the side 
of the toy set,
but before we get there, 
let’s linger at the spring 
that spills silver water over emerald 
velvet moss.
<div style="font-family:inherit; font-size:95%; text-align:right;">Guide to The Logan River Trail 
iFIT parking lot to Trapper Park 
Read to Logan City Council, April 1, 2025 
by Logan Poet Shanan Balkan 
<a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/…</a></div>
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Save and Restore the North Branch of the Logan River (Little Logan River), Bridgerland Audubon Society, <a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/llr/" target="newWindow">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/llr/</a>
The post <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/the-logan-island-twin-rivers-reverence-vibe/">The Logan Island Twin Rivers Reverence Vibe</a> appeared first on <a href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.
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<title>A Surprise visit with distant relatives of Cache Valley’s birds</title>
<link>https://wildaboututah.org/a-surprise-visit-with-distant-relatives-of-cache-valleys-birds/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mary Heers]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2025 13:41:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Birds]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Pea cock]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Pea fowl]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Pea hen]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=17038</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Awhile back, I was riding my bicycle along country roads in Cache Valley, when suddenly 6 unusual looking chicks ran across the road in single file right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes just in time as the chicks disappeared down the farmhouse driveway on the other side of the road. I … 
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_17047" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17047" style="width: 720px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/Wikimedia.Peafowl_chicks.png" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/Wikimedia.Peafowl_chicks.png" alt="A Surprise visit with distant relatives of Cache Valley's birds: Peafowl Chicks, Courtesy Wikimedia, This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en" title="Click for a larger view in a separate tab or window " width="720" height="484" class="size-full wp-image-17047" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/Wikimedia.Peafowl_chicks.png 720w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/Wikimedia.Peafowl_chicks-250x168.png 250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17047" class="wp-caption-text">Peafowl Chicks Courtesy Wikimedia, This file is licensed under the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Creative_Commons" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en" target="_blank">Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.</a></figcaption></figure>Awhile back, I was riding my bicycle along country roads in Cache Valley, when suddenly 6 unusual looking chicks ran across the road in single file right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes just in time as the chicks disappeared down the farmhouse driveway on the other side of the road.
I got off my bike and ventured partway down the driveway. Suddenly I found myself face to face with a fully grown peacock. This distant relative of Cache Valley’s native birds seemed quite at home in the shady backyard. As I glanced around, I realized it was his home. From where I was standing I could see at least ten more peacocks and peahens. 
<figure id="attachment_17046" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-17046" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/pixabay.anrita1705.peacock.bird-4397089_960_720.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/pixabay.anrita1705.peacock.bird-4397089_960_720.jpg" alt="Peacock Courtesy Pixabay, Anrita1705, Contributor" title="Click for a larger view in a separate tab or window " width="250" height="166" class="size-full wp-image-17046" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/pixabay.anrita1705.peacock.bird-4397089_960_720.jpg 960w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/pixabay.anrita1705.peacock.bird-4397089_960_720-250x166.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/pixabay.anrita1705.peacock.bird-4397089_960_720-768x511.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-17046" class="wp-caption-text">Peacock Courtesy Pixabay, Anrita1705, Contributor
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2304-rotated.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2304-rotated.jpg" alt="Peahen on Tractor Cab Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer" title="Click for a larger view in a separate tab or window " width="250" height="333" class="size-full wp-image-17042" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2304-rotated.jpg 480w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2304-250x333.jpg 250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Peahen on Tractor Cab Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/nps.bents_.fort_.nat_.monument.peacock.IMG_5687.webp"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/nps.bents_.fort_.nat_.monument.peacock.IMG_5687.webp" alt="Peacock and Chickens Courtesy US NPS, Bent's Fort National Monument, New Mexico" title="Click for a larger view in a separate tab or window " width="250" height="144" class="size-full wp-image-17045" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/nps.bents_.fort_.nat_.monument.peacock.IMG_5687.webp 650w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/nps.bents_.fort_.nat_.monument.peacock.IMG_5687-250x144.webp 250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Peacock and Chickens Courtesy US NPS, Bent’s Fort National Monument, New Mexico
<a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2322-rotated.jpg" target="newWindow"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2322-rotated.jpg" alt="Peahen Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer" title="Click for a larger view in a separate tab or window " width="250" height="333" class="size-full wp-image-17043" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2322-rotated.jpg 480w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/heers.mary_.peafowl.IMG_2322-250x333.jpg 250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a> Peahen Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer</figcaption></figure>Then I noticed the farmer sitting in his truck at the end of the driveway. He beckoned me over and gave me the whole story.
Many years ago, he had gone to Idaho and purchased a peacock and a peahen. The peahen ran off, so he went back and got another pair. This time it worked. The pair produced a nest full of eggs which the peahen diligently sat on for four weeks. She then tended the baby chicks for the week it took them to learn to fly up into the relative safety of the trees in the yard. The small family made itself at home, settling into a routine of spending their days on the ground and their nights in the trees.
Occasionally an owl or a racoon would take their toll, but these hardy birds proved they could not only survive but thrive. Knowing that these birds originally came from India , I was amazed that they could withstand the bitter cold of Cache Valley’s winters. Perhaps it helped that the farmer had a kindly wife, who would throw out some cracked corn, an occasional cup of cat food, and – on very special occasions- some hot dogs.
Peafowl are omnivores, and on this sunny day I could see them pecking away to their heart’s content in the adjacent grain fields. Luckily this band of birds avoided the fate of the six peacocks who used to free roam the zoo in Logan’s Willow Park. The zoo birds caught the bird flu virus in 2022 and all of them died. 
I told my new friend, the farmer, that I was surprised how the females didn’t look the least bit like the males. The peahen is much smaller and is a rather drab brown. He explained that the peahen needs good camouflage because she lays her eggs on the ground and then has to sit there for four weeks with absolutely no help from the male. 
The farmer invited me to take as many pictures as I wanted. So I pulled out my cell phone and stepped closer to the birds. That’s when I found out just how fast they can run. They stepped away and out of sight almost before I could blink. Peacocks have been clocked running as fast as 10 mph.
It wasn’t mating season, so the peacocks weren’t fanning out their tails and trying to impress the females. But I was already completely impressed to simply find out there are 200 feathers in the peacock tail. On top of that, the peacocks molt. Each year all 200 tail feathers fall out, and the peacock has to regrow them. No wonder the colors stay so bright!
This is Mary Heers and I’m Wild about all the birds who make themselves at home in Utah.
Credits:
Images Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer, US NPS, Pixabay and Wikimedia 
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman. 
Text: Mary Heers, <a href="https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf</a> 
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, <a href="https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener">https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/</a> 
Additional Reading
Wild About Utah, <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/author/mary-heers/">Mary Heers’ Postings</a> 
The post <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/a-surprise-visit-with-distant-relatives-of-cache-valleys-birds/">A Surprise visit with distant relatives of Cache Valley’s birds</a> appeared first on <a href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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