Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge – July 11, 2025

Driving on interstate 15, I saw a sign for the bird refuge at the next exit, 363 and decided to make the journey to the refuge.  The refuge has a wonderful visitor center and a loop trail, 1/2 mile, around the visitor center.  I did not take the trail since I wanted to go on the longer journey to the various units in the refuge.  The refuge has nine separate units which surround a packed gravel road.  The main units are about twelve miles from the visitor center.  Thinking back I should have taken the trail first since the visitor center/trail close at 4PM where the circuit of units is open until sundown.

I was able to see some seagulls, pelicans, white egrets, western grebes, black necked stilts, and many other birds on my 3 hour drive around the refuge.  The experience was a great one for me as it was target rich for photos and I was looking forward to taking photos as it had been 3 weeks since I really took photos.  There was some rust on the technique but all was good.  

Back at the visitor center I spoke to a ranger who said the park gets bald eagles and other raptors in January and February.  Maybe I will have to head back there to see what they have to offer.  Additionally, at the visitor center they have a stuffed bald eagle and the talons of that bird are almost as big as my hands, those eagles are big!

Part of the fun of the park was talking to a volunteer who said he lived near Houston, TX before getting a letter from Uncle Sam saying he had an all expense paid trip to South Asia, Vietnam.  He stayed in the Army until his retirement and even was stationed in Baltimore near Dundalk.  Being a young man from an Idaho farm Dundalk was not his idea of fun.  He retired and moved back “home” with his bride who is from Utah.  This young man was born before WWII, November of 1941.  I hope that I make it to his age and have as good as of sense of humor as him.  He is an asset to the refuge for sure.