Summer Lake Basin and Fremont NF above Paisley

This past weekend I went down to Lake County to bird Lake Abert, Summer Lake and the Fremont Nat Forest up above Paisley.  I left Portland after work and arrived at Paisley around 12;30 am.  I found Marster CG full, so I went across the road and set up tent along an old road. In the sack by 1 am.

A Western Flycatcher started singing way before sunup.  Interesting they are always the first bird you hear in the early dawn.  I packed up and headed down to Lake Abert.

A few views of the lake. I thought I scanned the white beach areas carefully, still I missed seeing Snowy Plover.

A badger came out on the flats, made sure all the avocet could fly away, then went for a swim.

The screaming American Avocet was convinced it was the reason the badger left after its swim.

Counting American Avocets was tough with all the reflections. Count all the birds and divide by two?

Even from a great distance, the crouched look of Least Sandpipers is apparent.

All I saw in this flock were  Western Sandpipers.

A few Willet were mixed in to the avocets.  The very pale gull is a Ring-billed. The others are California.

A large flock of Wilson's Phalarope were along the lake.

Here are my numbers from Saturday morning.  

Lake Abert, Lake, Oregon, US

Jul 16, 2016 7:30 AM - 10:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
16.0 mile(s)
Comments:     clear no wind, lake was calm
32 species (+3 other taxa)

Canada Goose  150
Mallard  5
duck sp.  50     distant
Chukar  3
Pied-billed Grebe  4
Eared Grebe  8
Double-crested Cormorant  12
Great Egret  4
White-faced Ibis  41
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Virginia Rail  2
Black-necked Stilt  187
American Avocet  3900
Willet  23
Least Sandpiper  39
Western Sandpiper  190
Wilson's Phalarope  230
Ring-billed Gull  47
California Gull  139
Rufous Hummingbird  1
Western Wood-Pewee  4
Say's Phoebe  1
Ash-throated Flycatcher  1
Loggerhead Shrike  4
Common Raven  3
Violet-green Swallow  23
Cliff Swallow  35
swallow sp.  100
Rock Wren  13
Brewer's Sparrow  13
Black-throated Sparrow  18
Lark Sparrow  2
Sagebrush Sparrow  2
Brewer's Blackbird  270
blackbird sp.  20

At the northern end of the lake is a county road right past the power lines.  Turn left ( heading north) and go for a few miles. You will find The Oasis. 

A family of Loggerhead Shrike were in the area. Orioles, swallows, Brewer's Blackbirds, and Red-tailed Hawk were here as well.

I spent the afternoon down in Lakeview checking out some of the birding spots in town and getting gas.  Goose Lake St Park was quiet as was Bullard Canyon, still good to see the area and the sewage ponds had good views of Leasts, Wilson Phalarope, and American Avocet. 

With a full tank of gas, I headed up to Paisley, got a burger to go at The Homestead (great spot) and headed down Mill St to access FR 3315.    Sage Sparrows and California Scrub-Jays were along the first leg of the road up from Paisley.

The view of Paisley from the road.

FR 3315 is a nice road. Only a few stretches of my entire drive up there had small rocks that made me nervous for my tires.

My second badger of the trip was along FR 28 (paved).  He trotted off into the woods.

I pitched my tent at Lee Thomas CG.  This rock structure was part of the CG.  I wondered who Lee Thomas was, he was an architect that designed, among other things, the MU at Oregon State, a beautiful building.  I assume the same Lee.

Birds seen at Lee Thomas CG:

Fremont-Winema NF--Lee Thomas Campground, Lake, Oregon, US

Jul 17, 2016 4:00 AM - 5:30 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     camped
20 species (+1 other taxa)

duck sp.  2
Great Blue Heron  1
Osprey  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Sandhill Crane  2
Common Nighthawk  4
Common Poorwill  2
Red-breasted Sapsucker  1
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)  2
Western Wood-Pewee  3
Dusky Flycatcher  2
Warbling Vireo  1
Common Raven  2
Mountain Chickadee  3
Brown Creeper  2
House Wren  2
American Robin  4
Yellow-rumped Warbler  5
Dark-eyed Junco  3
Lazuli Bunting  2
Cassin's Finch  3

Sunday morning I bagged my plans to bird in the Gearhart WIlderness, I calculated the time needed and decided it was better spent simply birding my way back to Paisley so I could visit Summer Lake WMA  before heading home.

