Wintry View Of Bear River MBR And The Snow-covered Wasatch Mountains

Winter view of Bear River MBR and the snowy Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/2500, ISO 300, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 35mm, natural light

It has been hot here in the Salt Lake Valley and for at least three days we have tied or broken our record high temperatures. Sure it is a “dry heat” but heat is heat at these temps and I’ve been longing for cooler days. I’m certain that the birds I photograph have been hot too but over the weekend I’ve stayed home and out of the heat because quite frankly it sucks, as in it sucks the life out of me.

I went through some of my photos from cooler days and decided to share this photo taken at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County that shows ice, snow, gulls and the frozen marsh of the refuge along with the snow-covered Wasatch Mountains under blue skies with a few clouds.

There are California, Herring, and Ring-billed Gulls on the ice shelf right next to the open water. This photo would have been even more beautiful if it had been taken at sunrise. I guess I need to get out there earlier than I normally do to get to the west side of the auto tour route before the sun rises over the tops of the Wasatch Mountain range.

Just viewing this winter photo of the refuge made me feel refreshed and cooler. I also realized it might be hot now but cooler weather will be here before long.

Life is good. Stay safe.

Mia

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Information:

Location:

With nearly 80,000 acres of freshwater and brackish marshes, open water, alkali mudflats, uplands and river delta, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is an oasis in the desert of northern Utah for birds, animals, insects, plants and people. The refuge is on the western edge of the Central Flyway and the eastern edge of the Pacific Flyway. It provides critical habitat for more than 200 migrating species of birds that use the area for resting and refueling, as well as nesting areas for more than 60 species. From the twelve mile, self-guided auto tour route there are grand sweeping views of the Wasatch and the Promontory Mountain Ranges to the east and west. To the south on clear days Antelope Island can easily be seen.

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is about 60 miles north of Salt Lake City and is near the town of Brigham City. The James V. Hansen Wildlife Education Center and refuge headquarters is about 1/4 mile from I-15 at exit 363 while the self-guided, one-way auto tour route is another twelve miles west from there on a paved road. Total distance to and from including traveling the auto tour route is 36 miles.

Weather:

The weather at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge varies with the seasons. Winter can be cold, snowy and windy so dressing for the weather is critical. Summers can be quite warm while spring and fall are pleasant. Caution is advised on the gravel auto tour route during winter because of snow and ice. During other seasons when there has been rain the road can become muddy. During the spring snow melt the Bear River can rise and make the paved road out to the auto tour route impassable, so checking the refuge web site for road conditions is advisable.

(The text below “Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Information:” is an excerpt from an article I wrote for Outdoor Photographer Magazine about Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, June 2019.)