Harney County goes back to the birds – and the birders

Harney County is going “back to the birds” — and the birders — this weekend for the annual Migratory Bird Festival, which has drawn added interest in the wake of the recent Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation.

“You have things like the snow geese, which are really impressive,” said John Burch from Boise, Idaho, who is visiting Harney County with his wife to observe some birds.

“Nothing else compares (to Harney County),” said his wife, Janice Burch, who has been coming to Harney County for bird-watching since she was 6 years old.

But it’s not all back to normal in the region. The headquarters to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge remains closed, but that did not keep birders away from coming (or coming back) to the area.

“It almost seemed personal to a lot of people, even though we live far away from it,” said avid birder Beth Bargsten of Corvallis.

Many birders watched the occupation closely and have their own views on what happened.

“They weren’t patriots. They were traitors,” said John Burch.

Interest in the bird festival, which began Thursday and concludes Sunday , has skyrocketed since the refuge was under a media spotlight during the weeks-long standoff at its headquarters.

“It was pretty amazing to watch it (the tour tickets) go so fast,” said Chelsea Harrison, director of the Harney County Chamber of Commerce.

Harrison said most of the scheduled bird-watching tours sold out within the first two weeks. Many of the guided tours take place on the refuge, where armed occupiers stayed for 41 days during a standoff with federal officials.

“I think the national attention was definitely beneficial,” Harrison said.

It was free publicity, but the standoff ruffled some feathers in the birding community.

“This is public land. This is our land,” Burch said.

Despite the occupation and aftermath, bird-watching will go on.