I came, I saw, I took photos.
A lot of photos
2400 or so…
But I am proud to present
The good ones.
Burrowing owls greeted us
On our entrance to the refuge
A very nice bird
To see along the highway at 70 mph
Birds on signs
The bread and butter
of bird photography
This Sage Thrasher was happy to pose
Due to the Headquarters Closure
Frenchglen was the cool meeting place
Evening Grosbeaks foraged
Outside of the Hotel
They let me approach on my belly
Then they got too close
My camera can only focus
11.5 feet or further
Pygmy Rabbits were in the parking lot
How lucky that we get the worlds smallest bunny
An ideal treat for a raptor
Also one of the cutest things I saw on the trip
At the viewpoint across from the hotel
A Forester’s Tern was hunting
in the tiny creek
I saw it dive but come up empty-beaked
Great Horned owl
More like Fluffy-Taloned owl
amiright?
Searching P Ranch for Bobolink
We got this consolation prize
Family Photo
They wanted to come home with me
but I wouldn’t let them.
The view from our campground
Uphill from Frenchglen
Unimproved campsite
Didn’t need much improving
Awoke to Gray Flycatchers
This one was knitting a sweater
Our camp buddy
I think a Yellow-pine Chipmunk
Rodents on trip were all adorable
We had a breeding pair
of Mountain bluebirds
Hunting insects
And we had a couple insects too
Maybe an Orange-rumped Bumblebee
We also had cool dung beetles
And now for birds around the refuge
Red-winged Blackbird
At a very birdy Benson Pond
Get off my lawn!
Swallow, Cliff Swallow
Of course short for Clifford Swallow
You know somewhere in the world
Cliff Swallow has to be someone’s real name
Western Meadowlark
Oregon’s State Bird
Loves to sing at passing cars
It’s a Willet…
Yellow-bellied marmot
Watching cars go by
Wilson’s Phalaropes
A pair of real love birds
romantic swims in romantic
jerky little circles
Oh man, Baby Horses!
Not a bird or a rodent
But Still Pretty cool
Bonus is behind you
On the road to Diamond
Is a Bobolink on a fence
This Bobolink!
The only one we saw
and it was brief
He never turned around
And just flew into tall grass
C U next time
Brown-headed cowbird
Parasitic egg layers
but they are growing on me
such a subtle contrast
and very pretty colors
Sage Thrasher
Has been thrashed
and is on Sage
Aptly named
Malheur Lake
has been wetter
I have excellent Eastern Kingbird Luck
They like to tussle
Super aggressive
And surprisingly loud
A moment of stoicism
After defending his territory
I can anthropomorphize anything
Just test me
Western Tanager
If you fly with your mouth open
Bugs will fly in
Not gross at all
if that is all you eat
Brown-headed Cowbird
chooses his mount wisely
This Uber driver
Provides snacks
5/5
Cedar Wax-wing
Has a very modern haircut
Also, such a clean looking guy
Very presentable,
Great interviewer
Yellow-headed blackbird
Mid exorcism
Great bird
Not a subtle bird
Mourning dove
I like when the eye-ring
of my bird
matches the background
Barn Swallow
Perching for photo ops
at eye level
professional bird model
The Burrowing Owl That greeted us
Also bid us farewell
Very thoughtful little guy
Made a lot of birders happy!