Klamath Basin Wildlife Refuge Opens New Canoe Area

What’s better than the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars?  For the wildlife enthusiast it just might be canoeing under the trees! This unique opportunity is now available at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge complete with a canoe for visitors to use free of charge.  The new canoe area dedicated to former refuge employee, David Champine, has recently been opened to the public.  While visitors may use their own non motorized boats, there is also a canoe available at the site which visitors may checkout during the hours the nearby refuge visitor center is open.

The canoe area has been developed as a cooperative effort of the refuge staff and many friends of David Champine.  Mr. Champine died in 2009 after battling a lifelong heart condition which hampered his health but not his enthusiasm for life. The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Association has been instrumental in making this opportunity available.  The Association is a membership group dedicated to supporting refuge interpretive and educational programs.  For membership information contact the refuge at (530) 667-2231. A group of David’s friends donated the canoe which visitors will be using on the trail.  The canoe area is located in a remote portion of Discovery Marsh which is within walking distance of the refuge headquarters and visitor center.  The marsh is expected to dry up during the late spring and summer months most years so visitors should call in advance if they are planning a trip which includes use of the canoe area.

Wildlife viewing opportunities will vary seasonably with recent reports of interesting sightings along the trail including bird species such as Cinnamon Teal, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Long-billed Dowitcher, Violet-green Swallow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Marsh Wren and Common Yellowthroat.

The Refuge visitor center is located at 4009 Hill Road about 5 miles west of the town of Tulelake, California. Center hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 pm on weekdays and 9:00 to 4:00 pm on weekends and holidays. Contact the refuge at (530) 667-2231 for additional information.

Birding Video Showcases Variety of Species Available in Upper Klamath Basin

Ready to take a tour of the Upper Klamath’s birding possibilities? This wonderful video takes you on an armchair ride through what is one of the USA’s most interesting birding areas – the Upper Klamath:

Here’s what the producer had to say:

This video gives a glimpse at a few of the multitude of bird species that can be found in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California in early April. Virtually all the birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway come through this area in the spring and fall. The largest group of bald eagles in the lower 48 states assembles here during the winter. Many species are residents year-around. The Klamath Basin Birding Trail was created to help visitors find the widest array of bird species possible. This area is truly a bird-watchers paradise. For all the details see: http://www.klamathbirdingtrails.com

Kisling’s Corner: Eagles

Welcome to Kisling’s Corner: This week’s topic is eagle identification.

Eagle identification is not always easy. If all bald eagles looked as they do when they reach adulthood, identifying eagles would be much simpler, unfortunately, that is not the case. All raptors go through a time when their plumage differs from their adult plumage. This does have the benefit of saving young birds from adults of the same species who might look upon them as sexual rivals, but it presents some problems for those of us who are trying to identify them.

Both golden and bald eagles require at least four years to attain adult plumage, with five years being the norm. Any good field guide can point out the subtle plumage difference between these two species, but there are a few things that field guides rarely cover. If I see a brownish eagle, I first look at the size of the head. On occasion, a golden eagle may appear to have a normal sized head for a bird its size, but most often, it appears that the head is a bit small for such a large bird. If you see a small group of eagles and there is an adult bald eagle among them, check the head size of the brown eagles near it. If they all appear to have a head about the same size of the adult bald, they are all young bald eagles.

Since bald eagles have a larger head and beak than do golden eagles, they also have a different head to tail ratio then goldens. When seen in flight, bald eagles have a tail projection that is about one and a half times the head projection whereas golden eagles have a tail projection that is two to two and a half times longer than the head projection. If this seem a bit hard for you to absorb, I can make remembering it easier. It is the bald eagle that has the big head and who wouldn’t get a big head if they were the national bird? That may sound a bit silly, but it does make it easy to remember.

