Birding Klamath Oregon
Enjoy the comforts of a B&B while birding Klamath Oregon bioregion.
Male Evening Grosbeak at the Chanticleer Inn
Both avid and amateurs birders may select from over a dozen half– and full-day trips throughout Southern Oregon, including the Klamath Basin and the Rogue Valley.
Though a lover of nature, the Chanticleer Inn’s innkeeper Ellen won’t claim to be a very knowledgeable birder — but it’s all about who you know! As a long-time supporter of the Klamath Bird Observatory, she knows many professional birders and wildlife biologists; and can make arrangements for guides, or direct guests to the best birding locations.
Klamath Basin, a part of the Pacific Flyway, is a birders’ paradise. Less than an hour’s drive from Ashland up to 85% of the migrating birds west of the Rockies come through and take up temporary residence in this region. In November you may see tens of thousands of ducks, snow geese and swans along with many, many other species. December through February you can observe the largest wintering concentration of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states. This region hosts nearly 400 species of birds. Many are here all year round.
Sandhill Crane
Within the town of Ashland and its immediate surrounds, there are a number of birding locales. The Audubon Society conducts Christmas and bird-feeder counts at North Mountain Park in Ashland and Jefferson Nature Center in Medford. Another popular place to bird is also on the Greenway along Bear Creek, a tributary to the Rogue that runs through Ashland.
There are myriad organized bird walks, lectures, field classes and festivals throughout the year. Many are posted on the Chanticleer Inn’s blog. These organizations regularly host birding events and have informative websites for both the amateur and avid birders: Rogue Valley Audubon Society, Klamath Bird Observatory, Siskiyou Field Institute, and North Mountain Park.
Klamath Bird Observatory published the Rogue Valley Birding Guide, a downloadable .pdf file that provides general information on birding Klamath Oregon bioregion, and provides a list of 17 birding hikes/locales with several maps to orient the out-of-town visitors.
Very, very locally, guests breakfasting at the Chanticleer Inn may observe Acorn Woodpeckers work their granary on the city’s electrical pole.; and Western Scrub Jays nest in the garden hedges and bathe in the pond’s waterfall. Below is a list of bird species you can spot in Ashland, on the trails in Lithia Park, around the riparian areas on Ashland Creek and Bear Creek and (for those species in bold font) in Chanticleer Inn’s gardens.
Cedar Wax Wing on Hawthorne tree at the Chanticleer
Acorn Woodpecker
American Dipper
American Goldfinch
American Robin
Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler
Barn Swallow
Bewick’s Wren
Black Phoebe
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-headed Grosbeak
Brown Creeper
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock’s Oriole
Bushtit
Canada Goose
Cedar Waxwing
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Common Merganser
Common Yellowthroat
Cooper’s Hawk
Downy Woodpecker
Evening Grosbeak
Fox Sparrow
Gadwall
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Hairy Woodpecker
Hermit Thrush
House Sparrow
Lazuli Bunting
Lesser Goldfinch
Lincoln’s Sparrow
MacGillivray’s Warbler
Mallard
Mourning Dove
Nashville Warbler
Northern Harrier
Orange-crowned Warbler
Oregon Dark-eyed Junco
Osprey
Pine Siskin
Purple Finch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-shafted Northern Flicker
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Rufous Hummingbird
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Swainson’s Thrush
Tree Swallow
Virginia Rail
Western Scrub Jay
Western Tanager
White-crowned Sparrow
Wilson’s Warbler
Wood Duck
Wrentit
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Yellow-headed Blackbird
