Oregon is home to nearly 500 bird species and when spring migration hits, thousands of exotic birds come to rest and feed under the Pacific Flyway. Gather the family to these bird sanctuaries around the state and witness their passage.

With the largest concentration of bald eagles in the Continental U.S., it’s no wonder Sunset Magazine rated the Klamath Basin Bird Trail in Southern Oregon one of the top five destinations for birding. In addition there are more than 40 bird watching locations dotted along the trail among the mountains and marshes of the area.

April 9-11 marks the 29th annual John Scharff Migratory Bird Festival in the Eastern Oregon town of Burns. Bird enthusiasts and beginners alike can witness the spring migration in high desert country at Harney Basin. In addition to round-the-clock birding activities, the festival also has historical and cultural events for the whole family.

Nestled in the coastal range foothills outside of Eugene in the Willamette Valley is the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. Its extensive wetland habitat plays host to more than 250 species of birds during the spring migration. There are over 10,000-acres to explore a lake that’s popular with sailors and anglers.

For more information on birding in Oregon, check out OregonBirdingTrails.0rg

Located just outside of Portland, the Jackson Botton Wetlands Preserve is one of only 10 urban wildlife refuges in the country. The 725-acre wildlife preserve is home to numerous bird species, as well as deer, otter and beaver.

You’ll want to take binoculars, camera and a thermos of hot coffee when you join my thrilling getaway this week. It’s the ‘early birder who catches the most spectacular wildlife show’ on a dawn patrol to see the largest gathering of bald eagles in the country at the Klamath Wildlife Refuge in Southern Oregon.

Stillness at daybreak accompanies the arctic air that plummets the early-morning to sub-freezing. It’s a lonely time as the only headlamps for miles–ours–pierce the darkness on a back road in Oregon’s Klamath Basin.

We have come to Bear Valley Wildlife Refuge (part of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges Complex), a large forest of old-growth timber that provides the eagles with protection from the wind and cold. It is the staging area for the eagles’ daily fly-out as the birds take wing and search for food.

Over a thousand eagles arrive at Klamath Basin each winter from Canada and Alaska, following their food supply of ducks, geese, and other birds. Despite the frigid conditions during much of the winter, large bodies of water such as Upper Klamath Lake often remain unfrozen, and large flocks of ducks help prevent some of the smaller ponds from freezing over as they paddle about.

Multiple auto tour routes make the travel easy, so be sure to stop in at the Klamath Refuge Headquarters where free maps and brochures will set you on the right trail to enjoy the show.

Visitors to Klamath Wildlife Refuge or those who wish to explore the Klamath Birding Trail have a wonderful educational opportunity just around the corner at the annual “Winter Wings Festival” on February 12, 13, 14.

The Klamath Basin Audubon Society produces the three-day event with more than 100 volunteers from the local community who give thousands of hours to help people learn and understand more about Oregon’s wildlife heritage.

Editor’s Note: Grant’s Getaways is a production of Travel Oregon brought to you in association with Oregon State Parks, Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife and Oregon State Marine Board. Episodes air Fridays and Saturdays on KGW Newschannel 8 and Saturdays on Northwest Cable News Network.

There is an amazing wildlife show for those in the know across three Oregon wildlife refuges. You might consider it three getaways for the price of one visit where you’ll enjoy a front row seat to see the “Winged Wonders of the Willamette Valley” in this “Grant’s Getaway.”

If lawnmowers had feathers, they couldn’t hold a candle to a hungry flock of Canada geese. The big birds fly and soar then land to munch the grass across deep lush pastures at the Baskett Slough Wildlife Refuge near Dallas, Oregon.

Each November, it is a time and place for “goose song” according to refuge manager, John Gahr, who added that little else can be heard when the birds gather by the thousands.

“Well, there’s a bunch that’s for sure – we counted 23,000 last week on a fly-off. It is pretty cool to see all those birds lift off at first light – but you hardly hear anything else but the birds.”

It is a raucous, rowdy chorus that’s for sure, but you cannot blame the birds for doing what comes naturally when they arrive at Baskett Slough from far off arctic nesting grounds. They have come to this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge for the habitat: wetlands and ponds and open grassy fields that are framed by crew-cut stubble fields and towering oak trees that grow across nearby rolling hills.

