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Malheur National Wildlife Refuge - part II
May 2011
Synopsis
The next morning, we were happy to see the sun again. We set out to hike the East Canal Trail across from the campground. In the willows, many Yellow Warblers sang and chased each other. On a mudflat in the fields, Long-billed Dowitcher slept. American Avocets fed in the pond - a confrontation broke out among the pairs and one couple was forced to fly off. A coyote patrolled the field probably looking for duck eggs to eat. We saw several broken eggshells along the trail and could only guess that they had fallen victim to a hungry coyote. A big beaver was swimming in the stream next to the road. It stopped to munch on the willows. Tor found a giant black leach on the road that had probably fallen off a duck or mammal after getting too big and heavy to hold on any longer. After about 4 miles, the trail ended at a newly erected closed sign on the road. The supposed loop trail went off to the west, but it was brushy and fairly unpleasant to walk. We turned back on the trail. A small herd of pronghorn grazed on the hillside above us. We heard a familiar chatter and after minutes of watching a dense clump of willows a Yellow-breasted Chat revealed itself.
Back at camp, we noticed how much the grass around our tent had grown and the flowers in the grass had started to bloom. It was amazing how only a couple of days of sun coxed spring out. We ate our lunch and packed up to try the Blitzen River trail. We had tried the trail in the past, but had found it impassable after only 1/2 mile at a flooded area. We were happy to see a group working hard on the trail, so we were able to travel down into the canyon farther. The canyon was beautiful. The willows were just starting to leaf out. The Blitzen River, though narrow, ran strong and quickly through the grassy canyon bottom. Clumps of Sagebrush Buttercup grew along the rocky canyon slope. Bird activity was fairly quiet - a Bullock's Oriole and more Yellow Warblers in the willows. A Spotted Sandpiper bobbed along the banks of the river. And a pair of Common Mergansers took flight at our approach. The trail petered out at about 2.5 miles. The trail crew didn't get that far, though they had already done a lot of work on the trail. I'm looking forward to going back to the trail when the work is complete.
Thursday May 12
The next morning we set out toward Krumbo Reservoir. The refuge map and trail guide said it was possible to hike around the reservoir. But then again the loop trail from the Central Patrol Road to the East Canal trail was there as well... We stopped at P Ranch once more. The parent and the fledgling Great Horned Owl were out on the steps of the watch tower. Whenever a Turkey Vulture approached to land on the tower, the parent hissed and puffed up. The Turkey Vultures had to make do with the sticks and logs in the field to warm up on.
We traveled up the Central Patrol Road and stopped at the very flooded fields across the river. Forster's Terns cruised over and dipped down to pick up prey. The Black Terns had arrived and were following suit - picking up insects from the air and water. The waterfowl were spread out over the new abundance of water, but there were many Cinnamon Teals, Northern Shovelers, Greater Scaup, and American Coots. A few Wilson's Phalaropes were also paddling around in the water.
Farther up the road, we stopped at the Sandhill Crane Pond overlook. We didn't see much in the flooded field below, but a Loggerhead Shrike was perched up on the juniper as we hiked back to the car.
At Krumbo Reservior a few trucks were parked as their owners were paddling around and fishing in the reservoir. A Chukar called loudly from high above the reservoir, while one right in front of us posed and called back. We geared up and headed north first to hike around the reservoir. The ground was similar to Sheldon in that it was badly damaged with trampling. A lot of fishermen walked around the banks of the reservoir to find a fishing spot on the shore. I wasn't sure why Malheur didn't just put in a real trail. It would cut down on the amount of damage to the landscape around the shore. Despite the turned up loose dirt, there were still wildflowers (Sand Lilies, Dwarf Onion, and Larkspur) growing among the sagebrush. We crossed over a dike where the water was controlled to spill from the reservoir into a small stream below. In the reservoir, a pair of Clark's Grebes and a pair of Western Grebes dove and swam around. I was hoping for a pair bonding display, but maybe it was too early for that. A Canyon Wren sang from the rock wall. We rounded the reservoir and the sagebrush gave way to mostly grassland.
