{"id":95818,"date":"2021-10-05T04:23:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T10:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=95818"},"modified":"2023-11-10T09:51:12","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T16:51:12","slug":"phragmites-fix-or-fail-at-bear-river-mbr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/10\/05\/phragmites-fix-or-fail-at-bear-river-mbr\/","title":{"rendered":"Phragmites Fix Or Fail At Bear River MBR?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Over the years I have taken many photos of the southwest corner of the auto tour route at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/refuge\/bear_river_migratory_bird_refuge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/span><\/a> in northern Utah. I started taking the photos because the view was scenic, included the distant Promontory Mountains on clear days, and because the light was always wonderful there on bright sunny days which have shown the wetlands off in a beautiful way. Most years.<\/p>\n<p>This is a long post.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95806\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95806\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95806 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - May 30, 2010\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - May 30, 2010\" width=\"950\" height=\"551\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27551%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20551%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27551%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518-200x116.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518-250x145.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518-400x232.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518-600x348.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518-800x464.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-30-2010-mia-mcpherson-1518.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95806\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; May 30, 2010<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The photo above shows a Yellow-headed Blackbird in flight by a small stand of cattails and along the shore there are rushes, grasses and other vegetation.<\/p>\n<p>This photo, taken in 2010, shows this unit of water had very few phragmites.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What exactly are phragmites?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Non-native Phragmites are introduced perennial, aggressive wetland grasses that outcompete native plants and displace native birds and animals. In the early 19th century non-native phragmites were first found near coastal ports in the eastern U.S. and they have spread rapidly across the country. For more information <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov\/references\/Delete\/2010-10-2\/Phragmites.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">see this fact sheet<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Phragmites are a very real, serious problem all over the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.<\/p>\n<p>My purpose for this post is to show images of this same southwest corner of the auto tour route at the refuge over the years.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>To show the changes I have seen at this one corner of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge since the year after I moved to northern Utah.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95807\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95807\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95807 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - May 4, 2012\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - May 4, 2012\" width=\"950\" height=\"617\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27617%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20617%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27617%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170-200x130.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170-250x162.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170-400x260.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170-600x390.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170-768x499.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170-800x520.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-may-4-2012-mia-mpcherson-7170.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95807\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; May 4, 2012<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Open water is crucial at the refuge for migratory birds so that they have a place to land, feed, and rest safely away from predators. During the spring shorebirds migrate into the refuge where some refuel and then head farther north to breed while others begin the nesting season in this desert oasis.<\/p>\n<p>This image, taken in 2012 shows plenty of open water, grasses along the shore and some native cattails and rushes in the water. I believe that between the top image taken in 2010 and this one there had been a controlled burn in this section of the refuge but unless I go through all of my images I can&#8217;t swear to that but in 2010 there were more rushes on the shoreline of this corner of the auto tour route.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95808\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95808\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95808 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - November 15, 2013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - November 15, 2013\" width=\"950\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27537%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20537%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27537%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474-250x141.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474-400x226.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474-600x339.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474-768x434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474-800x452.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-nov-15-2013-mia-mcpherson-2474.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95808\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; November 15, 2013<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In the fall after most of the shorebirds have flown south migratory waterbirds fly into the refuge. Tundra Swans by the thousands arrive from their breeding grounds on the tundra of Alaska and Canada and many species of ducks arrive. Most of these waterbirds stay at the refuge until the water ices over to feed, rest, and fill the wetlands with their calls.<\/p>\n<p>This photo of the southwest corner taken in the fall 2013 shows some sparse stands of phragmites on the left side and larger, thicker clumps out in the water on the edge of the right side of the frame. There was still plenty of open water plus native rushes and grasses at the shoreline at the front of the image.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95809\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95809\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95809 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - February 9, 2016\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - February 9, 2016\" width=\"950\" height=\"631\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27631%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20631%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27631%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355-250x166.