Wyoming’s Bear River State Park

 Bear River State Park, Wyoming 9-13-13

On a rainy day in September my friend, Kathryn and I headed east out of Utah on I-80 to Bear River State park in Evanston, Wyoming. It is only about an hour’s drive east of Layton and was one of my favorite places to go when I lived in that area years ago. The park is located just off the highway at exit 6. With restrooms, picnic tables, a visitor’s center and trails, it is the perfect place to go birding and have a picnic. Since it is right at the edge of town, you can stop there to pick up any necessary supplies as well. Or, if you are just passing through, it makes a great place to pull off and take a break and see some birds.

With the Bear River flowing right through the middle of the park there are lush riparian areas with willows and cottonwoods. I have seen everything from flycatchers to warblers to gulls and shorebirds here. Often there are hawks and vultures circling overhead. In the summer swallows swoop over the river and parts of the river are even deep enough to swim in! I brought my own kids here to swim back in the early 2000’s when some of them were still living at home.

As soon as you enter the park there are a couple of ponds and a fenced off area where they keep a few bison or elks on display. If you look closely at this picture you can see a magpie using the bison’s tail as a perch! But Kathryn and I were not here to see bison, though we did spot a few bird species in these pens!

  A cold wind was gusting when we first arrived and the clouds that had started to break up were thickening into a gray menace once again. For a few minutes the temperature dropped even lower and I was glad of my knit gloves in my coat pockets. I wanted to leave the coat in the car so I could travel lighter, but it was too chilly. So, we set off down the trail and started counting birds. We were soon to discover that Wilson’s Warblers were everywhere. We counted them on both sides of the river and all along the trail. wherever we went.

Hammond’s Flycatcher 

Various kinds of flycatchers were flitting about in the trees and willows and I found myself challenged to identify them all.

 *11-14-13 Update: This bird is a Hammond’s Flycatcher!

 

I had no trouble identifying this Warbling Vireo however!

 

And I believe this is a Willow Flycatcher due to it’s broad-based bill with the orange lower mandible.

Kathryn and I crossed a rickety old bridge to the opposite side of the river where the trail meandered through a forested area and back along the banks of the river. We only encountered a few other people and were mostly left to ourselves. The sun broke through the clouds once again raising the temperature enough so that I removed my gloves and tied my coat around my waist. With coat, camera, binoculars, fanny pack and water I was lugging enough stuff that I should have lost 5 pounds that day!

We looked for more warblers in this willow and cattail patch.

 

Beyond us the sagebrush-covered red foothills rose in contrast to the lush river greenery. And while the air was warming, the wind kept on blowing and gusting.

The Bear River starts in the high Uinta’s of Utah then wanders its way 491 miles through Wyoming and Idaho, then back into Utah and where its delta forms the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham, UT before flowing into the rest of the Great Salt Lake!

Western Wood Pewee

 

Juvenile Cedar Waxwing

 

Black-billed Magpie

 

Kathryn and I spent over 3 hours hiking along the trails at Bear River State Park before hunger drove us back to our car where we had food for a picnic. We found a picnic table we liked and sat there talking and eating with our eyes and ears open, always on the lookout for more birds.

While I knew that we had only seen a small park of the park the time was getting late and we had to be back to Utah in time for Gus and I to visit our former neighbors in Clearfield one last time. So, though I would have loved to explore Bear River State Park longer, it was time to go. As an eBirder, I love birding places that few other people bird because I know how important getting data from those locations is. As a person I just love to explore new areas, but for me, this was a return to a place I loved and it was so much fun to see it again and show it to my friend, Kathryn. If I am ever out this way again, I will certainly stop to visit this spot, which feels like an old friend! Besides, who doesn’t like having magpies for company while you eat lunch!

Links:

• Bear River State Park Wyoming
• Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Utah
• Trip to Yellowstone and Utah 2013 
• My Mountain Green (Kathryn's blog)
• eBird 
• The Bear River Utah Wiki Article

Birds Seen at Bear River State Park on 9-13-2013

1. Eared Grebe-1
2. Turkey Vulture-1
3. Killdeer-1
4. Eurasian collared-dove-2
5. Northern Flicker-4
6. Western Wood Pewee-4
7. Willow Flycatcher-2
8. Hammond’s Flycatcher-1
9. Warbling Vireo-1
10. Black-billed Magpie-24
11. Barn Swallow-12
12. Black-capped Chickadee-6
13. Ruby-crowned Kinglet-4
14. Hermit Thrush-1
15. American Robin-18
16. European starling-4
17. Cedar Waxwing-24
18. Wilson’s Warbler-24
19. Western Tanager-4
20. Brewer’s Blackbird-2
21. American Goldfinch-6

Notes: Before this trip to Yellowstone and Evanston I only had 21 species of birds on my Wyoming Life List. With the birds seen on this trip from both locations I now have 58 species of birds in Wyoming! Hopefully one day I can go back and make it to the 100 species mark for this state! I currently have over 100 species in only 6 states: AZ, MA, UT, CT, ME, WV! Arizona is the only state that I have over 200 species in and at 299 I am just one species away from having 300 species on my AZ Life List! (This information was edited on 11-15-13 to include the Hammond’s Flycatcher which was unidentified when this post was first written.)

