---

HOME	GSL BIRDING MAP & KEY	AREA DESCRIPTIONS:			1-10	11-20	21-25	26-30	31-40	41-49
		TRIP REPORTS:			1-10	11-20	21-25	26-30	31-40	41++

---

GREAT SALT LAKE BIRDING TRAILS       TRIP REPORTS FOR SITES 11-20

Below are trip reports/photos of: [16] Bear River Refuge [17a] Perry Nature Park/Brigham City [19] Farmington Bay WMA

---

Bear River Refuge	Carolyn Somer

[16]   BEAR RIVER REFUGE by Les Talbot (11/22/03)

"If you don't like the weather in Utah, just wait five minutes." While most of the time that's true, it wasn't to be during this trip. It was bitterly cold and windy all day and you were thoroughly miserable if you spent more than a minute or two out of your vehicle. I had brought my wind gauge with me and had recorded the wind speeds throughout the day. Most of the time the wind was blowing from the Northwest at 10-12 mph with an occasional 16 mph gust. My chart indicated that the wind chill was around -30F to -50F. The birds didn't seem to mind, though. We saw 33 species, one red fox and two deer -- a doe and a yearling. When we first came upon the Bear River we saw a large flock of gulls fishing. It was interesting to watch. They would drop until they reached the water. Their feet and bill would go in and then they would quickly fly upwards. There were several Common Goldeneye swimming among the feeding gulls. One Goldeneye had a fish and a gull tried to take it but was unsuccessful. After a few minutes a small flock of Bonaparte's Gulls flew in and joined the melee. At the northwest corner of the Auto Tour the gulls were also fishing. A second-year Herring Gull was competing with the others. A little to the North there were several Tundra Swan. A few weeks earlier, Refuge personnel estimated that there were 30,000 swan in the area. By the following week half had moved on to warmer climes. Just east of and about 100 feet from us we spotted a female Hooded Merganser. She was perfectly groomed and one of the best-looking mergansers we've ever seen. Arnold spotted a Red Fox hunkered down in the grass across the channel, trying to get out of the wind. We sat and watched it for several minutes while the fox stared back at us. He wasn't about to move away from the sheltering grasses. The eight of us, Sharen Perry, Lynn Carroll, Shirley Lee, Jack Rensel, Keith Evans, Arnold and Aaron Smith and I, really enjoyed watching the show put on by the wildlife. Species seen were: Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Tundra Swan, Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Northern Pintail (the Refuge estimate was 18,500 Pintail on-site), Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Bald Eagle (at least Jack said it was a Bald Eagle. It was way north of us flying around Little Mountain), a possible Red-tailed Hawk, (the lighting was poor), Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, Bonaparte's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Rock Pigeon, Loggerhead Shrike, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, Common Raven, Horned Lark, European Starling, a possible Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, American Goldfinch, and House Sparrow. I was surprised to see as many duck hunters out as we did. You really have to be hard-core to wade out in the water in that kind of weather. I was glad that we could enjoy the outing in the comfort of our heated vehicles. Happy birding and I hope to see you on future trips.

[16]   BEAR RIVER REFUGE by Les Talbot (11/23/02)