Tromping through the grass I heard the distinctive cry of a Sandhill Crane. It was no more than 200 ft away from me. The crane walked through the grass eying me. Its cries echoed off the far canyon wall. Then Tor pointed out the second crane farther to my left. Also crying and eying us. Suddenly they took flight and circled around us. One landed directly in front of us while the other landed to our right. They both were calling loudly now. One crouched in an almost Killdeer like display - with its wings hanging out to each side. The crane in front of us picked up a rock (or object) and swallowed it, then walked through the grass and sat down. They walked toward us, calling the entire time. Suddenly they were both flying low over the ground only 10 ft in the air. They circled us again while croaking. As we continued to hike forward, they pursued us through the grass, both by foot and wing. We marched through the dry grass and marsh until finally the cranes felt we were at a far enough distance and quieted down.
We suddenly realized our next challenge. An eight foot wide stream laid in front of us with no bridge to cross. Going back would mean Sandhill Crane harassment and a 3.5 mile hike back (we were almost at the parking lot). The stream was also very deep and fast moving. We walked up and down the stream looking for a place to cross, but it flowed steady. Looking up the stream there was a canyon, where the situation probably wouldn't improve. We finally took our chances and built a make shift log-hop bridge to a sandbar. From the sandbar it was a jump over the swiftly moving four foot crossing. We made it across, but do we start celebrating?
No sooner than crossing the stream did we come across the second stream and canyon above it. This stream was slow moving, shallower, but also a lot wider. Cattails grew in some areas and a thick layer of muck and algae matted the bottom. We repeated the pace both up and down the stream and finally decided to create a rock-hop bridge across a 15 foot section of stream. We clambered up the hillside, dislodged rocks, and threw them down. Tor found a scorpion under one of the rocks, but we didn't find any snakes. We threw the rocks into the stream, hoping they'd both be stable and stay above water. Some rocks sank into the muck immediately, but with enough rocks we were ready to try the crossing. We both made it across with dry socks and that was thankfully the last of the trail drama. I had to wonder why the refuge suggested this trail, when clearly no one would want to face such stream crossing adversities.
Back at the car, we had lunch as the day began to heat up more. We picked up and stopped at the Frenchglen Mercantile, which was a sad little store with stale ice cream bars. Back at the campsite, we walked up the closed road to the Steens. We didn't hike far on the road, only enough to spoke the grazing cattle and to get a view of the Blitzen Valley below. A mixed flock of sparrows hung out near the road. In with two Vesper Sparrows and two Lark Sparrows was a surprise for me - a male Black-throated Sparrow. This was the farthest north of their range that I've seen them. I'm used to seeing them in the Mojave so it was an unexpected sight. He even belted out his trilling song before disappearing.
Friday May 13
Even though the weather had improved substantially since we first arrived, it was time to pack up and head home. We drove back up the Central Patrol Road, making brief stops along the way. We watched a Short-eared Owl dive bomb a coyote that was probably too close to its nest. (I'm glad that wasn't us - the Sandhill Cranes were bad enough!) The presumptive mate to the dive bomber was flying over the fields on the hunt. The warmth of the past few days really brought out the swarms of insects that would hung over the road. On the north end of the road, many jackrabbits were out among the sagebrush. And the White-faced Ibis were still busy feeding in the cattails. Black Terns flew low over the ponds and called loudly. We made a brief stop at the headquarters again where a group of students found a porcupine asleep in a tree. The Great Horned Owl in the watch tower was visible, although its chicks were not. A large flock of Lazuli Buntings took up the tops of the trees - it was rather impressive seeing them in such large numbers.
