Pink Floyd at Bear River Refuge - Box Elder County

[Betsy_Beneke at fws dot gov]

I finally got to see Pink Floyd this morning about 8:45.  He was feeding in
the open along the last (east) leg of the auto tour route, only about 500
yards from the dike.  No bittern, today.

It's amazing to me how bird numbers have changed over the past three
mornings; at least where they are visible in Unit 2 along the auto tour
route.  Today, there were definitely fewer peeps obvious, but the number of
dowitchers and phalaropes were up.  Still good numbers of western and least
sandpipers, and a few Baird's; both yellowlegs, a few willets and marbled
godwits and two long-billed curlews.  The curlews were standing knee-deep
in water - this is the first time I've ever seen a curlew standing in water
- they've always been upland before!  There were seven semipalmated plovers
in the northwest corner of Unit 2 where there is still standing vegetation.
The peregrine falcon was sitting on the bare, dry ground on the west side
of the tour route.  Many ibis, avocets, stilts, snowy egrets, Franklin's
gulls, etc. also.

Betsy Beneke
Outdoor Recreation Planner
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge


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