I was a first time birder at the YTC on Saturday afternoon (7/9). My
aim was to stumble upon gray partridge. I know, I know, it would be
easier to find them at other times of the year, especially when they're
in coveys. Off I went anyway.

Admittance to YTC was easy. Only a driver's license was needed at the
entrance gate. If you go, be sure to take A Birder's Guide to
Washington because there are no maps at the gate and you're on your own
out there. (Thank you, Andy, for writing this section. It served me
well.)

I had the area pretty much to myself. Maneuvers were underway at a
site beyond the old range control facility and tactical vehicles were
moving on the road, so I only stopped a few times until I passed all
this activity. I didn't hike as much as Andy suggests in the book
(heck, I only had half a day and the area is HUGE) but I did hike around
two ponds and a few other places, including Hog Ranch Buttes.

This was a day to be startled.

My first stop was an abandoned cattle corral. As I approached the ramp
(as in only 10 feet away), three crows popped out of it with such noise
and flutter that I thought my heart was certain to explode. They hadn't
made a peep up to that time. One adult and two youngsters. No nest on
the ramp. They flew around and around me, cawing madly. I was asking
myself if it's a murder of crows or to be murdered by crows, as they
flew closer than my comfort level called for. I checked the area for
partridge but knew they would have been flushed just as I was.

My next stop was across the road at Taylor Pond. I spent two hours,
slowly circumnavigating the pond. I'd gotten around the pond to where
the shrubs/trees were dense and turned to scan the sagebrush (here
partridge, partridge, partridge). When I turned back to the
shrubs/trees, I don't know who was more startled - me or three bug-eyed
long-eared owls (one adult w/two owlets) that were no more than 12 feet
away. We had a little stare down, as I slowly dropped to a crouch and
tried to duck waddle away. Be still my heart.

Not 25 feet further along the pond area, just as I stopped to raise by
binocs, I flushed three more owls. I thought they were the long-eareds
I'd just seen, but nope they were short-eared owls. Again, an adult
with two, maybe three young. It all happened so fast. My appearance
caused quite a commotion and for a few minutes they took to air and
circled me several times. Was I under attack or was the bird curious.
It came to within 8 feet of the top of my head on several passes and my
heart was pounding in my head - should I run, should I crouch, should I
stand still. I slowly moved on, all the while studying every inch of
the birds. I figured I'd never have such a chance - here they were in
flight and sooooo close. Both sides of the wings, front and back views.
It doesn't get much better, unless you're looking at a specimen
collection. I could hear their wings flap.

I decided to give the pond a break so I zigzagged toward the hills.
After all, I was looking for partridge. I came up empty.

Northern harriers were everywhere. I counted 7 at one time and several
were calling whether on the ground or in the air. I cannot recall a
time when I've ever heard harriers vocalizing so repetitively. Why
were these birds making noise? Nothing else was, except the wind.
These birds were cruising the whole area far and wide; they were not
concentrated in one spot. As I pondered this, I walked back to the
pond, dropped down a steep, dry gully and up the other side and turned a
corner. There I was startled - again - because I flushed a short-eared
owl off the ground - and off a harrier. Three harriers showed up
immediately and flew circles overhead, each vocalizing. The one on the
ground hopped but didn't lift off; its shoulder had a big gaping flesh
wound. Without witnessing what had happened, I suspect the owl attacked
the young harrier - how and when I don't know. The harrier made a
couple hops and crouched down to where only the tip of its head was
visible. It had been making noises but was now silent. I turned my
eyes away for a moment to see what the birds overhead were doing and to
see if the owl had remained in the vicinity. When I turned back to the
grounded bird, I couldn't find it. I decided to leave the pond, my
heart could take no more, and mother nature was going to run its course
in my absence. That's when I was startled once more. A pheasant
popped from behind a stick mound, squawking and beating a straight path
away from me.

Greely Pond is a few miles away and the book's description was
appealing, if not for partridge. It was a convention of Red-tailed
hawks. One adult on nest to the south with another bird standing a few
feet away. Two were circling overhead. And, two more were calling from
trees on the north side of the road. I guess I was a little intimidated
by the "do not enter by commander's orders" signs and all the hawks. I
canvassed the area for partridges and scanned the trees, hoping to see
an oriole or two. I dipped on both accounts.

I drove further down the road and stopped nowhere particular to walk
through the sagebrush. Long stops after slow walks, listening and
looking. Ka-bam. Right in front of me about 15 feet away in an small
opening were two sage grouse. Although I've visited a lek several times
at Malheur, I've never unexpectedly stumbled upon sage grouse. I had
great looks and was afforded an opportunity to see their black bellies
and how they fly (i.e., they rock in flight; pheasants don't - a Dennis
Paulson factoid shared with me while studying skins at Slater Museum.
Words are one thing but seeing is better. This is also when I
appreciated being spooked by that pheasant and grouse within a hour.
About as close a comparison of flights as I'm likely to ever have.)

While I'm still looking for gray partridge, here's my list for the day
(not in taxonomic order):

>From guard gate/YTC entrance to Taylor Pond - start time 12:45 PM:

Killdeer (1)
Barn swallow
Loggerhead shrike (2)
Black-billed magpie (2)
Red-tailed hawk (5)
American kestrel (3)
Sage thrasher
Swainson's hawk (1)
Northern harrier (1)
Sage sparrow
Vesper sparrow

Cattle corral/Taylor Pond:

Horned lark
American crows (3)
Vesper sparrow
Brewer's sparrow
Sage thrasher
American coot (4 adults - 12 chicks)
Cinnamon teal (1)
Mallard (1)
Long-eared owls (3)
Short-eared owls (3)
Red-winged blackbird
Song sparrow (2)
Savannah sparrow
Bank swallows
Barn swallows
Cliff swallows
Pheasant (1 male)
Northern harriers (7)
Loggerhead shrike (1)

Greely Pond:

Red-tailed hawk (6)
American Kestrel (2)

Between Greely Pond and turn off to Hog Ranch Buttes:

Sage grouse (2)
Savannah sparrow
Vesper sparrow
Sage thrasher (6)
Western meadowlark (1)

Hog Ranch Buttes:

Loggerhead shrike (2)
Sage thrasher (5)
Prairie falcon (1)
Northern harrier (1)
Northern flicker (1)

By guard gate on my way out at 6:30 PM:

American robin (4)
California quail (3)
Common nighthawk (1 sitting on electrical line)

I didn't encounter a rattler and came home with only one tick on my
body,

Georgia Conti
West Seattle
georgia.conti at seattle.gov