Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
May 2011
I have several GB of images I’ve never gotten around to editing. I found this folder while looking for another old file, and decided to edit it. Unfortunately these were taken with the Nikon D80 and the sharpness is not good. They look fine on the web, though.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah 
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah 
American Avocets 
Black-necked Stilts 
Long-billed Curlew
This visit was in early May, 2011 when birds were in their finest breeding plumage.
Clark’s Grebe 
Western Grebe 
Clark’s Grebe 
Pie-billed Grebe 
Pie-billed Grebe 
Clark’s Grebes in a cloud of midges 
Eared Grebe male
The four grebe species I saw there are above. The Western looks similar to the Clark’s but the black covers the eyes.
Barn Swallow 
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Cinnamon Teal 
Cinnamon Teal 
Yellow-headed Blackbirds 
Cliff Swallows 
Marsh Wren
There is a phenomenon called “midges” this time of year that greatly interferes with photography. They are basically harmless mosquitoes – they don’t bite or suck blood, but they emerge in clouds.
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Midge 
Midge 
Clouds of Midges
This is one of those places where you can do most of your bird photography right from the car. As I get older, those places are more important for me.
Marsh Wren 
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
Female Red-winged Blackbird (?) 
Cliff Swallow 
Cliff Swallow 
Gadwalls 
Gadwall 
Canada Geese 
Ruddy Ducks 
California Gull 
Franklin’s Gull 
American Coot 
White-faced Ibis 
Male Brown-headed Cowbird 
White-faced Ibis 
Ring-necked Pheasant 
Forster’s Tern 
Forster’s Tern 
Cinnamon Teal 
Cinnamon Teal
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Photos and text copyrighted by Cindy McIntyre
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Bald Eagles
Juvenile Bald Eagle
A family of bald eagles lives in Lockwood, California, not far from Fort Hunter Liggett.
I saw this adult, and then a few minutes later saw two juveniles. One had caught a ground squirrel and landed in an oak tree to eat it. Read the rest of this entry »
Pretty Pintails
Northern pintail drake
Several northern pintail ducks at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge near Sacramento, California were at the pond at the beginning of the auto tour. The soft light brought out the subtle colors and designs in their plumage.
Between snoozing, preening, swimming and feeding, the pintails deserve a post of their own. Read the rest of this entry »
Colusa NWR Birds
Black-necked stilt
It was another foggy day at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, but it didn’t seem to bother the birds much at the Colusa NWR to the south. Read the rest of this entry »
Morro Bay Birds
Morro Rock
Morro Bay and the coastline to the north and south of it is my favorite part of the California Coast. It is also the most picturesque and interesting from my point of view. Read the rest of this entry »
Sacramento NWR in the Fog – Day 2
Tundra Swans
Even though the thick fog kept me inside until noon and persisted all day, it lent a beautiful background with muted palette to the photographs. There were perhaps thousands of tundra swans in the wet fields enroute to the Llano Seco unit northwest of the main refuge, and the above image is by far my favorite of the day. Read the rest of this entry »
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge – Day 1
Snow Goose
A lot has happened since my last post (moving to California for one), so I have some catching up to do. But first I’ll share the most recent images of my travels. Three-day weekends give an opportunity for mini-expeditions, and I chose the Sacramento NWR for its winter birdlife.
Northern Shrike
This is the first time I’ve seen a northern shrike up close, and it caught the waning light of the afternoon before the sun dipped behind the clouds on the horizon. Read the rest of this entry »
A Touch of Nature in Maryland
I’m visiting Maryland at the moment, and had a chance to visit the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center during some down time. Several sweet whitetail does posed pretty for me. This gal has a floppy ear for some reason. Read the rest of this entry »
Caddo Maples
Caddo Maples, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Okla.
Walking through a forested canyon in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton, Okla., I felt like I was back in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park in Texas. Big Bend was the first park I worked at when the Great Recession ended my art business, and it changed my life. Read the rest of this entry »
Heart Rock and October Surprises
Heart Rock, Wichita Mts Wildlife Refuge OK
This is actually a pretty big rock. You have to view it from above to see it’s a heart. The bottom of the heart is about head-high when you’re next to it.
Wichita Mts Wildlife Refuge, mid-Oct, Okla.
It’s easy to get to, but there’s no sign, and it requires a little bit of rock scrambling. But the grip on your shoes is good. Read the rest of this entry »
