BCC – Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

The camera club had planned a field trip to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the group was heading out early Friday and staying overnight so they could be up bright and early on Saturday. It’s about a 3.5-hour drive from here, and at first, I wasn’t going to go. But I couldn’t stop thinking about all the amazing birds I might see. I kept talking about it so much that I think Greg finally got tired of hearing me and told me to just go!

Since I couldn’t leave Friday, my plan was to head out early Saturday morning. If it turned out to be awesome, I figured I’d stay the night and shoot more on Sunday. Just in case, I threw a mattress in the back of my SUV—I figured if I couldn’t find a hotel, I could always sleep in the car. Or just head home. I was keeping it flexible.

I left around 8 a.m. on Saturday and started the drive. My goal was to meet up with the photo group for lunch. On the way, I saw so many deer—I told Greg I think I’ve seen more deer this year than in my entire life! I also spotted quite a few antelope and even managed to get some decent shots of a few that weren’t too far away. I caught sight of a cool whitish hawk before I even made it to the refuge.

The weather was all over the place. I drove through snow, rain, fog, sunshine, and wind—but thankfully, nothing too crazy. I just took my time, enjoyed the scenery, and listened to an audiobook.

When I got to the Visitor Center, I ran into a few camera club members—including the field trip chair. She let me know there’d been a change of lunch plans: the place they hoped to eat at was closed, and everyone had brought food instead. Of course, I hadn’t planned for that, so I drove 40 minutes up to Burns to get gas, grab lunch, and stock up on snacks.

The woman at the Visitor Center was incredibly helpful. She gave me tips on the best places to see the kinds of birds I love, mentioned where some owls had been spotted (sadly, I never found them), and even gave me a bonus tip: if I kept driving after the refuge, I might spot wild mustangs.

She added me to the group chat so I could keep in touch with everyone, but I quickly found out cell service was spotty at best. I didn’t end up seeing anyone else from the group again the rest of the day.

The drive to and from Burns was borderline flooded. Water covered the fields right up to the edge of the road, and birds were everywhere. I saw tons of waterfowl and even some Sandhill Cranes. Unfortunately, there were few places to pull off, so I had to pass up a lot of potential shots—but I did manage to stop and capture a few.

At one point, I took a wrong turn and ended up retracing the road I’d come in on. On the bright side, I saw more deer and snagged a few more photos before getting back on track toward the overlook recommended by the Visitor Center staff.

The wetlands were beautiful, though I wasn’t spotting as many birds as I’d hoped. When I got to the overlook, I saw some Sandhill Cranes and Turkey Vultures, but not much else. At the top, I met a couple of lovely older ladies out on a day trip from Burns. They were full of local knowledge and clearly loved the area. They told me that in a few weeks, the refuge would be teeming with more water and birds. They also gave me a list of more places to come back and explore—locals always know the best spots.

After the overlook, I headed to another area the Visitor Center recommended. Along the way, I finally started seeing more birds, including one I’d never seen before with a long, skinny beak. I also spotted a pair of coyotes playing in the distance. They were too far for great photos, but it was fun to watch. A bit farther down the road, I found more deer, calmly munching grass, completely unbothered by my presence.

Since there was still plenty of daylight left, I decided to try my luck with the wild mustangs. I eventually found them—but they were way off in the distance. I pulled over to snack on some carrots and just enjoy the moment. A car pulled up to check on me since I was in the middle of nowhere. It was kind of sweet, actually. I reassured them I was fine—just horse watching and carrot crunching.

I decided to try getting a little closer and found a dirt road leading into the area where the horses were. I was a little nervous—being out there alone with no cell service and iffy road conditions. But I went for it. The road got bumpy fast, so I pulled off before it got worse.

Not long after, another car came down the same road. I’ll admit—I got a little nervous. My brain went straight to worst-case scenarios. But it turned out to be a friendly guy who’d also been told about the horses at the Visitor Center. He was out trying to get closer for some photos too. As we talked, a group of mustangs suddenly came closer. I got a few shots I was pretty happy with while he headed farther down the road on foot to get an even better view.

In the end, I didn’t see nearly as many birds as I’d hoped—but I did see lots of other wildlife. And I had a great time. I’m so glad I decided to go. Instead of staying the night, I drove home and made it back around 10 p.m. It was a long day, but absolutely worth it.

On the way home, I saw even more antelope, an eagle, and—randomly—a sheep and a cow standing right in the middle of the road.