Long-billed Curlew

Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society

Far Away Field Trips

LCBAS Homepage

Spring Migration at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Mother's Day Weekend, May 10 to 12, 2013


Malheur National Wildlife Refuge sign

LCBAS Far Away Field Trips will be traveling to Malheur Wildlife Refuge 60 miles from Burns, Oregon on Friday, May 11, 2012. You will need to provide your own transportation. Car pooling may be possible. Please be sure and fill your gas tank in Burns or Hines before heading for the refuge.

We will be staying in the newly refurbished "E" Dorm at Malheur Field Station. The dorm has rooms with 2 beds or more with 2 shared bathrooms. There is one side for the boys and one side for the girls with a large cooking and lounge facility in the middle. Since we will probably be arriving at different times, Friday evening dinner will be chili dogs, applesauce and cookies.

The real stars of the show at Malheur are the water fowl and shore birds. We will see Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Sandhill Crane, White-faced Ibis, Wilson's Phalarope, Trumpeter Swan and many more. Sora, American Bittern and Virginia Rail are often see alongside the road. We will watch for Turkey Vulture, Short-eared Owl, Northern Harrier, and Golden Eagle.

Ruddy Duck Snipe
Saturday, May 11, 2013

We will have breakfast and make our picnic lunches. We will travel out into the refuge. Car caravans are not the most desirable way to see the birdlife, so we will break up into groups for the morning and meet for lunch at Page Springs around noon, Together we will bird the grounds at Page Springs for roosting Common Night Hawk, House Wren, Yellow-breasted Chat, Cedar Waxwing, Say's Phoebe and Willow Flycatcher. We can also hike up Juniper Canyon for other birds such as Western Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, and Bush Tit. The rest of the afternoon will be birding the spots not visited in the morning.

Common Nighthawk

Saturday evening we will be dinner and a movie. We will have a Spaghetti dinner with all the trimmings. If you have a favorite DVD movie, bring it along. We will have "The Big Year" to select from also.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

After breakfast and preparing our picnic lunches, as a group, we will travel to the Malheur Headquarters and bird the grounds. This is where we could find unusual species such as Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blackburian Warblers, Cat Bird and Black and White Warbler.

Sunday afternoon we will make our way back to the Tri Cities. Either coming or going from Malheur, a place not to miss is Idlewise Camp Ground north of Burns. This is the best location to see White-headed Woodpecker, Red Crossbill and Evening Grosbeak. The flooded fields outside of Burns are a must also. Watch for Curlew, Willet, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Marsh Wren, and Red-winged Blackbird.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

You will need to bring a sleeping bag or bedding, pillow, towels and washcloths, warm clothes, sun screen, insect repellant, hat, flashlight and water bottle. Cost of this trip is $125.00 per person and includes 2 nights lodging in dorm accommodations, breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings (coffee, tea, juice, cereal, and toast), Saturday and Sunday picnic lunch makings (sandwich, fruit, chips, cookie and bottled water), Saturday evening dinner (Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, vegetable, garlic bread, dessert, and a beverage), and a bird list for the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. Donations of cookies for Friday evening and lunches would be most appreciated.

$50.00 deposit will hold your place. Full payment is due by April 24, 2012. Please indicate if you have special food requirements. Tour cost does not include transportation to and from Malheur and personal items such as alcoholic beverages.

If you are interested, call Barbara Clarke at (509) 588-3362, or email: Barbara Clarke.