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Pitta Nature Tours
Great Salt Lake Bird Festival Flammulated Owling

The mountains just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah provide some of the closest and easiest to access nesting habitat for Flammulated Owls, and by far the best opportunity to see these birds anywhere in the world. Often one of the last North American owls for ABA listers, Utah has become the go-to location to see this bird!

Upcoming Tour Date(s)

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

SOLD OUT

Still have questions? Ready to book a tour? Either way tapping the buttons below will put you in touch with us!

2024 Pricing

Want to See More birds?

This year, we've teamed up with the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival to offer a 4-day tour, highlighting the best birding in Utah in mid-May. Starting at the Great Salt Lake, making our way to Zion, the Mojave Desert, and then back north. This tour really is the Utah Highlights Tour and could produce around 200 species!

Still have questions? Ready to book a tour? Either way tapping the buttons below will put you in touch with us!

What's Included & What to Expect

What to Expect on Your Tour

We will pick you up in our comfortable 12-person Transit Van (aptly named Otus) from one of several possible meeting locations depending on where we are going for the night. We also provide pickup from a handful of select hotels (inquire if interested). From here our travels may take 30-minutes to an hour depending on where we are going.

For our basic tours we will head directly to one of our field sites and start owling. For our Owling + Tours we will plan out an exciting couple of hours birding before dark on the way to our owling sites. If you have any target birds, feel free to mention them when you book and we'll try to squeeze them in.

Once dark (usually about 15-30 minutes after sunset), we will use our time-tested techniques to illicit a response from an owl. Once we've found a responsive individual we'll attempt to track the bird down, and breifly shine our low-temp LED spotlight near the bird, and use a laser pointer to provide directions to see the tiny owl.

We typically try to keep our views under 30-seconds, and always try to keep the owls well being our top priority. With that being said we often get extended views of cooperative owls using bounce light off of the nearest branch.

After success, we'll hop back in to Otus, and return to SLC, share a few high-fives, and send you safely on your way to your next birding adventure!

What's Included

  • Professional Guide Service
  • Transportation from SLC
  • Spotlight and Playback Equipment
  • Water for Refreshment
  • Birds—we’ll find some birds
  • Some Flammtastic Tour Swag
  • Delightful Conversation about Birds
  • A Thoroughly Enjoyable Time!
We also include SFW dad jokes, witty bird puns, and the occasional commentary on things non-bird related!

What's Not Included

  • Binoculars
  • Cameras and Lenses
  • Personal Flashlights/Headlamps
  • Bug Spray
  • Jackets or Sweaters
  • Shoes and Socks
  • Flights or Transportation to Utah
We highly recommend all of the above ;)

Still have questions? Ready to book a tour? Either way tapping the buttons below will put you in touch with us!

Past Seasons Flammulated Owling

2022 Flammulated Owl Count
2022 Flammy Count
157 No Recap

2021 Flammulated Owl Count
2021 Flammy Count
192 No Recap

2020 Flammulated Owling Recap
2020 Flammy Count
130 Read Recap

2019 Flammulated Owl Count
2019 Flammy Count
183 No Recap

2018 Flammulated Owl Count
2018 Flammy Count
173 No Recap

2017 Flammulated Owl Count
2017 Flammy Count
228 No Recap

2016 Flammulated Owl Count
2016 Flammy Count
179 No Recap

2015 Flammulated Owl Count
2015 Flammy Count
180 No Recap

2014 Flammulated Owl Count
2014 Flammy Count
77 No Recap

Recent Photos from this Tour

Still have questions? Ready to book a tour? Either way tapping the buttons below will put you in touch with us!

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