[Birdtalk] Bear River MBR Birds, 4/18/09

[Kristin Purdy]

I saw the following species at Bear River MBR in Box Elder County yesterday.
There was lots of activity, even in mid-afternoon. Award for highest
entertainment value went to the scores of male Yellow-headed Blackbirds.
They lined up densely in their gold and black-and-white glory along
grassy ridges and captured midges and other flies swirling around their
heads. They reminded me of the fall Franklin's Gulls packed along the rocky
shores of the causeway in swirls of brine flies. The blackbirds pumped their
heads up and down in like Pez candy dispensers about to disgorge a treat,
but instead, feasted on the bounty of flies.

Canada Goose
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
BW*, Cinnamon, GW Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ring-necked Pheasant
Pied-billed, Horned*, Eared, Western, Clark's Grebes
American White Pelican
DC Cormorant
GB Heron
Snowy Egret
BC Night-heron
Northern Harrier
Swainson's Hawk
American Kestrel
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Snowy Plover*
Killdeer
BN Stilt
American Avocet
Greater, Lesser Yellowlegs
Willet
LB Curlew
Marbled Godwit
LB Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Franklin's, Bonaparte's, RB, California Gulls
Caspian, Forster's Terns
Short-eared Owl*
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Tree, Cliff, Barn Swallows
Marsh Wren
American Robin
American Pipit
Vesper, Savannah, Song Sparrows
RW, YH Blackbirds
Western Meadowlark
GT Grackle*

*Both Blue-winged Teal were males. Heading west on Forest St and just after
passing the I-15 southbound exit ramp, pull into a gated dike road on the
right with Chevron signs posted on the gate. Both teal were out in the
flooded field on the east side of the dike road and competing with Cinnamon
Teal for the ladies.

Two Horned Grebes in breeding plumage in Unit 2, seen from the west side of
the auto tour loop looking east into the unit, and about a mile northwest of
the observation tower. Eared Grebes were widely dispersed over the water,
but these two Horned were sticking together.

Several pairs of Snowy Plovers in two different places south of the road.
The first were between Reeder and Whistler Canals; the others were a couple
hundred yards east of the O-line canal. I would not have seen the plovers if
I hadn't been scoping both areas for curlews, which were also present
hundreds of yards out. Curlews were present in other locations close enough
for binocular viewing.

Two Short-eared Owls were flying (one hunting) at 11:11AM at the curve in
the refuge road about 300 yds east of the Bear River Club.

The GT Grackles were not actually on the refuge; they've colonized the truck
stop at the south Brigham City exit (362).

See the map at the link below for locations. Access to Bear River MBR is at
I-15 exit 363.

Kris

http://www.fws.gov/bearriver/BR3spread.pdf