Bird Watching Locations near the Aspen Inn

For more information please visit the Klamath Basin Birding Trail. This is a great source of information for Klamath Basin birders and bird-watching.

Wood River Day Use/Picnic Area (1)

There is an extensive improved trail system from the day use area along the Wood River through large aspen and cottonwood stands, which are surrounded by lodgepole and ponderosa pine. The day use area is disabled accessible and has a trail system with benches through large stands of aspens and cottonwoods, along the river in willow riparian areas, to an overlook of the river. The day use area also has picnic tables, BBQ pits and a restroom.

Along the Wood River, birders can see or hear Wood Duck, Sora, Virginia Rail, Wilson's Phalarope, Common Nighthawk, Common Snipe, and Tree Swallow. The aspen and cottonwood stands areas are rich with bird species diversity and birders can see all three sapsucker species, White-headed Woodpecker, Western Wood-Peewee, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red Crossbill, Dark-eyed Junco, Western and Mountain Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush, Cassin's and Warbling vireos, Black-headed Grosbeak and many songbird species. Great Horned Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Long-eared Owl (rare) and Great Gray Owl (along the 960 Rd.) may be seen or heard as well. This site is also a great place to see migratory birds like flycatchers, Townsend's and Yellow Warblers, Clark's Nutcracker (fall), Violet-green Swallow (fall), Varied thrush (fall), Northern Shrike (late fall) and White-crowned Sparrow.

Jacksonville F. Kimball State Park (2)

Kimball State Park is located at the headwaters of the Wood River. Kimball Park offers primitive camping and a walking trail along the stream. This stream flows from the pine forest into open meadow land laced with picturesque quaking aspen surrounded by the southern Cascade Mountains. The habitat consists of Lodgepole pine forest, rocky hillsides with clear water springs which form the headwaters of the Wood River.

Wood Duck, Common Merganser, Ruffed Grouse, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Solitary and Warbling Vireos, Townsend's Warbler, Spotted and Green-tailed Towhees, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, many warbler species, Western Tanager, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, American Dipper, Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher, Steller's Jay, and Varied Thrush. The lucky birder may be rewarded with hearing, and perhaps spotting a Pileated Woodpecker. With careful observation several other woodpecker species may be observed in the park as well.

Crater Lake National Park (3)

On the crest of the Cascade Range at the Northwest corner of the Klamath Basin. Habitats include old growth ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, fir, hemlock, spruce and open alpine areas. Crater Lake is one of the deepest and bluest lakes in North America, with spectacular views from the 33-mile Rim Drive around the lake. The Park is also known for its wildflowers; one trail featuring them is the Castle Crest Wildflower Trail, which attracts many hummingbirds. Other suggested birding sites are Annie Creek Canyon Trail and Watchman's Peak Trail.

A wide range of species due to the diverse habitats including, Blue Grouse, Clark's Nutcracker, Gray Jay, American Dipper, Red Crossbill, Townsend's Solitaire and, with careful searching, birds like Gray-crowned Rosy Finch. Also Northern Goshawk, Flammulated Owl, Vaux’s Swift, White-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers, Nashville and Hermit Warblers, Lazuli Bunting, Green-tailed Towhee, Evening Grosbeak, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Pine Siskin.

Sevenmile Guard Station (5)

At the site, Sevenmile Creek is surrounded by dense riparian vegetation. There is a large grove of cottonwoods and aspen, which is surrounded by mixed conifer forest. The Sevenmile Guard station is a Forest Service facility located along Sevenmile Creek. The Guard stations serves as part of the Klamath Bird Observatory's Upper Klamath Field Station. The Observatory has been operating an intensive bird monitoring station during the breeding and fall migration seasons here since 1997. This is one of the sites where the Observatory conducts forest education and bird banding demonstrations sessions by appointment.

The area along Sevenmile Creek behind the guard station and north of the bridge is where the best birding opportunities are. The peak time to visit and bird at this site is from mid-May through early July to observe resident and breeding birds. Birds to look for during this time include Northern Goshawk, Fammulated Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Vaux's Swift, Rufous Hummingbird, Williamson's and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Pileated Woodpecker, Mountain and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Hammond's, Dusky and Pacific-slope / Cordilleran Flycatcher, Steller's and Gray Jays, Nashville, MacGillivray's, Orange-crowned and Wilson's Warblers, Purple and Cassin's Finches, Evening Grosbeak and many more. At the bridge crossing, look for American Dipper along the creek. Ruffed Grouse are sometimes found in the thick riparian area along the creek. Fall birding into October can be good as migrants are moving through.

West Side Road

The Westside Road runs along the west side of Upper Klamath Lake and along the eastern base of the Cascade Mountains from Highway 140 north to Sevenmile Road. Much of the road runs through the Klamath Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forests.

