Oregon: A Vacation For The Birds

It wasn't that long ago that I first learned that the word, BIRD, is a verb - not just a noun.
That education came from Joan, comma, my wife.

As luck would have it, two more in-depth experiences with experienced BIRDERS has reinforced my understanding of BIRD as a verb.

Two BIRDING opportunities offered by the Elderhostel outings group, ROAD SCHOLARS, attracted us to Oregon, where the Portland Audubon Society and the Malheur Field Station provided expert guides to many species of BIRDS.

Both multi-day events were in eastern Oregon, one centered in Bend and the other at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns.

Touring by van allowed access to areas most likely to have large populations of BIRDS, both native and transient;
Bend produced about 96 BIRD species and Malheur about 135, with some overlap.
The guides in both cases were excellent in both finding and identifying the BIRDS despite sometimes less than ideal weather conditions.

But, the most fun was meeting and spending time with other participants, who were uniformly nice, like-minded people who care about preserving our wildlife and environment.

For those interested, here's the list of BIRDS we saw at Malheur [M] and Burns [B]

Swans, Geese & Ducks:
Snow [or Ross's] Goose - M
Canada Goose - B & M [+babies]
Trumpeter Swan - B
Gadwall - B & M
American Wigeon - M
Mallard - B & M
Blue-winged Teal - M
Cinnamon Teal - B & M [+babies]
Northern Shoveler - B & M
Northern Pintail - M
Canvasback - M
Redhead - M
Ring-necked Duck - M
Lesser Scaup - M
Bufflehead - B
Barrow's Goldeneye - B
Ruddy Duck - M


Gallinaceous Birds:
Chukar - M
Ring-necked Pheasant - M
California Quail - B & M


Grebes:
Pied-billed Grebe - M [+babies]
Horned Grebe - M
Eared Grebe - M
Western Grebe - M
Clark's Grebe - M [+babies]


Pelicans:
American White Pelican - M


Cormorants:
Double-crested Cormorant - M


Bitterns, Herons & Egrets:
American Bittern - M
Great Blue Heron - M
Great Egret - M
Black-crowned Night Heron - M


Ibises & Spoonbills:
White-faced Ibis - M


New World Vultures:
Turkey Vulture - B & M


Osprey, Kites, Hawks & Eagles:
Osprey - B
Bald Eagle - B & M
Northern Harrier - M
Swainson's Hawk - B & M
Red-tailed Hawk - B & M [+babies]
Ferruginous Hawk - B & M [+babies]
Golden Eagle - B & M [+babies]


Falcons & Caracaras:
American Kestrel - B & M
Prairie Falcon - B & M [+babies]


Rails:
Virginia Rail - M
Sora - M [+babies]
American Coot - B & M [+babies]


Cranes:
Sandhill Crane - M [+babies]


Plovers:
Kildeer - B & M


Stilts & Avocets:
Black-necked Stilt - B & M
American Avocet - M [+babies]


Sandpipers & Phalaropes:
Willet - M
Long-billed Curlew - M
Baird's Sandpiper - B
Dunlin - B
Common Snipe - M
Wilson's Phalarope - M
Red-necked Phalarope - B


Skuas, Jaegers, Gulls & Terns:
Franklin's Gull - M
Bonaparte's Gull - B
Ring-billed Gull - B & M
California Gull - M
Caspian Tern - M
Forster's Tern - M
Black Tern - M


Pigeons & Doves:
Rock Pigeon - B & M
Eurasian Collared Dove - M
Mourning Dove - B & M


Owls:
Great Horned Owl - M [+babies]
Burrowing Owl - M [+babies]
Long-eared Owl - M
Short-eared Owl - M


Nightjars:
Common Nighthawk - M


Swifts:
Vaux's Swift - B
White-throated Swift - B


Hummingbirds:
Black-chinned Hummingbird - M
Calliope Hummingbird - B


Kingfishers:
Belted Kingfisher - B


Woodpeckers:
Lewis's Woodpecker - B
Hairy Woodpecker - B
White-headed Woodpecker - B
Northern Flicker - B & M 


Flycatchers:
Olive-sided Flycatcher - M
Western Wood-Pewee - B & M
Willow Flycatcher - M
Hammond's Flycatcher - B
Dusky Flycatcher - M
Say's Phoebe - B & M
Ash-throated Flycatcher - B
Western Kingbird - B & M
Eastern Kingbird - M


Shrikes:
Loggerhead Shrike - B & M


Vireos:
Cassin's Vireo - M


Crows, Jays & Magpies:
Steller's Jay - B & M
Western Scrub-Jay - B
Pinyon Jay - B
Clark's Nutcracker - B & M
Black-billed Magpie - B & M
American Crow - B & M
Common Raven - B & M


Larks:
Horned Lark - B & M


Swallows:
Tree Swallow - B & M
Violet-green Swallow - B & M
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - B & M
Bank Swallow - B & M
Cliff Swallow - B & M
Barn Swallow - B & M


Titmice & Chickadees:
Black-capped Chickadee - M
Mountain Chickadee - B & M


Nuthatches & Creepers:
Red-breasted Nuthatch - B & M
White-breasted Nuthatch - B & M
Pygmy Nuthatch - B & M
Brown Creeper - B & M


Wrens:
Rock Wren - B & M
Canyon Wren - B & M
House Wren - B
Marsh Wren - M


Dippers:
American Dipper - B


Thrushes:
Mountain Bluebird - B
Hermit Thrush - M
American Robin - B & M


Mimic Thrushes:
Sage Thrasher - M


Starlings:
European Starling - B & M


Waxwings:
Cedar Waxwing - M


Wood Warblers:
Yellow Warbler - B & M
Yellow-rumped Warbler - B & M
MacGillivray's Warbler - B
Common Yellowthroat - M
Wilson's Warbler - B & M
Yellow-breasted Chat - M


Tanagers:
Western Tanager - B & M


Sparrows & Towhees:
Green-tailed Sparrow - B
Chipping Sparrow - B
Spotted Towhee - M
Vesper Sparrow - M
Sage Sparrow - B & M
Song Sparrow - B & M
Dark-eyed Junco - B & M
House Sparrow - B & M


Cardinals, Grosbeaks & Allies:
Black-headed Grosbeak - B & M
Lazuli Bunting - M


Blackbirds & Orioles:
Bobolink - M
Red-winged Blackbird - B & M
Western Meadowlark - B & M
Yellow-headed Blackbird - B & M
Brewer's Blackbird - B & M
Brown-headed Cowbird - M
Bullock's Oriole - B & M


Finches:
Cassin's Finch - B & M
House Finch - B & M
Red Crossbill - B
Pine Siskin - B & M
Lesser Goldfinch - B
American Goldfinch - M
----------------------------
Several species of mammals were also observed in the wild, including;
Coyote
Nuttall's Cottontail
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Least Chipmunk
Yellow-bellied Marmot
Belding's Ground Squirrel
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
Brown Squirrel
Western Gray Squirrel
Deer Mouse
Vole
Muskrat
Long-tailed Weasel
Mule Deer
Pronghorn Antelope
Wild Donkeys
--------------------------------