It feels a bit like a Christmas tree farm, at the moment. But take a stroll through the burgeoning little woodland at Tracy Aviary and it's clear why Roger Sweeney seems so giddy.
Four months and about $250,000 from now, the aviary's curator said, this triangle-shaped stand of about 120 newly planted evergreens will be transformed into an "Owl Forest" — the latest in a series of intimate, immersive exhibits that have recently taken flight at the Salt Lake City bird park.
Starting at the entrance, just across from the aviary's massive flight cage, visitors will follow a meandering path through the forest as they are introduced to a diverse collection of birds — starting with the 7-inch saw whet and ending with the 2 ½-foot great gray.
Much like a neighboring exhibit, the Kennecott Wetland Immersion Experience, Sweeney said he hopes that the Owl Forest will open visitors' eyes to the amazing array of birds in Utah.
"I think this exhibit will really drive home the point that you can come here and see all these diverse, tropical birds, but some of the most charismatic birds are right here in our own backyard," he said.
Matthew Utley, the aviary's director of horticulture, said he's also hoping the exhibit will whet the appetite of visitors to experience another of Utah's natural wonders: its rugged coniferous forests. More than a dozen species of local trees and plants will be featured in the exhibit, and officials are confident that it won't be long until some other local birds decide to roost.
Seven cages are planned for the exhibit, which is scheduled to open in May. Preliminary sketches show a children's tree house, which officials say is subject to further funding.
The aviary received $19.6 million when Salt Lake County voters approved a bond for improvements to the park in 2008, but officials have dipped carefully into the pot so far. An old pavilion was refurbished to make way for the recently completed exhibit of South American birds and a breeding center, and work has begun on a new entrance facility and boardwalk that will surround a pond in the previously inaccessible northwest corner of the grounds.
The Owl Forest, director Tim Brown said, is being funded through traditional revenue streams.
mlaplante@sltrib.com Barn owl
Length • 14 inches
Wingspan • 43 inches
Nest • Tree hollows, old buildings, caves
Fun fact • One of the most widespread of all land birds, found on all continents except Antarctica
Flammulated owl
Length • 7 inches
Wingspan • 15 inches
Nest • Tree cavity
Western screech owl
Length • 9 inches
Wingspan • 22 inches
Nest • Tree cavities
Fun fact • During courtship, males and females call to each other in a duet as they approach one other. When together, they preen each other's heads and nibble at the other's beaks
Northern pygmy owl
Length • 7 inches
Wingspan • 15 inches
Nest • Woodpecker cavities
Burrowing owl
Length • 9 ½ inches
Wingspan • 21 inches
Nest • Tree cavities and underground dens
Fun fact • Lines den with cow pies, horse dung, grass and feathers
Great horned owl
Length • 25 inches
Wingspan • 40 inches
Nest • Takes over the nests of crows, herons and hawks
Fun fact • Fearless, will kill skunks and porcupines
Snowy owl
Length • 25 inches
Wingspan • 60 inches
Nest • Ground nests, often on the top of an elevated rise, mound or boulder
Fun fact • The official bird of Quebec, sometimes known as the Great White Owl, Ghost Owl, Tundra Ghost and the White Terror of the North
Boreal owl
Length • 9 inches
Wingspan: • 18 inches
Nest • Tree cavities, also takes readily to man-made nest boxes
Elf owl
Length • 7 inches
Wingspan • 15 inches
Nest • Woodpecker cavities
Spotted owl
Length • 19 inches
Wingspan • 43 inches
Nest • Various
Fun fact • Spotted owls are known to capture 30 mammal species, including bats, and more than 23 bird species, as well as snakes, crickets, beetles and moths
Great gray owl
Length • 28 inches
Wingspan • 56 inches
Nest • Stick nests made by hawks, ravens or crows and hollowed-out tops of trees
Fun fact • Rare in Utah, the last documented sighting was in 1989 in Cache County
