New lifer

Some friends and I went over to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for a long weekend.  This vast Refuge is located in Harney County in the SE area of Oregon.  The area is rich in birds due to water and oasis-like surroundings on the dry rim of the Great Basin.  Fall migrants are bountiful and rarities are often seen here.  Just as tempting are the multi-colored sunsets, long vistas, endless skies, working ranches and air that is pure and clear as it possibly can be.   We birded wetlands, mesas, rock formations, lava spills, dry fields and Steens Mountain all the way to the top.  Our list was long, and I had only one 'target bird', a Rosy Finch.  These hardy little  birds are found at altitude and they pefer cool temps.  If it's much above 50, they'll relocate to higher slopes.  They are found in flocks, and they're either there or they're not, like many birds.  They weren't.  But that's where the zen part comes in.  It's the journey, not the bird.  And the journey to the top of the Steens was mighty fine.  The quaking aspens were turning  deep gold to  rich orange.  The leaves, fluttering in the wind, looked like flaming water quivering in a breeze.  Pronghorn does with almost-grown youngsters watched us from a safe distance, ready to run.  It was the start of mule deer season, but I'm pretty sure the pronghorn knew the meaning of gunshots too.  A Prairie Falcon jetted by, on the hunt for lunch, his pale blondish underside flashing in the sun.  Horned Larks, with their colorfully marked heads, grazed on seed.  Their feathery black 'horns' fluttered in the strong wind.  The males have lovely chartreuse bibs outlined in black.  A slow walk along the precipitous east rim failed to bring up any Rosy Finches.  So we opened the back of the car and had a snack, holding our hats down and savoring good cheese and chocolate.  Pipits watched us from the roadside, their bellies a lovely yellow-peach in the sun.  Even though we took a miss on the Rosy Finches (again), it was a great day. 
And the next day, I did get to list  another life bird.  More on that tomorrow.  The cast on my arm keeps hitting the delete key - maybe it's  trying to tell me something!