{"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_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":[124,27,1148,166,26],"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":120400,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/03\/great-blue-heron-and-reflection-on-the-bear-river\/","url_meta":{"origin":53351,"position":0},"title":"Great Blue Heron And Reflection On The Bear River","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, I'm sharing a simple Great Blue Heron photo I took late last month at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I liked the heron's reflection on the Bear River.","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":", Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-blue-heron-river-near-rocks-brmbr-mia-mcpherson-4634.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-blue-heron-river-near-rocks-brmbr-mia-mcpherson-4634.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/great-blue-heron-river-near-rocks-brmbr-mia-mcpherson-4634.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"April 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Almost a year ago I had this adult Black-crowned Night Heron in my viewfinder as it flew in front of the Promontory Mountains at Bear River MBR.","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":"Black-crowned Night Heron flying in front of the Promontory Mountains, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-crowned-night-heron-adult-flight-mia-mcpherson-2033.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/black-crowned-night-heron-adult-flight-mia-mcpherson-2033.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Morning Great Blue Heron standing on driftwood, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-blue-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-4079.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-blue-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-4079.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-blue-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-4079.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/great-blue-heron-marsh-mia-mcpherson-4079.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On my last journey up to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge I stopped to take photos of a majestic Great Blue Heron enjoying some solitude on the ice.","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":"Great Blue Heron on the edge of ice, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/great-blue-heron-adult-phrags-edge-mia-mcpherson-5318.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/great-blue-heron-adult-phrags-edge-mia-mcpherson-5318.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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