2022-04-24 In Burns Oregon | shadeTreeImaging

Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca — On my second visit to the fields north of Burns Oregon began in the early morning, I tried my best to capture birds like this Greater Yellowlegs in the company of a Lesser Yellowlegs on the west side of the road, because of the lovely light from the rising sun.

Long-Billed Curlew - Numenius americanus — The local birding community in Burns Oregon were holding a “Birding Festival” when I arrived in the area. In my past visits to the region, I had always forsaken my explorations around town to focus on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. I made an exception on this trip, and was rewarded with some pleasant surprises, like a multitude of these curlews sharing the feeding grounds with Willets.

My decision to visit the Malheur area required a long drive from Joseph to Burns that took me six hours of drive-time. I think there were five passes to cross that were over 5000 feet of elevation. I try to avoid such long pushes, but given my plan for the weeks ahead, it seemed the right thing to do (for now).

After a long drive from Joseph (Oregon), I arrived in Burns late Saturday afternoon. Rather than surrendering to fatigue, I drove through the region just north of town where folks had been seeing the rare Common Crane. I missed the bird by several hours, but during the time I spent at my roadside observatory, I enjoyed the company of California Quail, Long-Billed Curlews, Sandhill Cranes, Willets, and a California Scrub-Jay.

When I finished my afternoon’s bird chasing, I camped in a vacant lot near a city park north of the town-center, where several other rigs had parked. With all the energy drained from me from the drive and from visiting the local birds, I retired without executing any action on my backlog of yarn-spinning or image grooming.

Early Sunday morning I found breakfast at a local cafe called the Apple Peddler. There, I was treated to a Robin’s nest building activity just outside the window where I dined. She was just beginning the construction, gathering the “bones” (hard, weedy sticks) and setting up quarters atop one of the brick pillars supporting the overhanging roof. When I exited the cafe, I broke off some long, grassy leaves from a nearby plant and placed them on a rock near the nest. I returned for breakfast again the next morning, and the grass cuttings were gone. She liked my offering.

After my meal, I returned to the same place I had parked the previous afternoon. After a few hours, I finished shooting for the day. I’d captured images of American Robins, Black-Billed Magpies, Black-Capped Chickadees, Brewer’s Blackbirds, California Quail, Canada Geese, Greater White-Fronted Geese, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-Billed Curlews, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Savannah Sparrows, Snow Geese, and Wilson’s Snipe.

When I heard the Sandhill Cranes approaching in the distance, I snapped a series of shots of the airborne flocks, hoping I might discover an unusual crane in the mix. However, the Common Crane was a “no-show”. I later learned that nobody saw the bird all day, and the conventional wisdom suggested the bird had moved on to parts unknown. I am sure there were many disappointed birders in town, but I was not among them. My mantra is “I don’t chase birds, I chase places”. And this place treated me well.