Written by Teresa ‘Bird’ Wicks, Eastern Oregon Biologist and Program Manager

This year marks the fourth full year of the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey (IMWSS) and the sixth year of our Malheur Western Snowy Plover survey. These two projects provide snapshots of bird use of the Harney Lake playa and Stinking Lake, and other areas of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (IMWSS only). Last year was the first year that we also helped with the IMWSS in the Klamath Basin and the similarities and differences were super interesting.

For example, in the spring there were many Black-bellied Plovers in the Klamath Basin, all on the Oregon side of Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, on the lease lands. In the fall, there were thousands of Black-necked Stilts at Mud Lake alone in the Harney Basin and thousands more at Lower Klamath. Western Snowy Plovers had a fairly good year at Malheur too, with approximately 40 chicks documented during the summer survey (a high for the six years of surveys).

Each year, we rely on volunteers to help with surveys. We accept volunteers of any skill level, pairing newer volunteers/bird identifiers with more experienced folks. Nearly all areas we survey in spring and fall, and all areas we survey in the summer, require hiking 5-10 miles roundtrip per day on uneven terrain, in one of the most beautiful regions of Malheur.

This year our survey windows are:

Spring Intermountain West Shorebird Survey: April 23-26, 2026

Malheur Western Snowy Plover Survey: June 17-20, 2026

Fall Intermountain West Shorebird Survey: August 12-15, 2026

To sign-up or for more information, please contact Bird Wicks at [email protected].