Birdwatching

The stunning “water dance” of the grebes.

Have you ever seen the spectacular “water dance” of the grebes?  Or have you watched a majestic bald eagle swoop across a valley in hunt of its prey?

The incredible biodiversity of the Klamath Basin includes open water, marshes, wet meadows, coniferous forests, juniper woodlands, sagebrush-grasslands, meadows, and rocky cliffs makes birdwatching fun and enjoyable.  All of these types of environments can be reached within an hour or two’s drive from Crystal Creek Mountain Lodge.  Because of the mix of so many different environments and because we are located right on the Pacific Flyway migration route, our Klamath Basin is home to over 350 species of birds, you can’t help watch the birds.

Crystal Creek Mountain Lodge is centrally located on the Klamath Basin Birding Trail, which extends from just north of the Crater Lake National Park to just south of the Oregon/California border.  This Trail features 47 different sites for birdwatching, many of them near Crystal Creek Mountain Lodge.

Sora foraging in shallow water.

Surrounding Crystal Creek Mountain Lodge is the Klamath Lake Basin and the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge featuring open water, wet meadows, and marshy environments.   Just step outside to find sora, Virginia rail, yellow rail, and those fantastic dancing grebes!

With an elevation of up to 9,000 feet and just an hour and a half away, Crater Lake National Park is home to mountain quail, black-backed woodpecker, gray jay, northern goshawk, and eleven species of owls.  Or, travel south of Klamath Falls to the Lava Beds National Monument to find birds that prefer a habitat in the grasslands such as the sage thrasher, Brewer’s sparrow, blue-gray gnatcatcher, and the gray flycatcher.

A bald eagle swoops into the lake to catch a fish.

Visit us in the winter to see the raptors!  From December through February, the Klamath Basin is home to the largest concentrations of wintering bald eagles within the lower 48 states.  Many of them have migrated via Glacier National Park in Montana from the northwest territories of Canada.  You will also find large numbers of other raptors such as the golden eagle, northern harrier, red-tailed hawks, and rough-legged hawks.

Pack your binoculars and bring your Audubon Bird Guide to see how many species of birds you see during your stay at Crystal Creek Mountain Lodge!