{"id":7827,"date":"2013-03-11T03:52:28","date_gmt":"2013-03-11T09:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=7827"},"modified":"2025-06-22T10:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T15:07:11","slug":"the-brine-fly-buffet-begins-on-the-great-salt-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/03\/11\/the-brine-fly-buffet-begins-on-the-great-salt-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"The Brine Fly Buffet begins on the Great Salt Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FirstFirst of the year Brine Flies<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday while near the marina on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> I spotted my first of the year Brine Flies warming up on some of the rocks in the water. You might wonder “why” am I so excited about flies?<\/p>\n

It is because I know how many birds feast on the little buggers! If the brine flies are out it won’t be long before the shorebirds that eat them arrive.\u00a0 Last week there was ice on this water, how quickly things change. The image above was taken yesterday.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull in a thick mass of Brine Flies<\/span><\/p>\n

This image was taken last year when the brine flies were thick, all of those little dark dots in the air, on the rocks and in front of the California Gull are Brine Flies. With billions of them in just a small area it is easy to see why the birds that devour them like the area of the Great Salt Lake. The California Gulls are here year round and they already appear to be eating the flies along the causeway.<\/p>\n

\"Franklin'sFranklin’s Gull with Brine Flies<\/span><\/p>\n

It won’t be long before the first of the Franklin’s Gulls arrive too and for a short time the Bonaparte’s Gulls will also feast on the flies too before heading further north. All those dark flecks on the water? Brine Flies.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaCalifornia Gull with Brine Flies in flight<\/span><\/p>\n

I do get excited about seeing the first Brine Fly because I know that their presence brings on the birds and the feeding frenzies that follow!<\/p>\n

Life is good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Brine Fly photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday while near the marina on Antelope Island State Park I spotted my first of the year Brine Flies warming up on some of the rocks in the water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":149138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,5310,520,1022,1336,1144,26],"tags":[4229,4333,4232,4231,4329,4005,4230,4330],"class_list":["post-7827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-brine-flies","category-california-gulls","category-davis-county-utah","category-franklins-gulls","category-great-salt-lake-utah","category-utah","tag-brine-fly","tag-california-gull","tag-ephydra-cinerea","tag-ephydra-hians","tag-franklins-gull","tag-great-salt-lake","tag-larus-californicus","tag-leucophaeus-pipixcan"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/brine-flies-mia-mcpherson-0280.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-22f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":92541,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/07\/25\/franklins-gull-feasting-on-brine-flies\/","url_meta":{"origin":7827,"position":0},"title":"Franklin’s Gull Feasting On Brine Flies Plus News About The Great Salt Lake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"While Franklin's Gulls are in northern Utah for their breeding season brine flies are an important food source for the adults and their young and are a part of their breeding success here in the Great Basin.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Franklin's Gull scooping up Brine flies at the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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Important Food Source For California Gulls","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Brine flies that live in the Great Salt Lake are an important food source for California Gulls and watching the gulls feed on the flies is fascinating as they use several techniques to catch them.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult California Gull scooping up brine flies with its bill, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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Lake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 31, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"A few days ago I had the opportunity to take images of California Gulls feeding on brine flies along shoreline of the Great Salt Lake next to the causeway to Antelope Island","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"One California Gull actively feeding, the other is passively feeding on brine flies. Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/california-gull-5489-munching-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/california-gull-5489-munching-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/california-gull-5489-munching-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/california-gull-5489-munching-brine-flies-mia-mcpherson.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6248,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/10\/03\/california-gull-the-chase-is-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":7827,"position":3},"title":"California Gull – The Chase is On","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"While my mother was visiting Utah she was able to see how California Gulls chase and feed on Brine Flies, it is fascinating feeding behavior. As my mom watched, I photographed.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"California Gull gobbling up Brine Flies at the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-mia-mcpherson-6389.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-mia-mcpherson-6389.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/california-gull-mia-mcpherson-6389.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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