A dry winter heralds a dry summer for Utah, which may enhance whitewater birdwatching as liquid scarcity makes rivers an even more essential avian gathering place. The best way to know is to go.
From July 21-26, birdwatchers have a chance to join Salt Lake City’s Tracy Aviary on an 84-mile whitewater rafting trip on the Green River through Desolation and Gray Canyons guided by Colorado River and Trail Expeditions (CRATE). Sixty rapids churn along the route, and 60 bird species have been reported in the area. Tracy Aviary members receive a $100 discount on the all-inclusive $1,895 adult and $995 child rates, with a portion of the cost funding the aviary.
This is the collaborative trip’s 10th year. With binoculars in one hand and a paddle in the other, Tim Brown, the president and CEO of Tracy Aviary for the past 22 years, has floated each voyage.
“Desolation Canyon is a phenomenal place,” Brown said. “Birds are a great window into the natural world around us, but we don’t just talk about birds. We talk about plants, insects and what’s going on in the environment. It’s one of the few places that you’ll really get great looks at yellow-breasted chats. If we’re lucky, we’ll see things like Lucy’s warblers, which are pretty unusual. We do a night hike towards a Mexican spotted owl nest.”
Before embarking on his career helming the nation’s oldest aviary, Brown was a river guide for CRATE. Now his two children are CRATE guides. He sees birdwatching and rafting as a natural combination, since remote canyon channels draw desert-adapted birds not seen in Utah’s alpine climes.
“This is an opportunity for us to record data in an under-surveyed part of our state,” Brown said. “Birds are that canary in the coal mine, or indicators of a biological system. Having data, year after year after year, helps us understand trends in the environment. We also do surveys up at Alta during the breeding and non-breeding season. It’s about getting out there and writing this stuff down.”
Jeremy Ranch resident Walker Mackay is a second-generation owner of CRATE, along with his wife, Mindy, sister, Bonnie, and still-active founding parents, Vicki and Dave. He took his first family rafting trip in Alaska as a 2-year-old boy and has made a life of helping others learn to go with the flow.
“When I was 18, it was like, well, you’re either going to go run the river or you’re going to get another job,” Mackay said. “I’ve always loved the river. I love just being outside, and I love how you meet so many people, and every trip is different. You do make a difference as a guide, as far as showing people the outdoors and showing them how much you love it. It rubs off on people, and they realize how important it is to preserve and protect the environment for future generations.”
The Desolation Canyon trip can accommodate up to 20 guests, with CRATE guides and bird experts on all boats. Each meal is prepared for guests, and beachfront accommodations include a cot, sleeping bag and the star-filled sky.
“We meet everybody in Green River,” Mackay said. “The morning the trip starts, we go over to the local airport and we ride in small planes and follow the river up 84 miles and land on a butte with a runway on top of it. That’s where the river trip starts at a place called Sand Wash. Then we float back to Swasey’s Beach.”
The family-friendly ride is an opportunity for extended excitement away from electronics in the company of the sharp-eyed and like-minded.
“We do lots of ‘interp’ on all of our trips,” Mackay said. “Our guides are super knowledgeable about the history of the area, both with the Indigenous people as well as the more modern settlers and cowboys. They know a lot about the geology and biology of the area and then the added speciality of having people from the aviary along really helps with the birding. It’s great for generating some interest in a new hobby.”
The unpredictable nature of river life guarantees a unique trip, and Brown found fond memories from the past decade while anticipating this summer’s float.
“Watching fledgling western kingbirds that are just learning how to take flight has been really delightful, and listening to common yellowthroats calling across the river from us,” Brown said. “I think that yellow-breasted chats are just spectacularly beautiful birds. I’m partial to peregrine falcons; we see those often. White-throated swifts are beautiful and we get views of those.”
Registration and itinerary information is available at crateinc.com/activity/desolation-canyon-6day-green-river-tripbirding-focus.