Malheur Musings
April 2023
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Curlew are back! While the fields may not yet be greening we are thrilled to see some first of the year birds arriving. Ross's geese, snow geese, sandhill cranes, avocets, and curlew are all back in the region! They join groups of swans that are also migrating through. Despite the unusual weather conditions and lingering snow throughout the fields in the Silvies Valley spring has arrived!
This image was taken in early April 2016 by our good Friend, Dan Streiffert
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It's April - ALREADY?!? There is no shortage of things to be excited about as spring arrives in the Harney Basin. I think you will find that this issue of our Malheur Musings newsletter will emphasize what is known to be true about what spring at and all around the Refuge - every moment is full of opportunities.
Volunteers are arriving for the first... or fourth time. An intern has been hired (Look to next month's issue for more on that.) Birds are arriving all around us and nearly every outing will result in a new first of the year sighting! With the birds come the birders and pretty soon our little towns and outlying areas will be a buzz with excitement over an oriole nest, an errant warbler species, or a branchling owl.
The Friends of Malheur are excited about opportunities to support the visitors arriving at the Refuge. Whether they be furred, finned, or feathered friends. But this month we are particularly excited to announce that Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) Tribal Stewards program will be returning to Malheur NWR in the summer of 2023!
To support the program, we are committing a grant of $5,000 and are asking YOU, our Friends, to MATCH US! With your help, we hope to send $10,000 to NYC which covers the costs of this program for 1 week.
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See the links below to learn more about the program, read a former participant's story and make a donation!
Yes, springtime at Malheur feels full to the brim with opportunity. Opportunities to explore. To learn. To be inspired. To make a difference.
Thank you, as always, for being a Friend.
Janelle L Wicks
FOMR Executive Director
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Wm. Tweed, FOMR President
To me, a handful of words tell you all you need to know about April at Malheur NWR – everything is in motion.
After a long and quiet winter, the natural world is stirring.
Migratory birds – waterbirds and songbirds alike – are surging northward toward their summer breeding grounds after wintering in relatively mild places like California’s Great Central Valley. Some species traveled as far south as Central America to avoid the cold. Throughout April, flocks of numerous species will arrive at Malheur to feed and rest. READ MORE
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By Peter Pearsall
Winter at Malheur Refuge this year has been something else—and it’s not yet over. The snow-moisture equivalent for Harney County is at nearly 200 percent of the long-term average for the region. All this winter precipitation has many hoping for relief from the moderate to severe drought of recent years.
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Wetland habitats at Malheur Refuge are fed predominately by snowmelt: the Donner und Blitzen River brings runoff from Steens Mountain in the southeast, and the Silvies River carries runoff from the Blue Mountains north of the Refuge. Discharge from the Blitzen River is particularly important for Refuge fish and wildlife, supplying water to the riparian corridors, wet meadows, and ponds of the Blitzen Valley. Read More
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By Dominic Bachman and Alexa Martinez, MNWR Biology Staff
As we slowly drift into spring, with winter dragging its heavy feet, migratory birds of the Pacific Flyway are feeling the Zugunruhe which drives them north from their southern wintering grounds. Southern Oregon and Northeastern California, collectively known as the SONEC wetland region, is a favorite spring staging ground of many migratory birds. Malheur Lake plays a critical role in providing habitat this spring, as much of the SONEC is very dry due a couple years of consistent drought. Read More
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By Teresa Wicks/ Photos by Dan Streiffert
Throughout eastern Oregon and the Intermountain West migrating and nesting shorebirds depend on saline and freshwater lakes, playas, and nearby wetlands for refueling during migration and for breeding. For example, Wilson’s Phalarope use saline lakes throughout the region as stopover habitat. There they refuel and molt into their breeding plumage, sometimes doubling their body weight! The interior nesting Snowy Plover subspecies depend on these habitats and adjacent sandy soils for nesting and rearing their young. Lastly, western populations of Willet nest in wetlands, grasslands, and on pond or spring edges, sometimes in raised areas on mud flats! Read More
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A monthly update by Gary Ivey, PhD.
Last month, I reported on our capture of seven Trumpeter Swans on Benson Pond and fitting them with GPS-GSM neck collars to track their migration. Five of the seven are still in the south Blitzen Valley and two are on the move, as detailed below. Read More
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE...
for Tribal Youth
for Malheur NWR
for the future of Conservation!
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The Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have committed to supporting the 2023 Tribal Stewards Program with a MINIMUM of $5,000 and we are asking our Members to MATCH US!
Tribal Stewards are returning to Malheur this summer and YOU can be a part of supporting this program!
Click HERE to read about the 2019 Program.
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By Peter Pearsall
Photos by Dan Streiffert
One of the first songbirds to arrive in spring and among the last to depart in fall, the Spotted Towhee is a welcome presence in shrubby thickets, willow-bordered waterways, and sagebrush uplands at Malheur Refuge. In these densely vegetated habitats, it is not uncommon to hear the bird before seeing it: their call is a distinct “cat-like” mewing sound, while their song is a variable series of musical notes, often described as a buzzy trill. Read More
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Spring Stewardship Workparty - Volunteers Needed! |
May 5th - 7th, 2023 This spring we will work on clearing the refuge of unnecessary and wildlife-unfriendly barbed wire at various locations. This is a favorite among our volunteers!
