Oregon: Crater Lake & Klamath Basin

We suggest a morning arrival at the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport so that we can maximize time spent birding on our first day, or to arrive a day early. We will set out to some Rogue Valley hotspots near Medford and Ashland to kick off the tour and get acquainted with the local bird community! Targets in the valley and nearby foothills include Wrentit, California Towhee, Acorn Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, California Scrub-Jay, Lesser Goldfinch, Anna’s Hummingbird, Western Kingbird, Western Wood-Pewee, Violet-green Swallow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brewer’s Blackbird, Northern Mockingbird, and Bullock’s Oriole.

Exploring shaded mountain ravines of the Siskiyou Mountains should produce sightings of Pacific Wren, Western Tanager, Nashville Warbler, and Pacific-slope Flycatcher. We will end the day at the base of these mountains in the beautiful little town of Ashland. The coastal mountain range extends over 100 miles, straddling the border of California and Oregon. Due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean the forests receive over 100 inches of rain each winter. This wet environment promotes a huge diversity of plants and animals, and is also home to some of the largest trees in the United States. Towering Coast Redwoods, Douglas-Fir, Incense Cedar, and Shasta Red Fir dominate the lichen-covered forests while Pacific Madrone, manzanita, and California Black Oak bring some color to the dense understory. After dark we will search for Western Screech-Owl and Barn Owl. Night in Ashland.

On our first full day we will head out early and climb up into the scenic Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument to visit the high elevations areas of Mount Ashland. Locally these mountains create the southern boundary of the Rogue Valley, but the Cascades are a major range of the Pacific Northwest and extend from British Columbia to northern California. As part of the “Ring of Fire” the Cascades are famous for the many volcanoes that make up the higher peaks. The western slopes of the Cascades receive substantial precipitation, but much of the range is dryer. Oak savannah persists in the lower elevations but is threatened by development and agriculture. Middle elevations are dominated by pine-oak forest, and then in the higher areas coniferous forests are broken up by extensive meadows.

Gamebird species are diverse here and include Sooty Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, California Quail, and the elusive Mountain Quail. A nice assortment of West Coast songbirds are common and we will search for Black-headed Grosbeak, Townsend’s Solitaire, Steller’s Jay, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Green-tailed Towhee, Mountain Chickadee, Cassin’s Finch, “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrow, and Rufous Hummingbird. Band-tailed Pigeons perched in snaggy tips of massive trees, and Golden Eagles are regularly seen soaring overhead. Olive-sided, Hammond’s, and Dusky Flycatchers should all be encountered too! Where madrone dominates the forest composition, listen for Hutton’s Vireo, Nashville Warbler, and Cassin’s Vireo singing. Mountain Quail may be found along the edges of the forest roads, always quick to dart into dense cover. A few stops in the oak-savannah hillsides can be a great place to find Oak Titmouse, Ash-throated Flycatcher, California Towhee, “Pacific” White-breasted Nuthatch, Spotted Towhee, and Bewick’s Wren. Narrow, rushing creeks can have nesting American Dippers! Watch in mountain meadows for elk and ‘Columbian Black-tailed Deer’ – the local subspecies of Mule Deer. After an hour drive from the Cascade to Klamath Falls, we will visit a few lakeside hotspots for waterbirds before checking into our hotel. Night in Klamath Falls.

We’ll be up early and heading toward Crater Lake National Park. At sunrise we will visit a small, shortgrass wetland area where we may hear Yellow Rails, Sora, Virginia Rail, Wilson’s Snipe, Barred Owl, and various songbirds. From there we’ll wind our way up through the forested slopes of Mount Manzama to stand at the rim of the volcano overlooking Crater Lake! Views of the lake will be astonishing, and you will be entranced by the unbelievable blue color of the huge lake filling the imploded volcano cone. This lake is fed entirely by rain and snow-melt – there are no rivers or creeks running into it.

Birding along the rugged western rim of the crater can result in finding Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Townsend’s Solitaire, Cassin’s Finch, and Clark’s Nutcracker. Yellow-bellied Marmots and American Pika may be encountered on the talus slopes! After lunch we will take short hikes along various trails, and explore hidden corners of the park. The birding should be rich, with many species caring for recently-fledged young. Nashville Warbler, ‘Audubon’s’ Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and Cassin’s Vireo are plentiful. Red-breasted Sapsuckers and many other woodpeckers fill the forests. Butterflies and Rufous Hummingbirds can be abundant around open meadows full of wildflowers! Curious Canada Jays can offer exceptionally close encounters! Listen carefully for Evening Grosbeak and Red Crossbill flocks overhead! Night in Klamath Falls.

We will visit the shores of the Klamath Lakes in search of Clark’s and Western Grebes plus Eared Grebe, Black Tern, and American Bittern. Forays into the Ponderosa Pine forests along the eastern slope of the Cascades is home to Pygmy Nuthatches, White-headed Woodpeckers, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Oak Titmouse. Across the basin, we will explore the dry Modoc Rim and search for the tiny Calliope Hummingbird, Lazuli Bunting, and Green-tailed Towhee. After lunch we will explore the marshes and floodplains along the Oregon/California border where we should find massive colonies of the endangered Tricolored Blackbird packed into the cattails and grasses. Additionally Yellow-headed Blackbird and Red-winged Blackbirds nest in these wetlands. Sometimes the northward-expanding Great-tailed Grackle can be found here. American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts nest in shallow ponds and on saline flats. Black-crowned Night-Heron, Caspian Tern, and many species of ducks nest in this huge refuge including the stunning Cinnamon Teal and we might catch a glimpse of North American River Otter, Coyote, American Beaver, Muskrat, or the introduced Nutrias. Beware that recent droughts and over-consumption of water by area farmers has resulted in much lower water levels during the summer, and some years the number of waterbirds is greatly diminished. In this case, we will focus more time on forest birding, etc. Night in Klamath Falls.

Our first birding stop this morning will be to visit nest sites of Golden Eagle and Prairie Falcons. If we are lucky we might spot a White-throated Swift zooming along the cliff faces, and Cliff Swallows will be busily tending to their mud nests. Ring-necked Pheasants and California Quail are abundant in agricultural areas, as well as Brewer’s Blackbirds and Bullock’s Orioles. Entering the Lava Beds National Monument will take us through rolling hills of tall sagebrush where we can find Sage Thrasher, Brewer’s Sparrow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Western Meadowlark, and Horned Larks. Northern Harriers and Loggerhead Shrike hunt the brush. Bring a headlamp so that we can take a walk through an underground lava tube and look for bats! Heading back north through the Klamath Marsh we should see Great and Snowy Egrets, Forster’s Tern, Cinnamon Teal, and 100s of White-faced Ibis! Night in Klamath Falls.

Our primary goal for the morning will be to track down a Great Gray Owl. The Cascades of Jackson and Klamath Counties are home to the densest population of Great Grays in the Lower 48! This will require a very early start, well before dawn. If we are lucky we might find one hunting the edge of a meadow at sunrise, and depending on recent intel we might visit a nesting territory. During our search for the mighty owl we may also encounter Mountain Quail, Williamson’s Sapsucker, and White-headed Woodpecker. Sandhill Cranes and a threatened subspecies of Vesper Sparrow nest in the open meadows, and Red Crossbill and Evening Grosbeak search for pine seeds at the forest edges. Back in the Rogue Valley, we will search for ‘California’ Red-shouldered Hawk, Anna’s Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, and any last-minute targets that remain. Night in Ashland.

Departures from Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (MFR) during the morning hours would be best due to West Coast flight schedules, and we can bird local hotspots if there is any time before airport drop-offs.