Birds, Beasts, and Alum Creek

 Clark’s Nutcracker 9-11-13 Bridge Bay Marina

September 11, 2013: Everywhere we went in Yellowstone I counted birds, but there were not a lot of birds to count. I would see a few here and a few there and I found different birds at each location leading to a final list (to be published in the next post) of 28 species overall within Yellowstone National Park. After leaving West Thumb earlier in the day I found a little cove on the lake that was full of ducks. The birds were so far away and the sun so bright that I could not tell what many of them were until I got home and off-loaded my photos.

In this bunch I found Lesser Scaup, goldeneyes, bufflehead, and Common Mergansers.

But I also found ducks I could not identify. The duck in the front right is obviously different than the three behind it but what are they?

I found these Common Goldeneyes at the Bridge Bay Marina, but there were many more ducks to far distant to tell, even with a photograph.

Distant picture of  Horned Grebe in non-breeding plumage identified by its long, upright neck, thin bill, and white cheek. The back is long and flat whereas the similar Eared Grebe would have a shorter and rounder back and a dark cheek. while it’s not the greatest picture there is still enough information there to help with identification.

I estimated there were at least 120 goldeneyes across the cove, but even this shot is too distant for me to positively I.D. any of them.

But, it didn’t take me long to figure out that this was a Double-crested cormorant. I saw two of them here at the Bridge Bay marina along with some barn swallows and a couple of ravens. Ravens were the most common bird I saw.

Though I wanted to see some elk and hear them bugling I only found bison instead.

One of my goals on this day was to try to find the Trumpeter Swans. I had been told by a park ranger the night before they could be found at a place called Alum Creek. I suppose we should have gone there first, but it was all the way across the park and I decided we should work our way around to that point as we visited several other locations along the way. As it was, by the time we got to Alum Creek on the east side of Yellowstone it was 2 p.m. and all I found were ducks and geese!

 Ducks in Alum Creek

From there is was a long drive around to Mammoth Hot Springs and back to Alum Creek again at sunset. On our way we stopped at a place called Swan Lake on the road south of Mammoth. While I didn’t find any swans there either, I did spot a pair of Bald Eagles in the trees across the lake.

Can you see the black and white spots in the trees in the middle?

Yep, those are eagles!

It was just after sunset when we arrived back at Alum Creek for one more check to see if any swans had flown in for the evening. While Gus waited in the car I got out and walked along the edge of the road. Just south of us was a bison road block.

Bison, bison everywhere!

But all was peaceful and serene on Alum Creek without a swan in sight!

I marveled at a ribbon of rosy light as it fell across the spine of the hills beyond.

Then I said my good-byes to Yellowstone and got back in the car with Gus to drive away. I do not know if I will ever make it back here again.

Evening light on Alum Creek 9-11-13

Trip to Yellowstone and Utah 2013 

(click the link above to see all posts on this subject)

The Magic of Mammoth Hot Springs

 Mammoth Hot Springs 9-11-13

It was almost evening by the time we made it to Mammoth Hot Springs at the Northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park. The setting sun cast shadowed light across the terraces painting them in shades of pastel and white.

I was mesmerized by the formations as the hot water poured steaming over the edges, flowing ever downwards and into the earth.

Walking around Mammoth Hot Springs is like walking around a painter’s palette or a sculptor’s studio. Color and form is everywhere creating new panoramas or vignettes to capture your eye and hold your interest.

 

 

 

Of course, some of the terraces look like wedding cake!

 

 

 

There is so much to see at Mammoth Hot Springs and we only explored a very small corner of this place. Our time was so limited. It only made me want to come back again and stay longer.

 

I finally found a Black-billed Magpie in the park at Mammoth Hot Springs!

Trip to Yellowstone and Utah 2013 

(click the link above to read all stories related to this subject)

A Few Birds at West Thumb

 A view of Yellowstone Lake from West Thumb Geyser Basin

In all my prior visits to Yellowstone National Park Gus and I have never stopped to explore the West Thumb Geyser Basin. So, as we came around the south end of the park we decided to stop here and explore someplace new. The juxtaposition of hot springs and cold, clear blue water is striking. We walked the boardwalks wide-eyed and full of wonder.

Common Ravens were the most common bird I saw!

I could not believe the shades of blue in these springs!

Some were crystal clear, and some chalky blue or white.

Bacterial mats and algae paint rainbows along the edges.

This water looked so refreshing as the day heated up.

But the wind was whipping the water into white-capped waves!

And in those waves I found a Common Merganser!

We were surprised to learn there were not boardwalks here until the 1990’s! People used to run freely over this ground endangering the hot springs and themselves!

This spring looks so tempting it makes you want to take a swim, but this water is so hot it will scald the flesh right off your bones!

Bacterial mats and algae form as the water cools as it flows away from the springs towards the lake.

That white crust surrounding this clear spring is thin and will collapse beneath your feet if you step on it! Stay on the boardwalks!

After living in the dry and dusty brown and gray-green desert these cool blues and greens are so refreshing to my eyes!

Birds Seen at West Thumb Geyser Basin:

1. Common Merganser
2. gull species (immatures flying around)
3. Common Raven

Trip to Yellowstone and Utah 2013