There is nothing more exciting than springtime at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Driving from Portland during the first week of April, this year’s excitement started with icy roads on Mt. Hood and a dusting of powder that blew me into Burns as I drove my old RV, Maxine, east from Bend.
Relatively speaking, I’m a rather recent admirer of the Malheur NWR. My first visit to the refuge was in November of 2021, which also happened to be my first bird-photography focused trip.
“This was definitely my most memorable moment…the tenderness of the parents towards their young, the little ones energy and eagerness all backdropped by a beautiful sunset…it was a heartfelt scene to say the least, that touched me so deeply I drove away crying, tears of beauty, tears of gratitude.” – Calley Lovett
During the first week of August 2022, several staff from the North America Programs at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) visited Malheur NWR, as part of a grand tour of Sandhill crane breeding and stopover sites in the Pacific NW.
The ICF works worldwide to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend. Most of the world’s cranes are rare, endangered, or in decline; however, the remarkable recovery of Sandhill Cranes is a story of true conservation success.
Written by Suzanne Simons/ Photo by Dan Streiffert Flocks of birds and people disappear overnight. Tundra swans, snow geese, birders, volunteers. It’s disorienting. Squawking, raucous lines at the gift shop
Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was formed in 1999 and is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.
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