20 1 DE AL UP De DSB OsN = Bs bil a 
There were two main buildings at the refuge center: one the research 
station and duck hospital (for the victims of botulism), and the other the 
administration center. I was directed to the administration center, where I 
encountered a student working at the refuge for the summer. We conversed 
for a few minutes, I picked up all the literature available, and departed. 
A few facts about the refuge should be mentioned. The Bear River 
Refuge was established in 1928 by an act of Congress to “protect wildfowl 
from botulism.” The area covers about 64,900 acres and is open to the 
public free all year around. During most seasons one may drive around 
the perimeter of unit 2. There are five “units” which make up the refuge. 
Each is a marsh-covered alkali plain separated from the others by a series 
of “dikes” which serve as the roads into the interior. Each dike has been 
formed by scooping up surrounding earth, and this has produced a system 
of channel parallel to the roads and supplementing the normal aqueous 
condition of the area. From these channels grebes, coots, and ducks with 
their young may be seen at extremely close range. 
I set out on the dike sourrounding unit 2 at about 1415 hours, leaving 
only two additional hours in the refuge before I had to return to Salt 
Lake City. In the two hours I was only able to advance one mile along 
the 12-mile dike road. The birding was simply fantastic! After leaving 
the headquarters I encountered a small stretch of dense growth along the 
channels. From this growth (the reader will have to excuse my ignorance 
of the names of the vegetation) emerged numerous Coots, Western Grebes, 
and Snowy Egrets. Ibis, gulls and terns continued to fly overhead as bald- 
pates, Ruddy Ducks, and Cinnamon Teal appeared in the channels in vast 
numbers, totally unafraid of my car and the noise it was making. Yellow- 
headed Blackbirds flew up as the channels and marshy growth petered out 
into broad, flat, wet alkali plains. Here the climax of the day occurred. 
To my left, toward the Wasatch Range in the distance, was a dark 
“mass” which at first did not seem to warrant my attention. After noticing 
that this ‘“mass” was gyrating back and forth, I took out my telescope and 
discovered that this ‘“‘mass” was, in fact, a flock of several thousand White- 
faced Ibises, feeding and resting on a sand bar an eighth of a mile distant! 
In the short time since I had left Brigham City, I had seen over forty- 
five species, about ten “lifers,” at least 10,000 individuals, and the day was 
not finished yet! After taking my telescope from the ibises, I focused at a 
closer range and discovered a flock of over forty Marbled Godwits, sur- 
rounded by hundreds upon hundreds of Wilson’s Phalaropes, Western 
Sandpipers, Liong-billed Dowitchers, and others too distant to be identified. 
The birds extended literally to the limit of my telescope. But this was 
only on the left side of the dike! On the right a stretch of water perhaps 
cne-quarter mile long separated the road from a long, low island upon 
which I saw hundreds of Snowy Egrets, California and Franklin’s Gulls, 
White Pelicans, and a variety of ducks. A few Great Blue Herons were 
present, as well as still more shorebirds of many species. The number of 
stilts and avocets were overwhelming; the birds seemingly filled the land- 
scape in all directions. 
As new species were added to my list and the number of individuals 
soared, I discovered to my deep regret that the time was approaching 1600 
hours, and I was forced to head back to the refuge headquarters along 
the same mile I had taken. Several more brief stops were made on the 
way back, as it is simply impossible to leave without several “last looks.” 
After returning my visitor’s permit, I watched the Barn Swallows which 
