[Birdnet] Bear River Refuge Waterbird Count

[Bridget_Olson at fws.gov]

Waterbird/Raptor Count
5/01/06

Total ducks around 20,000.  This is right around the average for this time
of year.  First seasonal observations of Wilson's phalarope, greater
yellowlegs, Brewer's blackbirds, red-necked phalarope, Virginia rail and
Swainson's hawk.  The double-crested cormorants have already hatched young.
Many, many....avocets, stilts, and Franklin's gull  on nests on Willard
spur south of the last dike on the Refuge.   A few late tundra swans
hanging around the wetlands in the tour loop.

Shorebird researcher, Adrian Farmer and I put solar powered satellite
transmitters on 2 marbled godwits that we captured on the Refuge in
mid-April.  The objective was to determine where the birds go to breed
after departing the GSL and where they winter as well as migration routes.
The satellites should last up to 2 years.   As of Sunday, both of the birds
have now departed the GSL.  The last one left from the wetlands around the
Salt lake City airport about 7:30 am on Sunday and flew straight to Old
Wives Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada which is around a 600 mile journey.  The
other bird left early last week and flew about 350 miles to TwoDot,
Montana.  Spent a day or so near a pothole in an agricultural field then
did another migration hop to Calgary, Alberta.  All this is new and
exciting information in the conservation community and will help us
formulate conservation actions.  I'll provide period updates.

Tundra Swan 4
Canada Goose            314
Mallard                 1521
Pintail                 501
GW Teal           613
BW Teal           9
Cinnamon Teal           2272
Shoveler          2446
Gadwall           4836
Wigeon                  754
Canvasback        200
Redhead           1599
Scaup             1257
Common Goldeneye  2
Bufflehead        305
Ring-necked duck  2
PB Grebe          17
Eared Grebe       1224
Western Grebe           441
Clark's Grebe           351
A.W. Pelican            257
DC cormorant            619
Great Blue Heron  158
Great Egret       18
Snowy Egret       55
Cattle Egret            9
BC Night Heron          52
WF Ibis                 6534
Killdeer                27
BN Stilt                3437
Avocet                  8113
Willet                  23
Gr. yellowlegs          1
Less. yellowlegs  1
Marbled Godwit          276
Peep              40
Dowitchers        241
Red-necked phalarope    2
Wilson's Phalarope      4
Franklin's gull         5885
California gull         5649
Caspian Tern            98
Forster's Tern          105
Virginia rail           3
Sora              3
Coot              3866
Sandhill Crane          5
Turkey vulture          1
Northern Harrier        6
Swainson's Hawk   1

Bridget Olson
Wildlife Biologist
2155 West Forest St.
Brigham City, UT  84302
Phone: 435/734-6433
Fax: 435/723-8873