There are a few other differences between the species that may be of help when the lighting is not good. Bald eagles hold their wings fairly flat when soaring while golden eagles fly with their wings held up in a shallow V that resembles the way turkey vultures fly, except that vultures are always tilting side to side and eagles only do so when it is very windy. One other difference between the two eagle species is something I have never seen in print, but it works. If you see an eagle fly a long distance and it flaps continuously, it is certainly a bald eagle. Golden eagles may flap for a bit, but a large part of their flight consists of soaring. A bald may also flap a while and then soar, so be careful, since both species flap and soar. It’s only when the flapping goes on for long while that you may be confident it is a bald eagle.
Questions, comments? Kiss@cot.net

Charlotte, Thanks for the insight that only comes from years of experience. I would add that Charlotte’s neck of the woods – the Dorris and Tulelake area – is a hot spot for eagle sightings, especially in the winter and early spring. You can learn more by visiting the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge website. The website provides a seasonal list of birds you expect to see, no matter when you’re planning a visit. Summer time means waterfowl and marsh birds, early morning expeditions on the driving tours and spending the hot afternoons in the cool caves at Lava Beds National Monument, which borders the Tule Lake Refuge.
Thanks again,
Renee

Kisling’s Corner: bring your scope for the baby Bald Eagle at Lower Klamath Refuge

Welcome to Kisling’s Corner. Today we focus on what is happening around the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges. The big news on Lower Klamath Refuge is the presence of a baby bald eagle in the nest along the tour route. That portion of the tour route is closed to the public, but the nest can be viewed, preferably with a spotting scope, anywhere near mile post 7 on Highway 161 (State Line Road).

There is a fairly large colony of bank swallows at the refuge quarry. As you enter at the main entrance and after passing the parking area, there is a little information kiosk with refuge maps and a notice showing on a map where the quarry is located. If you have never seen a decent sized colony of bank swallows, you will certainly enjoy this special treat. Please do not unduly disturb the swallows.

Tri-colored blackbirds can be found with a little searching and yellow-headed blackbirds are hard to miss. Canada geese are almost everywhere with their young in tow and many ducks can now be seen with their young. The Tule Lake Refuge is hosting many grebes, mostly eared grebes, but Western, Clark’s and pied-billed may also be seen. Just a bit east of the Tule Lake refuge is Petroglyph Point and the large formation to the north of that is known as the Peninsula. Down a bit from the highest part of that formation is an active golden eagle nest with at least one young eagle in it. As you travel north to the basin, pay attention to what can be seen along Highway 97 just a bit south of Dorris. There is a fairly large concentration of bald eagles just south of the inspection station and one has an orange wing tag bearing the number 83. It is actually K83, but the K is hard to see. It was taken from a nest on Santa Catalina Island and re-released on Santa Catalina Island last year.
The answer to the question about the smallest North American bird is calliope hummingbird. Weighing in at about one tenth of an ounce, it would take about 150 well fed ones to make a pound. This next question may be of help to those who see several eagles in the same area and have a difficult time deciding whether they are seeing an immature bald eagle or a golden eagle. Pay attention to the size of the head and the solution will be in the next installment.
If you have any birding questions, e-mail them to me at kiss@cot.net and I will do what I can to answer them.

Kisling’s Corner: what’s happening in the Klamath Basin

Welcome to Kisling’s Corner. In the last installment, we discussed some birding basics. This time, we will focus more on local birding. In particular, the Klamath Basin. Not only does the area have tremendous birding, there are some resources that are available to help you when you are here. Start will the Klamath Basin Birding Trail website. It will give you information on dozens of birding locations. Check the Klamath Basin Audubon Society for their event calendar. The Klamath Bird Observatory also has a website and offers some events open to the public. Do not forget to check the website of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges. There is now a system in place where local birding information is shared. It is mostly for Klamath Basin birding information, but anything of interest for birders may be discussed. I am making reference to Klamath Basin Bird News. It is set up as a Google Group and you may elect to read the postings on-line or may choose to be a participant by registering so you can post information or receive an e-mail as soon as a new posting is made. Google Klamath Basin Bird News to view the site. Another resource is Birdingonthe.net. This site can give you rare bird alerts and local sightings from just about anywhere. Then there is another favorite, Birdingpal, which is a worldwide system that can get folks in contact with other birders in areas they may wish to visit. Check out these websites and benefit from them.
Birding is never static, the seasons come and go and with them a new cast of characters. If you were in the Klamath Basin a couple of months ago, you would have seen thousands upon thousands of snow, Ross’ and greater white-fronted geese. Now, except for a few stragglers, they have moved north to breed. Other species are making their presence known. Grebes may be seen courting and it won’t be long before we will see them with their babies riding on their backs. Songbirds have moved in and are setting up housekeeping duties. One of my favorites is the yellow rail. This seldom seen bird is found along the north side of Upper Klamath Lake and in the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge along the Silver Lake Highway. Although actually seeing one is a rare treat, they can be heard quite easily, but you need to be doing this after dark. Birders make the most primitive of birds calls for this one. Take two stones and click them together to reproduce the yellow rail call, It goes like this click-click, click-click-click and is repeated several times. It only takes about three seconds to get in all of the clicks. Once I hear a response, I realize how fortunate we all are to be able to get in touch with nature.
Did you get the answer to the question in the last installment? What state has a state bird named for another state? If you answered Utah, you either looked it up or you are a savvy person indeed. Utah’s state bird is the California Gull, the bird that helped with stemming their locust invasion. This installment’s question is what is the smallest North American bird? Hint, I had one at my feeder the other day.

