Malheur HQ.

Malheur headquarters is one of those magical migrant traps where you can stare into a shrub for thirty minutes until you're cross-eyed and maybe drooling a little, while orioles and grosbeaks and warblers hop around like it ain't no thing.  The feeders are packed with birds and the ground is packed with ground squirrels.  Everything is okay at headquarters.  Even the gigantic toilet seats.

Marshall Pond

On our recent Malheur adventure, my friend and I spent many hours wandering this place collecting about 65 species here alone.  No rarities but lots of top notch birds.  A Black-headed Grosbeak pooped on my head.  It was rad.

Let's begin with the nesting Swainson's Hawks...


And everything else...

 Belding's ground squirrels


Yellow-headed Blackbirds


 Bright Cassin's Vireo?   Blue-headed Vireo!!!!!


 Rufous Hummingbird


Ruby-crowned Kinglet


Western Tanager


 Evening Grosbeaks


The only Calliope I saw, and the only shot I got of it. 





 Red-naped Sapsucker


Great Horned nesting in the top of the tower, begging for coffee







 Black-chinned Hummingbirds

 Window strike survivor.  Almost stepped on her which would have really bummed some people out. 


 Blurry Bullock's Oriole

 Blurry empid.... Hammond's I'm pretty sure.  

So much awesomeness there, can't wait to go back someday.  Good times!!!


Comments

  1. So much good stuff all packed into one place!

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  2. I'm gonna be all jittery now until I can get me some. T-minus 3 days, but maybe I should call ahead and tell everything to stay exactly where you found it. Especially the segregated clusters of yellow-headed blackbirds and ground-squirrels -- I love that shot!

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    Replies
    1. I am sure the blackbirds and ground squirrels will be exactly where we left them.

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  3. This picture of the vireo looks far more towards the Blue-headed realm, lots of contrast on side of face? Beautiful bird for sure.

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  4. Wow. What a great day you had. So many cool birds all in one place!

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    1. Thanks, yeah this was over three days, but still!

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  5. Awesome vireo find! Lots of other great birds too. Really makes me want to get down there.

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  6. Love it...All sorts a' nice ones I especially love the western tanager!

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