Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

If you wish to take a break from your vehicle, park on the right side of the road and hike the primitive half-mile trail to Crane Pond overlook. Crane Pond represents the delta of Krumbo Creek. In breeding season, watch for mated pairs of Sandhill Cranes and their colts, or juveniles. You might see a Brewer’s or Lark Sparrow along the trail, and watch for Bushtit in the juniper trees. 

Krumbo Reservoir lies four miles farther down this road. As the deepest water on the Refuge, the reservoir hosts good numbers of diving birds. It is an especially good place to find Common Loon (in migration), Double-crested Cormorant, diving ducks such as goldeneye, Bufflehead, and scaup, and up to five grebe species from spring through fall. Because it is large enough to remain ice-free for much of the year, the reservoir offers important winter habitat and it is the only flatwater fishing on the Refuge that is open to the public. 

To continue the auto tour, back-track a few hundred yards to the northern entrance of the south Center Patrol Road. 

The willow thickets are particularly dense along this section of the Center Patrol Road. Although they block the view of the river and certain fields, they host a wonderful variety of migratory songbirds, including warblers, flycatchers, sparrows, vireos, and finches. Black-headed Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler, and Willow Flycatcher typically nest in this habitat. 

A banding project here revealed that one Willow Flycatcher had successfully made its annual round-trip to Central America ten times, returning to the exact same spot to nest each summer. Not bad for a six-inch bird weighing less than an ounce! This discovery changed our understanding of this species’ life expectancy, and it emphasized the importance of banding birds. It also heightened our awareness that conservation must transcend political borders. 

George M. Benson served as the Refuge game warden, and later agent, beginning in 1918. Preferring the title of “refuge protector,” Benson not only enforced hunting and trapping laws at Malheur, but he also banded many waterfowl, often with the help of local children. With is wife Ethel, Benson eventually moved into the old ranch house that once stood in the large cottonwood grove at the end of this road. The small stone building that remains in the shade of these cottonwoods was first a well house 1930s and 1940s, when the Civilian Conservation Corps was planting willows and excavating what would eventually become Benson Pond. The building then served as a hunter check station in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Look for resident Great Horned Owl as you walk beneath the giant willows along the dike. In spring and summer, the trees around the first bridge can be a fun place to study up to six swallow species as they alternately perch and feed nearby. In summer, search the exposed branches for roosting Common Nighthawks, which perch parallel to the branches. The pond itself is a good place to see swans. During spring and fall migrations, Tundra Swans use the Refuge as a refueling stop, and resident Trumpeter Swans typically nest here, protected in the tall marsh vegetation, such as cattails and tules. 

Dredger Pond is named for the steam-driven dredge that was eventually abandoned here after once being used to channelize the Blitzen River.

As you proceed along the Center Patrol Road, look for the occasional breaches in the dike on the opposite side of the river. These are natural attempts by the Blitzen River to break from its constraints and return to historic channels. The Refuge no longer repairs these openings, instead allowing the river to have its way. 

The two large ponds here are good examples of wetlands that are managed to improve the survival of young waterbirds. Periodically, both West and East Knox Ponds are drained and planted with grain for forage. Once dry, they can be excellent places to look for Mountain Bluebird, American Pipit, and Horned Lark. 

Proceeding south on the Center Patrol Road, you may notice fire-scarred willow remnants. Fire is a natural part of the valley’s ecology, and controlled burning is an important management tool for keeping certain habitats in healthy condition. When burning is not an option, haying and rake-bunch grazing may be utlitized to emulate the effects of fire on vegetation. All of these practices benefit native bird species. 

The lone cottonwood tree that gives this pond its name is one of many roost sites for Bald Eagles that overwinter on the Refuge. Other large raptors may also roost in this sentinal tree, including resident Red-tailed Hawk and Golden Eagle or overwintering Rough-legged Hawk. 

The riparian, or streamside, habitat in this area has hosted Yellow-billed Cuckoo in repeated years, a species of great interest to birders. This bird, once seen more frequently along Oregon waterways, needs a complement of cottonwood for feeding and willow for nesting. Perhaps as we begin the process of restoring healthy riparian systems to our western rivers, these birds will once again grace us regularly with their presence. 

