Yes, there are many variations of the wave. One finger (the index, if you were
wondering), several fingers, full-hand, etc. I can’t tell who’s who enough to
know if they are a rancher, another birder….it’s a nice friendly gesture that
doesn’t happen so much outside a rural area.
And, on the friendly rancher note, Alice Elshoff and I used to guide Steens
Mt/E Oregon tours for Portland Parks and Recreation. We were given 15-passenger
vans, and almost always got a flat tire in the heavy rigs. (I finally started
having them put a second spare on the roof rack, and occasionally had to use
it. Les Schwab in Burns got a lot of business from us.) More than once, a
rancher/cowboy stopped to help us change the tire. Once it was a cowboy from
Roaring Springs Ranch, who have not much love for environmentalists. It’s just
what you do when you live where there’s not much traffic and people help each
other.
Mary
On Mar 28, 2016, at 10:43 AM, whoffman@xxxxxxxx wrote:
The precise form does not matter. You can lift the fingers, raise one hand,
etc. The point is that you are giving a friendly acknowledgment of the other
driver - that you are not so absorbed in your own stuff that you cannot
acknowledge the few other people you are encountering.
Wayne
From: jmeredit@xxxxxxxxxxx
To: "boo" <boo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2016 9:28:46 AM
Subject: [boo] Re: Malheur Reflections
I think that lifting of the fingers is the universal farmer or rancher wave,
widespread usage..taught to me by my dad in Minnesota and mainly used in
rural areas. Judy, jmeredit@xxxxxxxxxxx
On 03-28-2016 08:59, Bob Archer wrote:
I have understood the "Harney wave" to be an opening of your hand while it is
pressed against top of steering wheel. Always deliver said wave and always
receive same back.
Bob Archer
On Mar 28, 2016, at 8:45 AM, Tim Blount <harneybirder@xxxxxxxxx
<mailto:harneybirder@xxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Hi All,
The wave is the norm in Harney County. What happens is when a local sees
someone that is birding they assume there will be no wave. I have a ball
catching them off guard and giving the wave and see them trying to get one up
before we pass. The best way to try and fit in is that little gesture of a
wave. Something I love about the people of Harney County.
Tim
On Mar 27, 2016 10:12 PM, "David Irons" <llsdirons@xxxxxxx
<mailto:llsdirons@xxxxxxx>> wrote:
Thanks Clay. This is great stuff. You are now the second birder (including
Jesse Laney on OBOL) who has reported that local ranchers waved and were
friendly when they saw birders. Folks in Harney County are mostly salt of the
earth types, who I suspect don't want to give the impression that they are
hostile towards birders, either by default, or by failing to make friendly
gestures towards us.
Having spent many years of my life living in the Midwest (Indiana and
downstate Illinois), where friendly waves are almost automatically exchanged
with everyone you pass, it would be nice to see that become the new norm in
Harney County.
Dave Irons
Portland, OR
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2016 20:11:34 -0700
Subject: [boo] Malheur Reflections
From: ruffledgrouch@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:ruffledgrouch@xxxxxxxxx>
To: boo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:boo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; cobol@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:cobol@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
If you’ve ever thought about joining the ODFW Adopt-A-Lek program, it’s a
hoot. On the way to and from my assigned leks in the Owyhee uplands this
week, I spent some time in the Greater Harney County Basin and on the Malheur
National Wildlife Refuge. I now have a new standard for quiet. Three days
without hearing a truck or seeing another person. Sure wish they required
mufflers on small planes that are flying low search patterns. Grumph.
Sunday 20 March
Shortly before Hampton there was a field swarming with Sage Rats and at least
11 Bald Eagles feeding on them (Hwy 20, mp 61, south side). Did not stop and
count the smaller raptors. This could have been the place mentioned in the
recent New York Times article about the Malheur recovery. It includes a lyric
description of why so many become birders:
I may not have understood the point of birding when I was off looking for
courting sage grouse, but in that moment I understood why birders are about
to return to Malheur with a vengeance. We fly through life on cruise control,
going 75, not knowing what we’re missing. Birding forces us to slow down, to
be observant, to savor our surroundings. As the last bald eagle I saw soared
out of sight, I thought of the last bit of advice that Mr. Blount had given
me, “Just pay attention,” he said. “Look around, because you never know what
you might see.”
— Dave
Seminara, March 21, 2016
Link shared on BOO list by Dolores Porch; see
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/travel/oregon-standoff-bird-watching.html ;
<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/travel/oregon-standoff-bird-watching.html>.