The forest is well marked with road signs and the roads are in good shape.

At one of my first stops on the way back to Paisley was this woodpecker.  It looked like it had its black shield.  It has a small white chin, no red on breast.  When I first saw it , I thought it had an all red head. But when I got close I could see it had black as well.  Female Red-naped Sapsucker.  Either Red-naped or Red-breasted were at all my stops.

This was the meadow with the above sapsucker.  It is along FR 3411 where the road hits FR 28. It was full of singing birds. Lincoln Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellow-throat and White-crowned Sparrow.

The subspecies of White-crowned was oriantha.  The "Mountain" White-crowned.  I have also seen them on The Steens.  The upper back is gray with brown streaks.  The lores are black. Elevation of this meadow is 6700 feet.

Very short video of its call note.  It chips in the very first few seconds, loud and harsh.

Sorry for the drifting camera on this, very short video of its song. I posted similar video of one singing on The Steens in June of 2015.

Birds seen at this meadow:

Meadow a x of 3411 and 28, Lake, Oregon, US

Jul 17, 2016 7:00 AM - 7:45 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     temp 40, sunny no wind
20 species (+1 other taxa)

Red-naped Sapsucker  1
Red-breasted Sapsucker  2
Western Wood-Pewee  3
Dusky Flycatcher  2
Empidonax sp.  2
Warbling Vireo  1
Common Raven  2
Mountain Chickadee  66
Red-breasted Nuthatch  5
Brown Creeper  3
House Wren  3
Mountain Bluebird  7
American Robin  2
Common Yellowthroat  5
Yellow Warbler  3
Chipping Sparrow  3
Dark-eyed Junco  6
White-crowned Sparrow (oriantha)  5
Lincoln's Sparrow  4
Western Tanager  1
Cassin's Finch  3

After having a great time watching and listening to all  birds I moved on down road, stopping and birding a few side roads.  This is one long-billed Hairy Woodpecker. 

Another checklist from a stop along the road:

clearcut down the side road, Lake, Oregon, US

Jul 17, 2016 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     partly cloudy,  clouds came in wind kicked up just a bit
16 species (+1 other taxa)

Western Screech-Owl  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Western Wood-Pewee  3
Dusky Flycatcher  2
Empidonax sp.  2
Steller's Jay  2
Clark's Nutcracker  1
Mountain Chickadee  7
Red-breasted Nuthatch  6
Brown Creeper  4
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
Hermit Warbler  1     While tracking mob of birds driving owl out of area, no visual but from maybe ten trees away heard Hermit Warbler song very similar to song in Cascades. First part two syllable, second part rising bellish quality. Realize some songs could overlap with Townsend's but I do not think this is one of them?
Chipping Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco  3
Western Tanager  2

 HY Clark's Nutcracker.  It was dull brown colored compared to bright pattern of an adult.

Downhill from the nutcrackers was a meadow, I birded it Saturday and Sunday.  Oddly enough out in the middle of the woods was an old outhouse. I figure hunters use the meadow as a large basecamp and someone decided to bring a luxury of home to the outdoors. 

This Hatch-year (HY) Mule Deer was at the meadow on Saturday.

Part of forest birding is knowing when you hear a bird and when you hear a chipmunk. This little one had a higher pitched "brake squeal" of a call than the ones I hear in the Cascades.

One of the logging roads I went down led me to this view of Summer Lake.  Hwy 31 would run on the left side somewhere.

