Birders’ Night: Harry Fuller on Birding Harney County
Photo: Sora at Page Springs, taken by Wendy Temko
BIRDING HARNEY COUNTY
Where and when are always crucial elements when seeking that special bird. And Harney County has many birds not found where most birders live. From Bobolink to Common Nighthawk. From Ferruginous Hawk to Franklin’s Gull. From White Pelican to Wilson’s Phalarope this area is a birder’s challenge. Timing, habitat, amount of water in the basin–the variables are many and crucial to understand. Although Malheur NWR is the largest refuge in the 48 states, it is a small parcel of what huge Harney County has to offer–a county large than Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticutt combined, with fewer than 8000 human residents.
Harry Fuller is a veteran birding guide. He currently leads field trips for the Malheur Field Station in eastern Oregon as well as for Salem Audubon and Polk County Soil Conservation. Baskett Slough and Cornerstone Preserve are favorite birding locations near Salem. He also leads GGOwl trips to Ashland area.
He writes occasional bird essays for Salem Reporter website.
Harry has authored four natural history books: San Francisco’s Natural History: Sand Dunes to Streetcars; Great Gray Owls of CA-OR-WA; Freeway Birding, freewaybirding.com; and most recently Birding Harney County.
His bird blog: ecowise.wordpress.com
He also contributes to “Salem Turkey Tracker” group on Facebook.