Subject: Walla Walla to Malheur
Date: May 7 09:40:37 2003
From: Joe Corvino - corvinojm at gohighspeed.com


Hi guys,
Just got back from 4 day trip to Malheur with Carolyn and another couple. I am going to paste a Word document describing the birds seen on the way down and at the refuge. We also birded Fields and the Alvord Desert.

I am worried that the formatting will be terrible. If it is and anyone really wants this information, email e and I will send the Word document.

Joe

Carolyn and I with two friends drove from Walla Walla to Malheur on Friday May 2 and returned on Monday May 5. Great trip, as always-and different, as always. The most spectacular aspect of this visit was the weather-cold, rainy, and windy. However the weather varied from moment to moment and from location to location. We actually had a downpour and hail storm 5 minutes into the road form Fields to the Alvord desert. Most rain showers were accompanied by some hail.



The water level in Malheur and Harney Lakes was as low as I have ever seen it. Plenty of water in the Blitzen River and in most of the ponds inside the refuge, however.



Birds seen-with comments.



May2

Great blue heron-2 flew over my house as I was loading the car-very unusual-good omen



Cliffs west of Pilot Rock

Coopers hawk

Harriers

Ferruginous hawk on nest

Red-tail on nest

Kestrel

Killdeer

Rock dove

Mourning doves

Great horned owl

Say's phoebe

Western kingbirds-very angry pair

Cliff swallows

Rock wrens singing

Canyon wren singing

White-crowned sparrows

Meadowlarks



Battle Mountain State Park

Red-tail

Turkeys

Williamson's sapsucker-male and female

Northern flicker

Red-breasted nuthatch

Robins

Dark-eyed juncos



North Fork of John Day

2 Common mergansers-they were in exactly the same spot on the way home

Turkey vultures-before Long Creek

Redwing blackbirds

Magpie



Fields around Fox

Mallards

Gadwall

Cinnamon Teal

Green-winged teal

Kestrel

Horned Lark

American crow

Common raven

Mountain bluebird

Savannah sparrow-flock-we saw these in a variety of locations-they must be moving through

Song sparrow

Red-winged blackbirds

Brewer's blackbirds



Fields just before Seneca

Gadwall

Cinnamon teal

Hooded merganser-pair

Red-tailed hawk

Sandhill cranes

Killdeer

Willets

Curlew

Common snipe

Cliff swallows

Red-winged, Brewer's, Yellow-headed blackbirds

We spent 30 minutes stalking two female yellow-heads. Why are 99% of the yellow-heads we see males?



Pond before Seneca

Canada geese

Shoveler

Gadwall

American wigeon

Cinnamon teal

Ring-necked duck

Lesser scaup

Avocet

Yellowlegs-not sure which

Willet

Wilson's phalarope

Tree swallow

Barn swallow

Red-winged, Brewer's, yellow-headed blackbirds



North of Burns

Great egret

Bufflehead

Black-necked stilt

California quail

Magpie



Burns-getting dark

Great egeret

Canada geese

Shoveler

Cinnamon teal

American coot

Sandhill Crane

Avocet

Long-billed curlew

Franklin's gull

Ring-billed gull

California gull

Sandhill crane

Blackbirds



Malheur Refuge

We spent the night in Frenchglen. May 3rd we drove to Fields and through the Alvord desert. Sunday May 4th we birded the refuge. Meadowlarks were in any open habitat, wet to dry. I have never been so impressed by the variety of vocalizations they have. Swallows were also prevalent-especially cliff. We saw bank swallows only at Knox Pond.



Eared grebes: Saw one in winter plumage on Central Parol Road and 2 in breeding plumage on Knox Pond.



Pied-billed grebes-not common but present.



Snowy egret on Diamond Road.



Ibis-common throughout refuge



Tundra swan on 205.



Ross Goose-5 north of road between field station and headquarters



Gadwall were especially prevalent. Huge flock of Ruddy ducks at Knox Pond. Saw blue-winged teal only between field station and headquarters. Saw all ducks on refuge list except wood, Eurasian wigeon, greater scaup, scoters, Barrow's goldeneye, and mergansers.



Sora-heard several at Knox Pond.



Spotted sandpiper at Buena Vista Ponds.



Long-billed dowitchers were common in large flocks.



Marbled godwits: We searched all over and could not find these. My biggest disappointment of the trip. Others saw these.



Black terns: Saw one at Krumbo reservoir and one at Benson Pond. They were in a large flock of mixed swallows.



Common yellowthroat were fairly common.



Marsh wrens were present but not common. A lot of their habitat has been cut and burned.



Sparrows: We searched several likely areas for black-throated and sage sparrows. May have seen the hind end of 2 black-throated, but who knows? Did see a vesper sparrow in sage beside 205 south of headquarters road.





I will not continue to list blackbirds, swallows and ducks, etc. Says phoebe were common.



Headquarters

Not a lot of birds here. Maybe the weather, maybe the clearing of the Russian Olives. Birds seemed to be moving through rapidly and not staying.

Golden-crowned sparrows were singing beautifully at sunrise.

Pelicans on the pond.

Great horned owl

Western wood peewee

Orange-crowned warbler

Yellow warbler

Wilson's warbler

Fox sparrow

Bullock's oriole



Reported by others:

Hammond's and Dusky flycatchers???

Plumbeous and Cassin's vireo on may 3???

Macgillivray's warbler

Townsend's warbler

Townsend's solitaire



May 3

Frenchglen

Nashville warbler

Audubon warbler

Brown-headed cowbird

American goldfinch

Lesser goldfinch-green-backed



Cliffs and sage above Frenchglen

Turkey vultures

Red-breasted nuthatch

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Chipping sparrow-heard

Lark sparrow-flock

Brewer's sparrow



Roaring Springs Ranch

Great egret

Double-crested cormorant

Chukar





Big pond on west of road

Pied-billed grebe

White-faced ibis

Many ducks

We saw a long-billed curlew attack a turkey vulture-very strange



Fields--pond

Windy and cold. There were few birds on the pond. The great horned owls were there with 2 chicks.

Kingfisher

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Fox sparrow-in bushes before pond



Fields-town

Accipiter--? sharp-shin

Say's phoebe

Nashville warbler

Yellow warbler

Audubon warbler

Golden-crowned sparrow

White-crowned sparrow

Bullock's oriole

House finch

Cassin's finch

Pine siskin

American goldfinch







Alvord Desert

Golden eagle

Orange-crowned warbler

Yellow warbler

Audubon warbler

Cassin's finch

Swainson's hawk-we saw 2 pair a little south of Princeton. With both pair the male mounted the female.



May 5

Double OO Road

Loggerhead shrike



Burns-ponds and flooded fields

Clark's grebe-one (no western seen during whole trip)

Ross goose-thousands

Snow geese-5-these had rusty wash on head and black lower mandible

Franklin's gulls with pink wash



Idlewild Campground

Very few birds-no white-headed woodpeckers or green-tailed towhees

White-breasted nuthatch

Juncoes

Chipping sparrow



Total species seen on trip: 117







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