(Share This Page)

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Auto Tour Route Updates

This page reflects our most recent trip around the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route, including what birds we saw, the road conditions, and other stuff that might be helpful to anyone considering visiting the refuge.

Our goal is to drive the auto loop once per week whenever possible and report here on what we experienced.

October 30, 2026

With regard to birdwatching, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route was still a little slow today, but there were a few more birds than on the last trip, so it was a slight improvement overall, and I’ve posted a photo gallery below of what birds I was able to photograph on the trip today, both on Forest Street and on the auto loop.

The first two things I noticed on my drive around the auto tour route were that there were hardly any duck hunters and that a portion of the gravel road had been graded, making a section of the drive somewhat smoother than on the last trip, although there are still stretches of the roadway that have potholes that need to be watched out for.

The most interesting birds I found today, posted in the photo gallery below, include a few cattle egrets, a flock of sandhill cranes, and a couple of dark-eyed juncos on one section of the loop.

Tundra swans could be heard off in the distance to the north, but too far to see from my vantage point.

Other birds I recorded on today’s trip include red-winged blackbirds, northern harriers, American kestrels, numerous gulls of an undetermined species, Canada geese, a variety of ducks but surprisingly not very many overall in number, greater yellowlegs, killdeer, American pipit, marsh wrens, American white pelicans, and a flock of white-faced ibis.

It started to rain about halfway around the loop, but beforehand, the mosquitoes were pretty thick, so I had to keep the window rolled up until the rain started.

Subscribe to Our Website

Our YouTube Video Of The Week

(For short nature photography tips and interesting stories about the natural world around us, subscribe to our Bear River Blogger channel on YouTube for videos and updates from our travels while out in nature, both on and off of the famed Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.)

Photo and Video Gallery From Today’s Drive Around The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Auto Tour Route

There are still a lot of cows on the auto loop, including this massive bull (shown in the video below) that was right next to the roadway, so be mindful, as they can be right on the road, and their calves sometimes get spooked and unexpectedly dart out in front of the vehicle, so be careful and drive slowly when you come across the cows.

midges on my car window — *(The biggest surprise was the midges I found on the western leg of the auto tour route.)*

cows on the bear river migratory bird refuge auto tour route — *(There are still plenty of cows grazing on the refuge, so be careful driving the auto tour route.)*

dark-eyed junco on the bear river migratory bird refuge — *(I don’t often see dark-eyed juncos on my trip around the loop, but I found a few on the western leg of the drive today.)*

american pipit on the bear river migratory bird refuge auto tour route — *(Mixed in with the juncos were a few American pipits, a common visitor to the refuge during parts of winter.)*

killdeer on the bear river migratory bird refuge auto tour route — *(A few killdeer were seen off in the distance today.)*

a flock of white-faced on the bear river migratory bird refuge — *(A flock of white-faced ibis was seen off in the distance, a species of bird that I have seen stay all winter on the refuge more than once.)*

sandhill cranes on the bear river migratory bird refuge — *(Sandhill cranes were seen far off in the distance to the north of the auto loop.)*

cattle egrets standing on the back of a cow on the bear river migratory bird refuge — *(Cattle egrets were seen hanging around the cows on Forest Street and on the auto loop.)*

a pair of American kestrels perched on a nest box on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge — *(American kestrel boxes were recently added to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, and this pair was seen today perched on one of the installed boxes.)*

a nice scene today on the bear river migratory bird refuge — *(Just a nice scene I found on the auto loop today, so I grabbed a quick image with my phone.)*

(Share This Page)