I think this is Mountain Mahogany.  There was a ridge of juniper and this mahogany on the east side of the forest, right before you drop back down to the valley (6 miles from Paisley, one mile into Fremont NF.).  I listened and looked for Virginia's Warblers, not much of an effort but you never know. I was also hoping to find Juniper Titmouse in the juniper stands on the east slopes of the mountains, no luck.

Now some random bird shots .

HY Killdeer at Lakeview Sewage Ponds.

HY Black-necked Stilt have a brown tinge to the feathers and lack the bright legs of an adult.

I could not decide if this was a molting adult avocet or a HY bird losing its brown tinge.

Least Sandpiper at the Lakeview Sewage Ponds.

White ground color,stout bill, brown checkers. HY Ring-billed Gull. The bill is usually pink at base.

I was trying to get a good photo of a HY White-faced Ibis.  With my binoculars I saw a red eye.  They get their red eye later in the year, so this is at least a second year bird.

Pelicans at Summer Lake mid-day Sunday.  I saw a flock of about 160 Long-billed Dowitchers and a few Greater Yellowlegs, otherwise quiet on the loop drive.

I urge birders to wander the area up behind Paisley and Summer Lake in the Fremont National Forest,  beautiful spot to bird. As an afterthought, it might be better to bird the Fremont by entering up at Silver Lake and simply follow FR 28 down past East Bay CG and then take FR 3315 out to Paisley.  The White-crowned meadow is very close to the FR 28-FR 3315 interchange.  

Thanks for the visit.

Harney and Lake Counties 2016

This year my Harney County trip included a swing through Lake County.

All my stops mentioned in this blog are marked on the map at the very bottom.

My first stop was Summer Lake WMA.  I arrived at about 3:30 in the afternoon.  A male American Avocet was watching a female (bill is more sharply bent at end on female).

A few Black-crowned Night-Herons were flying by.

This California Gull seemed larger and longer-billed than the rest. I was wondering if it was the Great Plains subspecies.

I did not know Tree Swallows marked their territory and I certainly did not know they did it in such a fashion.  This fellow declined to comment on the situation.

After a nice start to my SE Oreogn trip at Summer Lake , I went down to camp at Goose Lake State Park below Lakeview.  What a great spot.  There was water in the lake, which provided stilts and avocets with plenty of habitat.

This is the view of the lake from the park.  Hard to believe, but if the water levels get high enough to actually drain out of the lake the water enters the ocean through the Golden Gate.

The Warner Mountains border the lake on the east in Oregon.  You are looking into California, the road into the park is the last right-hand turn off 395 before you leave Oregon. 

The lake can be viewed from the end of the road. The California border is roughly straight out on the left.  Trees and brush surround the actual park, lots of habitat to bird.

A flock of Black-necked Stilts out on the marsh.  Avocets, Wilson's Phalarope, Wilson's Snipe and Sandhill Cranes were out on the marsh as well.

All the normal birds you would expect at a place in Harney County were here. This should be a fantastic place to hunt for rarities.  Lots of Yellow Warblers were singing.

On my way out of the area, I visited the easily accessible Lakeview water treatment area.  There is a nice gravel road right next to the fences. This male American Avocet was out swimming. I should add these areas are all on the Basin and Range birding loop and have signage at the sites stating such.

Black-necked Stilt

Female Cinnamon Teal or Blue-winged Teal?  Check out the face pattern and head and bill structure.

White-faced Ibis, an adult Glossy Ibis would have a brown eye with a bluish edge to the skin area and dark gray legs with red on the joint.

Wilson's Phalarope.

After Lakeview, I headed up into the Warner Mtns. 

I visited the area where Broad-tailed Hummingbirds were found last year, no luck this year. Dusky Flycatchers were calling along with other forest birds.

I headed on over to Denio and up to Fields on Thursday afternoon. I poked around Fields in the late afternoon.  I spent a very windy night at Arizona Creek. 

Fields had all the typical birds, Bullock's Orioles are the more vocal of the gang.

Evening Grosbeak were at a few locations, Fields and  Frenchglen.

The Great Horned Owls at Cottonwood Creek had a successful season, so far at least.  There is something special about being watched by owls, they seem to be wondering who you are and if they should be chasing you out of their yard or not.

