Birdwatching can be filled with a lot of interesting discoveries if we slow down a bit and look for them, thus giving nature enough time to pull back the curtain and reveal some of its hidden splendor to us.
In fact, discovering something new about a particular species of bird is one of the biggest reasons I go birdwatching, both on and off the famed Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route, and report back with my findings on this website.
As a recent example, last week while driving the bird refuge’s 12-mile auto loop I came across a most compelling scene, one ending up comprising of an interesting interaction between numerous pelicans and a handful of great blue herons which, by the way, are two particular species of birds that always grabs my attention and causes me to reach for my camera no matter where I am.
This time was certainly no different and why I rarely, seldom, in fact, visit the refuge without my camera and 600 mm lens sitting next to me in the passenger seat, all set up for birds and ready to go at a moment’s notice when needed.
Initially, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary except a nice landscape scene comprising of a solitary great blue heron standing in glistening water as the early morning sun started to break free from the prevailing cloud cover.
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Being it was a great blue heron standing so close to the gravel road in near perfect light, naturally, the photographer in me had to stop and take a couple of photographs as well as just sit and enjoy, maybe even study to some degree, the mesmerizing scene for a moment or two.
I’m glad I did because it wasn’t long, however, when I noticed several other great blue herons congregating further out in the open water, all standing together in a loose group which, by the way, is quite uncharacteristic for these large birds outside of breeding season where they nest in colonies known as rookeries.
Studying the scene further I realized there was also a large flock of American white pelicans that were tightly grouped and purposely negotiating their way through shallow waters behind and to the left of the herons, all feeding in unison with one another as pelicans oftentimes do.
As I sat and watched the scene begin to unfold before me the congregation of great blue herons started to dwindle as each heron flew off, one by one, all leaving the group and systematically landing amongst the large pod of hungry pelicans.
Upon further inspection with my large camera lens, it was revealed to me even more great blue herons were already standing among the feeding pelicans in perfect stillness waiting for a fish to swim by.
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After about 10 minutes of photographing the pelicans and great blue herons, it started to become quite obvious the herons had every intention to stalk the shallow waters in very close proximity to the pelicans no matter where the hungry pod moved, always staying within a few yards of the pelicans.
Without question I am 100% certain the great blue herons were purposely feeding on the fringe of the large flock of pelicans, cherry-picking small fish that were being scattered as the pelicans worked their way around the shallow wetland.
I had never seen this type of behavior before and if it wasn’t for the dozen or more great blue herons all doing the exact same thing I never would have thought twice about it, nevertheless, it was quite obvious those herons were actively feeding right around the pelicans and on purpose, I might add.
This is the kind of trip around the self-guided auto tour route I love to find and write short stories about, interesting and enlightening moments I can share here with all of you who subscribe to our blog that hopefully inspire others to either get started in or just more actively pursue birdwatching and nature photography.
(American avocets feeding. 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.)