The reservoir at Chickahominy was substantially fuller than I’ve seen it the
last five springs. Not even close to the high water mark, but 3–4 feet over
previous years. The fence in the gully under the powerlines was underwater. I
did not cross the fence and could not see the stream mouth which was up
around the corner instead of several hundred feet below the fence. There was
no water flow below the dam. This area drains past Riley and into Harney Lake
west of the Narrows. There were two Avocets and some Killdeer, plus typical
dabblers and diving ducks. Zero grebes and no loons. The roadside reservoir
at Riley looked low as usual.
Monday 21 March
Greenhouse Lane Loop
Unfortunately it is time for ECAS to update the description of the former
wetland at the 90 degree turn on Greenhouse Lane (see
http://media.wix.com/ugd/2c5973_49d28c62acb34f869cbd5614ebd0df54.pdf ;
<http://media.wix.com/ugd/2c5973_49d28c62acb34f869cbd5614ebd0df54.pdf>). It
is my understanding that the springs here have gone dry due to pivot pumps
drawing down the groundwater. The current use is a winter cattle feeding
yard. The Oregon Department of Water Resources is currently holding public
hearings about approval of additional pumping (see
http://www.oregon.gov/owrd/Pages/law/Department_Rulemaking.aspx ;
<http://www.oregon.gov/owrd/Pages/law/Department_Rulemaking.aspx>). Standing
here I can hear the geese on Porter Swamp Road. They are loud and that must
be a BIG flock to be audible at that distance. I decide not to spend time
waiting for a flyout.
Moving east I found a trio of Black-necked Stilts across the road from the
lone cottonwood. The field here is starting to fill and must have a high
priority water right. Birders who enjoy sorting through blackbird flocks will
find plenty of opportunity to indulge their hobby at the cattle feed lot.
There was a scattering of large Sandhill Cranes that are in pairs and acting
territorial. Also present are loose groups of smaller cranes. They are in
small scattered flocks of 20–50 birds. Did not observe any dancing.
At a gas station in Hines I was able to joke with the owner about being
relieved that the invasion of wannabe rodeo clowns had been relocated to more
suitable habitat. He laughed and stated that some of the militia
demonstrators had become stranded in town, unable to make it home. They were
welcome to go home.
The large flock of white geese across Egan Road from the Fairgrounds was
mostly Ross’s. Drove in and parked by the back. The Poo Ponds were mostly
empty. Received a friendly wave from a stockman loading horses. The area
south of the ponds had scatted flocks of white geese and about 100 swans.
They were spread from there down toward the BLM headquarters.
Island Ranch–Emblee Bridge Road is a well-graded wide gravel road. There were
Rough-legged Hawks and a Great Horned Owl. Did not see any Egrets in the
willow grove where they congregate in the spring. I was surprised by how few
Red-tailed Hawks were present. This was a substantial decrease from December
2015.
Thursday 24 March
The Princeton-Narrows Road had been recently graded, is two lanes wide and
might even have been regraveled with the light colored 3/4-minus that the
county uses. This dirt road is a pleasure to drive on. There were two Turkey
Vultures soaring low over a field on the north side of the road that had some
Sage Rats. I did not notice the two shooters in the shade of a hay pile until
after I stopped. They gave me a friendly wave. There was a pair of Loggerhead
Shrikes near an old BLM experiment sign. It was windy and late so few birds
were up and active. The bay where the road bypasses Vanguard was dry and
winter dormant. No Ferruginous Hawks or Short-eared Owls. There were a few
Harriers and the usual coyotes.
It was quiet at the Malheur NWR headquarters entrance. There was no sign of
security. A Turkey Vulture was roosting in a tree above the Visitor Center. I
scoped Malheur Lake, and it was a long way past the boat ramp to where the
water starts. It was gray-blue and looked far healthier than the roiled muddy
brown of last spring. The vegetation still had the brown tones of winter
dormancy. Traffic included two work trucks bearing the name of a national
insurance repair service. They were departing, as it was about quittin’ time.
A white government pickup arrived about then. They did not wave or stop to
talk. A 30-something Irish couple stopped and chatted. They were Twitchers
and asked if any unusual birds had been seen. A large flight of Snow Geese
was circling down somewhere to the south along the Patrol Road. The ruins of
Camp Ridiculum had subsided to a white plastic mound at the lower end of the
parking lot. It had been surrounded by temporary chain link fence panels.
The Golden Eagle nest west of the Narrows was not visibly occupied but
appeared to have fresh construction. Enjoyed a fantastic sunset over Harney
Lake.
Out of time — more soon.
--
Happy birding,
Clay Crofton
There's more Birders than Golfers
