Category: Malheur Wildlife Refuge

It’s the birds I expect to find at Malheur that draw me back there, but unexpected birds bring the greatest delight.

I’ve seen several Northern Shrikes in Western Washington, but never managed to get a picture of one before, so I was delighted when I saw this one perched beside the road and even willing to pose after I got out:

I’ve seen California Quail in a number of places, particularly in California, but I’ve never gotten one to pose like this one did, standing watch over his family:

And, as on the last trip to Malheur, I even managed to scare up a pheasant,

always a delightful, explosive moment.

I don’t consider myself a great birder, but I’ve birded long enough that I usually know when I see a bird that I’ve never seen before. So, when this bird flew past and landed

just a short ways away from me, I was sure it was a new bird for me. I was still convinced when I managed to get this shot

a little later. In fact, it wasn’t until another birder identified it that I realized it wasn’t a new species at all. In fact, I could even begin to see that it did resemble

the Black-Crowned Night-Heron that I shot in Santa Rosa a year ago, though I still find the difference rather shocking. It probably didn’t help that I had never seen one fly before since the two I saw in Santa Rosa sat frozen the whole time I was there.

The coloring of the juvenile provides much better camouflage than that of the adult which would make it safer for the young bird and easier to survive predation, but I have to wonder why it ever changes color,

particularly since it’s quite similar in color to an American Bittern.

I didn’t go to Malheur expecting to see Great Egrets as I did for Black-Necked Stints, Pelicans, or Ibis, but I wasn’t surprised to see them, either. Although we don’t get many this far north, I do see them quite often in late summer and they’re fairly common in Ridgefield. They’re rare enough, though, that I haven’t compartmentalized them yet.

In other words, I don’t know them well enough to know what a “typical” pose is, which, in some ways, is a good thing, just as seeing anything with “fresh eyes” can be a good thing. I originally favored this pose, perhaps because it reminds me of the hunting pose of a Great Blue Heron.

Leslie liked this pose because it reminded her of images of Brontosaurus feeding,

and I certainly concur that there is something timeless in this bird.

Of course, the beautiful feathers remind me of a fan dancer, slowly revealing their beauty so I enjoy watching egrets preen.

But my favorite shot is still of an Egret taking off, the moment when you can best see those magnificent wings fully spread.

I was looking forward to seeing the White Pelicans in Toppenish, but, again, had to wait until I got to Malheur to see them. I was greeted by a small flock at the entrance, much closer than I’ve ever seen them before, except in the zoo.

It didn’t take long to get some good shots,

though I’d observed quite awhile before seeing one lower its head into the water and pull up a meal.

I’m used to seeing Brown Pelicans dive from some spectacular heights to capture fish, but I’ve never seen one do this. Of course, when I thought about it, I’m not sure this pond was deep enough to be safe to dive into from any great height.

Of course, if you go to All About Birds you learn that:

The White Pelican does not dive for fish as the Brown Pelican does. Instead, it dips its head underwater to scoop up fish. Several pelicans may fish cooperatively, moving into a circle to concentrate fish, and then dipping their heads under simultaneously to catch fish.

I guess I’ll have to wait awhile longer to capture a shot of a group of them cooperatively fishing.

Until then, I’ll have to be satisfied with shots of synchronized swimming

and with the Pelican’s strange beauty.