In Burns, we stopped for gas and for lunch at JB's Drive In, where we actually got a pretty decent burger. If it weren't for the thousand island like stuff they dump on it, it would have been a great burger. After lunch, we made the long haul back home. Going over Umtanum Ridge, we noticed how the Arrowleaf Balsamroot and Lupine were blooming in full force. Eastern Washington probably also got a good dose of sunshine and the plants finally exploded into action. We ended the trip on a positive note in good weather for seeing wildlife, hiking, and being outside. I suppose things could have been worse as I read in this Tweeters post a few day after returning:
Hi Tweets,
I drove down to Malheur on 5/13 and back on 5/16. The major feature to report was the weather which in a major way affected the birding. As I was tent camping (at the Narrows RV campground) I was quite aware of the weather. First the water levels are very high, which not only disperses the water birds but also closes a lot of birding access. There has been major snowmelt from Steens Mountain which had water levels higher than I had ever seen in the four to five years I have been going there. There was a thunderstorm on the night of 5/13 and it rained off and on for 5/14 and 5/15. New records were set for rain on 5/14 and 5/15 with wind gusts on 5/13 to 45 mph and slightly less on 5/15. Reportedly the Page Springs Campground was evacuated at 2 a.m. on 5/14 due to flash flood concerns. A flash flood warning was issued for all of Harney County at about that time as well. Parts of the Center Patrol Road were closed due to water flowing over the road. On 5/14 I met fellow birders Kathy and Ed Volz at the Diamond Hotel for dinner, water is flowing over the road in several places on the road into Diamond and while I drove through it very slowly, I must admit I kept wondering what was happening to the road under me in terms of softening and erosion. I was at the P-Ranch about 6:30 a.m. or so on 5/15. The Blitzen River was running very close to the top of the dike - maybe a foot or so from over-flowing the dike, and for those who don't remember, the ranch itself sits below the dike. It snowed most of the night on 5/15, accumulations probably about two inches on Wright's Point (the ridge that one crosses going from Burns to Malheur) and there was a state snow plow heading south toward Malheur when I got to Burns about 6:30 a.m. As a side note there was flooding at John Day (in case anyone is planning to drive down that route) which was making the news in the area regularly when I was leaving.
Notwithstanding the weather (I am getting too old for tent camping in that stuff), lots of Western and at least two Clark's Grebes at the Narrows, lots of Great Horned Owls (I saw 12-13 without trying in two days), a flock of Lazuli Buntings was hanging out at the Visitor Center, otherwise mostly what one would expect.
In spite of all the weather drama, I had a great time and the Clark's Grebes were a new life bird for me.
Happy birding,
Jud
Yeah, we got out while the going was good. And had a great trip.
May 2011
Synopsis
Wednesday May 11
 |
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|
Back at camp, we noticed how much the grass around our tent had grown and the flowers in the grass had started to bloom. It was amazing how only a couple of days of sun coxed spring out. We ate our lunch and packed up to try the Blitzen River trail. We had tried the trail in the past, but had found it impassable after only 1/2 mile at a flooded area. We were happy to see a group working hard on the trail, so we were able to travel down into the canyon farther. The canyon was beautiful. The willows were just starting to leaf out. The Blitzen River, though narrow, ran strong and quickly through the grassy canyon bottom. Clumps of Sagebrush Buttercup grew along the rocky canyon slope. Bird activity was fairly quiet - a Bullock's Oriole and more Yellow Warblers in the willows. A Spotted Sandpiper bobbed along the banks of the river. And a pair of Common Mergansers took flight at our approach. The trail petered out at about 2.5 miles. The trail crew didn't get that far, though they had already done a lot of work on the trail. I'm looking forward to going back to the trail when the work is complete.
Thursday May 12
The next morning we set out toward Krumbo Reservoir. The refuge map and trail guide said it was possible to hike around the reservoir. But then again the loop trail from the Central Patrol Road to the East Canal trail was there as well... We stopped at P Ranch once more. The parent and the fledgling Great Horned Owl were out on the steps of the watch tower. Whenever a Turkey Vulture approached to land on the tower, the parent hissed and puffed up. The Turkey Vultures had to make do with the sticks and logs in the field to warm up on.
We traveled up the Central Patrol Road and stopped at the very flooded fields across the river. Forster's Terns cruised over and dipped down to pick up prey. The Black Terns had arrived and were following suit - picking up insects from the air and water. The waterfowl were spread out over the new abundance of water, but there were many Cinnamon Teals, Northern Shovelers, Greater Scaup, and American Coots. A few Wilson's Phalaropes were also paddling around in the water.
Farther up the road, we stopped at the Sandhill Crane Pond overlook. We didn't see much in the flooded field below, but a Loggerhead Shrike was perched up on the juniper as we hiked back to the car.