This is another good place to get out and stretch your legs. You are standing at the confluence of Bridge Creek and the Blitzen River. The dam you see on Bridge Creek (on the east side of the road) had for years presented a barrier to the redband trout traveling up to spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the creek. In an ongoing plan to improve conditions for fish, the Refuge is installing screens, which prevent the loss of fish to the meadows, and fish ladders, which improve passage around dams. The fish ladder you see here has made it possible for the “redbands” to once again reach their ancient spawning grounds. 

Just across the bridge and downstream from the confluence, walk the short trail to the interpretive panels along the river. Management efforts are aimed at restoring the natural stream channel and flooding regime to the Blitzen River system, and this site has received recent treatment. 

As you continue south on the Center Patrol Road, you may notice that the road climbs gently, with a notable change in vegetation. These dunes were formed from blowing glacial soils deposited in times when the basin was dry. The very tall bunch-grass is Great Basin wild rye, an important grain for the Paiute people. Together with the sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and other native bunch grasses, these rye patches provide premium habitat for grassland sparrows and cottontails. 

From here to P Ranch, the Center Patrol Road could be called “Bobolink Alley,” at least from late May through July, when breeding pairs are present. Male Bobolinks are most visible from late May into early June, when they are actively singing and displaying among the willows and tall grasses, often perched along the road. Look for their striking pied plumage—generally black with bold white patches and a cream-colored skull-cap—and listen for their whimsical, tinkling song from among the willows. 

Once the young Bobolinks fledge, the adults become harder to find, but concentrations of birds can sometimes be found in August and early September along fence rows or across dry ponds in the upper Blitzen Valley. The Refuge hosts the greatest abundance of Bobolinks in Oregon, and these fields represent the western extremity of the species range in North America, the Bobolink generally favoring inland short-grass prairies east of the Rockies. 

To continue with the auto tour, proceed along the Center Patrol Road until you cross a bridge over the Blitzen River. Turn right immediately under the large cottonwoods into the historic P Ranch. 

In 1872, backed by California industrialist Dr. Hugh Glenn, Peter French headed north from California with a few vaqueros and 1,200 head of Glenn’s shorthorn cattle. They sought land for grazing and livestock production, and once French entered the lush Blitzen River Valley, he knew his search was over. The Glenn/French dynasty, through some legitimate and some devious practices, eventually controlled the entire valley, with outposts at Buena Vista, Sod House, and Diamond. We observed the Sod House at our first stop on the auto tour, and we close the tour at the French long barn, here at the P Ranch. 

When French arrived in the region, many homesteaders had already settled parts of the Blitzen Valley. The old Porter homestead, for one, comprised a land claim where the P Ranch now stands. At some point, Mr. Porter decided to aban- don his homestead, and he soon met French in the Catlow Valley. French offered to buy Porter’s claim along with his few head of cattle, and Porter’s “P” brand was retained in naming the P Ranch. Eventually, the Refuge acquired the land, and during George Benson’s time, horses were the transportation of choice. These horses were the last known stock to bear the famous “P” brand. 

Though not part of the original P Ranch home, the red-brick chimney marks its location. This site is now a residence for Refuge volunteers. Please respect the privacy of the residents. 

As you explore this historic property, keep your binoculars handy! Good birding can be had along the River Trail, where Bullock’s Oriole and Willow Flycatcher nest annually. Cedar Waxwing, Western Tanager, and other migrating songbirds frequent the large cottonwoods and orchards at the ranch. Red-naped Sapsuckers that nest in the aspens on Steens Mountain stage here prior to moving upslope; they can also be found here after breeding. The old fire tower (not open to the public) provides a roost site for dozens of Turkey Vultures on summer evenings, and fall and winter are prime seasons to observe raptors roosting in the cottonwoods. 

This brings a close to the tour! 

We hope this information has increased your enjoyment of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and encouraged you to think about the importance of conserving our natural heritage of wildlands and the wildlife with which we share this beautiful planet. 

Please do what you can to support the National Wildlife Refuge system, and please come again.