Moon Petal

An Aviary in Salt Lake City

I’ve traveled to Salt Lake City a few times in my life, but usually to head straight from the airport, into a van, and off to the mountains and Park City.  I’m beginning to believe, though, that I’ve missed out on a few attractions in town, such as the Tracy Aviary, which has been in the center of the city for seventy-two years, opening up to the public in 1938.  For the true bird lover, it’s well worth a stop in the city itself.  Find a hotel at www.hotelsaltlake.com, stay the night and really see this place which hopes it is in the act of becoming the Aviary of the Americas.

A banker, Russel Lord Tracy, donated his collection of private birds to Salt Lake City in the early part of the Twentieth Century, and the aviary grew from there.  It now has a collection of about four hundred birds and one hundred and thirty-five species.  Many birds here are considered endangered or rare.  You’ll find within this free-standing aviary an Andean Condor, a Black-crowned Night Heron, and a Chilean Flamingo.  You can see an American White Pelican, a King Vulture, a Sand Hill Crane, and a Scarlet Ibis.   You’ll also find a Sun Conure, a Peacock, and other wild birds.

You can learn, too, about migration, tracing the path that birds take from Argentina to Alaska and back.  Utah plays an important part of these long-ranging, traveling birds.  This fascinating world of birds is explored in an exhibit called Destination Argentina!  It’s a terrific place for the whole family.  For those with an interest in local history, you may also find the Chase Mill on the Aviary grounds.  This is Utah’s oldest industrial building, opened in December of 2006 for events.  It’s considered a kind of historic monument, partly because it bears the original initials of Brigham Young.  Next time you’re in Utah, it may pay off to stay a day or two in Salt Lake City and see some birds you’d never see anywhere else, before heading up to the slopes of Park City.

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