S C A V E N G E R H U N T

Welcome to Open Streets SLC! You have found the Nature on Main Scavenger Hunt.

Here, we ask you to identify an aspect of nature along Main Street and answer a question about it that relates to the natural history of the Wasatch Front. Stops are numbered north to south, but you can start anywhere. Answer as many questions as you like. At the end of the Scavenger Hunt, go to the City Creek Center activity hub to learn more and find fun activities!

Stop 5: Sky-scraping nests

Birds access downtown Salt Lake in a different way than other creatures. Fish need waterways that are simply not here anymore. Mammals need habitat and struggle to cross busy urban roadways. But birds can swoop in on Main Street from above. They can set up nests in tall downtown buildings or simply perch there. In fact, downtown skyscrapers provide an advantage for birds of prey because they provide vantage points and abundant food, such as pigeons.

The most well-known downtown birds famously nested on the Hotel Utah, now Joseph Smith Memorial Building. This bird returns to the same nesting sites year after year. A white box is visible on the building, providing a dedicated nesting site.

In more recent years, this same bird has been returning to nest on the One Utah Center skyscraper, on Main Street. In 2018, a pair returned to downtown Salt Lake City after a three-year absence, and a live video feed was available to watch their nesting activity. In 2023, a set of fledglings took their first flight.