At Krumbo Reservior a few trucks were parked as their owners were paddling around and fishing in the reservoir. A Chukar called loudly from high above the reservoir, while one right in front of us posed and called back. We geared up and headed north first to hike around the reservoir. The ground was similar to Sheldon in that it was badly damaged with trampling. A lot of fishermen walked around the banks of the reservoir to find a fishing spot on the shore. I wasn't sure why Malheur didn't just put in a real trail. It would cut down on the amount of damage to the landscape around the shore. Despite the turned up loose dirt, there were still wildflowers (Sand Lilies, Dwarf Onion, and Larkspur) growing among the sagebrush. We crossed over a dike where the water was controlled to spill from the reservoir into a small stream below. In the reservoir, a pair of Clark's Grebes and a pair of Western Grebes dove and swam around. I was hoping for a pair bonding display, but maybe it was too early for that. A Canyon Wren sang from the rock wall. We rounded the reservoir and the sagebrush gave way to mostly grassland.
 |
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|
We suddenly realized our next challenge. An eight foot wide stream laid in front of us with no bridge to cross. Going back would mean Sandhill Crane harassment and a 3.5 mile hike back (we were almost at the parking lot). The stream was also very deep and fast moving. We walked up and down the stream looking for a place to cross, but it flowed steady. Looking up the stream there was a canyon, where the situation probably wouldn't improve. We finally took our chances and built a make shift log-hop bridge to a sandbar. From the sandbar it was a jump over the swiftly moving four foot crossing. We made it across, but do we start celebrating?
No sooner than crossing the stream did we come across the second stream and canyon above it. This stream was slow moving, shallower, but also a lot wider. Cattails grew in some areas and a thick layer of muck and algae matted the bottom. We repeated the pace both up and down the stream and finally decided to create a rock-hop bridge across a 15 foot section of stream. We clambered up the hillside, dislodged rocks, and threw them down. Tor found a scorpion under one of the rocks, but we didn't find any snakes. We threw the rocks into the stream, hoping they'd both be stable and stay above water. Some rocks sank into the muck immediately, but with enough rocks we were ready to try the crossing. We both made it across with dry socks and that was thankfully the last of the trail drama. I had to wonder why the refuge suggested this trail, when clearly no one would want to face such stream crossing adversities.
Back at the car, we had lunch as the day began to heat up more. We picked up and stopped at the Frenchglen Mercantile, which was a sad little store with stale ice cream bars. Back at the campsite, we walked up the closed road to the Steens. We didn't hike far on the road, only enough to spoke the grazing cattle and to get a view of the Blitzen Valley below. A mixed flock of sparrows hung out near the road. In with two Vesper Sparrows and two Lark Sparrows was a surprise for me - a male Black-throated Sparrow. This was the farthest north of their range that I've seen them. I'm used to seeing them in the Mojave so it was an unexpected sight. He even belted out his trilling song before disappearing.
Friday May 13
 |
|||||
|
In Burns, we stopped for gas and for lunch at JB's Drive In, where we actually got a pretty decent burger. If it weren't for the thousand island like stuff they dump on it, it would have been a great burger. After lunch, we made the long haul back home. Going over Umtanum Ridge, we noticed how the Arrowleaf Balsamroot and Lupine were blooming in full force. Eastern Washington probably also got a good dose of sunshine and the plants finally exploded into action. We ended the trip on a positive note in good weather for seeing wildlife, hiking, and being outside. I suppose things could have been worse as I read in this Tweeters post a few day after returning:
Hi Tweets,
I drove down to Malheur on 5/13 and back on 5/16. The major feature to report was the weather which in a major way affected the birding. As I was tent camping (at the Narrows RV campground) I was quite aware of the weather. First the water levels are very high, which not only disperses the water birds but also closes a lot of birding access. There has been major snowmelt from Steens Mountain which had water levels higher than I had ever seen in the four to five years I have been going there. There was a thunderstorm on the night of 5/13 and it rained off and on for 5/14 and 5/15. New records were set for rain on 5/14 and 5/15 with wind gusts on 5/13 to 45 mph and slightly less on 5/15. Reportedly the Page Springs Campground was evacuated at 2 a.m. on 5/14 due to flash flood concerns. A flash flood warning was issued for all of Harney County at about that time as well. Parts of the Center Patrol Road were closed due to water flowing over the road. On 5/14 I met fellow birders Kathy and Ed Volz at the Diamond Hotel for dinner, water is flowing over the road in several places on the road into Diamond and while I drove through it very slowly, I must admit I kept wondering what was happening to the road under me in terms of softening and erosion. I was at the P-Ranch about 6:30 a.m. or so on 5/15. The Blitzen River was running very close to the top of the dike - maybe a foot or so from over-flowing the dike, and for those who don't remember, the ranch itself sits below the dike. It snowed most of the night on 5/15, accumulations probably about two inches on Wright's Point (the ridge that one crosses going from Burns to Malheur) and there was a state snow plow heading south toward Malheur when I got to Burns about 6:30 a.m. As a side note there was flooding at John Day (in case anyone is planning to drive down that route) which was making the news in the area regularly when I was leaving.
