Awesome Cub Scouts

Watching Bald Eagles circling 

Today I held a Cub Scout "World Conservation Award" workshop for a Cub Scout Pack from Draper Utah. I have been doing these classes for 10 years and I love doing them. It is so rewarding to introduce these young men to nature and the Great Salt Lake Wetlands. Over the years I have had some tremendous Cub Scout groups come out and the one today was one of the best. They all came prepared with their pad of paper and pens ready to take notes and list the birds they saw. Thank you to the great cubs and their dedicated leaders for a successful workshop.

I am always happy when sisters of the cubs come along. We get far too few girls out to see the Nature Center and the birds

Looking at the tank that displays the Great Salt Lake ecosystem
There is live algae , Brine Shrimp and Brine Fly Larva 

Checking out some animal skeletons and skulls from the wetlands, including skunk, deer, beaver, muskrat, and an owl pellet with at vole skeleton. the vials hold samples of macro-invertabrates collected from the ponds at Farmington Bay. The macro-invertabrates are an important food source for birds

These boys are looking at feathers and nests that have been gathered from the wetlands

Parking lot with Great Blue Heron rookery in the background

The boys learned how to identify birds by location, habitat and field marks, the taxidermy at the nature center helps teach people how to identify birds by their field marks.

What are the identifying field marks of this Tundra Swan

These two Snow Geese are different colors but they have similar field marks that help us identify them both as snow geese. Can you see the field marks that they both have that identify them as Snow Geese?

What field marks identify this as a Canada Goose?

Juvenile Bald Eagle circling over Farmington Bay

Adult Bald Eagle we saw circling

Northern Harrier Hawk

Great Blue heron in the pond next to the Nature Center

Great Blue Herons working on their nests on the rookery

I had a great time and hope you all will return many times to Farmington Bay.