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355-800x531.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-february-9-2016-winter-mia-mcpherson-9355.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95809\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; February 9, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Deep winter can be quieter for birds at the refuge but even with the snow and the cold the open areas of water provide areas for wading birds, Bald eagles, gulls, ducks, and other birds to find food. The snow covered ice provides resting areas for them as well.<\/p>\n<p>The larger, thicker clumps of phragmites are plainly visible at the edge of the right side of this photo taken in 2016.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95810\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95810\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95810 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - August 7, 2016\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - August 7, 2016\" width=\"950\" height=\"631\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27631%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20631%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27631%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002-250x166.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002-600x399.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002-800x531.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-aug-7-2016-mia-mcpherson-0002.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; August 7, 2016<\/p><\/div>\n<p>By the summer of 2016 the larger clumps of phragmites had formed thick mats at the southwest corner of the auto tour route. There was still plenty of open water for coots, grebes, gulls, terns, and ducks to land on and to find food. Wading birds searched for prey from the edges of the mats of phrags.<\/p>\n<p>There were healthy stands of rushes on the shoreline in 2016 as this photo clearly shows.<\/p>\n<p>This corner of the auto tour route was spectacular for photographing Tundra Swans in the late fall and early spring. The swans slept in the open water safe from predators. To see them lifting off to head out to feed in the early morning was inspiring and their trumpeting calls soothed me.<\/p>\n<p>During the spring and summer shorebirds, American Pelicans and Pied-billed, Clark&#8217;s and Western Grebes were regularly seen feeding here as Caspian and Forester&#8217;s Terns, Ring-billed and Franklin&#8217;s Gulls dove down from the sky to snatch prey from the water. Virginia Rails, Soras, Great Blue and Black-crowned Night Herons as well as Snowy Egrets foraged on the shorelines. When fall arrived the ducks were seen here in large numbers and would blast off when people got out of their cars or when a Bald Eagle flew by.<\/p>\n<p>It was very birdy for a large part of the year.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95811\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95811\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95811 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - September 20, 2017\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - September 20, 2017\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20633%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-20-2017-mia-mcpherson-8037.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95811\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; September 20, 2017<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In the spring of 2017 the water was drained in Unit 2 for the purpose of replacing the water control structure for that unit of water. The soil needed to be dry for the construction of the new structure. By late summer I saw on Facebook that they were letting water back into the unit and had postponed the installation of the water control structure. The grebes and other birds that should have nested on Unit 2 didn&#8217;t nest that year.<\/p>\n<p>When fall of 2017 arrived the larger clumps of phragmites out in the water had converged and were thick. Phragmites were starting to crowd out the rushes on the shoreline. There was open water for the birds and animals.<\/p>\n<p>Another image from this September 20, 2017 series and the second one down below dated March 30, 2019 were used with my permission by the refuge for a planning document about phragmites growth.<\/p>\n<p>During the spring or 2018 water levels were once again dropped so that the water control structure could be replaced. Once again the soil dried out and birds couldn&#8217;t nest on Unit 2. The water control structure was replaced but it was too late for the birds to nest by the time water was allowed back in.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>In August of 2018 Unit 2 was dry.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Thick vegetation had grown on the exposed soils and I wrote about what I thought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/23\/a-look-into-what-could-happen-to-bear-river-mbr-with-less-water-flowing-into-it\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Bear River MBR might be like with less water flowing into it<\/span><\/a> because of proposed dams on the Bear River.\u00a0 I created videos of what it looked like including one of the southwest corner of the auto tour route. In one of the videos I mention that cattle were on the refuge to help with phragmites mitigation and control. The cattle eat the phragmites and other native vegetation and deposit manure on the ground. Manure is fertilizer.<\/p>\n<p>This is what is know about fertilizer and phragmites: <em>Landowners can eliminate or reduce fertilizer<\/em> (to control the spread of phragmites).<\/p>\n<p>There was a controlled burn for phragmites mitigation on the refuge which included the southwest corner of the auto tour route during the fall of 2018.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95812\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95812\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95812 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - January 26, 2019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - January 26, 2019\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20633%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-26-2019-mia-mcpherson-9615.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95812\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; January 26, 2019<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Winter snow can hide what it looked like beneath it at the southwest corner of the auto tour route on the refuge.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95813\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95813\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95813 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - March 30, 2019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - March 30, 2019\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20633%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-march-30-2019-burn-mia-mcpherson-9640.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95813\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; March 30, 2019<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><strong>When spring of 2019 arrived this is what the corner looked like.