Desert Destination: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

 North of Salt Lake City and west of Brigham City, Utah lies the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. It protects 80,000 acres of marshes and other habitats where the Bear River enters the northeast arm of the Great Salt Lake. This freshwater area is known for its abundance of birds, and our goal was to head out to the 12-mile auto tour route.

 We drove out to the beginning of the loop, where a picnic pavilion had been overtaken by cliff swallows. Picnicking here was no longer a good option, but bird watching and photography were fine.

 The cliff swallows were in various stages of nest building.

After observing them for awhile, we got the bikes off the back of the van (last year we bought a bike rack, and it's been useful several times). Our plan was to bike the loop part of the auto tour, which we estimated to be about 9 miles (we couldn't find the actual distance anywhere, and it certainly felt longer, so perhaps when they say 12-mile auto tour that is just the gravel loop and not the part before it).

 Right away we saw lots of birds. My husband and the kids kept riding while I stopped to take some photos.

 The always-impressive American white pelicans.

 Black-necked stilt

 Cormorant--look at how low in the water this bird species is!

 The road was really flat, which is why we thought we'd enjoy the bike ride. Desert Boy wasn't in the best of moods, so we took frequent snack breaks. Eventually the food pepped him up and he did great.

 A tern--one of my favorite birds due to the amazingly long migrations they have.

 I made frequent stops to photograph more birds--a black-necked stilt and an American avocet in the photo above. This is such the birder's paradise, and I felt that on bike I not only got to see them, but also hear and smell them better.

 The yellow-headed blackbird is also common around parts of the ranch.

 A few vehicles passed us on the one-way loop, but there was very little traffic.

 A glossy-faced ibis. I love their beaks.

 A few rays of sunshine peaked out from the clouds. This was also about the time that the slight breeze went away. I had been counting on the headwind to help us get back. It's dissipation meant we wouldn't have that advantage. Even more important, the lack of wind also meant that the insects started finding us and eating us. We are not used to insects (one of the advantages of living in the desert), so we didn't have any insect repellent.

 Great blue heron

We not only saw birds, we also saw some wildlife, like the striped skunk, above.

And many muskrats. Many, many muskrats. We were surprised how many we saw.

 Great bike riding.

 It reminded me slightly of Shark Valley down in the Everglades, with the flatness (although the background mountains sure were different!), amazing birds, and plenty of water. We teased Desert Boy to be on the lookout for alligators.

 We came across a broken egg and wondered what had happened. Later we found a raven with another broken egg in its beak. Between the ravens and skunks, it could be a challenge to raise young, but the sheer number of birds help them to survive.

 Another favorite--a snowy egret, with its yellow slippers (feet).

 More black-necked stilts. We saw a lot of these!

 We reached an overlook and gratefully stretched our legs. We still had a few miles left, where we got even more insect bites from mosquitoes and deer flies. They didn't itch much then, but for the next couple of weeks Desert Boy and I suffered. (My husband and Desert Girl seemed to be immune to the bites.)

We eventually made it back to the van, happy to escape the insects. It was getting late, so we headed to downtown Brigham City to find some food. The downtown has a large sign stretching across main street that says "Welcome to Brigham, Gateway to the World's Greatest Wild Bird Refuge." I had been reading Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams, which had made me appreciate the bird refuge more. She also had some interesting information in the book about Brigham City, which started off as a communal living effort.

After dinner, it was time for a late night swim at our hotel pool. The kids improve so much each time we get to a pool. I was a little pool rat when I was a kid, so I'm hoping they can learn how to swim well.

So, in closing, I'd recommend a trip to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge if you like birds and getting away from the city. The bike loop is great IF you have insect repellent. Otherwise, it might be better to do it in a vehicle! The kids liked trying to find different types of birds (by colors, activities, sizes). They also liked seeing the skunk, muskrats, and enormous (gross) carp by some of the water structures. Some of them weighed more than the kids. All in all, it was quite enjoyable.

A Jaunt through the Woods

 Back in mid-May I took the kids and their friend Charlie for a quick hike on the trail between Grey Cliffs and Baker Creek Campground in Great Basin National Park. It was a cold day, so we had to bundle up, but we were all eager to get outdoors.

 I had my camera in tow and took a lot of flower photos. A lot. But I'll refrain from posting them all and just include a couple of the best, like this beautiful Erigeron (fleabane--such an ugly name for such a beautiful flower!).

 This short trail has a fun bridge on it. Bridges are always fun.

 We stopped and took a closer look at these tent caterpillars (at least I think that's what they are) on the rose bushes. I was surprised how many tents were there, and when I got closer I saw the caterpillars crawling. The kids loved that!

 Charlie and Desert Boy puzzled over the huge skeleton under a pinyon pine. They examined the very large hoof, and with some help determined that it was an elk skeleton. A few years ago a mountain lion killed it, and it's so cool to still see the remains. The reminder of the mountain lion makes me tell the kid to stay close enough that they can see me.

 We progress further up the trail to a huge meadow with a pyramidal contraption in it. I know it's part of an old grazing study, but the kids decide it's a trap. They take long sticks to poke whatever might be in it.

