Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge lies in northern Utah, where the Bear River flows into the northeast arm of the Great Salt Lake. The Refuge protects the marshes found at the mouth of the Bear River; these marshes are the largest freshwater component of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. Since these marshes are in turn surrounded by arid desert lands, it is little wonder that they have always been an oasis for waterfowl.

Photo: Sandy Mitchell, USFWS 

The Kirtland’s warbler, an endangered species, is a songbird that nests in young jack pine stands. Until 1995 Kirtland’s warblers had only been known to nest in the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Today, they also nest in the Upper Peninsula, and since 2007, have nested in Wisconsin and Canada. They migrate from their nesting grounds to the southeastern coast of the United States on their way to wintering grounds in the Bahamas.

Photo: Joel Trick, USFWS