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 nature for yet another season.
Personally, I am captivated by avian migration and how birds such as the barn swallow, for example, can return each year from thousands of miles away to nest on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Some of these birds press on and fly as far north as Alaska for the summer months.
I don’t know how they do it. I am just glad they do as I get to watch and be astonished by their ability to navigate the world around us.
Each year countless numbers of barn swallows return to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to nest and breed for the new year. They come by the thousands and flocks of them can be seen all over the refuge, from the wildlife education center to the most westerly part of the auto tour route.
They are a hard bird to photograph in flight, being so tiny and quick, but they are fun to watch as they scour the refuge in search of mud puddles for nesting material. I find it amazing how swallows can build their mud homes in almost any place they desire.
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For example, nests can easily be seen on the wildlife education center walls near the roofs where there is very little to nothing to anchor a nest to. Somehow these master architects manage to get their nests to hold up for the season in these most obscure of places.
Late last summer I was able to photograph a juvenile barn swallow on a sign post on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route. It kept coming back to the same spot over and over again so I parked my truck and watched as it took time to fly out over the water, possibly in search of food, and return to the same spot for a brief period before venturing out again and again.
This went on for quite a while as I sat and photographed this young swallow taking to and seemingly enjoying this new found world before mother nature decides its time to beckon the call to leave the refuge for a season.
I find watching birds interacting in nature such as this a great way to break free from the concrete and steel jungle we live in. During these precious moments, albeit for just a short but priceless period of time mind you, we leave behind all the stress and anxiety our fast paced, modern world tries to bestow upon us.
Bird watching is a time to sit and enjoy. A time to reflect. A time to learn about the natural world around us and appreciate what it has to offer and why it is so important for us to experience on occasion.
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As I sat and watched this young barn swallow I could not help but ponder if it will be one of the thousands of swallows which will make the journey back to the refuge again next year. I pondered further how it instinctively knows the way to a winter home it had never been to before.
Nature never reveals all of its secrets and I am glad we still have a few mysteries to ponder during solitary moments like this. It is this intrigue and solitude I believe every person should experience once in a while to give us something to think about and ponder during those hectic moments of our lives when we can’t get away to enjoy nature.
It is during moments like this we can revive our inner selves through tranquility and wonderment before we return to a world dominated by deadlines, crowds and seemingly never ending stress and anxiety. Birds and natural places such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge are ways we can refresh ourselves and I hope others can find enjoyment and relaxation from watching birds on the refuge or elsewhere as much as I do.
For more information about the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge visit their website. Subscribe to our blog in the footer section below for email notifications about future blog posts.
