Towheeblog

Update: Mr. Ashford just sent me this note and photo: “If I were a photographer, I would remove the cable. But, I like the look – note the blood on its cere, mouth and chin. Lets us see how it makes its living (by killing!). Raptor Alley, south of Crane.”

Here is brief email from Dick Ashford, who’s birding Malheur right now:
“The owl was on Sodhouse [Road] directly across from the large Voltage Spring sign, and the Eastern Kingbird was on the Patrol Road, south of Benson Pond.  And, I saw a Bobolink on the Patrol Road, just north of the P Ranch.”
Here are two of Dick’s pics: Burrowing Owl and Eastern Kingbird.
Sounds like all the nesting species have returned…except the last ones, those fascinating Common Nighthawks.  I will be leading a Klamath Bird Observatory trip to Malheur at the start of June.  We usually tine that trip to catch the arrival of the nighthawks who can then be found sleeping on fence rails, horizontal tree limbs, even porch railings at the Field Station.

BTW, Oregon State University Press will be publishing a collection of essays about Malheur and the variety of life there.  It will come out next year.  I had the pleasure of contributing a piece on those marvelous nighthawks with their hunger mouths and miniscule toes.  Best of all the book will include words and art from the late, great author, Ursula LeGuin. She spent a lot of time in the Malheur region and loved it deeply.

Alan Contreras is editor of the pending Malheur book and you can click here for an interview with Alan.  He talks more about his previous publishing work.