It started out as a typical fall day, cold with a slight breeze and clear skies. Nine of us met at Harmon’s. We ran into Carolyn and Mort after we got off of the freeway. Mort had his scope on a Northern Harrier and there were some yellowlegs and ducks west of the road. Before we continued on Martha, Randy and Brooke Snarr joined us. Lisa Galvez, her husband and two daughters also joined us. We saw two Rough-legged Hawks (a juvenile and a dark phase) about 5 miles east of the headquarters area. We also saw two Long-billed Curlew there. Just before we got to the Northwest corner of the auto loop we made a stop and saw a long line of white north of us. We put the scopes on it. There was a lot of heat coming off the ground and it was hard to focus on it. We could tell that is was a gigantic flock of Tundra Swan. It went on forever. My best guess is it was 3/4 to 1 mile long. It is hard to say, I am not that good at judging distances. However there was not a break in the line. We could not see how wide the flock was. There were thousands of swan. After the trip Tyler and I went to Salt Creek to see what was there. When we left Bear River it started to sprinkle. By the time we got to Salt Creek it was pouring. We did not see any birds. There were a couple of hunters down in the water fussing with a boat. Randy Berger and his crew have done a great job in improving the area. The restroom is completed, the kiosk has a roof on it and a couple of full length walls and a short wall. The sidewalk is completed down to the water. It even has a boardwalk that goes out over the water. It will really be nice during Bald Eagle and Tundra Swan days. It turned out to be a real nice trip. Altogether we saw 31 species, which were: Eared Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Tundra Swan, Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, yellowlegs sp., Long-billed Curlew, Ring-billed Gull, shrike sp., Song Sparrow, Marsh Wren, European Starling, Western Meadowlark, American Goldfinch, American Pipit, Red-winged Blackbird and a Common Raven. Participants: Joyce Overdiek, Arnold Smith, Dennis Collins, Lynn Carroll, Sharen Perry, Paula and Lee Shirley, Gene Amman, Randy Lemon, Martha Ann Albretsen, Carolyn and Mort Somer, Lisa and Brad Galvez and their two daughters, Brooke Snarr, and Les and Tyler Talbot.

[16]   BEAR RIVER REFUGE by Les Talbot (03/23/02)

When we left Ogden it was in the mid 50's, but turned out to be a really nice day. It was a little cool when the wind was blowing, but really nice when it wasn't, which was most of the time. Even though there was a lack of water we did see thirty-five species. The island on the east side of the loop road had a lot of birds on it. Mostly pintail. Our last stop was at the observation deck. There we saw a few pintail. There were two Golden Eagle soaring way off to the west. While there Keith entertained us with his Christmas present, a birdsong identifier. It's an interesting piece of equipment. It makes it easy to choose which bird song you want to hear. However you have to purchase 14 cards to get all the songs of the birds in our area. Keith also has the card for frog sounds. In one area along unit one we did hear Northern Chorus Frogs. Also we saw two Franklin Gull there. American Avocet We saw avocet and pelican for the first time this year. Birds seen were: American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Tundra Swan, Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, American Coot, Killdeer, American Avocet, Franklin's Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Horned Lark, Marsh Wren, European Starling, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, and Yellow-headed Blackbird. Participants were: Miyuki and Dick Endo, Betty and Keith Evans, Shirley Lee, Joyce Overdiek, Sharen Perry, Jack Rensel, Paula and Lee Shirley, and Les Talbot.

[16]   BEAR RIVER REFUGE by Les Talbot (11/26/00)

The day started out chilly and cloudy. When I left home at 7:30 a.m. it was 23 degrees. But it turned out to be another great day for birding. We saw 32 bird species, 3 mule deer and a striped skunk. We saw Common, Red-breasted, and Hooded Merganser, California, Bonaparte's, and Herring Gulls, Pintails, Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, and coot, and a Gadwall. We saw several Rough-legged Hawks. They were very common between the freeway and the refuge. On the way to the refuge there was a large flock of Canada Geese north of the Bear River. On the last part of the loop we saw several Great Blue Heron and a Short-eared Owl. Most of the water had ice on it. Even though it was cold it turned out to be an enjoyable trip.

[16]   BEAR RIVER REFUGE by Lynn Carroll & Keith Evans (11/20/99)

On Saturday, November 20, 1999 a caravan of four vehicles full of enthusiastic birders headed for the Bear River Refuge. The weather was good but variable. The sun would come out and the wind stop long enough for us to shed layers of clothing. Then a cloud would block the sun and the wind would blow and we'd hurriedly put all our layers back on. We got a few sprinkles but not enough to dampen enthusiasm. We ended up with a trip list of 50 species. It was an especially interesting list as we observed summer birds, fall migrants, and winter residents. White Pelicans Keith Evans Among the summer birds who decided a late migration was in order were White-faced Ibis, Long-billed Curlew, Western Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelican, Yellow-headed Blackbird and American Coot. Fall migrants (some also nest in the area) included Peregrine Falcon, Marbled Godwit, American Avocet, Common Snipe, Common Merganser, American Pipit, Horned Lark, Double-crested Cormorant, and many Northern Harriers. Late fall and winter birds included Bald Eagle, Tundra Swan, Herring Gull, Common Raven, and Canvasback. In addition we observed large numbers of Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Eared Grebe and Red-winged Blackbird. Like every field trip, this one produced some special memories. First, a pretty sparrow was seen flitting around in the rushes by the old refuge headquarters site. Overheard were names like lark, American tree, vesper, savannah and fox. When we got a better look and made a positive identification it was put on our list as an adult Song Sparrow of the Melospiza melodia montana race. As birders know, the Song Sparrow is a highly variable species. Second, as we watched a large flock of Marbled Godwits, a Bald Eagle soared overhead and all the godwits took flight at once. Shortly after they settled back on the mud flat a large flock of American White Pelicans made a perfect flyby. I heard someone say, "it doesn't get any better than this!" Amen.