Baskett Slough is but one of three Willamette Valley wildlife refuges that was established in the 1960’s to protect this sort of habitat for “dusky” Canada Geese; a sub species of goose that’s in serious decline.

“It’s strictly for sanctuary,” noted Gahr. “It’s their winter home so they’re not being lifted off their feeding areas. Our goal is to keep them right here on the refuge, so they don’t venture so much out to surrounding private land.”

There have been recent improvements for the visitor too – including a platform where you can duck in during frequent rain storms – plus, there are spotting scopes to make the viewing easier for the people of all ages. In addition, there are many information boards and kiosks that explain the life history of the geese and the background of the refuge system.

But don’t get too comfy as you enjoy the wildlife show! You’ll want to carve out some time for refuge stop number two that’s just thirty minutes to the east. When you visit Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, I hope you’re lucky enough to cross paths with refuge system biologist, Molly Monroe. She’s the person in charge of the goose counting across all of the valley refuges and she’s a fascinating person to meet. She can explain each and every detail of the honker’s life story and why the refuges are so critical to their long-term survival. She will often park and use binoculars to scan the flocks – she’s counting Dusky geese most of the time – many of them sport bright red collars around their necks. The collars were attached many of the birds in Alaska during the molt period when geese are unable to fly.

“Duskys are a pretty good sized goose with a distinct chocolate color to their chest; a pretty uniformed dark bird overall.”

She added that Dusky Canada Geese – one of seven sub species that travel to or through Oregon – are in trouble: “I think this year’s number was just below 7,000 so they’re not doing very well as far as recruitment and survivability goes. In fact, their numbers are decreasing basically every year – so they’re kind of losing ground.”

That makes their time on the refuges more critical than ever. If you come to hike the refuge grounds, you’ve several trails to choose from. We njoyed Molly’s favorite called “Pintail.” It’s a broad, wheel chair accessible wooden lane that winds through an oak and ash forest and keeps your feet out of the mud and marsh. At the end of the trail you’ll enjoy a viewing blind that sports a large window that allows you to peer across a marsh and see plenty of ducks, geese and shorebirds – we even spied a rare peregrine falcon! Overhead – a signal as a flight of ducks whistled as they winged their way past us; it was time for us to move on to refuge number three.

The 5,000 acre William Finley Wildlife Refuge offers miles of trails for the visitor to enjoy too. All of the trails have hidden surprises along the way – we watched an eagle rise from his roost and caused an eruption of feathers, goose song and absolute mayhem. US Fish and Wildlife spokesperson, Sallie Gentry told me it’s everyday event – and the eagles are looking for an easy meal by taking the weak or injured goose or duck.

“It’s the old predator-prey game and it happens here all the time – amazing to watch too. Because we’re established for the conservation of the birds, but if we can offer visitors a chance to see the wildlife without disturbing them, then we want to offer that opportunity. Whether it’s driving through in your automobile and looking out on the fields covered in geese, or hiking one of our trails and just taking a leisurely Sunday stroll – bring your camera, bring your kids, it’s a great place.”

Each of the Willamette Valley Refuges is open every day to provide places where visitors can expect an escape from the city rush to enjoy the rush of wild wings. In addition, there are many Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Areas that put on impressive wildlife shows when flocks of geese arrive – be sure to check out Sauvie Island Wildlife Area near Portland and Fern Ridge Wildlife Area near Eugene.

Editor’s Note: Grant’s Getaways is a production of Travel Oregon brought to you in association with Oregon State Parks, Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife and Oregon State Marine Board. Episodes air Fridays and Saturdays on KGW Newschannel 8 and Saturdays on Northwest Cable News Network.

Spring Whale Watch Week

Some 200 gray whales call the Oregon coast home from July through October. However, the odds of seeing one of these majestic mammals increase this month when some 18,000 migrate between Alaska and their breeding grounds in Mexico. This March 21-28, 2009, is Spring Whale Watch Week, when Oregon State Parks sets up 28 whale-watching spots along the coast. Volunteers will be available to answer any and all questions, including where to point your binoculars.

