Burrowing Owl
Copyright © 1996, Don Baccus
[ Places to visit! | Birds! | Mammals! | Maps! | Checklist! | Steal this photo - NOT! ]
Copyright © 1995, Don Baccus
All images copyright © 1995, Don Baccus
This guide covers a large portion of southeastern Oregon centered around the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It is oriented towards the natural history enthusiast and nature photographer. Due to the fact that the area offers the best springtime birding in Oregon, the emphasis is very much biased towards birds. There is also information on mammals, snakes, flowers and sightseeing.
Though the information in the guide is oriented towards the springtime visitor, other seasons can be good as well. Fall brings vistas of golden aspens on Steens Mountain and is another excellent time to visit. Summer is hot and dry. Winter is cold, with Burns often being the coldest spot in the state for days at a time.
NOTE: At this point, only the pages describing places to visit in the area, and a few bird pages, are complete. Do not attempt to follow links to birds or mammals within the current set of pages. Instead, click on the "birds" reference at the top of the page to get an index of available bird descriptions. To browse the area, follow the maps above and click on various areas, or open the "places" index by clicking above. The links to various places highlighted within the pages should all work.
NOTE ON PHOTOS: The photos of birds and mammals contained in this set of pages were not all taken in the area, as I selected the best photos of each species I have in my files. In some cases, I have no photo at all, in some cases because I've yet to scan one, in others because I've yet to take a presentable one.
At the moment, with a great deal of patience!
The easiest way to browse the area is to open the map index, select one, and click on various areas and see what happens. The map covering the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is most complete.
Another way to use this guide is to click on the "places" and "birds" pages, and to read the individual pages referenced there. Each subpage has a brief menu at the bottom to help you navigate back to the index pages. Within the pages, all links to place descriptions have been complete. Only a few of the bird pages have been completed at this point so it is best to stick to the index to browse them. No mammal pages have been written at this time.
These pages are under active construction, as I try to write one or two each morning before work, so if you like what you see, check back frequently.
Remember that you can click on any of the included photos to display a larger version.
The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters is known throughout the west as being a "migrant trap" for vagrant birds in spring and fall. There is also a great variety of resident breeding birds in the spring and summer, and mammals such as pronghorn and mule deer are easily seen. Also of interest to those of us who live in the wet, western parts of the Pacific Northwest is that spring weather in the area usually includes many warm, sunny days without getting nearly as hot as it does in summer.
Along with the refuge, most visitors to the area won't want to miss places like Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert.
There are many motels in Burns. In addition, Fields Oasis has a small motel. There are two small hotels which also serve meals in Diamond and Frenchglen, and a bed-and-breakfast in Diamond. If you don't mind bringing your own sleeping bag, living in a potentially leaky trailer or sharing dorm space with other visitors, the Malheur Field Station is a cheap alternative. The Field Station also has a cafeteria that serves breakfast and dinner during the peak birding season. Eventually, I'll provide a page with phone numbers, etc, but for now you're on your own.