We need a minimum of 10 volunteers to sign up and we hope that YOU will be one of them!
Housing at the Malheur Field Station, Dorm A, provided by the Friends of Malheur.
For more information, please contact Alice Elshoff at 541 389-3543 or calice58@gmail, with a cc to friends@malheurfriends.org
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By Julie Burchstead/ Photos by Julie Burchstead, Karen Edmonds and Carey Goss
March 6th had barely even turned on the lights as we turned out of the Malheur National Refuge Headquarters onto Sodhouse Lane headed to Burns. Outside the window, the unique landscape was gradually revealed. Where some might see only sagebrush, I saw endless vistas, moody skies, ancient geography, and despite the wintery conditions… birds, and birds, and birds. Harney county has a certain pull on a person. It is a place I grow to love more with each visit.
Karen Edmunds (my fellow volunteer) and I were headed to Slater Elementary. There we would meet Carey Goss, Malheur’s Refuge Wildlife Specialist to begin the first day of the 2023 Harney County Artist in Residence Program, or AiR in short.
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April 13th - 16th | NEXT WEEK!
Do you want to explore Malheur and the surrounding area but aren't sure how? COME to the Harney County Migratory Bird Festival! You don't need to attend a bunch of tours and programs to take advantage of a handful of free or unlimited attendance programs. There will also be self-guided resources available at Bird Central. Just stop into the Harney County Fairgrounds to find Bird Central and explore the Art Show we affectionately refer to as the Bird Bazaar! Hope to see you there!
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FOMR Member's Weekend!
June 9th & 10th | Program Details to Come
A weekend to celebrate Malheur NWR and our Friends Members
FRIDAY, June 9th
- 9am - 2pm Board of Directors Business Meeting and Strategy Session
- 2pm - 4pm Program: Malheur Refuge Staff Informational Panel
- Refuge Management, Maintenance, and Biology Staff will be sharing some highlights of their work on the ground. They will answer questions and mingle with attendees.
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Evening Happy Hour, Banquet, and Presentation: Wetlands of the Klamath Basin - Historical Conditions are the Path to a Successful (Wetter) Future with FWS Biologist John Vradenburg
SATURDAY, June 10th
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Migrate Across Malheur Event: We will be looking for volunteers to serve as Hotspot Hosts during this event. Hotspot Hosts will greet visitors and tell them all about cultural and natural history of the popular Refuge site they are assigned. Of course, you will also encourage people to bird the site and share what they see! To volunteer, email Janelle at friends@malheurfriends.org
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Taxol Morning
The large window frames the forest
outside the infusion center,
bereft of color except for
a line of somber green spruces.
Large flakes slowly empty
from the grey above, land
on black naked branches.
My husband sits in a chair
against the wall, reading, reminding
me often that he loves me.
A flock of birds suddenly
speckles the sky, alights on a tree
as silhouettes. Clearly waxwings.
I search the woods for something
orange, or fantastically,
a red flick of kimono. A light
to shine the way out.
Susheila Khera - 2015
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It was my first summer as the ED for FOMR and I was enthusiastic about all our organization was involved in both financially and with boots on the ground. We raised over $6,500 to sponsor the Tribal Stewards Program spending 1 week at Malheur NWR that summer. As we gear up to support this program again in 2023 I was moved to reflect on my time with this group in 2019. I love this picture.
~Janelle Wicks
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Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do heresunlit butte, storm sky
white-bellied swallows like kites
a herd’s lone black deer
by Suzanne Simon
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If you want to contribute a poem, photo, or other creative rendering to be included here please email us, friends@malheurfriends.org |
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March's Most Popular
Every month there is excellent content on the Friends Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages. Here we will feature the most popular post of the month.
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March 14, 2023: An American kestrel harassing a red-tailed hawk that strayed too close to its territory. This is a great side-by-side comparison of the size difference between these two raptors!
Photo of red-tailed hawk and kestrel in flight
by Craig Strobeck
For more great content you can follow the Friends of Malheur on
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Crane's Nest Nature Center & Store
7 Days/Week | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Malheur HQ Visitor Center
7 Days/Week | 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Membership Minute
The sustaining support of our members is more important than ever.
If you are unsure of your Membership status you can email us at friends@malheurfriends.org today!
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Current Membership Total: 999 |
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Not a Member or need to RENEW?
Prefer to send a check? Easy.
Fill out THIS FORM and mail it with your dues to:
Friends of Malheur NWR
36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
Photo of varied thrush in the snow by Dan Streiffert
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Introducing the Sandhill Crane Society
Beginning this year, Friends of Malheur are welcoming the 17 inaugural members of the Sandhill Crane Society. Any supporter who contributes $1,000 or more through Membership dues and/or donations throughout the year will become a Member of this new program. Our depth of our gratitude for those individuals who support our mission at this level of ongoing support cannot be expressed, but we sure will try!
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Friends of Malheur NWR aim to be your go-to resource for planning your visit! Our newly updated website (www.malheurfriends.org/visit/) has a lot of the same great seasonal sighting information in addition to a direct eBird link and more!
For even more content you can follow us on social media. Just follow @MalheurFriends on Facebook or Instagram and you will see posts about news, events, volunteer opportunities, and - of course - bird and wildlife sightings!
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Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
36391 Sodhouse Lane
Princeton, OR 97721
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