Bird-watching

Oregon is home to nearly 500 bird species, and the number jumps into the thousands during spring migration when exotic birds come to rest and feed under the Oregon stretch of the Pacific Flyway. Here are three prime spring bird-watching destinations.

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Thousands of migrating birds stop in this eastern Oregon area in the spring to feed on the 187,000 acres of wetlands and meadows at the refuge, which was established in 1890 by Theodore Roosevelt. Mark your calendars for the 18th Annual John Scharff Migratory Bird Festival, which is April 3-5 in nearby Burns.

Oregon Coast Birding Trail

There are 173 designated bird-watching sites on this trail that runs along Oregon’s stunning coast. A free brochure maps each site and lists the species you are likely to see—some 250 in total.
Download the guide.

Oregon Cascades Birding Trail

There are nearly 200 designated bird-watching sites along 1,000 miles of scenic roads in the Cascade Mountains. Along the route, bird-watchers may see bald eagles, great horned owls, dark-eyed juncos and other species.
Download the guide.

The beautiful Malheur Marsh

While the weather still remained amicable, my friend Linda and I decided ditch the hustle and bustle of daily life and venture to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon, located a mere six-hour drive from Portland. (Oregon is the seventh largest state in the Lower 48 – so it is possible to drive for hours and still be within the state boundaries.) Malheur is considered one of the top birding spots in Oregon and is frequently a destination for birdwatchers from around the world, especially since it is on the Pacific Flyway migratory route.

Antelope along the highway

Little did we know that our adventure would become bigger than we had planned, in a wonderful and delightful way! Ever the intrepid bird watchers (self-described ‘bird-nerds) we gathered our binoculars and assorted bird identification books and were on our way.

We decided to split the drive up on the way to Malheur, spending the night in Bend. The next morning, we were up early and headed east towards the town of Burns, our next overnight stop. Almost immediately about 20 miles out of town, in the pre-dawn light along Hwy 20, I spotted incongruous shapes to the right just off the roadway. Slowing down, we realized that it was a herd of about 15 antelope anxiously watching the people watching them. I managed to pull over safely and grab a few snapshots of the group, with their faces at rigid attention. For a few minutes we watched the herd before the leader made a move, then suddenly the entire group moved off in one motion away from the road.

Continuing on our merry way and reveling in the wildlife we just saw, our trip now took us through one of the loneliest stretches of road in Oregon. Literally just about a straight shot across the desert from Bend to Burns, Hwy. 20 opens up into vast panoramas of sagebrush flats, mesas and miles and miles of wide open expanses. Literally, you can see how far the road goes for 15 miles at a time, it seems.

Field Day

We stopped at a rest area where nearby, a sign at a nearby intersection letting local ranch hands know about a work site location was commandeered by Linda and myself, indicating that we were having a “Field Day” going birding. Hey, when it is this empty and remote, you gotta have some fun!

Soon afterwards, we spotted sand hill cranes in nearby fields and after observing them for awhile, duly noted the sighting in our bird log.

Upon arrival in Burns, we fueled up at the Broadway Deli for lunch, then winged our way south to the Refuge Headquarters. Linda had never been here before, and we were both anxious to get some heavy-duty bird watching under way.

Sandhill Crane

We made a quick stop at a narrow point in the road on the way to Refuge Headquarters, where the massive seasonal lakes of Harney and Malheur co-join. Depending on the water year, this area can be either flooded as far as the eye can see with only the road bisecting the lakes, or as in the case today, baked hardpan mudflats host sporadic puddles hosting swarms of shorebirds. Linda immediately spotted two big sightings- a Wilson’s phalarope stood resolutely alone in one puddle, and after she turned her scope onto a solitary snag to the west, caught a Peregrine falcon surveying the land for its next tasty morsel.

At this point, a rather windy and blustery day at that point with spotty rain showers made bird watching somewhat challenging, but we managed to add about 40 species to our list. The Refuge Headquarters is an oasis unto itself and usually a proverbial jackpot for species, but in the hurricane-like winds howling across the basin, we had to be content with the baleful stare of the great horned owl that stared down at us from atop a nearby tree.

