[Birdnet] Bear River waterbird survey

[Bridget_Olson at fws.gov]

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Waterbird/Raptor survey
8/9/07

Thanks to Mark and Kris for reporting their great finds at the Refuge
(Mountain Plover and Stilt Sandpipers).  Here's a complete list from the
Refuge from last Thursday's count.  Not the highest on record but certainly
the highest counts I've ever seen for Avocet and Stilt!  About 30% of the
birds counted were seen from the tour loop.  I had to take a 4 wheeler to
get to the water and birds out on the Refuge's south boundary on Willard
Spur.

Total number of shorebirds around 130,000.  This is more than double the
long-term average for this week in August.  Total number of waterfowl
around 70,000 which is slightly above the long-term average.  Notable
sightings include black-bellied plovers and black terns.  Also, several
sets of adult male snowy plovers still with chicks.

I believe there to be more stilt sandpipers to be discovered among the
massive flocks of dowitchers within the tour loop unit.

Canada Goose            1860
Mallard                 17587
Pintail                 15198
Green-winged Teal 10402
Cinnamon Teal           5974
Shoveler          15635
Gadwall           3325
Canvasback        210
Redhead           241
Scaup             5
Common goldeneye  1
Ruddy Duck        595
Pied-billed Grebe 9
Eared Grebe       3
Western Grebe           68
Clark's Grebe           48
A.W. Pelican            1929
DC Cormorant            197
Great Blue Heron  130
Great Egret       8
Snowy Egret       654
BC Night Heron          5
White Faced Ibis  46141
Black-bellied Plover    6
Snowy Plover            6
Killdeer                40
Black-necked Stilt      32374
American Avocet   57639
Willet                  8
Spotted Sandpiper 11
Solitary Sandpiper      3
Greater Yellowlegs      24
Lesser Yellowlegs 572
Marbled godwit          14280
Sanderling        1
Western Sandpiper 57
Least Sandpiper   48
Peep              1923
Baird's Sandpiper 13
Stilt Sandpiper         2
Dowitcher spp.          20174
Red-necked Phal.  9
Wilson's Phal.          4210
Franklin's gull         14626
Ring-billed gull        322
California gull         9359
Caspian Tern            17
Forster's Tern          24
Black Tern        665
coot              29274
Sandhill Crane          12
Turkey vulture          3
Harrier                 3
Peregrine Falcon  1


Bridget Olson
Wildlife Biologist
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
2155 West Forest St.
Brigham City, UT  84302
Phone: 435/734-6433