[Birdtalk] Bear River Refuge Birds

[birderbetsy at comcast.net]

I have company here from Minnesota, so we visited the refuge today.  A flock of 10 mountain bluebirds gave us quite a show.  They were 2.5 miles west of the wildlife education center, just past Reeder Canal, on both sides of the road.  Sitting on fence posts and flying around (area that the eastern kingbirds were seen last year).  Another 2/10 of a mile past the bluebirds was a small flock of 7 long-billed curlews - the first ones I've seen this spring.  And a 2nd small flock of (5)  long-billed curlews were just west of the Canada Goose Club - about 5.5 miles west of the wildlife education center.  

Quite a good showing of tundra swans yet, along with increasing numbers of tree swallows, yellow-headed blackbirds, Franklin's gulls, pelicans, western, Clark's and eared grebes grebes and American avocets.  We didn't see any black-necked stilts.  Lots of those silly drakes showing off today; bufflehead were the most fun to watch.

Unit 2 - encircled by the auto tour route - is going to be kept fairly low this spring, as maintenance guys need to do some work on two of the water control structures on the south end of the loop.  This should make excellent shorebird viewing this spring!

Betsy Beneke,
Perry, Utah
Jim & Joyce Holter,
Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
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