Darrel,
Interesting right back at you!
I've never seen Tricolored Blackbirds in the place that you describe,
though I usually stop there to check the swallow flock and hope for a
Black-crowned Night-Heron (the resident ranger at the Painted Hills had
a couple of sightings there, 12 to 15 years back).
Over the years there have occasionally been sightings at farm ponds off
of Burnt Ranch Rd. north of the entrance to the Painted Hills,
occasionally as far north as where Burnt Ranch Rd. bends west at the
John Day River. Most of those reports have been in the post-breeding
period, but a few have been during nesting season.
But I think that spot on the NW arm of the reservoir is where Donna
Lusthoff & friends originally found them, and where most detections came
from in subsequent years up through 2010 or so. The cattail marsh there
can be quite extensive during non-drought years.
Joel
On Mon, 2016-03-21 at 11:20 -0700, 5hats@xxxxxxxx wrote:
Joel,
Interesting. The Tricolored Blackbirds I saw at Painted Hills were
not at the location you described. They were in a small marsh along
the creek before you reach the junction of the road heading west into
the park and restroom area. This spot is a couple of miles from the
reservoir.
Darrel
