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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