{"id":106865,"date":"2022-10-05T03:09:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-05T09:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=106865"},"modified":"2024-12-02T07:13:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T13:13:56","slug":"surprise-rooster-at-bear-river-mbr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/10\/05\/surprise-rooster-at-bear-river-mbr\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprise Rooster At Bear River MBR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DominiqueDominique rooster portrait<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a surprise encounter with a Dominique rooster when I stopped at the Bear River MBR restroom closest to the I-15 Interstate last week. I had spent all morning trying to get close enough to the birds out on the auto tour loop to photograph. While I succeeded with a few there were many more I couldn’t get close to. I knew I was going home with a couple of nice series of images of blackbirds. I was content and happy.<\/p>\n

A Different Kind Of Post<\/h2>\n

I wanted to stop at the restroom to relieve myself and stow my gear for the nearly hour long drive home. Then I saw this rooster strutting around the parking lot near the bathroom.<\/p>\n

\"DominiqueDominique rooster- composite image because the rooster was too close to fit in the frame
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

My first introduction to roosters was probably about the time when I started walking at eight months old. My poor mom had a wild child on her hands and she used to say that she hoped I would have a child like me so I’d know what she went through. My oldest son, William, started walking at nine months old. I know what my mother went through.<\/p>\n

Sorry, mom!<\/p>\n

Unlike my son, I was a farmer’s daughter, and that meant farm equipment, cows, sheep, and chickens were a part of the landscape of my earliest years on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

\"MeMe feeding chickens at 20 months old on the family farm<\/span><\/p>\n

When my mom milked the cows she had to worry about me running around in the barn and getting kicked by the cows at a very young age.<\/p>\n

Sorry again, mom!<\/p>\n

The chickens were another concern. The hens not so much, but some roosters can be mean. I’ve been chased by more than a few roosters in my life.<\/p>\n

\"CallingCalling Dominique rooster<\/span><\/p>\n

So I wasn’t sure about the Dominique rooster that was strutting his stuff at the refuge restroom. When I pulled into the parking area the rooster circled my Jeep several times. I know sometimes roosters will chase and attack shiny hubcaps but I can guarantee that my wheels aren’t shiny. I spend so much time driving on dusty roads not much on my Jeep is shiny after going out into the field.<\/p>\n

I decided that I could wait until I got home to use the bathroom. I really didn’t want to get into the restroom and then have the rooster refuse to let me back out. And I certainly didn’t want the rooster chasing me around the parking lot although that may have made for a funny, and perhaps viral, video.<\/p>\n

\"DominiqueDominique rooster close up<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn’t until I was back home that I was able to look up the breed of the rooster and read that Barred Plymouth Rock<\/del> Dominique roosters are fairly docile. I probably could have used the restroom and gotten back into my Jeep without being chased by him. Strange things happen to me frequently though so I think I made the right choice by staying in my vehicle.<\/p>\n

I had a bird in front of me and I decided to take photos of it. Despite his not being a wild bird I wanted to take the best images of him that I could. He was a handsome rooster, just a little cocky.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good. Expect the unexpected!<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Update 12\/02\/2024<\/strong><\/span>: Thanks go out to Sydney Preston for correcting my misidentification of this domestic rooster. I thought it was a Barred Plymouth Rock but it is the look-alike Dominique.<\/p>\n

P.S., the rooster probably wandered to the parking area of the restroom from a farm about half mile east or so up the road.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see my wild bird photo galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I had a surprise encounter with a Barred Plymouth Rock rooster when I stopped at the Bear River MBR restroom closest to the I-15 Interstate last week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":106860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[124,1148,13334,26],"tags":[13337,13339,16010,13336,4062,4094,13338,4095],"class_list":["post-106865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-domestic-chickens","category-utah","tag-chicken","tag-chickens","tag-dominique","tag-gallus-gallus-domesticus","tag-male","tag-marsh","tag-rooster","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t