Towheeblog

Now I’m getting a chance to go through my pictures from the Malheur trip sponsored by Golden gate Audubon. There were lifers all around and well over 110 species for the three days. Today the group split up and cars headed in different directions. A gallery:
Belding’s ground squirrel and Western Wood-Pewee, both in Collier State Park, Klamath County.
Black Tern loafing on mud flat near small pond along Hwy 205, south of Burn.

One of the many Common Nighthawks that sleep on fence rails, roofs, limbs or parking lots around Malheur Field Station. These long-distance mnigrants had just arrived and were hungry and tired. Sleep is where you find it. They could be heard crying “peent” in the heavens all night and often were seen feeding at mid-day, belying the “night” portion of nighthawk.

A Ferruginous checks us out from his crossbar.

Golden Eagle on pole in Christmas Valley. This Western Kingbird below is one of pair that were nesting in the roof gutter of dorm next to ours at the Field Station. Duncan Ev ered there reports the kingbirds used to nest in trees but all switched to gutters a few years back and get better clutch results, certainly safer from predators like the weasels we saw on the ground on the grounds.

Two shots of the Red Crossbills in Klamath Marsh.

Some of the congress of male Yellow-headed Blackbirds in the same marsh.