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Spring Photo Journal

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Spring Photo Journal

Photographs with Captions by Amanda Aman

It is a real joy when I am scrolling through social media and I see a collection of images on ‘Birding Oregon’ or ‘PNW Birders’ with a comment mentioning a recent trip to Malheur NWR. Sometimes I am so moved by these images and the comments that I reach out to the original poster, introduce myself, and ask if they would be willing to share their memories with the Friends of Malheur NWR. These images and those found in the post, “1st Visit to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge” by Lena Land are examples of this. I’m thrilled that photographer, Amanada Aman and Lena were enthusiastic about sharing their images and by extension their memories and connection to Malheur. Please enjoy. -Janelle Wicks, FOMR Director

Small bird with yellow throat sitting in a bush.
Male Yellow Breasted Chat. One of my favorite sightings from the trip 🙂 This male was serenading me above some bramble. 
A fluffy young great-horned owl sits in a ponderosa pine tree.
One of the four floofs we saw at the headquarters 🙂
Small bird with black on its back and wings and bright yellow-orange on its head, breast, and belly stands on a twig.
An adult, male Bullock’s Oriole showing off his vibrant colors. These were some of the best views I have ever gotten of this stunning songbird. Their almost neon orange plumage gives me a serotonin boost.
Small bird flying.
One of hundreds of Cliff Swallows my boyfriend and I saw whizzing around near Page Springs. Swallows are incredibly fast, so I was surprised to successfully capture one in flight. I love the combination of their rich, navy-blue blacks, brick red faces, and cream-colored forehead patches. 
Franklin's gull flying. Black wing tips with an all black head are noticable markings on this white bird.
This Franklin’s Gull (a lifer for me), along with 50+ others, gave us a show on our drive back to Burns. They were accompanied by Black and Forester Terns, swirling over a vast meadow. 
Forester's tern in flight. Black cap on a white bird with grey wings. This tern is looking down, likely hunting.
I thoroughly enjoyed Benson Ponds. Along with flycatchers and swallows, my boyfriend and I were surrounded by Forster’s Terns hovering over and plunging into the marsh for fish. This particular tern fluttered only a few feet away, allowing me to snap some photographs of them.
Small bird with a blue head and white throat is looking out of the nesting cavity in a tree.
Tree Swallows are fairly common birds at home, I loved seeing them poking out of tree trunks…living up to their name! Also, their dazzling blue color is nothing short of stunning. 
Medium size bird with brown mottled feathers and a white belly sits on a tree branch in the rain. This bird has a very long probing bill.
The Wilson’s Snipe was probably one of the top birds of our trip. My boyfriend and I spotted and listened to several winnowing on fence posts and snags. This particular snipe was calling out to a mate in the rain. They are typically very shy birds, but each snipe we encountered was standing proud, posing for the camera.

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