Bald Eagle - Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

We just got back from spending Christmas in Utah and I got some of my best views of bald eagles yet. I've now seen bald eagles quite a few times: (a) at Cape Canaveral in Florida (February 8, 2014 post); (b) in Alaska in Kenai Fjords NP, on Chichagof Island and near Anan Creek (August 4, 2016 post); (c) in Nova Scotia on the bird islands of Cape Breton (September 17, 2018 post); (d) in Heber City, Utah (December 9, 2019 post); and I've now seen them several times at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham City, Utah. 

On December 26th, the day after Christmas, I drove to Bear River and there was a dearth of birds unlike I've seen before. I drove the entire 12 mile auto route going about 25 miles per hour or perhaps slightly faster. I took a photo of a pied grebe, and that was it. However, on the way out, after leaving the 12 mile auto route I had two great sightings. First, I saw a bald eagle balancing on a branch in the Bear River. I stopped and it flew, circled around and came back in for a landing. I got it coming in for a landing, the first photos like that I've gotten of a bald eagle. 

About a mile further, I saw what I thought was a golden eagle standing on a gate. I stopped for photos and it took flight and I got a couple of photos of it flying. I was really excited thinking I'd gotten my best photos yet of a golden eagle. However, iNaturalist identified it as a bald eagle and after looking at various photos I had to agree. It is a juvenile bald eagle. Bummer. The photos below are in opposite order. 

In the interim, between my prior posts and this one, I saw a bald eagle in Cameron Prairie NWR in Louisiana in November 2021

I also saw other bald eagles near Bear River standing on the same post on two different occasions. The following photos were taken on December 6, 2024. 

The following are illustrations of the bald eagle and a range map, all from Birds of the World.

A juvenile flying.

An adult flying. 

 

Little Grebe

I recently saw little grebes in Keoladeo NP in India. They were a long distance from me and my photos are poor. In June 2022 I saw little grebes in the Tagus Estuary of Portugal which were also a long distance from me and my photos are poor. There are seven subspecies of little grebe. Those I saw in Portugal were the nominate ssp. ruficollis, which are found from Europe to western Asia and northern Africa. The little grebes I saw in Portugal are not migratory. Those I saw in India were ssp. albescens, found in southern and central Asia, including India. The central Asian little grebes are migratory and the south Asian birds are not. 

In summer or breeding plumage, it is dark above with a rufous color neck, cheeks and flanks and a yellow gape (the area connecting the upper and lower half of the bill). In non-breeding and juvenile birds, brownish gray replaces the rufous coloring. Juvenile birds have a yellow bill with a small black tip, black and white streaks on the cheeks and sides of the neck, and the bill gradually turns to black in adulthood. 

This and the next photo were taken in India. 

Note that the three on the right are adolescents with yellow bills and brownish gray plumage. 

This and the next photo were taken in Portugal. 

Illustration of ssp. rufiollis from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Wire-Tailed Swallow

It is not often that I am with a good guide and catch a bird that the guide did not see, or at least did not identify to me. I got home and was reviewing my photos from Keoladeo NP in India and got one photo of a very distinctive bird taking flight from a bare branch. iNaturalist easily identified it as a wire-tailed swallow and this bird is phenomenal. First, my photo. 

Now look at this photo from Wikipedia. Just gorgeous. 

No question it is the same bird. What a beauty. Next are illustrations from Birds of the World. 

Male flying

Female

Male, ssp. filifera, from Birds of the World. 

There are two subspecies. I saw filifera, also known as the Asian wire-tailed swallow. It is found in southern and southeastern Asia. The nominate ssp., smithii, is also known as the African wire-tailed swallow and is found throughout Africa. They are associated with water, typically seen flying low over it. They feed on insects, especially flies, while flying.  It has bright blue upperparts, bright white underparts and a chestnut cap. It is named for its very long filamentous outermost tail feathers, which trail behind like two wires. The male has longer "wires" than the female. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Yellow-Throated Sparrow

At Keoladeo NP in India with our guide, Ashok, I kept a list of the birds we were seeing. As I got home and was reviewing my photos I couldn't find the yellow-throated sparrow photos. I looked through my photos completely, several times, and couldn't find them. I finally got to a group of photos of the rose-ringed parakeet up in a dead tree and noticed some small birds off to one side. I focused on those small birds, cropping the photos and zooming in as much as I could. Lo and behold, there they were - yellow-throated sparrows. 

Wikipedia notes that the white double wing bar is diagnostic on the otherwise dull gray-brown sparrow. Males have a chestnut shoulder patch which can sometimes be hard to see, just above the top white wing bar. I believe this photo shows it. Thus the alternate name of chestnut-shouldered petronia. 

 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. Note the small yellow section on the throat. 

Ashok noted that it is also known as the chestnut-shouldered petronia. Wikipedia states that they are often atop bare branches on trees while calling. Bingo. They have a pale yellow spot on the throat in fresh plumage. the yellow spot is much reduced or absent in females. Females do not have the chestnut shoulder patch. There are two ssp. We saw the nominate ssp. xanthocollis, found in India, northern Pakistan and north-eastern Afghanistan. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Indian Gray Hornbill

When we first arrived at Keoladeo NP, my brothers-in-law, Stan and David, and I moved along a road toward our motorized rickshaw. Our wives left with the van to check into our hotel. From the road, our guide Ashok pointed into a large tree and said "gray hornbill." I kind of dismissed it, "Oh, I've seen them before," but I went over and took a few photos. I keep forgetting that in birding, geography is important. It turns out that the Indian gray hornbill which I was being introduced to is quite a bit different than the African gray hornbill I'd previously seen on several occasions. This has happened to me a number of times. I see a bird that looks very familiar and dismiss it as a bird I've seen before, then learn it is a new species I've not seen before with very subtle or not-so-subtle differences. Geography, even relatively short distances, such as in the Galapagos Islands, can work changes in similar birds. And Africa to India is a little more distant than the different islands are from each other in the Galapagos!

Indian gray hornbill in Keoladeo NP. 

The Indian gray hornbill is a silvery-gray and white hornbill with a long and graduated tail with a light tip. The male has a blackish bill and narrow casque, with a protruding front edge. The bill tip and much of the lower mandible are pale yellow. There is bare gray skin around the eyes and the eyes are reddish-brown. The female is smaller, the casque is less prominent, and the eyes are browner. 

Illustration of a female from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of a male from Birds of the World. 

To be honest, I don't see the difference between the male and female, except for the eye color. Based on the eye color, the Indian gray hornbill I saw was a male. Below, I have photos of African gray hornbills, the first one in Etosha NP in Namibia and the second from Kidepo Valley NP in Uganda. Differences in the bill and casque, alone, make them quite distinguishable from the Indian version. 

Range map for the Indian gray hornbill from Birds of the World. 

One interesting note, it frequently competes with the rose-ringed parakeet for nest-holes and will even eat the parakeet's chicks and throw out the nest lining.