Towheeblog

Our OLLI birding class began its  Malheur Field Trip today.  We drove 320 miles from Ashland to southeastern Oregon, and we saw cumulative total of >80 species.

We had  a pair of White-headed Woodpeckers at Rocky Point on Klamath Lake, and another pair in the day use parking lot at Collier State Park.

Also at Collier, on the Williamson River, was a vocal and surprising flock of Clark’s Nutcrackers.

Sandhill Cranes: 9 at Howard Prairie, more in Lake and then Harney Counties.  Vesper Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper and Mountain Bluebird at Howard Prairie.  Ferruginous Hawks west of Silver Lake. Numerous Sage Thrashers in the sage steppe east of Silver Lake. Franklin’s Gulls over Rocky Point with Black Terns in large flock over Klamath Lake.  Prairie Falcon along US 395 in Harney County.  The heavy winter rain has flooded much of low-lying Harney County: Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Lesser Scaup, Canvasback, Redhead, Gadwall, Shoveler, WF Ibis, Stilt, Avocet, Willet, LB Curlew, Wilson’s Snipe.  The usual Horned Owls in the THE poplar south of Burns.  Sora calling at Malheur Marsh.  Harrier there as well.  And our mammal count was nine species.