{"id":53351,"date":"2018-08-04T06:02:47","date_gmt":"2018-08-04T12:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=53351"},"modified":"2025-07-23T19:03:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T00:03:47","slug":"stormy-sky-with-a-great-blue-heron-in-flight-over-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/04\/stormy-sky-with-a-great-blue-heron-in-flight-over-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/","title":{"rendered":"Stormy Sky With A Great Blue Heron In Flight Over Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve spent some time lately looking through images I have taken during the month of August at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> when there was ample water in all of the water units.<\/p>\n

This year there isn’t as much water due to a construction project. I have to say I really miss having the water in the units because there were so many birds to photograph then, there isn’t this year.<\/p>\n

\"StormyStormy sky with a Great Blue Heron in flight – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/4000, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to this year when I have been asked by people who are going to visit Utah which locations I recommend for finding and photographing birds at the top of my list of great places has been Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge because it has been spectacular for birds and bird photography.<\/p>\n

That isn’t the case this year because of the lack of water which in turn has caused a lack of birds on the auto tour route for the most part. I’d even go so far as to call it “slim pickings”.<\/p>\n

Two years ago when I photographed this stormy sky with a Great Blue Heron in flight. I also photographed loads of other birds from the auto tour route including wading and shorebirds, geese, ducks, ibis, terns, gulls, rails, pelicans, and coots.<\/p>\n

It was crazy busy with birds.<\/p>\n

Fall migration has already started for the shorebirds that usually make a stop at the refuge to refuel.<\/p>\n

I truly hope they are finding enough of that fuel in other marshy locations that surround the Great Salt Lake so they have enough energy to continue their journey.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Great Blue Heron photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two years ago when I photographed this stormy sky with a Great Blue Heron in flight I also photographed loads of other birds from the auto tour route including wading and shorebirds, geese, ducks, ibis, terns, gulls, rails, pelicans and coots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":150762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[124,27,1148,166,26],"tags":[4117,5576,4101,4052,3987,627,626,4094,4197,313,4095],"class_list":["post-53351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-great-blue-herons","category-utah","tag-ardea-herodias","tag-auto-tour-route","tag-clouds","tag-flight","tag-great-blue-heron","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-marsh","tag-stormy-sky","tag-wading-birds","tag-wetlands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/great-blue-heron-stormy-sky-mia-mcpherson-8248.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-dSv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50288,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/12\/26\/ring-billed-gull-great-blue-heron-a-stormy-sky\/","url_meta":{"origin":53351,"position":0},"title":"Ring-billed Gull, Great Blue Heron & a Stormy Sky","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I really wanted some nice bird photos to remember Christmas Day 2017 and I found them but just a few blocks away from home at the local pond.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ring-billed Gull in flight in front of a stormy sky, Salt Lake County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-stormy-sky-mia-mcpherson-1106.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ring-billed-gull-stormy-sky-mia-mcpherson-1106.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Pelicans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/pelicans\/white-pelicans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Canada Geese in flight in front of the Promontory Mountains, Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/canada-geese-flight-mia-mcpherson-8090.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/canada-geese-flight-mia-mcpherson-8090.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/canada-geese-flight-mia-mcpherson-8090.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/canada-geese-flight-mia-mcpherson-8090.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":78649,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/01\/31\/winter-great-blue-heron-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":53351,"position":2},"title":"Winter Great Blue Heron In Flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm keeping it simple today and sharing a single photo of a winter Great Blue Heron in flight over the marsh at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Winter Great Blue Heron in flight, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-blue-heron-winter-flight-mia-mcpherson-7831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-blue-heron-winter-flight-mia-mcpherson-7831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-blue-heron-winter-flight-mia-mcpherson-7831.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/great-blue-heron-winter-flight-mia-mcpherson-7831.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48420,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/09\/11\/wading-birds-at-bear-river-mbr-yesterday\/","url_meta":{"origin":53351,"position":3},"title":"Wading Birds At Bear River MBR Yesterday","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I had fun photographing the juvenile Great Blue Heron, juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron and the adult Snowy Egret yesterday at Bear River MBR. I especially loved the clearer skies.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Flying juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron with Promontory Mountains in the distance, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-flight-promontory-mia-mcpherson-2755.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-flight-promontory-mia-mcpherson-2755.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/black-crowned-night-heron-juvenile-flight-promontory-mia-mcpherson-2755.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When I spotted this immature Black-crowned Night Heron on the wing at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in April I hoped it would fly in closer than it did, still I liked the photos I took of it with a clear blue sky in the background.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Black-crowned Night Heron in flight against a clear blue sky, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, 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