Birding Bear River 5/18

[Richard Wood <rwoodphd at msn dot com>]

Hi all,

After birding in the gully across from the Hyrum dam yesterday, we
decided to make our first trip of the year to the Bear River NWR.  We
had 44 species at Bear River, most of them without getting out of the
car or using our scope.  We did stop once to scope what we believe to be
a WHIMBREL.  This bird was smaller and had a shorter bill than a
Long-billed Curlew and also had a "cap" on its head.

Highlights of the trip to Bear River include (mostly year birds* or
lifers**):
Cattle Egrets*
Great Egrets*
Northern Shovelers
Cinnamon Teals
Black-necked Stilts*
Blue-winged Teals*
American Avocets
Long-billed Curlews*
Wilson's Phalaropes*
Marsh Wrens* (they were everywhere)
Short-billed Dowitchers*
Western Gulls (dark gray backed gulls with red spots on their bills)**
Snowy Egrets*
Ruddy Ducks*
Clark's Grebes (I didn't think we were ever going to see any this year,
but they were out in full force)*
Black-crowned Night-Heron*
Whimbrel*
Eastern Kingbird*

It was a very birdy place with lots of everything, including some not
mentioned above: American Coots, Cliff Swallows and White-faced Ibises.
We also had a couple of Golden Eagles, including one being harassed by a
pair of American Avocets while he sat on a fence post.

There were four spots where there was water across the road, but it is
easily navigable in any vehicle.  We managed to get through in our
little purple Honda.

Good birding,
Richard

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