The road runs through a mixed conifer forest that is primarily fir and pine. The forest is dominated by Douglas fir, white fir and ponderosa pine. Much of the route follows the interface between the forest and marsh along Upper Klamath Lake and Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. It provides a unique and diverse combination of habitats found nowhere else in the Klamath Basin.

The best time to bird Westside Road is spring or early summer. Forest birds to look for include Hermit Thrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Mountain and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Steller's and Gray Jays, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Nighthawk, Yellow-rumped, Hermit and Nashville Warblers, Western Tanager, Red Crossbill, Hairy, Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Vaux's Swift, Blue Grouse and more. In aspen-willow areas, look for Ruffed Grouse and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Potential night encounters with Great Horned Owl, Great Gray Owl (rare), Northern Spotted Owl, Northern Pigmy-Owl, Saw-whet Owl, Flammulated Owl are possible. Common Nighthawk is fairly common in the summer time.

The lake and marsh attract water birds of various kinds. You can view the lake from the boat ramp in Rocky Point, the Rocky Point Resort, Malone Springs, Crystalwood Lodge or various pullouts along Westside Road. On and around the lake look for Common Loon (occasionally), Red-necked Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelican, Sora, Black Tern, ducks and geese, Osprey, Bald Eagle, gulls and more.

• Mares Egg Spring (6)

• Threemile Creek Road (7)

• Cherry Creek Road (8)

• Crystal Spring Roadside Rest (9)

• Malone Spring (10)

• Fourmile Creek Bridge (11)

• Fourmile Creek Meadow (12)

Odessa Campground and Upper Klamath NWR to Sevenmile Trailhead. The 15,000 acre refuge offers excellent nesting and brood rearing areas for waterfowl, bald eagles, osprey, and colonial nesting birds. Odessa, Malone, and Crystal Springs are part of a series of gushing springs that dot the western shoreline. They feature superb examples of forest and wetland species together, including woodpeckers, chickadees, warblers, wrens, blackbirds, and night herons. See nesting black terns and Clark’s grebes on a morning paddle off of Rocky Point, and enjoy nesting sandhill cranes, yellow-headed blackbirds and both white headed and pileated woodpeckers at Crystalwood Lodge in the afternoon. Listen for yellow rail as you head toward Sevenmile in the evening. The marsh at Sevenmile Trailhead is a high-elevation wetland with a mixed conifer forest. Nesting species here include Lincoln’s Sparrow, nuthatches, chickadees, and warblers.

Fourmile Lake (13)

High elevation mixed conifer forest dominated by mountain hemlock, Douglas fir, white fir and Shasta red fir. Around the lake itself there are extensive stands of lodgepole pine.

Most of the lake is surrounded by the Sky Lakes Wilderness and is only accessible by foot or boat. The campground is also the trailhead for the Long Lake trail that leads north into the Sky Lakes Wilderness area and the Rye Spur trail that goes south to Lake of the Woods. Detailed trail maps for the Forest and the wilderness area can be obtained at the Forest Service offices listed below.

While traveling along the Fourmile Lake Road, you will travel through various forest types and logged areas. In older forest stands, look and listen for Blue Grouse, Williamson's Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Olive-sided and Hammond's Flycatchers, Gray Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Solitary Vireo, Hermit Warbler, and Evening Grosbeak. In more open stands or clearings, look for Calliope and Rufous Hummingbirds, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Western Wood-Peewee, Dusky Fycatcher, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Bluebird, Warbling Vireo, Orange-crowned and Nashville Warblers, Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee, Red Crossbill and more.

In the lodgepole stands around the lake, look and listen for Black-backed Woodpecker, Purple Martin (rare), Clark's Nutcracker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped and MacGillivray's Warblers, Lazuli Bunting, Lincoln's Sparrow and Cassin's Finch. There may also be some water birds on the lake as well.

Lake of the Woods (14)

The site is a high elevation mixed conifer forest. The forest is dominated by Douglas fir, white fir and Shasta red fir. Lake of the Woods is a large, high mountain lake that is approximately 1200 acres in size.

Great Meadow is a wayside, trailhead parking area and winter recreation area. There is a restroom available. Lake of the Woods is a developed recreation area with recreational residences, a resort, two Forest Service campgrounds, a Forest Service day use area at Rainbow Bay, and three organizational camps located around the lake. There is an extensive trail system around Great Meadow and Lake of the Woods, including trails that lead into Mountain Lakes and Sky Lakes Wilderness areas.

The best time to bird around Great Meadow and Lake of the Woods is late spring or early summer because this site is located on the crest of the Cascade Mountains and is along a major migratory route. Forest birds to look for include Hermit Thrush Golden-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Chickadee, Steller's and Gray Jays, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Nighthawk, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Western Tanager, Red Crossbill, Hairy, Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Vaux's Swift and more. Sandhill Crane have also been seen at Great Meadow. Potential night encounters with Great Horned Owl, Great Gray Owl (rare), Northern Spotted Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl and Northern Pygmy-Owl are possible.

