This past week I was supposed to have guided three wonderful women on a tour of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge but due to circumstances beyond any of our control their trip from Colorado was cancelled. I decided that I wanted to share some of the birds I see in May at the refuge with Karen, Sandy and Janice this morning because these are the birds we would have seen plus there would have been many more. I know that seeing photos of the birds of Bear River MBR isn’t nearly as wonderful as actually being there but this is what I can do from afar.

Please click on the first photo to see a slide show of the images I have selected from the birds I see in May at the refuge along with the titles of the individual photos. At the upper left you can click the arrow and the images will scroll by automatically.

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge entrance, Box Elder County, Utah
Yellow-headed Blackbird male displaying in the marsh at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah
White-faced Ibis perched on cattails at the refuge, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Springtime American Bittern in the marsh at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah
Drake Ruddy Duck in breeding plumage, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Stretching Cinnamon Teal drake, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Tree Swallow on a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service sign, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Perched Savannah Sparrow near a wetland, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Blue-winged Teal drake in spring growth at the marsh, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Perched Marsh Wren in the marsh at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah
Pair of Western Grebes exhibiting courtship behavior, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Long-billed Dowitcher in the marsh at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah
Grumpy looking Cliff Swallow, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
May view of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge from the auto tour route and the Promontory Mountains, Box Elder County, Utah
California Gull with a bill full of nesting materials, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Male Brown-headed Cowbird portrait, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Northern Shoveler drake at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah
Red-winged Blackbird male with a spring green background, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Forster's Tern hovering over the marsh at Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah
Roadside adult Killdeer, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
American White Pelican glowing in early morning light, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
American Avocet foraging in shallow water, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
American Coot chick, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron up close, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Clark's Grebe on multi-hued water, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah
Calm waters at Bear River MBR on a May morning, Box Elder County, Utah

May is a time of renewal at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and as the marsh begins to green up the migrant birds return and along with the year round residents their songs and calls can be heard over the wetlands. May is also a time for courtship, nesting, incubating and chicks hatching. I’ve already seen some of the young birds of the year following their parents around.

The Bear River flows high in May as snow melting high in the mountains rushes down towards the refuge and eventually into the Great Salt Lake. That water is life in this desert basin and the refuge provides precisely what is needed for the migrant birds that are passing through on their way to their distant breeding grounds and for those who nest on the refuge itself.

Every trip to the refuge brings a sense of awe and wonder because of the birds, wildlife, flora and the grand views of the Wasatch and Promontory Mountain Ranges plus the wide open skies overhead. For birders, photographers, wildlife watchers and those who love, treasure, and embrace nature the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is indeed a precious jewel in a desert.

This post is dedicated to Karen, Sandy and Janice.

Life is good.

Mia

All of the images in this post with the exception of the Savannah Sparrow image were taken during the month of May through the years that I have been visiting the refuge, the sparrow photo was taken this year at the end of April which was close enough to May that I included it.