Notwithstanding the weather (I am getting too old for tent camping in that stuff), lots of Western and at least two Clark's Grebes at the Narrows, lots of Great Horned Owls (I saw 12-13 without trying in two days), a flock of Lazuli Buntings was hanging out at the Visitor Center, otherwise mostly what one would expect.
In spite of all the weather drama, I had a great time and the Clark's Grebes were a new life bird for me.
Happy birding,
Jud
Yeah, we got out while the going was good. And had a great trip.
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Videos
Sandhill Cranes call loudly as we hike a little too close to their nest. They called and flew around us making sure to escort us out of their territory.
Chukar calls loudly
American Coots fight each other
Black Terns call loudly
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Canada Goose
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M, S, W
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Trumpeter Swan
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M
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Gadwall
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M, S
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American Wigeon
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M
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Mallard
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M, S, W, H
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Cinnamon Teal
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M, S
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Northern Shoveler
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M
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mating
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Northern Pintail
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M
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Canvasback
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M
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Redhead
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M
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Lesser Scaup
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M
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Ring-necked Duck
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M
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Bufflehead
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M
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Common Merganser
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M
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Ruddy Duck
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M
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displaying
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California Quail
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M
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Chukar
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M, H
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Ring-necked Pheasant
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M
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Greater Sage-Grouse
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Foster Flat Road
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Pied-billed Grebe
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M
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Eared Grebe
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M
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Western Grebe
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M
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Clark's Grebe
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M
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Double-crested Cormorant
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M
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American White Pelican
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M, H
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Great Blue Heron
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M
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Great Egret
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M
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Cattle Egret
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roadside
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Black-crowned Night-Heron
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M
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White-faced Ibis
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M, S (1)
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Turkey Vulture
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M, S, H
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Osprey
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roadside
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Bald Eagle
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Seattle
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Northern Harrier
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M, W, H
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displaying
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Swainson's Hawk
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roadside
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Red-tailed Hawk
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M (2 on nest), S, W, H
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Golden Eagle
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S
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American Kestrel
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M, S, H
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Peregrine Falcon
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Seattle
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Prairie Falcon
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S, W, H
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Virginia Rail
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M
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heard only
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Sora
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M
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heard only
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American Coot
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M
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Sandhill Crane
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M
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Black-bellied Plover
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outside of Burns
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Killdeer
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M, S, W
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Spotted Sandpiper
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M
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Willet
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M, W
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many displaying
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Long-billed Curlew
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M
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many displaying
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Long-billed Dowitcher
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M
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Wilson's Snipe
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M
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many winnowing
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Wilson's Phalarope
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M
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American Avocet
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M, S
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Franklin's Gull
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M, W
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Ring-billed Gull
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M, W
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Caspian Tern
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M
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1, over Krumbo Reservior
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Black Tern
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M
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Forster's Tern
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M, W
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Rock Pigeon
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roadside
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Eurasian Collared-Dove
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M
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Mourning Dove
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M, S
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Western Screech-Owl
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Page Springs Campground
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heard only
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Great Horned Owl
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M
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1 adult w. 2 fledgling in tower, 1 adult in HQ tower, 1 near Page Springs Campground, 1 on nest at Benson Pond
