Local Nature
Photo by Caleb Izdepski
Stokes Nature Center is located in beautiful Logan Canyon, just east of Logan, Utah. Logan Canyon is full of wildlife and natural wonders. This page contains videos, links, and other information to help you explore nature in Logan Canyon and Utah.
Spring 2011, hummingbirds visit a feeder at Stokes Nature Center. Two species of hummingbirds typically visit the Nature Center - Broad-tailed and Black-chinned.
*****
Winter 2011, right before one of our Parent Tot programs, this big guy was wandering around on the River Trail. Then, he took off up the slope behind the Nature Center and disappeared. Apologies for the shaky camera work, but when you're staring a wild moose in the face, it's hard to contain your excitement!
This isn't the first wild moose to visit the Nature Center. There are about 4,500 moose in Northern Utah; it's not uncommon to see them throughout the canyon. Moose like riparian areas (areas near a river or stream), as they eat large quanities of aquatic plants. They also like to eat shoots of woody plants, such as willow.
*****
Here at the Nature Center, Wyle, our Western Terrestrial garter snake, eats a weekly meal of goldfish. In the wild, he might still eat fish, but could also prey on earthworms, small frogs & toads, small mammals, lizards, or baby birds. Western Terrestrial garter snakes live all over the western United States. They are often found near streams, lakes, ponds, and marshes. To learn more about our resident critters, click here.
MAMMALS
- Raccoon
- Striped Skunk
- Yellow Bellied Marmot
- Red Squirrel
- Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel
- Rock Squirrel
- Least Chipmunk
- Uinta Chipmunk
- House Mouse
- Deer Mouse
- Pocket Gopher
- Long-Tailed Weasel
- Beaver
- Bobcat
- Mule Deer
- Elk
- Moose
- Mink
- Muskrat
- Porcupin
REPTILES
- Side-Blothced Lizard
- Great Basin Rattlesnake
- Rubber Boa
- Common Garter Snake
- Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
- Gopher Snake
- Yellow Bellied Racer
BIRDS
- Black-Chinned Hummingbird
- Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
- Calliope Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
- House Finch
- Cassin's Finch
- Dark Eyed Junco
- American Goldfish
- Hermit Thrush
- Swainson's Thrush
- Spotted Towhee
- Fox Sparrow
- Song Sparrow
- Warbling Vireo
- Solitary Vireo
- Western Tanager
- Lazuli Bunting
- Yellow Warbler
- Orange-Crowned Warbler
- Wilson's Warlber
- Common Yellowthroat
- Canyon Wren
- Violet-green Swallow
- Brown Creeper
- Townsend's Solitaire
- Ceder Waxwing
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Black-headed Grosbeak
- Downy Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- Belted Kingfisher
- Mallard Duck
Stokes Nature Center and Bridgerland Audubon Society host a weekly nature series which is produced by Utah Public Radio. Program topics vary widely--they might describe interesting facts pertaining to the life histories of Utah species, discuss popular misconceptions about wildlife, describe how famous geographic features were formed, highlight scientific work of Utah ecologists, or call attention to noteworthy seasonal phenomena such as migrations or breeding events. It is our belief that when people understand what's going on around them, they will more fully appreciate and protect wildlife and the environment. To learn more or to listen to archived programs, click here.
Local Area Info:
Cache Valley Visitors Bureau
US Forest Service - Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest
Logan Canyon Info:
Cache Valley Visitors Bureau website
Utah Travel Industry website
Northern Utah Nature
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Bridgerland Audubon Society
Cache Valley - No Child Left Inside
Hardware Ranch
Ogden Nature Center
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah
Utah Nature:
Utah: Nature and Scientific Wonders an article by Smithsonian Magazine
More Fun Nature Sites:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology's NestWatch program
Soundscapes for Birders
Tarantula Flash Game - Play with a digital tarantula! Looks a lot like Chloe...