After a long snack break, we head the short distance up to the trailhead. We get to it and I tell the kids we can turn around.

 They take off running down the trail. I guess I hadn't worn them out enough!

 I really like the aspens with their newly leafed-out appearance. They seem so gentle and romantic. The kids actually pause long enough that I can take their photo.

Okay, one more flower photo, a shrub with reddish bark that is now bright with white flowers: Saskatoon serviceberry.

Just thinking about what other flowers makes me want to grab my camera and head back in the woods. In fact, we're going to do that in just a couple hours. Have a great weekend and week, and I hope you can get out and enjoy some wildflowers!

Marmots and More

 After we finished our delightful hike up Pole Canyon, I decided to drive up to the top of the Baker Creek road in Great Basin National Park and see what other flowers were blooming. I found the hillside dotted with yellow from Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza saggita), a very bright and cheerful flower.

 A much smaller yellow flower was plantainleaf buttercup, also called meadow buttercup and water-plantain buttercup (Ranunculus alismifolius). 

I had expected to see more flowers, but apparently it needs to warm up a bit more.

As I started to drive down the road, I saw a large rodent appear:

 A marmot! These large ground squirrels like the road base and burrow under the road and under the boulders next to the road to live. They appear every spring (and sometimes later winter--I heard reports of marmot sightings on the Baker Creek road in February). They love to eat greens, lounge around, and eat some more, maybe flowers or seeds this time. They have a good reason to eat--they are the longest hibernating animal in North America, snoozing away eight months of the year! They need to pack on the pounds before they go into their burrows and lose up to half their weight.

 This yellow-bellied marmot looked a little like a harbor seal to me! He (or she) might live up to 15 years.

 This youngster didn't know what to make of me. Marmots are quite fascinating, and because you can get relatively close to them (in contrast to, say, a mountain lion), they make for great wildlife watching. To learn more about marmots, click here.

Marmots don't rank real high for intelligence or speed, so it's up to humans not to run them over.
I'm guessing there aren't too many signs like this out in the world!

A Little Pet

 The kids were delighted to go see their friends' pet yesterday. What was it? Oh, just your regular, friendly 'ol pet. Or maybe not. It wasn't a dog. Or a cat. Or a fish. Or a guinea pig. Or a turtle. Or an iguana. Nope, they had a...

 ...pet rat. And the kids could not wait to hold it.

 I tried not to show my expressions as they experienced the wonder of holding a rat, feeling its whiskers brush their fingers, watching its ears twitch...

 ...or letting it climb up on their heads. Both kids had to do this. I just kept my mouth shut and pressed the shutter button.

This might not have been my idea of a good time, but they definitely thought it was.

And with that, have a good day!

An Irrigating Trip with Some Beautiful Birds

 My husband had to do some irrigating Sunday afternoon, so we went out to enjoy the pleasant afternoon and have some outside family time.

 Desert Boy gingerly crossed one of the irrigation ditches, making sure the water didn't overtop his irrigating boots. He wasn't so careful later and had to dump the water out of his boots!

 Meanwhile I was going crazy because I saw some really fun birds out in the wet meadow. An American Avocet caught my eye, with its reddish head and black and white body and wings. It's long legs and bill make it well-adapted for the marshy environment.

 Nearby was a bird with a similar shape, but its legs were red and it had a body that was just black and white--a Black-necked Stilt.

I particularly liked seeing the reflection of the bird.

 
Looking east, it still looked sunny and calm as the water flowed from the irrigation ditch out across the meadow. Behind us, up in the mountains, the storm clouds were gathering and darkening the sky. Soon the wind would begin and the temperature would dip several degrees. The joys of fickle spring weather--you can have everything from summer to winter in just a couple hours!

I tried sneaking up on some Long-billed Curlews, but they didn't really want me to get close. They have such long bills!

 Henry was busy watching my husband work. He's a good dog like that. He knows how to conserve his energy.

 Of course, I shouldn't really talk. I wasn't working. I was having a terrific time wandering around taking photos.

A couple mallards took off. My husband noted that he's seen thousands of birds recently in the wet meadows and wetlands. Spring migration is well on its way, and many birds are stopping for a well-deserved meal on their way north.

 Besides birds, I also spotted some old equipment out on the meadows. I have no idea what this was, but it sure looks like it has been there a long time.

 Another shot of the meadows. This was the first place settled in our area because of the abundant water. We're hoping that the water will stick around and not be piped away, as it's critical to our ranch plus it's clear that a lot of wildlife depends on it.

 These dandelions in the mud next to the ditch made me crack up. They were in such a rush to flower and reproduce they barely made time to make any leaves.

 One more bird--White-faced Ibis. You can barely see the white near the eye.

I don't get to see any of these birds everyday (although I do see mallards at least once a week), so I was on a birding high. Even though none of these birds were a new species for me, just seeing them again made me feel reconnected to nature. Things must be going well for them at their southern homes, and hopefully they will be successful breeding in their northern homes. Seeing these international travelers makes me feel just a little bit flighty!