Skip to content
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Our Staff
    • About Our Board
    • Our Commitment to Diversity
    • Job Opportunities
    • GGAS in the News
    • Strategic Plan
    • Annual Report
  • Upcoming Events
  • Blog
  • Osprey Cam
  • Contact Us
    • Join/Renew
    • Donate
    • Other Ways to Give
    • Planned Giving
    • Member Login
    • Corporate Partnerships
Golden Gate Audubon Society
Golden Gate Audubon Society
  • Education
    • Speaker Series
      • Past Speakers
    • Eco-Ed for Kids
    • Adult Education Classes
    • Rotary Nature Center
  • Conservation
    • Conservation Info
    • Bird-Friendly Coffee Club
  • Volunteer
  • Bird With Us
    • Field Trips
    • Travel with GGAS
    • SF Bay Ospreys
    • Birding Sites
    • Birding Resources
    • Christmas Bird Counts
      • CBC Feeder Watchers
    • The Gull
    • Golden Gate Birder Blog
  • Archives
    • Trip Reports by Year
    • Past Speakers
    • The Gull Archives
    • GGAS Press Releases
    • Travel with GGAS – Past Tours
  • Donate
  • Join
Golden Gate Audubon Society
  • Education
    • Speaker Series
      • Past Speakers
    • Eco-Ed for Kids
    • Adult Education Classes
    • Rotary Nature Center
  • Conservation
    • Conservation Info
    • Bird-Friendly Coffee Club
  • Volunteer
  • Bird With Us
    • Field Trips
    • Travel with GGAS
    • SF Bay Ospreys
    • Birding Sites
    • Birding Resources
    • Christmas Bird Counts
      • CBC Feeder Watchers
    • The Gull
    • Golden Gate Birder Blog
  • Archives
    • Trip Reports by Year
    • Past Speakers
    • The Gull Archives
    • GGAS Press Releases
    • Travel with GGAS – Past Tours
  • Donate
  • Join
 

Birding Oregon with GGAS

  • August 6, 2014

By John Tysell

I met our guide, Harry Fuller, in Ashland, Oregon where he lives. I had done a previous Golden Gate Audubon Society trip with him in 2013 in the Cascade and Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon. It had been a great birding experience, so I was looking forward to spending the next three days with him on his June 2014 trip to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. 

Susan and Maureen, also GGAS members, joined us early on Wednesday morning and our car caravan headed east down Dead Indian Road. Malheur — a high desert basin in southeastern Oregon with an average elevation of 4,000 feet — is a birding hotspot. The snowpack on the Steens Mountains delivers ample water for wetlands, streams, meadows and grasslands. The varied habitat provides shelter and abundant food, especially insects. Since it is a perfect setting for breeding, I was hoping to see young at this time of the year.

As we climbed up the foothills, the trees became fir and pine. We stopped for a Lazuli Bunting and a Mountain Bluebird along the way. Near Howard Prairie Lake, we saw Sandhill Cranes in a meadow with young. A must stop was Rocky Point on the Eastern shore of Upper Klamath Lake. The highlight was a pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers flying in and out of their cavity nest feeding babies.

Adult and juvenile Sandhill Cranes by John Tysell
Adult and juvenile Sandhill Cranes by John Tysell
Red-breasted Sapsucker after feeding nestling by John Tysell
Red-breasted Sapsucker after feeding nestling by John Tysell

Close to Fort Klamath along the Sun River, we stopped to see Ospreys with fledglings in the nest. A Bald-headed Eagle soared in the distance. At Collin’s Rest Stop, I saw my first American Dipper, one of fourteen new species I would add to my life list. Then the highlight of the day: Red Crossbills.

After leaving the town of Silver Lake, we passed a large dark-brown bird on a post. The walkie-talkie crackled. Susan observed that it was too large to be a hawk, so the caravan turned around to find a Golden Eagle. Further East in Christmas Valley, we saw Ferruginous Hawks, a Long-billed Curlew and Wilson’s Phalarope.

