Malheur, Day 3: Rain, Birds and Jackpot

It rained, then we birded.  Then rain, more birding. Yet more rain and still more birding.  Despite all the weather could throw at us we had our most productive day of the 3-day trip with over 90 species seen.  A Gray Catbird at the Malheur Visitors’ Center (VC) was an Oregon lifer for all of us, an overall lifer for a couple of birders.  Oregon’s Birdman, Al Contreras was there, seated comfortably on the slope facing the vagrant collecting trees.  He’s also seen Tennessee Warbler and Philly Vireo.  We missed both those geographical birds.

Today’s field-work ran our three-day species total to about 120.  The large number of Nighthawks brought a query from eBird, of course.  Warbling Vireos out-numbered Yellow Warblers, Yellowthroats outnumbered both.  We had three different encounters with Great Horned Owls.  The family of five at the VC.  One in the cottonwoods at Benson Pond.  An adult and two young in the crater at stop #6 on the auto tour of Diamond Craters.  Also there: a pair of Rock Wren.  The male came up to sing us out of their territory.

Location:     Malheur NWR
Observation date:     5/31/10
Notes:     Others in group saw Lark Sparrow which I missed.<br>One adult and two young GH Owls were at Stop #6, the crater at Diamond Craters.  Also there: Rock Wren.
Number of species:     83

Canada Goose     10
Gadwall     25
Mallard     60
Cinnamon Teal     10
Northern Shoveler     18
Northern Pintail     4
Canvasback     30
Ring-necked Duck     1
Lesser Scaup     15
Ruddy Duck     8
California Quail     12
Pied-billed Grebe     8
Eared Grebe     4
Western Grebe     4
American White Pelican     45
Double-crested Cormorant     2
American Bittern     1
Great Blue Heron     1
Great Egret     6
Black-crowned Night-Heron     3
White-faced Ibis     250
Turkey Vulture     4
Northern Harrier     3
Red-tailed Hawk     4
Golden Eagle     4
American Coot     150
Sandhill Crane     6
Killdeer     10
Black-necked Stilt     4
American Avocet     2
Spotted Sandpiper     1
Willet     4
Long-billed Curlew     2
Wilson’s Snipe     10
Franklin’s Gull     120
Ring-billed Gull     15
Black Tern     15
Forster’s Tern     10
Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
Mourning Dove     4
Great Horned Owl     9
Common Nighthawk     300
Black-chinned Hummingbird     1
Calliope Hummingbird     1
Lewis’s Woodpecker     1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)     2
Olive-sided Flycatcher     3
Western Wood-Pewee     10
Willow Flycatcher     1
Western Kingbird     4
Warbling Vireo     24
American Crow     2
Common Raven     15
Northern Rough-winged Swallow     6
Tree Swallow     120
Violet-green Swallow     8
Barn Swallow     75
Cliff Swallow     1200
Rock Wren     2
House Wren     1
Marsh Wren     30
Gray Catbird     1
Sage Thrasher     1
European Starling     40
Cedar Waxwing     12
Orange-crowned Warbler     1
Yellow Warbler     40
Yellow-rumped Warbler     3
Townsend’s Warbler     1
Common Yellowthroat     50
Wilson’s Warbler     6
Brewer’s Sparrow     12
Vesper Sparrow     1
Song Sparrow     40
Western Tanager     35
Black-headed Grosbeak     2
Red-winged Blackbird     150
Western Meadowlark     10
Yellow-headed Blackbird     30
Brewer’s Blackbird     75
Brown-headed Cowbird     10
Bullock’s Oriole     6
American Goldfinch     8
House Sparrow     20

Location:     Harney County, OR
Observation date:     5/31/10
Number of species:     44

Canada Goose     30
Gadwall     8
Mallard     40
Blue-winged Teal     1
Cinnamon Teal     16
Northern Shoveler     8
Northern Pintail     4
California Quail     1
Horned Grebe     1
Eared Grebe     4
Western Grebe     4
Clark’s Grebe     1
Great Blue Heron     1
Great Egret     2
Snowy Egret     1
White-faced Ibis     75
American Coot     30
Sandhill Crane     2
Killdeer     15
Spotted Sandpiper     1
Willet     4
Long-billed Curlew     2
Wilson’s Snipe     4
Wilson’s Phalarope     1
Franklin’s Gull     25
Ring-billed Gull     6
Caspian Tern     1
Black Tern     8
Eurasian Collared-Dove     5
Mourning Dove     2
Western Kingbird     4
American Crow     4
Common Raven     6
Tree Swallow     30
Barn Swallow     10
Cliff Swallow     45
American Robin     6
European Starling     10
Vesper Sparrow     1
Red-winged Blackbird     50
Western Meadowlark     6
Yellow-headed Blackbird     25
Brewer’s Blackbird     10
House Sparrow     8