North Coast Diaries

A Trip to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

"I too am not a bit tamed. I too am untranslatable. I sound my barbaric YAWP
over the roofs of the world." Walt Whitman.

We took a trip to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge this Memorial Day Weekend. It was part of the annual Oregon Birders Gatheriing that's been going on for about as long as I can remember. The following is a photo essay of some of the wild things we saw.

Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana)

Mountain Cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii)

Juniper Hairstreak (Mitoura grynea barryi)

Western Kingbird

Black-throated Sparrow

A substitute teacher listens from his window

I left teaching about 6 years ago to be a stay-at-home dad and part-time ecological consultant. I have been substitute teaching at the high school for a new father on "maternity leave" this past week and the anxiety of not being outside during the migration peak is getting to me.

After weeks of unseasonably cold and wet weather, this week has been bright and sunny with temperatures into the low 60's. I've had the window open in the classroom and I can hear the migration going on, warblers, vireos, tanagers and Black-headed Grosbeak.

I go back to my regular schedule next week. Hopefully, I haven't missed much.

The other day I met a bear...

While doing inventory work this morning, I had a close encounter with Ursus americanus. In nearly forty years of doing field work out of doors, this is the first live encounter I've had with a bear in Oregon. I've had a couple fleeting glimpses of bears running away over in Washington, but this is my first, real, face-to-face anywhere.