Great Horned Owl

Unbeknownst to us, Sept 20th was the 100th year anniversary of Malheur becoming a National Wildlife Refuge, and the celebration was in full swing when we arrived at the headquarters. Back in 1908, Malheur was the third refuge in Oregon and one of only six refuges west of the Mississippi – thank heavens they preserved this amazing rest stop on the Flyway! For us humans, though, warm cocoa and coffee got the blood flowing again in our frigid fingers, and the volunteers made us feel very welcome. With the excitement of the anniversary festivities, we decided to take in more of the Refuge’s human history in addition to the natural history at the same time.

The first stop was at the Sod House historic site, which is only open two months a year. The rest of the time, it is closed to keep humans out of critical bird habitat during breeding season. Upon driving up to a old house and outbuildings situated under a copse of trees, we immediately spotted an official standing behind of a display of artifacts, greeting visitors.

Jan Smith at Sod House excavation

Jan Smith, as it turns out, is a volunteer who lives on Whidbey Island in Washington State, and comes to Malheur several times a year to work on archeological digs in the area. She proudly showed off the current dig that they were working on, which involves excavating a pioneer-era septic tank, and talked about the efforts to preserve the ranching history. Jan also mentioned the history of the native peoples who had lived in the area for over 11,000 years before the white settlers arrived in the area.

I mentioned to her that I had spotted some obsidian flakes on some Bureau of Land Management land up near the town of Frenchglen just down the road. I wondered aloud if these flakes were recent or if they could be from when the people from the tribes lived on the land. Jan said they could very well be from long ago, and in fact, there have been so many finds in the area that the federal government can’t even keep up with them. She did warn me, with a little twinkle in her eye, that it is a federal $425 fine for picking up any artifacts. I reassured her that there no problem- I left those flakes where I spotted them out of respect of the people who had lived here before.

Linda taking a peek at waterfowl

After chatting with Jan for awhile and then wandering around the homestead, we then headed south towards the Benson Pond area on the Refuge, known for its abundant bird life. We parked nearby and walked down the road, admiring the tall reeds, open skies and dramatic clouds overhead. The water in the ponds was positively teeming with birds (mostly waterfowl) gabbling away.

After taking a quick spin on the spotting scope to see what types of birds were out there, we continued down the road to some tents set up as another 100-year anniversary festivity. Inside, we found Beth Coahran, Minerva Soucie, and Sara Barton who are tribal members of the Burns-Paiute tribe, whose forebears called this whole area home. Each of the women was busily weaving baskets in the tent which protected them from the windy blasts outside. Sara showed me how they take the reeds from the marshes (both cattail and tule reeds) and prepped them before slitting them to make the fibers used in the baskets. She explained the process used in weaving that left me shaking my head in bewilderment as to the complexity of the weaving patterns, and I admired the intricate design and details.

Sara Barton weaving a basket

After taking in the weavers’ work, Linda and I wandered down the track going deeper into the refuge amongst trees. Winding cautiously past an old stone house, we quietly stepped into a small wooded area that suddenly had numerous birds including warblers, tanagers and vireos flitting about, adding to our bird list quickly.

Finally heading back, we hopped into the car and kept our eyes open for additional wildlife. A coyote appeared in a nearby field and watched us warily before careening across the expanse away from us, but casting backward looks to see if we were pursuing. Fortunately for him, we were more interested in getting back to our overnight lodging and dinner than chasing down a wild animal!

Sage Country B&B

We headed to our inn for the evening, the Sage Country Inn – a delightful bed and breakfast in downtown Burns. Our hosts, Corrine and Michael Huseby, welcomed us and got us situated in our rooms. After dinner, a roaring fire in the fireplace warmed our bones as we shed our layers and enjoyed some quiet reading time on overstuffed comfortable furniture. It was absolutely decadent!

The next morning, we were treated to a scrumptious hot breakfast of freshly made mushroom and asparagus omelets, fruit cups and sausage to whet our appetites. Wow! What a spread! Finally rolling ourselves out the door, we headed back to the Refuge for one more birding run. The winds were calmer, allowing us to spot more species, including Linda’s eagle-eyed spotting of a mysterious thick-billed sparrow. (Which drove her nuts until she finally identified it as a dicksissel!) Satisfied that our birding trip was a success even though it was so late in the fall, we turned the car west to head home, with one more stop in mind.

