Everyone seemed to be eating midges, including me.
Yesterday morning at Bear River MBR the midges were back with a vengeance. In recent years they’ve been increasingly absent due to the drought and the shrinking Great Salt Lake but yesterday they were thick, especially on the north and south sides of the auto tour loop. We can thank the wet, snowy winter and the rising lake for that.
The infamous midge tornadoes (midge-nadoes) of yesteryear weren’t particularly evident yet but in many areas everything stationary seemed to be covered with midges, including the windshield, side mirrors, side panels, head rests and interior roof liner of my pickup. I nearly swallowed at least one midge when for some reason I was breathing through my mouth (resulting in a sputtering, coughing and spitting fit) and I had to blow two of them off of my breakfast chocolate donut before taking a bite. Sacrilege!
The birds were having a feeding frenzy, picking midges off of the vegetation and snagging them right out of the air.
Some of the photos below may be lacking in quality but they certainly document the profusion of midges. And the skill of birds in picking them off.
When this male Red-winged Blackbird took off he disturbed hordes of midges that had been resting on the phrags.
Another male was picking them off of his signpost perch and out of the air in front of him. Did he catch this one?
He sure did, although he nearly went ass over teakettle during the process.
This female Red-winged Blackbird was enjoying the same bounty.
She often didn’t have to work as hard as the male. This midge almost flew into her mouth.
An easy catch.
This midge wasn’t quite so easy, but she caught it anyway.
Even the Song Sparrows were having midges for breakfast. Here there are two midges attempting to hide on this bristly stem.
The sparrow made a stab at the top one.
And got it.
I’m surprised that I didn’t document any Yellow-headed Blackbirds eating midges because midges are their specialty. Lots of other birds were eating them too, songbirds especially.
For me, yesterday’s experience with midges at the refuge was a bit of an eye opener. I knew of course that many birds depend on midges as a major part of their diet. But seeing so many individual birds of a variety of species pigging out on midges made me realize how negatively birds must have been impacted by the lack of midges in recent years.
Welcome back, midges. You’ve been sorely missed.
Ron
What great pictures. I don’t think that I had ever appreciated their clever claws or talented talons. They can really hang on to a branch and pivot and lean at any angle they want. Thanks Ron.
“clever claws or talented talons”
I like that. And you’re right, they can – at least the smaller birds can. Thanks, Frances.
Sensational series Ron, thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
You mentioned the water level in the lake coming up. Do you think or are they forecasting that there will be any significant rise this year ? I know that MMM was asking for permits to draw more water from the lake for their manufacturing processes. I hope that the good news of possible increased water levels does not influence any decisions to approve these permits !!
What is the typical season for these midges Ron ?? How long does it last ??
Gary, the gnats are typically active during late spring and much of the summer.
So far the lake has risen 3.5′. It now sits at 4,191.8 feet, and state resource managers expect it will rise another three feet by the time runoff season ends.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2023/04/11/great-salt-lake-is-up-its-not/#:~:text=It%20now%20sits%20at%204%2C191.8,the%20time%20runoff%20season%20ends.
I am sure that the birds are very, very grateful for the midgefest. An amazing series today and the detail blows me away.
I’m sure they are EC, especially after several years of midges being so scarce. Thanks.
These are great “midge appetit” shots, Ron! Whatever cursing you did during the R5 learning curve was certainly worth it when you come up with shots that are this exciting and and have this much detail!
Not sure if Utah 7-11s are in on the special, but in SoCal they’re having a deal that a large coffee and 2 donuts are only $2 (as opposed to the large coffee being $2.69 on its own). Found that out Sunday, and as you have mentioned in the past that your donuts often come from this establishment, I thought I’d throw that out there. 😉
Marty, if cursing while I was trying to learn the R5 paid off in that way I’d get sharp shots every damn time!
I used to get my donuts from 7-11 but years ago my 7-11 started getting them from somewhere else and I didn’t like them as much. So I switched.
Has Canon made an offer yet to use these in their ads? 😉
How is it even possible to get that much clarity and depth of focus in both the birds and fast moving mini-targets?
Nope, not yet Jim. 🙂
Getting photos this sharp and detailed, even after huge crops, doesn’t happen every time. But it sure happens more often with the R5 helping to track the bird.
Great series that showed something I didn’t know.
Thank you, Kent.
Your photos are really excellent, especially knowing how quick the catch is. I would have been thrilled to get just one of those shots in a lifetime. I’m in awe.
Thanks for the very kind words about my photos, Phoebe. Much appreciated.
Wonderful photos and a bit of extra protein in your breakfast makes a good contrast to the questionable nutrition of the doughnut!
Thanks, Sue. Agreed about the nutritional deficiencies of donuts but on mornings when I go shooting I can’t help myself.
That is fantastic close up midge eating photography. The RW Blackbirds are in bird feeding heaven there. Very interesting post Ron. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks very much, Everett.
Nice catches of the catchers. Skeeters starting to come out here. Not as delugilous as your midges but a spring delight, at least for the swallows and bats.
Thanks, Lyle. “Delugilous” – hmmm…
The opening line, “Everyone seemed to be eating midges, including me.” had me laughing. I needed that.
Overall mixed reactions to this post. Hoards of flying insects are one of my least favorite things. However, the photos in this series that are remarkable, and you have very well documented the great benefit they are to the avian population. So, overall, a lot of good.
Even though as of late there has been a bit of promotion regarding insects as a possible source of protein for humans, I’m with you Ron, I prefer my chocolate donuts to be insect free.
Michael, I’m not sure but I think I actually ended up swallowing that midge. Midges don’t come in chocolate so I preferred my donut.
Fun other than eating them! 😉 The birds DO need these sources of food even if they’re an annoyance to us……. Nice easy pickins for awhile…. 🙂 Getting “buggy” around here with temps in high 70’s/low 80’s – will “grin and bear it”………..
Grackle problem pretty much solved for the moment. Put a tray in an old wire rabbit cage with 1 x 2” mesh. Also sat it on the ground so no leftovers. Chickadees and Gold Finches can enter tho finches are a bit wary with it on the ground. We shall see! 😉
Good luck with the grackles, Judy. They’re pretty resourceful…
Don’t think I’ve ever met a midge–do they bite humans ? Birds surely
do bite midges– an eating frenzy, for sure !
Nope, they don’t bite or sting. They’re harmless but they’re incredibly intimidating to the uninitiated. That’s fine with me, it keeps the crowds down… 🙂
Great post and pixs! Sure wish birds would snack on Lovebugs in the southern states. Look up lovebug in wikipedia if you want to know why these acidic-tasing flying insects are the curse of the South.
Terri, I’ve heard a lot of complaints about Lovebugs. Never seen one though. Thankfully.