These images are all from May 22 in Harney County. The lark is blurred because I shot through the window, afraid to spook the male from his pose. The Mountain Bluebirds were at Sage Hen Rest Area on US20. The tail shot is of shrike going away.
No image is more typical of spring in Malheur Basin than this:
GETTING THERE
Of course I could not drive 300 miles across central Oregon without some incidental birding. The waterfowl and Osprey were in Marion County, the Bald Eagle just south in Linn County:
RAPTOR RUN
Our first full day at Malheur we made the raptor run, including Ruh-red Road and Lawen Road where the overflowing Silvies River provided plenty of marshy habitat this year. Here we see Wilson’s Phalarope and stilt…Owl, Burrowing…Teal, Cinnamon…coot, nesting…hawk, dark morph and, I think, a Swainson’s based on the tiny beak…but, first, two of several Bald Eagles, south of Crane (town, not bird):
This montage: Black-headed Grosbeak, Canvasback pair, Golden Eagle.
Towheeblog 
No pictures of ticks. It was a big year for them!! I found one on myself, then we started seriously checking ourselves. Found on on my husband. Other birders reported them too!
By: Shawn Schmelzer on May 29, 2019
at 4:59 pm