Re the the trip to Malheur N.W.R. by ELWAS.

Ahhh, memories when I served as the lone refuge biologist there back in ancient
times (1960-64) before transferring to Hawaii. Malheur was one of my favorite
refuges, especially in the spring before June when the mosquitoes hatched. The
trees at refuge headquarters was like an oasis among the sagebrush areas to
birds. But even the sagebrush had its interesting avifauna,. especially the Sage
Grouse dancing grounds.

Mist netted an adult male Painted Bunting at refuge headquarters. The specimen
was sent to U.S. Fish and Wildlife collection in the Smithsonian Museum. First
recorded in the Northwest.

Had a lot of birding groups come to the refuge starting in late March until late
October. One of my jobs was leading them, and could guarantee seeing a 100 plus
species in peak times. Lots of different species of waterfowl early in the
Spring. Best time for passerines was May. Great place also for Greater Sandhill
Cranes, especially the Buena Vista area. We would put photographers in the burlap
blind there, bait the area with grain then walk away. Birds couldn't count the
humans that went to the blind and those that left, and they'd put on a show with
their dancing. They didn't care if it was a Strauss waltz or not.

The noisest bird on the marshes was the Willet. Benson Pond had nesting Trumpeter
Swans. In the late fall Whistling (er Tundra) Swans would come into the display
pool at headquarters. Photographers would use the stone blind there erected by
Portland Audubon and get excellent pictures. I managed to trap, band and color
over 190 swans. Traced their migration routes to their wintering grounds in the
Central Valley of California and in the spring nesting grounds in Alaska and the
Mackenzie Lake area in northwest Canada.

And Yellow-headed Blackbirds calling and sounding as if some is throttling them.
More abundant than red-wings. Chats, Eastern Kingbirds, Bobolinks, Sage Sparrows
and Thrashers quite plentiful. Swainson's Hawks, Praire Falcon, Rough-legged
Hawks, Golden Eagles, Long-eared and Great Horned Owls, Burrowing Owls which
where called by locals Buckaroo Owls, etc.

Ahhh, great memories for an old codger.

Gene Kridler
Ye Olde Broken Down Biologist
Squirm, Wa. ekridler at olympus.net
Hughbirder at aol.com wrote:

> 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