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>It was clear that the phragmites and native vegetation were burned down to the ground in 2018. Some of the larger clumps of phrags out in the water appeared almost untouched by the controlled burn the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>For the third year in a row Unit 2 was drained for phragmites control through burning, spraying and, cattle grazing. Also for the third year in a row there were very few nesting grebes visible from the auto tour route. It was quiet.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95814\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95814\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95814 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - January 7, 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - January 7, 2020\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20633%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-jan-7-2020-mia-mcpherson-0668.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95814\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; January 7, 2020<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This photo shows the southwest corner of the auto tour route in January of 2020. The water level was low before it iced over.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95815\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95815\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95815 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - October 30, 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - October 30, 2020\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20633%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-oct-30-2020-mia-mcpherson-1139.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95815\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; October 30, 2020<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The year 2020 saw huge phragmites growth on the refuge and not just at the southwest corner of the auto tour route. This was after spraying, burning, and cattle grazing. After this unit being dry for three summers in a row. In this photo I can only see the road where the water comes to the narrowest point towards the left side of the image.<\/p>\n<p>Only a few birds showed up on what was left of the open water. The phrags were thick <em>in<\/em> the water and along the shoreline. It was hardly worth stopping there to look for birds and the swans that used to be at this corner during the fall and early spring? Forget about that.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95817\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95817\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95817 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - September 27, 2021\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - September 27, 2021\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20633%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1734.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95817\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; September 27, 2021<\/p><\/div>\n<p>These last two photos were taken last week and they are part of the reason I was upset on my last trip up to the refuge. This is just <em>one small corner<\/em> of the twelve mile auto tour route and this small corner has seen a lot of phragmites mitigation over the twelve years I have lived in Utah. I couldn&#8217;t see the road from where I sat in my Jeep. The phrags are just that thick.<\/p>\n<p>There are many other places on the refuge where the phrags are thicker now than they were even just three years ago. There are sections of the water canals where I can no longer see the water or even <em>if<\/em> there was water except for through a few gaps.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_95816\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95816\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-95816 size-full\" title=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - September 27, 2021\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR - September 27, 2021\" width=\"950\" height=\"633\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20950%20633%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27950%27%20height%3D%27633%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757.jpg 950w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-95816\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest corner of the auto tour route at Bear River MBR &#8211; September 27, 2021<\/p><\/div>\n<p>When I moved a bit I was able to see where the road should have been but the phrags still were in the way. I saw a few blackbirds flying over the water and that was it at this corner. No grebes, no coots, no wading birds, no gulls, terns, ducks, or pelicans.<\/p>\n<p>I would say that all of the cattle grazing, aerial spraying, and burning hasn&#8217;t worked.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Phragmites fix or fail? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>I think my photos through the years provide the answer.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is no doubt that I love the refuge. I love it more when we can actually see the birds and wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>Mia<\/p>\n<p>P.S., I\u2019m not pointing fingers, I am just relaying what I see in my photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phragmites fix or fail? I think my photos through the years provide the answer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95816,"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":[124,1148,2152,26],"tags":[5792,5576,903,988,12349,12356,12354,4620,12353,4064,686,4669,4094,7385,4059,12355,6428,4528,4018,4050,12348,12357,165,2315,4095,373],"class_list":["post-95818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-conservation","category-utah","tag-auto-tour-loop","tag-auto-tour-route","tag-cattle","tag-conservation","tag-control","tag-controlled-burn","tag-fail","tag-fall","tag-fix","tag-ice","tag-introduced","tag-invasive","tag-marsh","tag-mitigation","tag-phragmites","tag-phragmites-australis","tag-phrags","tag-promontory-mountains","tag-sky","tag-snow","tag-southwest-corner","tag-spraying","tag-spring","tag-summer-3","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/bear-river-mbr-sept-27-2021-mia-mcpherson-1757.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-oVs","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6906,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/26\/bear-river-national-wildlife-refuge-christmas-day-2012\/","url_meta":{"origin":95818,"position":0},"title":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge &#8211; Christmas Day 2012","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Christmas Day of 2012 turned out to be as beautiful as I hoped at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge because of bright skies, snow on the ground, birds and the expansive views.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bald Eagles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bald Eagles","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/diurnal-raptors\/bald-eagle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bald Eagle landing on Bear River Christmas Day 2012, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bald-eagle-landing-mia-mcpherson-4958.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bald-eagle-landing-mia-mcpherson-4958.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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