The lake itself attracts water birds of various kinds on and around the lake: Common Loon (occasionally), grebes, ducks and geese, Osprey, Bald Eagle, and gulls.

Howard Bay/Upper Klamath Lake

Nearby flooded farmland around a small bay bordered by woodland (mixed coniferous forest/oaks) and riparian habitats (willows).

A mile-long gated dirt road (Geary Canal Road) along the bay allows for undisturbed viewing of quite a variety of birds in this unique combination of habitats. Because of the low elevation here, the hardwood trees leaf out early. This, in combination with the emergence of midges from the nearby bay make this site one of the best places to see early spring neotropical migrants (usually with a peak the first 2 weeks in May). Further uphill hiking away from the bay leads to Bear Wallow (a seasonally flooded wetland) in a partially logged forest.

Continuing by car NW on Highway 140, the road follows the shoreline of the lake for two miles, where there are several pullouts, in addition to a large boat launch area at the north end.

Waterfowl, raptors, songbirds (in season). Expect to see Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Western Grebe, American White Pelican, Bullock's Oriole, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager, Caspian, Forster's and Black Terns, various warblers (especially Yellow-rumps), and nesting swallows under the bridge. Spring and fall migrations bring some of the less common and rarer birds such as the Green Heron and Common Loon.

• Odessa Creek Campground (15)

• Klamath Game Management Area (16)

• Shoalwater Bay - Eagle Ridge (17)

• Klamath Game Management Area (18)

• North Howard Bay Pullout (19)

• Howard Bay Boat Launch (20)

• Howard Bay Pullout (21)

• Howard Bay Pullout (22)

• South Howard Bay Pullout (23)

Hagelstein County Park (27)

This Klamath County Park features small ponds with scattered willow trees just across Highway 97 from Upper Klamath Lake. Restroom, picnicking and boat launch facilities.

Green Heron, Forster's Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Nashville Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Bullock's Oriole.

Collier State Park (28)

Ponderosa Pine forest. The Williamson River and crystal-clear Spring Creek converge in the park. Features include a campground; outdoor museum of historic logging equipment; relocated pioneer village.

Spotted Sandpiper, Hairy, Black-backed and White-headed Woodpeckers, Dusky Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, three nuthatch species, American Dipper, Western Tanager, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, many warbler species (especially during spring migration), Steller's Jay, Great Blue Heron, seasonal waterfowl (Common and Hooded Mergansers, Common and Barrow's goldeneyes and Bufflehead), and Bald Eagle.

Modoc Point Road

Agency Lake is an appendage to Upper Klamath Lake and is surrounded by private property with public access to the lake at the Wood River Wetland (BLM), Petric Boat Launch and Henzel County Park. The best time to bird Agency Lake is in the spring or fall during the migration. During migration, the lake is crowded with waterfowl. On and around the lake look for Common Loon (occasionally), Pied-billed and Horned Grebes, American White Pelican, ducks, geese, swans, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, Bald Eagle, gulls, terns, swallows and more.

• Henzel State Park (29) - Henzel Park is also a small Klamath County park with restrooms, a boat ramp and a large gravel parking area.

• Wood River Wetlands (30) - From the 1950's until 1994, this land was used for cattle grazing. Since 1996, the Bureau of Land Management and their partners have restored over 3,000 acres of wetland and two miles of the Wood River channel. The restored wetland borders Agency Lake, on the north end of Klamath Lake. The Wood River crosses the eastern edge of the wetland. The area is comprised of cottonwoods, willows, a few aspens, and native wetland grasses and sedges.
  
  This day use area is home to countless waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and land birds, as well as several mammals and native plant species. Interpretive signs, walking trails, and a canoe launch are available. A walking trail is paved and wheelchair accessible.
  
  American Bittern, Wood Duck, Forster's, Caspian and Black Terns, Bonaparte's Gull, Yellow-headed and Tri-colored Blackbirds, many warbler species (in riparian zones), Bullock's Oriole, Great and Snowy Egrets, Yellow Rail, Canvasback, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Ducks, American Avocet, Wilson's Phalarope, Sandhill Crane, Western and Clark's Grebes, American White Pelican and Peregrine Falcon.

Klamath Fish Hatchery (31)

Klamath Hatchery is located along Crooked Creek, a small meandering stream with a well developed riparian area. There is a limited upland component with the hatchery site, primarily a shrubby, Ponderosa pine site.

The hatchery raises rainbow, cutthroat, brook and brown trout. It provides legal-sized trout to Klamath and Lake counties and fingerlings for lakes from the southern Cascade Mountains east to the Idaho border. The current production is approximately 1 million fish each year.

Birds: Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Wood Duck, several warbler species and Mountain Bluebird are commonly seen around the hatchery. There is an observation platform from which large trout can be seen feeding.

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