[16]   BEAR RIVER REFUGE by Keith Evans (10/27/98)

The annual fall field trip to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge once again proved to be a good one. We started out on the road to Harold Crane Waterfowl area and found this area to be very productive. The participants enjoying the trip included: Darrell Greenfield, Curt Singleton, Lynn Carroll, Carolyn and Mort Somer, Karen Stock, Joyce Overdiek, Lee Shirley, Don Dinsdale, Arnold Smith, and Keith Evans. October 25, 1997 proved to be a clear and beautiful day. We stacked on layers of coats early in the morning, but continued to take the layers off as the bright sun warmed our bodies and hearts. The group observed 52 species of birds. Observed were: Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, American White Pelican, Snowy Egret, White-faced Ibis, Tundra Swan, Long-billed Dowitcher Keith Evans Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, American Widgeon (Keith and Lee still prefer baldpate), Canvasback, Redhead, Bufflehead, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk (Lynn and Keith won't put any guarantees on this fast moving streak of brown), Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Ring-necked Pheasant, American Coot, Killdeer, Marbled Godwit, Least Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Bonaparte's Gull (observed near the Harold Crane Waterfowl Area in larger numbers than Keith has ever seen before), Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Caspian Tern, Common Tern, Forester's Tern (the terns were a Harold Crane speciality), Rock Dove, Northern Flicker (or is this a Red-shafted Flicker again?), Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, Marsh Wren, American Pipits (by the flocks), Loggerhead Shrike, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, and House Sparrow. I didn't do many comparisons with other lists, so am sure to have missed a few "group" birds. For those that didn't show up, you missed a good one!

[16]   BEAR RIVER REFUGE by Keith Evans (3/21/98)

On March 21, 1998, a small group of dedicated birders enjoyed a great day at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. The spring migration was in full swing. We enjoyed three categories of bird highlights. First, the rare list that included a Eurasian Widgeon, Red-breasted Merganser, and 7 species of gulls--Iceland, Claucous, Thayer's, Franklin's, California, Ring-billed, and Herring. The identification of the Iceland Gull is a little in doubt at this time. We will know more when Arnold and Keith get their photos back and can better compare characteristics. The gull in question did not meet all of the book characteristics listed for the northeastern race of the Iceland Gull, but was very close and matched the fishing behavior of Iceland Gull. A prominent birder, Ken Kaufman, has reported that at least one race of the Iceland Gull may interbreed with the Thayer's Gull, thus prompting a proposed lumping of these two species. The gull observed may have been an Iceland/Thayer's hybrid. This would be the first Iceland Gull ever reported in Utah, so we will let you know more after all the experts discuss the possibilities. The second highlight category would be the charismatic megafauna group which includes the Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, Sandhill Crane, Rough-legged Hawk, and Prairie Falcon (well, at least the P.F. was bigger than the noisy little Marsh Wren). Of this list, the Sandhill Crane is my favorite with its graceful flight and its true call of the wild that, at least for me, initiates a wildness image. The third category would be the species present where shear numbers alone make them a highlight species. I would include American Pelican, Tundra Swan, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Redhead and Northern Harrier. I really don't know where to include highlights like the Ring-necked Duck, Canvasback, Cinnamon Teal, and Canada Goose. The checklist kept by Keith and Arnold included 49 species. Participants included Keith Evans, Arnold Smith, Jack Rensel, Harold Driver, Darrell Greenfield, Joyce Overdiek, Martha Ann Albretsen, Carolyn and Mort Somer, and Curt Singleton.

