By Bill and Ann-Scott Ettinger
Photos courtesy of Beth Durnell
What a great 3 days we had at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, April 22-24! Bill and I were joined by Tim, Susan, and Beth Durnell, from the Kettle Falls area, who had read about the field trip in the Spokane Audubon Newsletter. They’d never been to Malheur and thought it would be a fun destination with fellow birders…and it was, for all of us! The weather was quite chilly, with magnificent clouds rolling by, including dark rain clouds that luckily threatened more than yielded rain. The birds didn’t seem to mind the cold, so we didn’t either! We did a combination of walking some areas and driving slowly through others, and each day yielded a few new birds to add to our Trip List of 71 bird species! For late April in the Inland NW we thought this was pretty good!
On our first day, we wandered around the Refuge Headquarters, drove the north section of the Central Patrol Road that bisects the refuge north to south, paralleling large ponds and hay fields on one side and an irrigation ditch on the other, spending significant time at Buena Vista Ponds. The area is similar to Turnbull NWR in bird species, but the snow-capped Steens Mountains rising in the distance, across miles of fields, waterways, and ponds, create a very dramatic backdrop. We saw hundreds of Red-Wing and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Cinnamon Teals, Canada Geese, Shovelers, Coots, and White-faced Ibis. The Ibis shimmered in the sunshine and were often found with many Black-necked Stilts, Snowy and Great Egrets, and GBH’s. Overhead, we were excited to see 12 White Pelicans coming and going from visibility as they turned with seemingly choreographed timing high above us, along with a couple of Red-tailed Hawks. Kestrels and Northern Harriers entertained us closer to the ground. In the big old cottonwoods were lots of Song and White-Crowned Sparrows, Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, and Dark-Eyed Juncos. We also saw our first Sandhill Crane pair, which are always exciting to see, and many Long-Billed Curlew with a few Willets! There were lots of other types of ducks mixed in with the Mallards. We saw 30 species on day #1, a pretty nice start to our stay!
Willet, The Narrows, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, OR. 4/24/26
The next day, we continued down the Central Patrol Road towards the tiny town of Frenchglen, spending time at Benson Pond and the Historic P Ranch. We saw many of the same birds, but were excited to watch a Bald Eagle on a nest and also a Great Horned Owl on a nest as well! We had a great look at a Short-Eared Owl out hunting and debated which terns were having fun flying above us. We decided on Caspian Tern, but we did see Franklin’s Terns the next day.
Black-Crowned Night Heron, The Narrows, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, OR. 4/24/26
Day 3 was a beautiful day, and we started at The Narrows, just where Highway 205 cuts across the area where Harney Lake (sometimes dry) and Malheur Lake merge together. This is known to be a fantastic place to bird, and we were not disappointed! There were many Clarks and Western Grebes, and they were doing their mating dances! It was so fun to see them 20 feet away, totally involved in their rituals while we watched. Seeing the Clarks and Westerns side-by-side was also really a great way to easily see how different their head plumage is. There were also so many Black-Crowned Night Herons that we had great views of males vs. females. So fun! From this great water bird spot, we went south to Page Springs Campground, to hike along the Blitzen River, which is a riparian area that then loops up onto a pine, sage, and basalt plateau. We saw so many more new birds there! It was definitely a great spot to add some variety to our Malheur visit. Some new birds were: Chukar, Chipping and Song Sparrows, Lazuli Buntings, several wrens, Nashville, Yellow-Rump, and Northern Yellow Warblers, several types of swallow, bushtits, Virginia Rail (!), California Quail, Robins, etc.
Clark’s Grebe, The Narrows, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County, OR. 4/24/26
In summary, we all had fun exploring a beautiful area, finding lots of birds, and getting to know one another. Three full days were the perfect amount of time to see a lot of different environments, and thus birds. The timing was slightly early for the biggest wave of migrants, but still worthwhile. Bill and I have been there multiple times in mid/late May, and there were more warblers and other song birds than we saw this trip. There are plenty of lodging options close to the ‘action’, from RV or tent camping at The Narrows, to renting a cabin at the Field Station, or staying in a hotel in Burns or French Glen. If you haven’t been there, it's worth the 7 hr drive and a few days of exploring! At least we think it is!
Questions? Contact Bill and Ann-Scott Ettinger
