WhenToBird

Birding spot · Harney County, Oregon

Birding at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Bird Waterhole): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Bird Waterhole) are Red-winged Blackbird (74%), Song Sparrow (72%), and American Coot (67%). It is busiest in spring, when 90 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of September (94 species). 197 species have been reported here across 1,298 complete checklists from 650 birders.

Species by week

020406080100Jan 1-7: low data (3 checklists)Jan 8-14: low data (2 checklists)Jan 15-21: low data (1 checklists)Jan 22-31: low data (6 checklists)Feb 1-7: low data (4 checklists)Feb 8-14: low data (2 checklists)Feb 15-21: low data (2 checklists)Feb 22-28: low data (2 checklists)Mar 1-7: low data (7 checklists)Mar 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Mar 15-21: 46 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsMar 22-31: 48 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsApr 1-7: 73 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsApr 8-14: 61 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsApr 15-21: 78 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsApr 22-30: 70 species on 5%+ of 35 checklistsMay 1-7: 80 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsMay 8-14: 90 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsMay 15-21: 84 species on 5%+ of 116 checklistsMay 22-31: 86 species on 5%+ of 278 checklistsJun 1-7: 82 species on 5%+ of 142 checklistsJun 8-14: 78 species on 5%+ of 56 checklistsJun 15-21: 81 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsJun 22-30: 62 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsJul 1-7: 72 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJul 8-14: 90 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJul 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Jul 22-31: 85 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsAug 1-7: 88 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsAug 8-14: low data (5 checklists)Aug 15-21: low data (4 checklists)Aug 22-31: 84 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsSep 1-7: 88 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsSep 8-14: 94 species on 5%+ of 48 checklistsSep 15-21: 85 species on 5%+ of 68 checklistsSep 22-30: 63 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsOct 1-7: 63 species on 5%+ of 26 checklistsOct 8-14: 71 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsOct 15-21: 63 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsOct 22-31: low data (6 checklists)Nov 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Nov 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Nov 15-21: low data (1 checklists)Nov 22-30: low data (4 checklists)Dec 1-7: low data (1 checklists)Dec 8-14: low data (2 checklists)Dec 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Dec 22-31: low data (2 checklists)JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Red-winged Blackbird74%
  2. 2Song Sparrow72%
  3. 3American Coot67%
  4. 4Northern Yellow Warbler66%
  5. 5Marsh Wren64%
  6. 6Mallard62%
  7. 7Common Yellowthroat58%
  8. 8American Robin57%
  9. 9Tree Swallow54%
  10. 10Northern Flicker54%
  11. 11Barn Swallow51%
  12. 12Trumpeter Swan50%
  13. 13Gadwall49%
  14. 14Northern Harrier48%
  15. 15White-faced Ibis47%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 43 species

  1. Trumpeter Swan91%
  2. Canada Goose88%
  3. Northern Flicker69%
  4. Mallard63%
  5. Northern Harrier63%

Spring 90 species

  1. Red-winged Blackbird83%
  2. American Coot76%
  3. Marsh Wren72%
  4. Song Sparrow72%
  5. Tree Swallow72%

Summer 85 species

  1. Northern Yellow Warbler88%
  2. Red-winged Blackbird86%
  3. Song Sparrow81%
  4. Common Yellowthroat77%
  5. White-faced Ibis77%

Fall 82 species

  1. Northern Flicker74%
  2. Mallard65%
  3. Song Sparrow65%
  4. Northern Harrier63%
  5. American Coot60%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across Oregon.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.