House Wrens are common in the right habitat.

The Song Sparrows are paler than the ones on the westside.

A Swainson's Hawk was trying not to be seen at Cottonwood Creek.

This small empid was in Fields on Friday morning.  It was obviously smaller than the Gray Flycatchers nearby.  The large headed look, dark wings with bolder white wing bars, whitish throat, pale yellow wash across the belly. wider convex-sided bill and a whit call, made me go with Least Flycatcher.

On Saturday morning , after a night at Cottonwood Creek, I went back to Fields. This buteo was chased into the trees by a kestrel. Dave and Shawneen saw where it landed.  It was small with a white throat and a bold face pattern, light streaks down the sides of the chest. You can see the black moustachial mark as well.   Broad-winged Hawk.

Hiding back in the trees.

I went back to Cottonwood Creek to check out the hummingbird feeders Trent had set up at his camp.  I found one Black-chinned. This Chukar was watching over things.

I wandered up into the sage to photograph  Black-throated Sparrows.  Lots of lizards were out. A male Long-nosed Leopard Lizard. The females have orange spots on the side. Some folks looking for reptiles told me they are one of the top predators out there. 

I am going with Western Whiptail.

I am always careful wandering Cottonwood Creek and other creeks in Harney County.  Never step into a bush and always be sure any stick you step on has the chance to move out of the way.

This Western Rattlesnake (Great Basin?) slithered into a sagebrush as I passed by.  I saw its tail disappear in the bush right next to me. I heard its scales scrape together as it took a breath, I always thought I hear them hiss but Trent corrected me, it is expanding scales you hear. It sat quietly under the sage while I watched it.  I even broke a few branches to get a better photo and it did not budge.  All it wanted to do was get away from me and to stay safe.

I continued on my sparrow hunt and then went back to my car, passing by Trent and his family gang, I offered to show them the snake after they were done with breakfast. We went back up after they ate and my failed attempt to find some gnatcatchers.  The snake was gone from its spot, we could not locate it until I looked back in the same bush one more time.  It had moved over to a shadier side, a few of us had looked in the bush and missed it.  You can see how they vanish when in the center of these bushes.

So never step on a bush, walk slowly to give them a chance to move out of the way, and understand all they want to do is to avoid you. We moved it around a bit with a lizard hoop and it still only gave a very short rattle.

This Gopher Snake was in the same area the day before.

Saturday night I went to South Steens Campground.  Heading up out of the Alvord Desert into the Catlow Valley was this Loggerhead Shrike.

Usually this time of year South Steens is a quiet spot.  It was darn near full. I like birding the South Steens Road in the early morning, every now and then you hear a Long-eared Owl hoot.  Perhaps heard a female , but just a few sounds so not enough to get good id.

The morning sun coming up over the Blitzen Gorge.

This stretch of the road is after you pass by the first gate going up, it is always good for all the sage birds and the junipers up on the rim have held owls. One year I saw a Pinyon Jay in area.  A bit farther up this road Black-throated Gray Warblers nest.

Mountain Bluebirds are common.

Brewer Sparrows are common on these trips.

Ash-throated Flycatchers are reliable at Page Springs, go up the wilderness trail on the side of the canyon and sit and listen for a bit.  I had to climb up out of the canyon to get this guy.

They are also at Sage Hen Rest Area.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are not that tough to find in the sage, juniper and Mt Mahogany of Harney County.  There was a pair at Cottonwood Creek that only showed themselves when I was gone. When active, they are noisy, active and can be pished in to very close range.  I found mine at the Sage Hen Rest Area.  This is one of them.  I could not age it, but it is a male with the black line from bill over the eye.  I was thinking the brownish primaries would mean a second-year bird, but I think it is more complicated than that.

The map of the route:

Thanks for the visit, I am looking forward to my next trip to SE Oregon.

I would like to thank my daughter, Mariah, for using her photo editing skills on the Tree Swallow photo ;)