[obol] Possible Garganey at Malheur

From: Alan Contreras <acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx>
To: OBOL <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:45:45 -0700
See below.

Alan Contreras
Eugene, Oregon

acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx

Sent from my iPhone 



Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Cathy Nowak" <cathy.nowak@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: March 25, 2013, 7:45:17 AM PDT
> To: "Alan Contreras" <acontrer56@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: FW: First time Malheur Refuge visit and request for advice re: 
> Garganey
> 
> Hi Alan, For what it is worth, see below…
>  
> M. Cathy Nowak
> Certified Wildlife Biologist®
> Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area
> 59116 Pierce Rd
> La Grande, OR 97850
> 541-963-4954
>  
> From: Rebecca Hartman [mailto:rhartman@xxxxxxx] 
> Sent: Sunday, March 24, 2013 10:57 PM
> To: Birding NE Oregon
> Subject: First time Malheur Refuge visit and request for advice re: Garganey
>  
> Dear bird-listers,
> I thought I would share some bits from my first! birding visit to Malheur 
> refuge.  My dear friend DeAnna treated me to a week-end birthday birding and 
> hot spring-soaking getaway.  It was wonderful to be at the headquarters when 
> the very first flock of double-crested cormorants arrived.   It was a small 
> flock of around 20, which paled in comparison to the flock of Snow geese we 
> saw on Rt. 78 right outside of Crane.  We estimated about 600.  Seeing that 
> many at a time was a first for me.  As was the Red-naped sapsucker we sighted 
> at refuge headquarters, the beautiful Great White-fronted geese we spotted at 
> the Burns 395 Junction, the three Clark's Grebes on the Narrows, and the 
> Hooded Merganser in the willows corridor.
>  
> Most remarkable was that we are certain we saw a Garganey along the willows 
> corridor.  DeAnna spotted it and asked "what kind of duck has a big white 
> horizontal stripe on its brown head?"  I barely had time to see it when it 
> swam out of sight.  We tried to move around to see it again when it flew off 
> with what we're guessing was a female.  In flight the male had striking 
> silver/white wings.  When we looked it up and read how rare sightings of 
> these are in our area, we spent the rest of the day trying to second-guess 
> ourselves.  But we can't.  I'm certain that is what we saw.
>  
> So, what's the protocol? It seems this sighting is unusual enough that others 
> would want to know, but neither one of us is particularly experienced or 
> skilled as birders. I guess I feel hesitant due to my limited skills,  but 
> while I'm not completely sure I saw a Savannah sparrow yesterday, even though 
> I'd really like to put it on my list, I am utterly certain we saw a Garganey.
>  
> What a wonderous place the refuge is!  Even early in the season, it was 
> delightful.  I can't wait to go back.  We tallied 54 species without 
> including the two types of flycatchers we couldn't identify along with a 
> couple of lbjs we weren't confident about, two warblers I could hear but 
> couldn't identify--where's Trent when I need him?--and three or four hawks we 
> could only say weren't red-tails or harriers.
> Cheers,
> Rebecca
>  
> --
> Dr. Rebecca Hartman
> Associate Professor of History
> Eastern Oregon University
> rhartman@xxxxxxx
> http://eou.edu/history
> One University Boulevard
> La Grande, OR 97850
> 541-962-3708
>
[obol] Possible Garganey at Malheur

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