{"id":98748,"date":"2022-01-07T05:58:37","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T12:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=98748"},"modified":"2022-01-07T05:58:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T12:58:37","slug":"winter-great-blue-heron-photos-from-bear-river-mbr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/01\/07\/winter-great-blue-heron-photos-from-bear-river-mbr\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Great Blue Heron Photos From Bear River MBR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AdultAdult Great Blue Heron walking on a frosty ice shelf \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge<\/a><\/span> can be a great location to take winter Great Blue Heron photos out on the frozen marshes and wetlands during January. After a few warmer days the ice can start to melt and the open water attracts the herons along with ducks, gulls, swans, geese, and sometimes the Bald Eagles that visit the refuge during the winter.<\/p>\n

The open water means that the birds can find food and the Great Blue Herons will hunt along the edges of the ice for small fish.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Great Blue Heron walking slowly on an ice shelf \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/3200, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

There have been times I have gone to the refuge in January where I have found dozens of herons congregated on the edge of the ice. On January 7th of 2020 I found a few Great Blue Herons resting, walking, hunting and lifting off from the ice on a bright, chilly morning. I had a lot of fun photographing them and the other birds I found there that day.<\/p>\n

\"GreatGreat Blue Heron lifting off from a shelf of ice \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 170mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn’t only<\/em> use my bird gear to photograph the herons and gulls that morning. I also used my backup camera with a much shorter focal lens to take images of them that included the snow-covered mountains, sky, and marshy wetland habitat because photos like this convey a sense of place that frame filling images of birds usually can’t.<\/p>\n

I know that I missed some wonderful frame filling photos of the herons while I photographed them with my smaller lens but I don’t regret that a bit. I love the photos I took that day where they show the herons small in the frame.<\/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":"

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge can be a great location to take winter Great Blue Heron photos out on the frozen marshes and wetlands during January. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98737,"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":[4004,4117,4101,3983,368,6926,3987,521,683,627,626,4064,8485,4282,4944,4094,4069,2504,4018,12675,3792,5428,313,4236,3996,4095,373],"class_list":["post-98748","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-adult","tag-ardea-herodias","tag-clouds","tag-frost","tag-frosty","tag-frozen","tag-great-blue-heron","tag-gulls","tag-habitat-2","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-ice","tag-ice-shelf","tag-lift-off","tag-lifting-off","tag-marsh","tag-mountains","tag-reflection","tag-sky","tag-slowly","tag-take-off","tag-taking-off","tag-wading-birds","tag-walking","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/great-blue-heron-lifting-off-from-ice-mia-mcpherson-0627.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-pGI","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":117958,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/11\/08\/great-blue-heron-photos-in-winter\/","url_meta":{"origin":98748,"position":0},"title":"Great Blue Heron Photos In Winter","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"If you want to take Great Blue Heron photos in winter, on snow and ice, then head to Bear River MBR in Utah after the marsh freezes and the snow starts to fall.","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":"Fluffed up Great Blue Heron walking on ice, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/great-blue-heron-winter-ice-mia-mcpherson-3169.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/great-blue-heron-winter-ice-mia-mcpherson-3169.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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I was on my way to the auto tour loop at the refuge when I spotted this heron.","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 falling through ice on the Bear River, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/great-blue-heron-winter-bear-river-ice-mia-mcpherson-4464.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/great-blue-heron-winter-bear-river-ice-mia-mcpherson-4464.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2019","format":false,"excerpt":"After miles and miles and miles of travel yesterday my best images were of an adult Great Blue Heron on ice with frost flowers in the frame.","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 ice with frost flowers, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-on-ice-mia-mcpherson-5496.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/great-blue-heron-on-ice-mia-mcpherson-5496.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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