Bear River Refuge birds

[Bridget_Olson at fws dot gov]

Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
Box Elder County

Recent happenings:  Colonial bird surveys in June yielded an estimated 9200
White-faced Ibis nests, 157 Snowy Egret nests, 68 Cattle Egret nests, 78
Black-crowned Night Heron nests, 1000 Franklin Gull nests and about 20
Great Blue Heron.  Just about all of the young have now fledged from the
nests accounting for large feeding flocks of each species being observed on
the tour route.  Other surveys estimated 62 Caspian Tern and 140 Forster's
Tern nests.
California Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants occupied interior Refuge
islands where 1203 gull and 238 Cormorant nests were found.

Notable sightings from the tour route include Stilt Sandpiper, Western and
Clark's Grebe young, Semipalmated Plover, Red-necked Phalarope, and
Solitary Sandpiper.  I did see Pink Floyd last week in one of the interior
Refuge units so he should show up in the tour loop sometime?

43% of the birds counted were observed from the tour loop.

Bird Count
7/23/04

Canada Goose            1616
Mallard                 1186
Northern Pintail        117
GW Teal           363
Cinnamon Teal           262
Gadwall           938
Wigeon                  31
Canvasback        326
Redhead           713
Ruddy Duck        697
PB Grebe          11
Eared Grebe       186
Western Grebe           147
Clark's Grebe           136
A.W. Pelican            1233
DC Cormorant            482
GB Heron          134
Great Egret       4
Snowy Egret       617
Cattle Egret            7
BC Night Heron          28
White-faced Ibis  10,685
Killdeer                155
Black-necked Stilt      5738
Am. Avocet        4243
Willet                  6
Spotted Sandpiper 28
Greater Yellowlegs      4
Lesser Yellowlegs 48
Long-billed Curlew      17
Marbled Godwit          2301
Western Sandpiper 832
Least Sandpiper   185
Peep              10
Baird's Sandpiper 117
Dowitcher spp.          208
Wilson's Phalarope      37
Franklin's Gull         2290
Ring-billed Gull        12
California Gull         3338
Caspian Tern            39
Forster's Tern          109
Sora              8
Coot              5595
Sandhill Crane          4
Turkey Vulture          3
Northern Harrier        3
Pink Flamingo           1


Bridget Olson
Wildlife Biologist
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
58 S. 950 W.
Brigham City, UT  84302
Phone: 435/723-5887 ext. 13
Fax: 435/723-8873



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