Bob's Gone Birding: Upper Klamath Basin

Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Marsh NWR
February 17-19, 2014

I think of my forays into California as a separate part of the trip than the more extensive birding of Oregon. So even though the days overlap, I treat them in this blog as if they were consecutive. But two important stops occurred between the trips to the marshes of California.

Common Merganser

On Monday, I finished at Lower Klamath with about an hour of daylight left. Instead of going directly to my hotel in Klamath Falls, I made a quick side trip. Russ Namitz had told me of a specific field where a Ferruginous Hawk could be found. It was just a couple of hundred yards inside the Oregon border and quite close to the exit of the auto tour, so I decided to try my luck. The drive took only a minute or two, but the stakeout lasted perhaps 40-45 minutes. The wind was really picking up and the temperature dropping, but I decided to wait it out. I've read that Ferruginous Hawks like to hunker down in a field and stay put for a while. This field was supposed to be a favorite, and it did not disappoint. Eventually, it flew in and landed in the back end of the area, well away from the road. It was too far for my little camera, but my trusty Leica APO Televid gave me a terrific view. Thrilled does not begin to describe it. My three raptor targets for this trip were Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks and Prairie Falcon. After only three days, I had all of them!

Tuesday's primary target was Tule Lake NWR, but I decided to make a quick run to Moore Park in Klamath Falls to take advantage of the morning chorus. I thought this was a small park and would take only a short visit. Not so. If I ever get back to Klamath Falls, I'll go to Moore Park again. I first checked out the small area on the southern tip of Upper Klamath Lake. As soon as I got out of the car, I saw a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes and a Common Merganser (above, right). What gorgeous birds! My only previous Common Merganser was in washed out plumage on a golf course in Florida. This guy was wonderful. It wasn't a lifer, but it felt like one, and all of you birders out there know exactly what I mean.

Can you see why it's called a Crossbill?

Across the road was the larger portion of the park, and I only got to bird a small piece of it. However, it took a short time to find a bunch of great birds. Mountain Chickadees scurried from tree to tree chasing their morning meals. Another bird sat high atop a pine. I couldn't ID it until I looked at the photos - a Red Crossbill! I had seen a few of them in Alaska, but they were quite distant. This one was much closer, albeit surrounded by the glare of an overcast sky. Again, I felt the joy of re-discovery! Meanwhile, Western Scrub-Jays scolded me, and I had the impression that the latter might be nesting somewhere close to where I stood. They did NOT like my presence so I moved on. I drove as far into the park as I could before I hit a closed road. I hopped out and birded the area for a bit, pishing my brains out. No luck so on a hunch, I played a tape of a Pygmy Nuthatch. I had read that they could be found in Moore Park and they liked this habitat, so why not? After maybe a minute, there they were. They came down to me, checked me out, found me lacking in interest, and moved on. But it was another lifer!

My final stop in the Klamath Basin was Klamath Marsh NWR on Wednesday. The drive from town up to Silver Lake Road was mostly uneventful, but snow obviously had been falling during the night and/or the day before. Route 97 was clear, but Silver Lake Road was another story. Most of it was plowed but still snow covered. Other parts were icy under the snow. Then again, its beauty was beyond my attempts at description. The pristine snow sparkled on every tree limb, more brilliant than diamonds. The frozen marsh afforded the Canada Geese a chance to show off their Olympic spirit as they ice skated along the edges. Meanwhile, Rough-legged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles hunted overhead and stood sentinel on fence posts. I reached the visitor's center and had a great conversation with a park ranger and three volunteers. The ranger recommended birding an area just west of the office where Great Gray Owls hunt at night. The volunteers recommended driving out on Military Road to get a close view of Tundra Swans. I took both suggestions.

Klamath Marsh Olympics, Pairs Figure Skating

The photo at the top shows you the field of the Great Grays. I pulled off the road through a forest service gate and parked the car. I started working the edges hoping to see an owl. Eventually I saw some birds flying behind the first level of trees so I went in to take a look. There at the very top of a tree was a Clark's Nutcracker, one of my target birds for the trip. This stop had already paid off! Unfortunately, the Great Grays were not cooperative. This time I didn't even hear one.

Military Road had not been plowed at all, but the snow was only a few inches deep and the Tahoe had no trouble with it. I stopped repeatedly to bird but had little luck. That changed when I reached the spot where the park volunteers wanted me to visit. Here the marsh had open water with dozens of Canada Geese and Tundra Swans. Their calls filled the air with the music only a birder could love. I admit to having to learn more about identifying Tundra and Trumpeter Swans and Canada and Cackling Geese. I read as much as I can and look at the photos of what I saw, and sometimes I have to shrug and resign myself to more study. The photo below is almost certainly of Tundra Swans and a Canada Goose. But if one of you experts tell me otherwise, I won't be surprised.

I made my last stop of the morning at a small field just northwest of the open water. After a bit of searching, I heard some Pygmy Nuthatches and saw some Mountain Chickadees and a Hairy Woodpecker.

That concluded my time in the Klamath Basin. I next turned my attention to Bend and the high desert. I'll have that blog posted in a couple of days.