| Oregon Cascades feature
nearly 200 birding hotspots
by Stephen Shunk of Paradise Birding Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy yet another reason to visit Oregon’s Cascade Mountains with the recent introduction of the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail. This 1,000-mile, self-guided auto tour showcases nearly 200 of the region’s best locations for wildlife watching and habitat diversity. The route traverses the east and west slopes of the Cascades from Mt. Hood to Mt. McLoughlin. It courses through old-growth forests and deep basaltic canyons, and traces the Columbia Gorge and the Cascades Crest. It skirts dozens of waterfalls and fifteen major rivers. It showcases more than 300 species of birds, and if everything goes as planned, it will boost Oregon tourism and conserve wildlife habitat throughout the region.
Birding “trails” fledged in the United States in 2000 when the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail debuted along the ocean shores of the Lone Star State. Since then, more than 30 states have fashioned dozens of these self-guided automobile routes to lure America’s rapidly growing constituency of recreational birders. Indeed, Americans like to watch birds. We also like to feed birds in our backyards. We travel to see birds that don’t visit our backyards, and we buy books and other equipment to enhance our birding experience. According to the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE 2001, in press), over 70 million Americans, or one-third of the national population over age 16, engage in some level of birding.
Government studies corroborate these findings. Every five years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts the National Survey on Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (USFWS 2001). The latest report tallied 18.2 million people who spent 372 million days watching wildlife away from home in 2001. These nature enthusiasts spent $8.2 billion on trip-related expenses. According to the NSRE, the number of American birders has exploded at a rate of 232 percent since 1983, positioning birding as the fastest-growing outdoor activity in the United States. To land managers and conservationists, nature-based tourism represents much more than a boost to the local economy. The money spent by visiting birders places a dollar value on birds and their habitats. More birds and better quality habitat mean more birders visiting more often. Local communities experience the economic benefits of conservation and they become stewards over local lands.
Birding economics gained momentum in Oregon in late 2001, when a group of Oregon conservationists, biologists, and tourism professionals formed the Oregon Birding Trails Working Group. Inspired by the development of birding trail projects around the country, the group mapped out their vision for a network of seven major trails in Oregon, dubbed “Oregon Birding Trails.” In early 2002, the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), a founding member of the working group, aligned its priority for bird conservation in the Oregon Cascades with the same interests of the National Forest Foundation (NFF). ABC applied for a NFF grant to develop the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail. The group was awarded the grant and Oregon’s first birding trail was born. From the Columbia Gorge to the Upper Klamath Basin, the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail features five distinctive, adjoining loops. Nearly 200 key birding sites linked by over 1,000 miles of existing roadways show off the best of the birds, habitats and majesty of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. The Mt. Hood Loop rises from near sea level along the Columbia River
to the base of 11,245-foot Mt. Hood. At the Columbia Gorge, dozens of waterfalls
cascade down the gorge’s north-facing wall, while Osprey and Bald Eagle
feed in the river at sites like Ainsworth and Viento State Parks, and the
Hood River Delta. The Hood River Valley epitomizes Oregon’s quaint, rural The Mt Jefferson Loop borders the Warm Springs Indian Reservation as
well as thousands of acres of National Forest Wilderness. This region boasts
impressive concentrations of Northern Goshawk, Rufous Hummingbird and MacGillivray’s
Warbler. Where the High Desert meets the East Cascades, White-throated
Swift, Lewis’s Woodpecker and Lazuli Bunting breed annually at Alder Springs.
On the eastern slope, Black-throated Gray Warbler and Western Tanager nest
at the Eyerley Burn and Prairie Farm Spring. The Metolius River Basin,
centered around Camp Sherman, features White-headed Woodpecker and Pygmy
Nuthatch, icons of the ponderosa pine forest. Just over the Cascade Crest,
Lost Lake and Fish Lake invite At the heart of the trail lies the Three Sisters Wilderness, named for the three 10,000-foot volcanic peaks that loom over the forest below. The Three Sisters Loop exhibits stunning scenery and incredible diversity at nearly 50 prime birding sites. The forests between Santiam and McKenzie Passes host eleven species of breeding woodpeckers, including Lewis’s, Three-toed, and Black-backed. Cache Mountain and the Meadow Lake Basin invite Ruffed and Blue Grouse, along with nesting Vaux’s Swift. Along the Cascade Lakes Highway, Sparks Lake boasts stunning views of South Sister, plus breeding Savannah Sparrow and Western Meadowlark (Oregon’s state bird) in the upper meadow. Newberry Volcanic National Monument showcases the most recent volcanic activity in the Oregon Cascades as well as the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch of Paulina Peak. Waterfalls abound on the loop with Sahalie and Koosah Falls on the McKenzie River, home to nesting Harlequin Duck and American Dipper. Salt Creek Falls to the south sets the stage for the Black Swift’s only Oregon nest site. South of Sisters Country rests the skeleton of the mighty Mt. Mazama,
today a wide caldera that holds the seventh deepest lake in the world.
