Mammals
Moose
The largest member of the deer family in Utah, at home where northern mountain forest meets water.
Bear River refuge birds
American avocets, western grebes, tundra swans and bald eagles across a year in the Great Salt Lake wetlands.
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and the other wetlands around Great Salt Lake are critical habitat for birds migrating along both the Pacific and Central flyways. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says birds come by the millions to eat and rest, feeding on brine shrimp and other small invertebrates and on plants such as sago pondweed.
The refuge's year has a rhythm. Geese and ducks begin arriving in early March, and shorebird migration runs from early April to mid-May. More than 70 species stay to nest; in June and July visitors can see young American avocets and black-necked stilts, and in July young western grebes riding on their parents' backs. Shorebirds return from late July, peaking in mid-August. Tundra swans arrive from mid-October and stay through December, and bald eagles use the refuge in winter to feed and rest.
Watching and staying safe
These are the refuge's general seasons, not a sighting report. Check the refuge for current access and conditions, and keep away from nests.
Places the sources name
- Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
More wildlife · Streams and wetlands
Fish
Cutthroat trout
Utah's only native trout, in four subspecies, and the focus of decades of restoration work.