Jeff Strong

Thousands Of Barn Swallows Have Returned To The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge If you are like me, you love watching birds and you don’t mind if they are common or rare. Just the mere sight and sounds of birds returning each spring excites us as we get to watch the magic and intrigue of

If there ever was a day built for pelicans, today was indeed the day. A firm but steady wind picked up as I arrived on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in search of the American white pelican to both photograph and admire on this warm spring morning. Typically, however, wind is the arch-enemy of

Waking Up To A Flock Of White-Faced Ibis’s A couple years ago, early one warm summer morning, I found my pasture inundated with a group of the most curious looking birds. Never before has my property played host to a flock of white-faced ibis’s but on this particular morning a breach in the irrigation canal

A faint series of low-toned whoots could be heard from far off in the distance. As the sound grew louder, I recognized it as the distinct call of the tundra swan. I had just finished a full day photographing birds on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and surrounding area when I stopped to put

It’s one of my favorite days of the year again. It’s time to visit the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to see and hear the migrating tundra swans. It’s also time for another one of my annual photography workshops. Each spring thousands of migrating tundra swans stop on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to

Occasionally I like to put my camera in video mode and record the sights and sounds of what I am photographing. Last summer my photography endeavors took me to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to photograph the yellow headed blackbird and I opted to do just that for a brief moment. I am quite

It is still a little early in the year to expect to see the American avocet in northern Utah on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge but, however, I am anxiously awaiting their inevitable return. One of the most exciting moments for me each spring is when I see my first American avocet of the

Photographing birds is a passion of mine. Some people would add, including myself, it might even be fair to categorize it as a near obsession. It would be an accurate assessment actually. I love birds and the challenge to photograph them equally as much. One bird, however, has eluded me for years, the northern harrier.

We have been spoiled here this winter in northern Utah when it comes to mild temperatures. The past few weeks have brought mid 50’s for daytime highs, temperatures not usually seen until late march or early April. These unseasonably warm temperatures have brought up tulip sprouts in my yard already and it has brought in

You are probably wondering why the title of this post refers to marsh wrens, and the first picture posted is of tundra swans. Let me explain. Bird watching is a passion of mine, and do I spend a great deal of time in nature looking for birds to observe and photograph. I do have my

I admit I am not a patient person when it comes to spring. I love the almost daily influx of new migratory birds on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge each spring. The sights and sounds of newly arriving birds gives me a rebirth of excitement for another year of bird watching and photography. One

Yesterday I had a few minutes to spare so I headed to one of my favorite spots for bird watching, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. It is located in the far reaches of northern Utah where the bear river empties into the Great Salt Lake. Made up of thousands of acres of marsh and