Late in the afternoon, we finally arrived at the Malheur Field Station on Sodhouse Road near New Princeton, Oregon. It is isolated and filled with wildlife. Our dorm was old and worn but clean. Despite the drought, the faucet leaked freely. On our way to the cafeteria, Common Nighthawks were seen sitting on the railings.

Malheaur Field Station by John Tysell
Malheur Field Station by John Tysell
Common Nighthawk by John Tysell
Common Nighthawk by John Tysell

After a substantial meal, we drove to Malheur Lake, which was half its normal size. At dusk, White-faced Ibis, Great Blue Heron, and a Short-eared Owl greeted us.

The following morning, long-tailed weasels scampered among the sagebrush and least chipmunks scurried. The four of us got into Harry’s Subaru Forester and we returned to Malheur Lake, where we saw Avocets, Black-necked Stilts and Franklin Gulls. White Pelicans flew by the hundreds. It was quite a sight to see their wings flashing in the early morning sun.

Heading east, we stopped for Burrowing Owls, a Sage Thrasher, and that tiny brown bird with absolutely no field markings… a Brewers Sparrow. Two Swainson’s Hawks were fighting over a meal in a field. Past Pete French Round Barn, we enter Diamond Loop Road. Rock Wrens were airborne in Diamond Crater. We saw a Great Egret, a Wilson’s Snipe and Yellow-bellied Marmots. The distinctive squeal of the elusive Virginia Rail was heard coming from a nearby slough… the first bird to my life list based solely by sound.

Princeton Narrows (Day 2 of the trip) by John Tysell
Princeton Narrows (Day 2 of the trip) by John Tysell
Dry Lake Reservoir (Day 2 of the trip) by John Tysell
Dry Lake Reservoir (Day 2 of the trip) by John Tysell
Yellow-headed Blackbird by John Tysell
Yellow-headed Blackbird by John Tysell

Back at the Field Station, a full moon rose over the high desert plateau illuminating an eerie landscape. It was partially eclipsed by passing clouds producing a dramatic effect.

On our final day, we headed south into a riparian environment. We birded Buena Vista Pond. Black Terns flying low in the reeds of a canal collecting insects fascinated us. A Northern Harrier was harassing something too close to its nest.

White-faced Ibis in flight by John Tysell
White-faced Ibis in flight by John Tysell
Buena Vista Ponds by John Tysell
Buena Vista Ponds by John Tysell

As we approached Blitzen Valley, the clouds darkened and there was a slight drizzle. Harry stopped at mile marker 44 on Hwy 205; he knew where the birds were. He trained his scope on the Basalt lava cliffs. The large yellow eyes of a Great Horned Owl starred back at me. I let out a loud “wow” — admittedly poor birding behavior — and the owl flew away.

At Benson Pond, two Trumpeter Swans were chasing off a White Pelican. When they returned, we could see why… a pair of cygnets. Western Grebes danced in the water; a Willow Flycatcher flitted among the willows along the Blitzen River.

The Frenchglen Hotel was our stop for lunch. Originally built in 1916, it still serves three meals daily and has a few rooms for birders who start arriving each April. We ate on the porch and listened as Harry told a story about the shorebird in Alaska whose nest no one was able to find. Finally a student ornithologist asked an indigenous person, who revealed that they nested at 15,000 feet.

French Glen Hotel, our lunch site, by John Tysell
Frenchglen Hotel, our lunch site, by John Tysell

It was after lunch on North Steens loop as we stopped for a Wilson’s Snipe in the road that we saw the bird of the trip… Bobolinks perched on a grass stem. We noted their mostly black plumage with a rich, straw-colored patch on the back of the head, the white scapulars and rump, the sharply defined black tail feathers.

At Page Springs Campground, more uncommon sightings: Violet-green Swallow, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Eastern Kingbird. We could see snow in the distant Steens Mountains. Long-billed Curlew, Horned Larks, Ring-necked Pheasant and California Quail welcomed us. A Pronghorn Antelope bounded across the gravel road.

