Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

My last post really focused on the Chukar we saw on Antelope Island. I was so excited I skipped right over our great day at Bear River. We did the auto tour loop twice, once in the morning when we first arrived and then in the evening before we headed back home. It was a beautiful day at the refuge.

 

We had great luck with birds, new and old! We saw Horned Larks and Doubled-crested Cormorants. We drove nice and slow around the auto tour to make sure we didn't miss a thing.



The morning loop also included Sandhill Cranes, Red-winged Blackbirds, Gulls, Great Blue Herons and more! In the evening we had even more luck and rounded out our trip with two new birds of the year(and Life List). The first was this Loggerhead Shrike. We hadn't quite got to the start of the loop and I saw a grey bird fly by along the water. Immediately I told Andrew that the bird I just saw was different, I knew that much. So we whipped a U-turn in search of this 'different' bird.

Good thing we did, in seconds we saw the shrike flying from one side of the road to the next. Stopping briefly on road signs before taking off again.



We were pretty excited, glad we'd decided to come back for another loop - we thought about heading home, but in the end did not. That proved to be a good idea. Once we left the shrike, I could see ahead some huge white birds. I told Andrew there were some swans ahead, and we should try to get some close shots of them. As we got closer I realized they were not swans. But, American White Pelicans! We were so excited, much like with the Chukar, Andrew had been hoping to see a pelican since they had been seen in our area for weeks. Finally, we had our sighting and the pelicans didn't disappoint. 

There is something so amazingly prehistoric about these birds, I don't get tired of watching them soar. Their strong wing beats and huge bills never fail to look majestic.

 



We also saw a heap of swans, most likely Tundra, peppering the water and making for a even more spectacular view of the mountains. Common Mergansers also stopped for a few pictures. 

I'll leave you with a beautiful sunset.

If you're ever driving through Utah, make sure to stop by Bear River.