Bird watching on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, especially on the refuge auto tour route, starts to really get going in April and May and today was proof of that.
I spent a couple of hours driving the auto loop this afternoon and was quite impressed with how many different species of birds have now arrived for the breeding season.
A few of the more notable species of birds I saw on my drive were long-billed curlews, white-faced ibis, black-crowned night herons, snowy egrets, American white pelicans, and countless yellow-headed blackbirds, just to name a few.
Several great blue herons were along the gravel road as well, offering an unusual opportunity for a close-up of their distinctive head and beak, shown by the image above at the start of this post.
On the drive down to the auto loop, a pair of burrowing owls have once again returned for the summer so keep an eye out for them on Forest Street but keep in mind they are on private property so please stay on the public right-of-way.
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The biggest surprise of the day, however, was a solitary tundra swan grazing on the grass on the west leg of the auto tour route.
This is, without question, the latest I have ever seen a tundra swan during spring on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.
I wonder if the swan was injured somehow but it showed no sign of lameness or injury from my perspective as it casually walked back to the water’s edge as I pulled up so I am not sure why it is still here.
The tundra swans migrated out in mid-to-late March this spring, a few weeks earlier than normal so they have been gone for nearly a month now.
If you happen to be visiting the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge this spring and summer, keep an eye out on the auto tour route for the tundra swan, especially on the western portion of the drive.
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Overall, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is getting back into the swing of things with regard to spring and summer bird watching.
American avocets and black-necked stilts are becoming more and more common each time I visit the refuge this year so the shorebirds are starting to show up.
Every few weeks or so I try to visit the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to do a short, simple video update for my YouTube channel so feel free to subscribe to our channel for those updates as well as I usually don’t post them on this blog.
As of today, I have yet to see any of the pesky mosquitos or horseflies on the refuge so that is one of the perks of visiting the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in April and early May, no biting bugs yet as they can be a small nuisance during the summer months.
Well, overall the refuge is looking pretty good now for bird watching but keep in mind, Utah and the western United States is in a pretty severe drought so the current good birding conditions could change during the summer months depending on what amount of water the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge receives this summer.
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I’ll try and keep refuge conditions updated between here on this blog and on my YouTube channel regarding what happens this summer so don’t forget to subscribe.
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