The Crater Lake Loop features the emerald blue waters of its namesake.
Drive the crater’s rim for breathtaking hikes, or take a leisurely stroll
for a close Two hundred miles south of Oregon’s highest peak, Mt. McLoughlin rises nearly 10,000 feet to survey the Klamath Basin below. The Mt. McLoughlin Loop may be the most ecologically diverse on the entire birding trail, with Clark’s Grebe on Upper Klamath Lake, Oak Titmouse in the Rogue River Valley and Northern Goshawk, plus three species of chickadee, in the forests above. On the eastern flank of the mountain, a series of gushing springs lines the geological boundary between the Upper Klamath Basin and the steep Cascade foothills. Odessa, Malone, Crystal, and Mare’s Egg Springs all bring forest and wetland birds together. Enjoy nesting Red-necked Grebe and Least Bittern on a morning canoe tour off Rocky Point, and then visit Crystalwood Lodge in the afternoon to see nesting Sandhill Crane and Pileated Woodpecker. Around the southern end of the loop, mixed conifer forest meets Douglas-fir and the thriving riparian corridors of Little Butte Creek and the Rogue River. Mountain Quail and Red-breasted Sapsucker exemplify the forest dwellers of this region, and both may be found from Willow Prairie to the Mill Creek Bridge. To date, nearly 200 Oregon birders have become engaged in the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail project at various stages. Public meetings helped spread the word to local communities across the Cascades. The site nomination process, completed in November 2002, invited birders to recommend their favorite birding sites for inclusion along the trail. Agency representatives worked closely with project organizers to develop the trail guide, which became available June 1, 2003, just in time for the American Birding Association’s annual convention in Eugene – the first time Oregon has hosted this event. With the trail guide and a road map in hand, resident and visiting birders alike will experience a new side of the Oregon Cascades. Surrounded by volcanoes, waterfalls, and forests, they will enjoy some of the best birding in the West. To request the new trail guide to the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail visit www.oregonbirdingtrails.org. For more information on Oregon Birding Trails contact Steve Shunk at steve@paradisebirding.com or call 541-408 --
541-549-8826 (home)
Oregon Cascades Birding
Trail
© 2003 Stephen Shunk |
residential
character with productive fruit orchards and some outstanding birding.
Tucker and Tollbridge County Parks lead along the Hood River and up the
Cascade slope to Bonney Butte, one of Oregon’s premiere raptor viewing
locations. Southwest of Mt. Hood, the Clackamas River cuts a steep winding
canyon through sites like Fish Creek and Promontory Park. Down the mountain’s
western flank, the Zig Zag and Sandy rivers lead past Trillium Lake and
through Wildwood Recreation Area; Pileated Woodpecker and Band-tailed Pigeon
frequent this corridor.
nesting
Hermit Warbler and Barrow’s Goldeneye. Down the west side, cold
mountain streams flow through lush forests, and the Harlequin Duck reaches
its highest densities in Oregon along Quartzville Creek and the Breitenbush
River.
encounter
with a friendly clan of Clark’s Nutcrackers. North of Crater Lake
spreads a broad swath of forest that spawns the Umpqua and Rogue Rivers,
two of Oregon’s wildest and most scenic waterways. Above the Rogue,
check at Rabbit Ears for nesting Peregrine Falcon. Looking west from Mt.
Theilsen, the Umpqua River links Diamond to Lemolo, Stump, and Toketee
Lakes, inviting Wood Duck and Barrow’s Goldeneye plus Willow, Hammond’s,
and Pacific-Slope Flycatchers. Mt. Scott, on the Crater Lake rim, stares
eastward at some of the most productive marshes in Oregon. Big Marsh boasts
the northernmost nesting site in Oregon for the enigmatic Yellow Rail,
while Klamath Marsh to the south hosts Oregon’s highest concentration of
this secretive little swamp dweller.