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Long-eared Owl
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S
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heard only
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Short-eared Owl
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M
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Vaux's Swift
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roadside
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White-throated Swift
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roadside
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Selah rest stop
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Black-chinned Hummingbird
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M
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headquarters
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Rufous Hummingbird
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M
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Belted Kingfisher
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M
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Lewis's Woodpecker
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M
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4, headquarters
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Red-naped Sapsucker
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H
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Downy Woodpecker
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M
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2
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Hairy Woodpecker
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M
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1
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Northern Flicker
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M (mating and displaying), S, H
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Say's Phoebe
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M, S
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Dusky Flycatcher
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M
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headquarters
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Western Wood Pewee
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French Glen
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heard
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Western Kingbird
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M
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Loggerhead Shrike
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M, S, W
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Cassin's Vireo
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M
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headquarters
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Warbling Vireo
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M (1), H (1)
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Steller's Jay
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roadside
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Western Scrub Jay
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roadside
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Black-billed Magpie
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M, S, H
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American Crow
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M
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Common Raven
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M, S, W, H
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Horned Lark
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S, W, H
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Northern Rough-winged Swallow
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M
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Tree Swallow
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M
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Violet-green Swallow
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M, S
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Barn Swallow
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M
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Cliff Swallow
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M
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Bushtit
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M
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Red-breasted Nuthatch
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M
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headquarters
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Rock Wren
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M, S
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Canyon Wren
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M
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heard
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House Wren
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M
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Marsh Wren
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M
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
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M, S
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Mountain Bluebird
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S, roadside
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American Robin
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M, S, H
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Sage Thrasher
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M, S, W, H
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European Starling
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M, S, H
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Cedar Waxwing
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M
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Orange-crowned Warbler
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M
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headquarters
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Nashville Warbler
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M, Page Springs
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3
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Yellow Warbler
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M
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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)
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M
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headquarters
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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)
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M, S
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Townsend's Warbler
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M
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1, headquarters
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MacGillivray's Warbler
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M
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1, headquarters
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Common Yellowthroat
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M
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|
|
Wilson's Warbler
|
M
|
1, headquarters
|
|
Yellow-breasted Chat
|
M
|
2
|
|
Spotted Towhee
|
M
|
|
|
Chipping Sparrow
|
M, S
|
1
|
|
Brewer's Sparrow
|
M, S, W
|
|
|
Vesper Sparrow
|
M, S, W, H
|
|
|
Lark Sparrow
|
M
|
1
|
|
Black-throated Sparrow
|
above Page Springs campground
|
1 with flock of Lark and Vesper Sparrows
|
|
Savannah Sparrow
|
M, W
|
|
|
Song Sparrow
|
M, S, H
|
|
|
White-crowned Sparrow
|
M
|
|
|
Dark-eyed Junco
|
H
|
|
|
Western Tanager
|
M
|
|
|
Lazuli Bunting
|
M
|
many at headquarters
|
|
Red-winged Blackbird
|
M, S, W
|
|
|
Western Meadowlark
|
M, S, W, H
|
|
|
Yellow-headed Blackbird
|
M, W
|
|
|
Brewer's Blackbird
|
M, S, W, H
|
|
|
Brown-headed Cowbird
|
M, W, H
|
|
|
Bullock's Oriole
|
M
|
|
|
Cassin's Finch
|
H
|
|
|
House Finch
|
above Page Springs campground
|
|
|
Pine Siskin
|
M
|
|
|
American Goldfinch
|
M
|
|
|
Evening Grosbeak
|
M
|
near P Ranch
|
|
House Sparrow
|
M
|
|
|
Critter List
|
|
|
|
Mule Deer
|
M
|
|
|
Pronghorn
|
M, S, H
|
|
|
Feral Horses
|
S
|
|
|
Coyote
|
M
|
|
|
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
|
M
|
|
|
Nuttall's Cottontail
|
M
|
|
|
Raccoon
|
M
|
|
|
Beaver
|
M
|
|
|
Muskrat
|
M
|
|
|
Yellow-bellied Marmot
|
M, S, H
|
|
|
Long-tailed Weasel
|
M
|
|
|
Belding's Ground Squirrel
|
M, S, H
|
|
|
Least Chipmunk
|
S
|
|
|
Porcupine
|
M
|
|
|
Kangaroo Rat sp.
|
M
|
|
|
rat/mouse sp.
|
M
|
|
|
Bat sp.
|
M
|
|
|
King snake
|
M
|
|
|
Garter Snake
|
M
|
|
|
Pacific Tree Frog
|
M
|
|
|
Scorpion
|
M
|
|
| Flowers in Bloom | |
| Arrowleaf Balsamroot | M |
| Sand Lily | M, S |
| Daggerpod | M, S |
| Prairie Star | M, S, H |
| Dwarf Onion | M, S |
| Sagebrush Buttercup | M, S, H |
| Sandwort | S |
| Lupine | roadside |
| Mustard | roadside |
| Phlox | M, S |
| Larkspur | M |
| Yellow currant | M |
| Mountain Violet | M |
| Locoweed | M, S |
| Squaw currant | M, S |
Information
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge
Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge
Warner Wetlands
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