Klamath Basin birding and wildlife watching

Lonesome Duck is located in the heart of Klamath Basin Refuge system. Over 430 wildlife species have been observed in the Basin including 263 species of birds. There are a total of six refuges; Upper Klamath, Klamath Marsh, and Bear Valley in southern Oregon and Lower Klamath, Tule Lake, and Clear Lake in northern California.

Fall and spring bring one to three million ducks, geese, and swans using refuge wetlands in their annual migrations. Winter bald eagle numbers peak in mid February with Basin populations ranking as the largest recorded in the contiguous United States. Stay with us and go out to see them during the annual Winter Wings Festival in Klamath Falls over President’s Day weekend every February.

Waterfowl migration begins in early September with the arrival of northern pintails and greater white-fronted geese.Numbers peak in March with more than one million birds.

In early November you can expect other species that include: mallard, American wigeon, green winged teal, snow, Ross', and Canada geese, and tundra swan. August and September are good months to view water birds, such as the American white pelican, double-crested cormorant, and various herons, gulls, terns, and grebes. Learn more about great places for birding in the basin by checking out the Klamath Basin Birding Trails web site which lists 47 of the best places to see birds and wildlife in the Basin.

These National refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services for the conservation and enhancement of wildlife and their habitats. Totaling more than 180,000 acres, a variety of habitats occur on the refuges, including freshwater marshes, open water, grassy meadows, coniferous forests, sagebrush and juniper grasslands, agricultural lands, and rocky cliffs and slopes.

The text and image above were taken from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brochure and web sites.

Use these web sites to discover more about our area and the birding and wildlife near Lonesome Duck and the National Wildlife Refuges.