Wild Horse Corral

Just to the west of Burns, the Bureau of Land Management has a wild horse corral. The rule of thumb is if the gate is open, visitors are welcome. Linda and I eased down the road towards the corrals. We found the driving loop that went around the compound’s outer edge, affording views of the wild horses rounded up from the Steens Mountains and environs. Prospective horse owners can adopt a wild horse from this location – the animals are rounded up a few times a year from the mountains as they breed quickly and can overtake a large part of terrain in a short amount of time.

Halfway around the loop, we ran into Jim, the weekend corral ranch hand. He was busy tossing bales of hay into the corrals and interacting with these beautiful animals. We stopped and chatted with him, listening raptly to his stories about the horses. He’s a long-time Burns resident and finds this work actually more play than anything. Jim’s rapport with his equine friends was clear, especially when we inquired about whether there were any of the famed Kiger horses in the corral. “Go drive up to the gate,” he said, “and wait for me up there. A Kiger is sure to follow me up there.” True to form, as he walked through the corral, friendly horses began tagging along with him, including Annie the mule. Taking starlight mint hard candies out of his pockets, the horses’ interest quickly intensified as he offered the treat to the Kiger horse, stroking its black mane which contrasted with its dark ashy gray gorgeous coat. Kigers are a specific breed of horse found along the Kiger Gorge up on Steens Mountain. It is said that these horses are wild descendants of the steeds brought over by the Spanish long ago. Once they are rounded up, each horse is given a ‘brand’ which now is given more humanely using liquid nitrogen, rather than a red-hot branding iron.

Jim feeding the Kiger horse and Annie the mule starlight mints

Gazing out over the corrals, Jim summed up the horses, “These are all great animals.” His affection for the occupants of the corrals is very clear, and he is happy to talk to pure strangers about these magnificent creatures. I was madly snapping photos, including one of a feisty colt flashing across the paddock with its tail held in high spirits.

Finally, it was time to depart. Linda and I both sat down in the car and started off, both sighing deeply for having such an amazing adventure that started out as a simple avian expedition and turned out to be literally a natural history trip for the entire state!

For the ornithologists reading this blog, here’s a list of the birds we saw on Sept 19/20, 2008:

Turkey vulture
American crow
Raven
Stellar’s jay
House finch
Magpie
Dunlin
Anna’s hummingbird
Killdeer
Northern harrier
Coot
Sandhill crane
Meadowlark
Mallard
Northern shoveler
White crowned sparrow
Golden-crowned sparrow
Chipping sparrow
Ruddy duck
Widgeon
Barn swallow
Wilson’s phalarope
Peregrine falcon
Great horned owl
Northern flicker
Yellow-rumped warbler (Audubon’s)
Willow flycatcher
Mourning dove
Great blue heron
California quail
Cliff swallow
Hutton’s vireo
Cooper’s hawk
Dark-eyed junco
Pied billed grebe
Red winged blackbird
Marsh wren
Red-tailed hawk
Black phoebe
Disksissel
Western tanager

For more information on birding and other adventures, please visit our Outdoor Recreation section.

Nest on Toe Island as taken through a spotting scope

A group of interested birders, some amateur and some experienced, joined Mike Houck, an Urban Naturalist with the Portland Audubon Society, for a three-hour tour of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, Portland’s first urban refuge. Across the 170-acres managed by Portland Parks and Recreation, you can spot many of the 209 bird species that call this complex of wetlands, meadows, and woodlands home—at least part of the year. Being on the Pacific Flyway, many birds are seasonal, or “just passing through.”

When Houck asked, “Does anybody see anything?” the kids start shouting out names: osprey, red-tailed hawks, scrub jays. Using his knowledge of calls, Houck managed to draw some birds a bit closer.

Tour Guide and Audubon Urban Naturalist Mike Houck

The tour descended from Sellwood Park on the bluff to the South Meadow, formerly a floodplain for the Willamette River, but now changed by years of industrial activity, the addition of a railroad grade, and flood control apparatus. Still, as Houck points out, the land has recovered dramatically. Oregon ash, western maple, thimbleberry, and spirea have re-colonized damaged areas—and created a paradise for birds.

