GREAT SALT LAKE—Of the many species that the Great Salt Lake supports, there is perhaps no more diverse than its bird population. The many species that depend on the lake and its surrounding wetlands will be the focal point of the annual Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, which will be celebrating its 26th year this year, and hosting over 75 different events.

Max Malmquist, Engagement Manager for the Saline Lakes Program of the National Audubon Society has been a volunteer on the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival committee since 2019 and is excited for the public to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities this year. “We’ve evolved,” said Malmquist, detailing just a few of the offerings this year. “We have events and opportunities and field trips for everyone who’s interested,” and not just experienced birders either.

Birding, sometimes known as bird watching, has been a popular activity for centuries, but in Davis County, people have the unique opportunity to see, hear, and appreciate these creatures in ways that many around the globe don’t often have. The Bird Festival will offer attendees the opportunity to go on 50 different field trips, 20 of which are new this year. Each field trip is guided by experienced and knowledgeable leaders who offer new and interesting insights into the avian stars of the festival.

Since the early 90s, the Great Salt Lake has been given a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Network designation of “hemispheric importance,” which, according to the Audubon Society, is “the highest level of designation given to a site.” This means that the Great Salt Lake and its surroundings are some of the most important environments for birds in the entire Western Hemisphere. The lake, and the festival present, “A really unique opportunity,” said Malmquist.

“The Great Salt Lake,” said Malmquist, “is incredibly important to waterfowl species,” which is one of the many things that attendees can learn during the festival. Two of this year’s keynote speakers, for example, Diego Calderón-Franco, and José Castaño-Hernández, promise to explain, at least in part, just how birding, and birds themselves, “connect many of us in the Western Hemisphere.”

The Great Sale Lake Bird Festival is “one of the most unique festivals in the nation, and maybe the world,” said Malmquist, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for Davis County-ites to engage with the community, and with the nature that’s right here in their own backyard. While registration is required for many of the field trips and activities, the Family Day on Saturday, May 18, is free, and features many activities for all ages, and all levels: from the casual birder to the passionate veteran.

Family Day will be hosted at the Eccles Wildlife Education Center from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2024, and will feature arts and crafts, live bird sketching, nature walks, bird feeder building and so much more to help locals connect more with birds, and the environment they live in. “Give it a try,” said Malmquist, “And check out some of the unique opportunities!” 

The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival will see events from May 16 through May 19, with more information, and registration at daviscountyutah.gov/greatsaltlakebirdfest.