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Birding at Red Butte

This morning my friend Katie and I went up to Red Butte Garden to go birding.  The Garden is a Botanical Garden owned and operated by the U, located southeast of campus, up on the hill (and my favorite thing about that local University I didn't go to).  It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and it was great to be out among the trees and flowers and hear and see all the birds.

They offer all sorts of activities up there, and a couple of weeks ago I discovered they also host guided birding walks on Saturday mornings.  I've been wanting to understand more about birding, so I signed us up.  We arrived at 9:00 am and met up with our guide, a wonderful lady named Arline.  There was about 10 of us in our group, and she walked us slowly and quietly all over the garden.  We all had varying degrees of experience.  I thought I was all decked out with my hat, fanny pack, water and a small pair of binoculars.  But that was nothing compared to some of the folks with their high-powered cameras and binoculars. The birds were all very active, singing to each other (rather loudly, I might add), and gorging themselves on service berries and cherries.

We saw Black-Chinned Hummingbirds, Black-headed Grosbeaks, House Finches, Gray Catbirds, Lazuli Buntings, and of course a multitude of Robins.  Some of our group also saw Red-tail Hawks, Bullock's Orioles, and I found a Western Kingbird.  I was surprised at such variety, but with the garden being as beautiful as it is, it's no wonder the birds are all attracted to it.

We were out there for nearly 3 hours, and when we weren't seeing birds, we were enjoying all the trees and flowers.  It's rose season at the Garden, and there were many many rose bushes on display.  Katie had her new camera with her and got a bunch of pictures.  Admittedly it was easier to get photos of the flowers than it was the birds.

Birding is a quiet and slow-moving activity.  So if you're at all impatient, you likely won't enjoy it.  But surprisingly, I do.  It's a great way to slow down, breathe, and enjoy nature at a slower pace.  I think this is something I'm going to keep doing from time to time.  Which means I am now in the market for a decent pair of binoculars!

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