Siskiyou County Trip, March 2000

Ross's Geese at Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge

 

On March 21 & 22 I was able to spend some time birding in Siskiyou County. The weather was surprisingly warm, and it really felt like spring. Insect swarms were hovering over the Klamath Basin marshes, birds were singing again, and I even saw a lizard out enjoying the sun.
    Tuesday morning (Mar. 21) I started the day with a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK scattering a flock of EVENING GROSBEAKS at my mom's house in Weed. From there I drove to the Klamath Basin. On the way I stopped at Grass Lake. Birds around the rest area included an early TREE SWALLOW, singing CASSIN'S FINCHES, and more EVENING GROSBEAKS. A flock of TUNDRA SWANS and a pair of SANDHILL CRANES were in the marsh near the rest area. I got to see the cranes performing their courtship dance, bowing their heads and leaping with wings raised. What a show!

 

Sandhill Cranes at Grass Lake

Bufflehead

     TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES were seen among the roadside junipers as I drove down into Butte Valley. There were lots of BALD EAGLES along Meiss Lake Road (just south of MacDoel). The first field on the north side of the road was dotted with burrows, and Belding's Ground-Squirrels appear to be having a population explosion there. Most of the eagles were around the margins of that one field.
    At Indian Tom Lake I found a female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (a new county bird for me). There were flocks of COMMON MERGANSERS on the lake, but the Red-breasted didn't really seem to be associated with them. I don't think I've ever seen these two species together before. Returning spring migrants near the lake included TURKEY VULTURES and a SAY'S PHOEBE.
    Along Highway 161 at Lower Klamath N.W.R. there was a huge flock of ROSS'S GEESE. Among the thousands of birds on the water I was able to find two blue-phase birds. There was also one atypical bird with a dark stripe along its hindneck. Few (if any) SNOW GEESE were in this flock, although I later saw enormous numbers of them at Tule Lake. A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK and GOLDEN EAGLE were also along Highway 161 in the Lower Klamath.

Rough-legged Hawk

Northern Harrier

 

Barrow's Goldeneye (male)

    I spotted a male EURASIAN WIGEON along the Lower Klamath tour route before reaching the first intersection. There were some lingering TUNDRA SWANS on the refuge, and I was surprised to see a few early returning AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS. A single EARED GREBE was noted (WESTERN and CLARK'S GREBES were more numerous). As expected there were plenty of ducks and geese. 
    I checked the sightings log at the Tule Lake Visitor Center. A WHOOPER SWAN was reported to be in the Lower Klamath (Unit 5) as recently as 3-18-00, and a HARRIS'S SPARROW was reported at the Visitor Center's feeders on the same date.
    On a pond across the road from the Visitor Center I saw 3 BARROW'S GOLDENEYES (2 females, 1 male). A YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD and a bunch of TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS were in the marsh near the observation deck at the end of the path.
    CANYON and ROCK WRENS were heard along Sheepy Ridge past the Visitor Center. Along the Tule Lake tour route there were huge flocks of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED and SNOW GEESE,  2 more ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, and a couple more AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS.

 

    Lake Shastina near Weed was a disappointment, with few waterfowl present.
    On Wednesday morning I went back to Butte Valley. The first field on the north side of Meiss Lake Road (ground-squirrel city) was still a magnet for BALD EAGLES—I counted at least 24 there. Dark morph RED-TAILED and ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS (see above photo) were circling at the beginning of the Butte Valley Wildlife Area tour route. As usual, numbers of waterfowl were much lower at Meiss Lake than in the nearby Klamath Basin.
    There was still a concentration of ROSS'S GEESE beside Highway 161 in the Lower Klamath; my rough estimate would be 5,000-6,000 birds. Driving the Lower Klamath tour route again on Wednesday I saw a male BARROW'S GOLDENEYE, more BALD EAGLES, and a GREAT HORNED OWL.
    On Wednesday most of the TUNDRA SWANS were gone from Grass Lake, but there were still plenty of ducks and geese there, and a pair of MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were decorating the fence along the highway.

   Spring is a splendid time to visit the Klamath Basin (not that there is ever a bad time!). I would encourage those birders who haven't yet been there to go and check it out for themselves. 

 

Barrow's Goldeneye (female)

 

Greater White-fronted & Snow Geese at Tule Lake

 

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