Trip Report

Great birding! Great people! Great trip! Our first multi-day trip to Summer Lake was a real success. The serious “birders” recorded over sixty kinds of birds identified. We traveled through many different landscapes driving over and home on this trip: forests of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine & juniper trees; scenic views of rivers, lakes & snow covered mountains; marshlands, alfalfa fields, sagebrush flats & amazing rock formations; ranchlands & National forests and it all is beautiful. We enjoyed our lunch stop at the Klamath Marsh Wildlife headquarters, where manager Mike Johnson made us very welcome – even setting up tables & chairs outside for our use. The weather gave us a variety also: sunshine, clouds, sprinkles of rain, a little wind and a bit of thunder & lightning. But overall it was very pleasant for birdwatching. We made multiple trips out onto Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge where we parked the bus and spent time walking the dikes & exploring other habitats. Some favorite sightings were: families of great horned owls & western grebes; a killdeer nest with four spotted eggs; sand hill cranes, white pelicans, white faced ibis, American avocets, black-necked stilts, yellow-headed blackbirds, Baltimore oriole, prairie falcon, bald eagles and a resident trumpeter swan. We had opportunities to talk with the staff at the refuge which was interesting and informative. It was fun to have the entire Summer Lake Lodge reserved just for us. The drive south between Summer Lake and Winter Ridge is lovely. Our lunches at the historic Pioneer Saloon & Restaurant in Paisley and the Waterin’ Hole Tavern in Fort Rock were tasty and fun. We were all impressed with the local volunteer’s efforts in creating the Homestead Village Museum at Fort Rock. Most people enjoyed hiking around the inside of Fort Rock where the wildflowers were quite lovely. A short stop at Salt Creek Falls allowed riders a quick look at the falls and the blooming rhododendrons. The trip ended with several comments “we need to do this trip again”. Special thanks to Rick Ahrens for sharing his nature knowledge with us and to both Rick and Charley Thomas for bringing their scopes for up close bird viewing.