Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Bald Eagle Day

Mr. Merrill Webb took a group of bird watchers to Farmington Bay in February to look at the Bald Eagles that migrate through Utah every year. Eighteen people signed up to join us. At 8 in the morning we drove two large buses to the reserve at Farmington Bay where many of the Eagles were nesting. The group saw about 40 different bald eagles. Most of the eagles were sitting out on the ice. We weren’t able to get very close to the birds, but Mr. Webb and the museum each brought high powered spotting scopes for everyone to look through. With these scopes you could see right up to the eagles. The museum also provided binoculars. There were lots of birds to see: black and white adult bald eagles, brown juvenile bald eagles, magpies, red winged black birds, geese, and even a swan.

Here are some pictures from the event:









Megan Monn Fuller, Museum Educator

Friday, February 6, 2009

Date Night

One thing I love about the museum is that it's always trying new things. This semester it's "date nights". As an employee of the museum, I was present on the night of our scavenger hunt in the dark. It was wonderful. We had a heck of a time making the place dark (not as easy as flipping a switch, unfortunately). It was worth it though. Couples with flashlights scurried back and forth, up and down stairs, searching for animals and new clues that would lead them to the next one. And these weren't just college students either. Older couples had as much (if not more) fun as the younger ones. We even brought out some live animals at the end for anyone who was interested (which of course was everyone). So all in all, the first date night was a success, and we will have many more in the future I'm sure. But if you're interested in coming to one, you'd better put your name on the list early because people were signing up on the spot to come to the next one. They won't be disappointed.

Matt Meese, Museum Educator