[Birdtalk] Bear Lake Wildlife Bird Refuge

[bcurrie100 at comcast.net]

Please note, this is about Bear LAKE, not Bear River National Wildlife Refuge.
For many of you, this refuge may be inconsequential since it is in Idaho, immediately bordering the northern shores of Bear Lake.  But for those of you who may visit the area of Bear Lake, it is only about a 30 minute drive north of Garden City and so I would like to report on it.  If you are in the area, it is worth visiting.
My wife and I went there today in hopes of finding an American Bittern since the vegetation is still dead.  Unfortunately, no such luck.  All the usual birds were seen including: Cliff swallows, snowy egret, coots, Northern Shoveler, Mallards, tundra swans (2) (one was collared, it was a ways off - I took a photo to see if I could read any information but have not downloaded it yet), marsh wrens (MANY were building nests), White-faced Ibis (very numerous), Wilson's Phalarope, Red-winged BB, YHBB, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Western and Pied-billed Grebe, Forester's Tern, CA Gull, Franklin's Gull, BH Cowbird, and Black Terns.
I mention the Black Tern last as this was the most interesting.  The only place I have seen them with regularity is at Bear River Wildlife Refuge, and even then it is a hit and miss.  But if I see three in a day there, it is a good day.  I don't know if they are migrating a bit late (possible given this year) or if this just happens to be a great place to see them, but there were 30 (thirty) feeding together on the southeast collecting pond on the tour route, on the south side in the largest concentration of water.  We observed them for at least 30 minutes.  At one point they flew northwest, only to return in about 5-10 minutes.  We last saw them flying south.  We saw another four along the canal a short time later.
I really like Black Terns, if for no other reason than they are not the typical white of terns or gulls.
So if you are in the area this weekend and want to see Black Terns, I would go to Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge.  To reach it, from Garden City drive north on HWY 89 for about 30 minutes until you come to Paris, ID.  On the north side of town (and it takes about 1.5 minutes to get through town), on the last "regular" side street going east, you will see a sign similar to other National Wildlife Refuge signs pointing the way.  It is only about three miles off the beaten path, with minimal (although some) washboard roads.

Brian
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