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OREM — The public is invited to watch birds of prey flying on their migration Saturday and can learn more about them from wildlife specialists.
The annual Raptor Watch Day event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Orem overlook along Squaw Peak Road in Provo Canyon. Bird identification experts from the Division of Wildlife Resources, HawkWatch International and Great Salt Lake Audubon will be at the event to help viewers identify the birds.
Thousands of hawks, eagles and other birds of prey fly through the area on their migration each fall, DWR said. The birds primarily fly to mid-latitudes of the United States and into Mexico and some species migrate as far south as southern South America.
"If the skies are clear, you'll see glimpses of harriers, vultures, eagles, hawks and falcons as they sail overhead," DWR Watchable Wildlife Coordinator Bob Walters said.
Participants can also get close to live birds of prey in the parking lot at the overlook, DWR said. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., several captive birds will be at the event. Some rehabilitated birds of prey may also be released into the wild during the event.
The event is free and open to the public.
To get to the Squaw Peak overlook from I-15, take the 800 North exit in Orem and drive east on 800 North. Once you reach the mouth of Provo Canyon, travel up the canyon for about 2 miles and look for the Raptor Watch Day event signs marking the entrance of Squaw Peak Trail Road. Turn onto the road and follow it to the overlook.
