FOMR President’s Message

As you look through this month’s edition of the Musings, you’ll see that we have a busy fall season before us. Our small staff and essential cadre of volunteers have laid out a rich series of events that provide opportunities for you to get personally involved at our favorite wildlife refuge.

As we creep into late summer, I think we can agree that it’s been good season. Malheur Lake has water, and the Donner and Blitzen River continues to flow nicely.

Some of you may be aware that during my working days I spent many years on the staff of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and I still follow affairs in that region with interest. The big story there this spring – aside from the massive snowpack – is the reemergence of Tulare Lake in the southern part of California’s Great Central Valley.

I’ve been birding far from home lately in a place that nevertheless felt very familiar. Let me explain.

After a long and quiet winter, the natural world is stirring. Migratory birds – waterbirds and songbirds alike – are surging northward toward their summer breeding grounds after wintering in relatively mild places like California’s Great Central Valley. Some species traveled as far south as Central America to avoid the cold. Throughout April, flocks of numerous species will arrive at Malheur to feed and rest.