If you have and birding related questions, you may contact Charlotte at kiss@cot.net and your questions will be answered as best they can.

Winter eagles in Klamath Basin highlighted in SF Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle highlighted a winter tradition in its Monday issue with the story “Birders head to Siskiyou wetlands to see eagles”. Writer Carolyn Jones explored the Klamath Basin, which lies north of Mt. Shasta on Highway 97, where eagles are so common during the winter (sometimes up to 1000 eagles) that their presence has led to an annual event, the Winter Wings Festival. The event has passed, but the eagles remain. Take a drive out to the Tulelake area and stop in at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center on Hill Road where you can learn more about the eagles and a huge number of other bird populations that pass through the Klamath Basin during annual migration patterns.

To learn more about the K Basin refuges, check out this US Fish & Wildlife service video and read the Chronicle’s story linked above. Then head to the Visit Siskiyou website for help planning your visit to this beautiful, remote area (read: come with supplies).

Klamath Basin/Lava Beds activities

For a great travel report on the activities of the Klamath Basin, check out the post from Travel Adventures with Lance and Erin, who recently visited the Tulelake and Lava Beds area.  They spent a few days in the Basin and wrote a great piece on the history of the area as they toured the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges and the Lava Beds National Monument.

The Lava Beds’ summer programs are in full swing, from now through Labor Day weekend. Ranger guided cave tours leave the Visitor Center at 3:00 PM, and range in difficulty from an easy walk through Sentinel or Valentine Cave to challenging excursions into Juniper or Catacombs Caves. The Park Service says, no matter what the weather is outside, visitors should come prepared to “Cave Safely, Cave Softly” with long pants, long-sleeved shirts, closedtoed shoes, head protection, and a flashlight for each person. Flashlights may be borrowed from the Visitor Center during open hours, and a selection of hardhats, kneepads, gloves, and cave maps are available for sale.

Evening slide shows are presented in the Indian Wells Campground amphitheater, and begin at 9:00 PM. In-depth discussions of the Lava Beds backcountry, Modoc cultural history, and climate change in national parks as well as viewing the night sky through a telescope will be among the programs offered. Special Junior Firefighter programs are conducted at the Visitor Center several times during the summer season, giving kids the chance to explore Lava Beds’ fire engines and other firefighting gear up close and personal. Lava Beds is also pleased to offer a Junior Ranger badge to children ages five through thirteen who complete a workbook available at the Visitor Center. Young people can also earn a Junior Firefighter award by hiking to the Schonchin Butte Fire Lookout and completing activities with the lookout ranger.
Additionally, short interpretive talks or ranger-guided walks will be offered many summer mornings at 11:00 AM. Join a ranger to learn about bats or meet a living history character from Lava Beds’ past near the Visitor Center, view a geology slide show in Mushpot Cave, or enjoy a talk at Petroglyph Point, Merrill Ice Cave, or a Modoc War site. For those interested in camping, Lava Beds’ 43 individual campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and typically fill only on holiday weekends.