That night Duncan and his wife visited us. They have been caretakers at Malheur for almost eighteen years. Originally from England, they enjoy the solitude and frequently lead birding excursions. We swapped additional birding tales over cold beers then crawled into our sleeping bags with the satisfied feeling of having completed a marvelous adventure.

——————————-

Harry Fuller will be leading another Oregon trip for Golden Gate Audubon in May 2015, this time to the mountains of southern Oregon. See our Travel with GGAS page for information on Harry’s trip, as well as our upcoming birding tours to Panama, Colombia, Taiwan, Newfoundland, Alaska, Arizona, and Texas.

——————————-

John Tysell is a retired physician who spent 29 years at Kaiser Permanente in Richmond. He took GGAS’s Birds of the Bay Area class with Bob Lewis several years ago, and today combines his two loves of birding and photography. 

Golden Gate Audubon birders enjoying Oregon / Photo by John Tysell
Golden Gate Audubon members with Harry Fuller in Blitzen Valley, Oregon / Photo by John Tysell
PrevPreviousNew clues to a Band-tailed Pigeon mystery
NextFarewell Clapper Rail, hello Ridgway’s RailNext
Facebook Instagram Youtube Twitter

Follow Golden Gate Birder by email

Click to follow our blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Subscribe

Loading...
How Many Birds Can Be Found in the Bay Area in One Day?
June 20, 2022
The Birds and The Beavers
June 1, 2022
Come for the Birds, Stay for the Chocolate
May 25, 2022
Birding Travel in Covid Year Three
May 23, 2022
Saved by a Pigeon
May 3, 2022
Annie + Grinnell 4EVA
April 8, 2022
Progress towards a Point Molate park
April 1, 2022
From the Trees to the Streets to Safety
March 29, 2022
On the Greater Sage-Grouse Lek
March 16, 2022
Bess Petty: Bird Artist
March 11, 2022

Our Mission

The Golden Gate Audubon Society engages people to experience the wonder of birds and to translate that wonder into actions which protect native bird populations and their habitats.

Home page photo of an Anna’s Hummingbird by Parham Pourahmad. Home page photos rotate on an occasional basis. If you have a Bay Area bird photo you would like us to consider, email us at rnakano@goldengateaudubon.org.

Home page bird illustrations by Tex Buss. We are grateful for her generous donation of time and talent!

Facebook Instagram Youtube Twitter

Contact Us

Golden Gate Audubon
2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G
Berkeley, California 94702

Phone: 510.843.2222

Office hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon, or by appointment

The Golden Gate Audubon Society  is a
not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our federal tax ID number is 94-6086896

Manage your GGAS account online

Now you can manage all your GGAS business online — renew your membership, update your contact information, view past donations, or sign up for events such as classes, Birdathon or the Christmas Bird Count. Click here to access your account. (You’ll need to create a login name and password if you don’t have one already. If you forget your password, click on the “forgot your password” link.) You can also sign up for our new GGAS Chat to get updates on trips, talk with other members, and more!

© 2022 Golden Gate Audubon Society | All Rights Reserved
All photos on this site belong to the photographers and may not be used without written permission.
  • About Us
    • About Our Staff
    • About Our Board
    • Job Opportunities
    • Our Commitment to Diversity
    • GGAS StrategicPlan
    • GGAS in the News
  • Education
    • Speaker Series
      • Past Speakers
    • Eco-Ed for Kids
    • Adult Education Classes
    • Rotary Nature Center
  • Conservation
    • Conservation Info
    • Bird-Friendly Coffee Club
  • Volunteer
  • Bird With Us
    • Field Trip Information
    • Travel with GGAS
    • SF Bay Ospreys
    • Birding Resources
    • Christmas Bird Counts
    • The Gull
    • Golden Gate Birder Blog
    • Birdathon 2021
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Member Login
  • GGAS Archives
    • Trip Reports by Year
    • Past Speakers
    • The Gull Archives
    • GGAS Press Releases
    • Travel with GGAS – Past Tours
  • Contact Us
    • Join/Renew
    • Other Ways to Give
    • Planned Giving
    • Member Login
    • Volunteer Hours Reporting
  • Blog
  • Donate