The tour followed along the Springwater Corridor to views of osprey nests on Toe Island, and to the North Meadow for views of lesser goldfinches, Bewick’s wrens, and brown creepers. Some birds you hear rather than see. And some are hard to identify: is that a Sharp-shinned hawk or Cooper’s hawk? Is it male or female?

I saw birds I’d never seen before. Oaks Bottom, smack in the middle of the city, is an excellent place to spot Bald eagles, kingfishers, and Great blue herons. The three hour-tour, offered free by Portland Audubon, was punctuated by a walk around the lake that dwindles to a shallow puddle as summer wears on. Just don’t forget your binoculars.

For more information on exploring the great outdoors of Oregon, please visit our Outdoor Recreation section.

(Video: Dawnn Brown of Travel Klamath welcomes you to Klamath Falls)

Whoever came up with the old idiom, “birds of a feather stick together,” must have been thinking of Klamath Falls. With more than 47 birding locations that play host to 350 species among the mountains and marshes of its 190,000 acres, the Klamath Basin Birding Trail constitutes one of the biggest freshwater wetlands west of the Mississippi and is arguably a haven for bird watching.

On a brilliantly sunny June day a few weeks ago, a few Travel Oregon cohorts and I joined Dawn Brown from Travel Klamath and Dave Menke from U.S Fish & Wildlife on a tour of some of the area’s prime birding locations. Having never gone out to check out birds before (at least the feathery kind), I was feeling a bit unsure of what to expect and what to do on this outing. But as soon as we met up with our guides, I knew that we were in the hands of experts. They swiftly got the group together by passing around our tools for the trip – binoculars, copies of Klamath Basin Birding Trail (which you can order online), and of course the requisite food for every able bodied bird watcher – water and granola bars. Tools in hand, we scrambled into the birdmobile (ok, van) and hit the road (see photos of our excursion here).

If you’ve never been to Klamath before, prepare to be stunned. The serene landscape here is dominated by the brilliant blue expanse of the Upper Klamath Lake (the Northwest’s largest natural lake), which forms a tranquil backdrop to the mosaic lush marshes, aromatic sagebrush, old growth forests, juniper woodlands and stunning mountain views.

(Video 2: David Menke discusses birding in Klamath Falls)

As our hosts drove us to the scheduled watching spots, we were totally spellbound by the sights before our eyes. We saw the “water dance” of courting gebes, majestic bald eagles, the lithe osprey, and a host of other birds that I’ve never seen before such as Red-Tailed Hawks, cormorants, and a plethora of multi-colored herons (blue, green and black). For more on where we stopped and what we saw, check out the following links:

• Klamath Wildlife Area, Miller Island Unit – Our first stop on the tour. Miller Island is an old homestead unit and features marshes, dikes, and ponds. The marshes host varieties of geese, cranes and many duck species.
• Link River Trail: Located close to downtown, this area is bordered by both riparian habitat and an arid hillside; we saw a variety of migratory birds and waterfowl here. We also witnessed the “water dance” of courting gebes here (sorry it was a bit far for video).
• Klamath Wingwatchers’ Lake Ewauna Nature Trail – Also adjacent to downtown Klamath Falls; we saw herons, waterfowl, a bald eagle, an osprey and more.
• Putnam’s Point Park – Located adjacent to Moore Park, here we witnessed swallows, warblers and more.
• Moore Park – The last and most definitely the highlight of our visit! This lush pine forest reminded me of Washington Park in Portland, minus the wide expansive views of Klamath Lake. From the vantage point at the top of the nature trail provides dramatic views of the lake and the rim of Crater Lake. The videos you see here were shot overlooking this view.

Needless to say, with just five of the 47 birding sites under our belt, we were amazed at the sheer variety and quantity of birds we saw. In case you’re curious, we did keep count and at the end of the tour, we’d seen 50 varieties of birds.

If you’re hankering to take a bird watching trip to Klamath and are wondering when to go, your best bet would be late April through early July which is ideal for breeding bird activity (think singing, dancing). For Bald Eagles and Raptors the best months are late-November through mid-March. And for peak migratory bird viewing, mid-March through mid-April and mid-October through late November are best.

~ Happy Friday!
Mo