When I think of marsh wrens on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I almost always think of spring. That is the time of year when they are busy building nests and chattering high atop the dense marsh vegetation for all to see and hear.
For the remainder of the calendar, however, they can be quite reclusive and hard to photograph as well as observe. Today was one of those days.
It is early November and today I found myself once again on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, this time in search of the rough-legged hawk. I have heard reports of these arctic breeding raptors already being spotted on the refuge so I wanted to see if I can find my first one of the year.
I had success in finding a lone individual rough-legged hawk but I started to notice it was a peculiarly quiet day on the bird refuge. Most of the migratory shore birds have already passed through and much of the waterfowl seen this time of year on the refuge was strangely absent.
As a result, my efforts quickly turned to find some of the resident birds on the refuge to watch and photograph, if possible. Of all the resident birds found on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, I would dare say one of the most common is the marsh wren.
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But this commonality doesn’t always mean easy pickings for bird watching or photography. Most of the year the marsh wren buries itself deep in the vegetation and rarely makes an appearance above the safety of the marsh canopy.
They are easy to find during spring time by stopping and listening for their never ending and unique chatter. This time of year, admittedly, it’s a different ball game altogether. They are very quiet and can easily move through the dense jungle of cattails and reeds nearly undetected and almost impossible to photograph.
Today, for some reason, I was lucky enough to find a cooperative marsh wren willing to give me a short but welcomed view as it swiftly moved from one patch of vegetation to another. I was able to get a couple decent photographs of it as it sat high up on a fragmite branch for a few minutes just a few short yards away from my truck, seemingly contemplating its next move.
It was the only marsh wren I saw today but it was enough for me to be happy with. With winter coming there Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge will once again be home to rough-legged hawks, barn owls, falcons and bald eagles but even with these majestic raptors and owls taking much of my attention I can always find time to stop and watch the marsh wren when the opportunity arises.
