Written by Brianna Bajakian, Associate Eastern Oregon Biologist for Bird Alliance of Oregon
Photo above by Ian Snyder, Conservation Stewardship Technician for Friends of Malheur NWR
Living and working on-site for my first season at Malheur NWR provided a great opportunity for gaining insight into the landscape and also showed just how quickly that landscape can change. As Bird Alliance of Oregon’s Associate Eastern Oregon Biologist, my primary responsibility for the spring and summer was monitoring the refuge’s bird populations through several types of surveys.
My field days were generally spread out across a variety of habitats. Sometimes I was in wet meadows or dense riparian areas doing general bird counts, while other times I focused on the waterfowl and shorebirds around various refuge impoundments. I would also do manual point counts beside our ARUs (Autonomous Recording Units) as a method of cross-checking that the devices are catching the same calls I hear in person.
To get this done, my routine usually started with a 4:00 a.m. alarm and a few miles of hiking through marshy terrain. There were many mornings I spent pushing my way through dense swaths of reed canary grass, trying my best to out-pace the swarm of mosquitoes that would be in pursuit. But waking up early also provided regular opportunities to catch amazing sunrises, enjoy cool temperatures, and share my morning with dozens of wildlife species. I would regularly survey birds in fields alongside groups of mule deer and coyotes exploring the area with their young; heads poking out from above the grass as they kept a watchful eye on me.
The field season had fallen into a nice rhythm before local fires began to emerge. Returning from a survey coworkers had joined, we noticed a column of smoke appear and reported what would soon become the Stubble Fire. It was startling to watch just how quickly that grew, spreading until it was a little over 2 miles from headquarters where I was staying. Coming from a region that doesn’t typically experience fire seasons, it was intense to witness how rapidly an area can fill with ash-ladened air and become dangerous.
Fieldwork was briefly paused for safety, but as fires were contained, I finished the remaining surveys under a hazy sky and red sun. While providing some logistical challenges, recovering our ARUs from the edges of the burn scars highlighted the importance of having this data. Collecting baseline data surrounding such significant environmental stressors gives us valuable insight into how bird communities handle crises. Tracking this data in real-time helps the refuge manage these habitats and protect native bird populations, especially as fires become a more frequent and intensive challenge in the high desert.
