Thursday, July 8, 2021

Bear Lake State Park and Wildlife Refuge, Idaho/Utah

July 8, 2021

It's been awhile since we've been anywhere with WIFI, so I'm very far behind in posting. The last few weeks of June were a crazy mix of trying to figure out where to find campsites and how to avoid the extreme temperatures that were plaguing the West.

Our first stop after leaving west Yellowstone was Bear Lake State Park. The lake straddles the border between southern Idaho and northern Utah. It's a beautiful lake with a gorgeous Caribean blue color. The state park offers several campgrounds along its shoreline. Some have sandy beaches, some are rocky. Some have hookups and some do not. We were able to get a spot at South Eden on the eastern side. It had full hookups, but a very rocky shoreline. We were glad to have electricity for our AC. The sun was intense.


We took our kayaks out for an early evening paddle.



 









On the northwestern side of the lake in Idaho is the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge. There's a driving loop around the refuge where we were able to see a wide variety of birds.


Western Meadowlark with breakfast








Ruddy Duck in breeding colors





We saw this Osprey pair often. She was always on the nest. He was often out hunting.







Hawk being harassed by Red-winged Blackbirds









American Coot with chicks














Juvenile Bald Eagle







The Osprey again, with the fish he caught. He settled down to eat it a short distance from the next.







The female Osprey watching the male eating. I think she's wondering when he's going to share








Wilson's Phalarope in breeding colors







Killdeer









One of my favorite birds are the Black-necked Stilts. I love their bright pink legs. There were several of these flying around and chasing each other.











Yellow-headed Blackbird








White-faced Ibis










Western Grebe






One more of the Osprey sitting a little higher in the nest.







Common Tern





On our last night at Bear Lake, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.


We left Bear Lake via Logan Pass on the west side of the lake! Yikes, quite a climb! 





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