(You will find a detailed description of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge HERE)

---

Perry Nature Park	Carolyn Somer

[17a]  PERRY NATURE PARK / BRIGHAM CITY by Keith Evans (4/7/99)

April 7th was a beautiful spring morning and the Perry Nature Park was teaming with wildlife. Twenty-three members of the Wasatch Audubon Society turned out for our first trip to the new nature park in Perry, and we were impressed. We will be back! We barely had time to park the cars before we were occupied with the spring songs of the Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin, Western Meadowlark, and Song Sparrow. Before leaving the road, we enjoyed viewing these singing birds as well as Sandhill Crane, American White Pelican, Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall, Mallard, Common Snipe, and Killdeer. As we walked along the excellent trail system, we quickly added Canada Goose, Snowy Egret, Ring-necked Pheasant, Common Goldeneye, and California Gull to our growing bird list. A short distance from the Perry Park, we added Franklin Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, and American Kestrel. More bird species were seen at the Brigham City cemetery and at Mayor's Pond. This half-day trip, close to home, reminded us of the value of wildlife and protected wildlife habitats in our quality of life.

---

[19]   Farmington Bay WMA	Mort Somer

[19]  FARMINGTON BAY WMA by Les Talbot (11/20/04)

On a cold snowy morning eleven of us met to bird Farmington Bay. At 7:00 a.m. the temperature was 29.5 degrees with a NNE wind blowing at 7 mph to give a wind chill of 22 degrees. As we arrived at the Bay, the sky cleared and it turned out to be a pretty nice late Autumn day. Farmington Bay was teeming with thousands of ducks, mostly Gadwall. One adult Bald Eagle was perched in a tree there. After visiting the Bay we went to the Kaysville Ponds. Bill Fenimore was there with his weekly Saturday trip. There were a variety of ducks on the Ponds We then drove to the Nature Conservancy Shorebird Reserve in Layton. While driving to Layton the weather turned bad. The light snow at the Ponds became almost a blizzard. At the Reserve it was snowing lightly again and had stopped by the time we started to walk the boardwalk. We saw the following birds: Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Tundra Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, Loggerhead Shrike, Black-billed Magpie, American Crow, European Starling, American Pipit, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, and American Goldfinch. The eleven who braved the cold were: Paula & Lee Shirley, Sharen Perry, Jack Rensel, Carma Dorney, Shirley Lee, Lynn Carroll, Scott Baxter, Keith Evans, Mort Somer and Les Talbot. Happy birding (I can't recall a time that birding hasn't been a happy experience.)

[19]  FARMINGTON BAY WMA by Les Talbot (11/24/01)

The day started out cold and windy -- when I left home at 7:30am it was 28F with an overcast sky. By the time the trip was over it had turned into a nice day. At our first stop we saw two Bald Eagles in an old tree, one of which was eating a duck. We also saw harrier, raven, magpie, and Great Blue Heron. We drove to the top of Goose Egg Island where we could see American Avocet, gulls, and yellowlegs on the lake side of the hill. There were hundreds of ducks on the resting pond to the east of us. Driving along the dike we saw a large number of ducks keeping safe where hunting was not allowed. Altogether we saw 32 species. Even though you cannot drive very far into the management area it is a productive place for birds. We need to remember that the area is for the birds and as long as we observe and don’t disturb them, they will be around for a long time for our enjoyment. Participants: Sharen Perry, Lee and Paula Shirley, Shirley Lee, Rose Messner, Leslie Loeffel, Kristin Purdy, Carolyn and Mort Somer, Keith Evans, Jack Rensel, Martha Ann Albretsen, Richard Johnson, Tyler Talbot and I. Species seen: Eared Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Rock Dove, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and Western Meadowlark.

(You will find a detailed description of Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area HERE)

---

HOME	GSL BIRDING MAP & KEY	AREA DESCRIPTIONS:			1-10	11-20	21-25	26-30	31-40	41-49
		TRIP REPORTS:			1-10	11-20	21-25	26-30	31-40	41++