The ELWAS (E. Lake WA Audubon) went on a field trip to the Malheur NWR, May
21-26. We usually go every other year and stay at the Malheur Field Station.
This year we had 19 birders, instead of the usual 11-12. The weather was warm
and clear most of the time. We hit is right this year and had 126 species
seen and/or heard. Our previous high was 103 in two years. We start counting
when we leave Burns and head for Malheur and end when we get back to Burns.
Areas covered included the road from Burns south to Malheur, the Headquarters
area, Round Barn, Lava Pit Crater, Buena Vista Ponds and Overlook, Center
Patrol Road (CPR), Benson Pond, south CPR, "P" Ranch and Page Springs
Campground.

Apparently, there was a large influx of migrants at the refuge Headquarters
on May 19, including hundreds of Townsend's Warblers. We got in on the tail
end of that burst. Our first full day of birding which included the
Headquarters area resulted in 90 species. Highlights were one CATTLE EGRET
(listed as rare in the checklist), one ROSS'S GOOSE which was a life bird for
some, a number of SWAINSON'S and FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, PRAIRIE FALCON, hundreds
of WILSON'S PHALAROPES, BLACK TERNS and WHITE-FACED IBIS, 12 GREAT HORNED
OWLS (2 adults and 3 young at Hdqtrs. and 7 at three other locations), one
AMERICAN REDSTART at Hdqtrs., a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT along the river south of
the campground after searching for a long time, LAZULI BUNTINGS, LESSER
GOLDFINCH and more BOBOLINK than usual. Our last time there we didn't
see any. We also saw a COMMON NIGHTHAWK on May 22 at Hdqtrs, one of the first
arrivals. Historically, the earliest arrival for the Common Nighthawk is May
20, with the latest being May 28 and the average being May 24. An
interestingly very small window for their first arrival.

On our way back along hwy 395 on Fri. we picked up three more species birding
from the road before we stopped for lunch at a rest area just a few miles
before the highway drops down to Long Creek. We had a great hour birding a
50 yard stretch of wetland woods at the rest area. We found 11 species we
didn't have at Malheur including, WHITE-HEADED, DOWNY and HAIRY WOODPECKER,
RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER. Also, RED-BREASTED AND WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH,
BLACK-CAPPED AND MOUNTAIN CHICKADEES, DARK-EYED JUNCO, CASSIN'S FINCH and
STELLER'S JAY. A pretty nice climax to the trip. A complete list of the birds
is available if anyone is interested.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder at aol.com