There were about two dozen of us on the Klamath Bird Observatory field trip today.  The weather: perfect.  The birding: fortunate. The wildflowers peaking in the peaks, in full bloom above 4000 feet.

I was surprised to find Lazuli Bunting males still calling when we got to Willow-Witt Ranch off Shale City Road.  In the farm garden the House Wrens were clear about their ownsership.

Soloist in the sun.

 

 

 

 

House Wren up a tree over our intrusion into his garden.

 

 

 

Tree Swllaow leans out of his nest box to gawk at the strange, flightless bipeds.

 

 

 

 

The Pileated Woodpecker at Willow Witt was seen but not heard.  There were fleeting lances of Wilson’s Snipe moving about the water wmeadows.  In the oak and brush along lower Shale City Road (about 3500′ elevation) we passed a family of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers.

Later at Howard Prairie we failed to find any Sandhill Cranes, but there were numerous White Pelicans, the standard issue Osprey and Mountain Bluebirds around the horse camp at Lily Glen.  All that fresh horse manure attracts insects.  The  bluebirds and Cliff Swallows seem pleased at the plentitude.

On Conde Creek Road we finally got to see a Green-tailed Towhee who was singing us off his territory from high in an evergreen.  We saw some bird families today; Nashville Warblers, Vesper Sparrows, Mallards, Spotted Sandpipers in a group of five. 

Here’s a checkerspot.  Which one: northern? Edith’s?

Way beyond my butterflight ability.

 

 As an addicted birder I must admit the wildflowers mid-summer are almost as demanding of attention as the birds.  Here are a couple we saw among the several varieties at Willow-Witt.  Lining the Willow-Witt road were several species, including large mule’s ears of buttery yellow.  Especially bold were the meadow-blanketing golfdfields. 

Here: calico-flower or Bach downigia;

Downigia bacigalupi.  A summer flower of meadows and damp places.  Below: Eriophyllum lanatum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location:     Howard Prairie Circuit
Observation date:     7/11/09
Number of species:     46

Canada Goose     250
Mallard     7
Cinnamon Teal     3
American White Pelican     50
Double-crested Cormorant     10
Great Blue Heron     2
Turkey Vulture     8
Osprey     1
Red-tailed Hawk     3
American Kestrel     1
Killdeer     1
Spotted Sandpiper     6
Ring-billed Gull     5
Mourning Dove     6
Acorn Woodpecker     8
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)     1
Pileated Woodpecker     1
Western Wood-Pewee     3
Dusky Flycatcher     1
Western Kingbird     6
Steller’s Jay     6
American Crow     4
Tree Swallow     6
Cliff Swallow     40
Barn Swallow     3
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
House Wren     5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     4
Western Bluebird     1

Mountain Bluebird     4
American Robin     6
European Starling     15
Nashville Warbler     3
Yellow-rumped Warbler     1
Western Tanager     2
Green-tailed Towhee     2
Chipping Sparrow     6
Vesper Sparrow     10
Lark Sparrow     1
Song Sparrow     3
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)     4
Lazuli Bunting     10
Red-winged Blackbird     4
Brewer’s Blackbird     20
Brown-headed Cowbird     8
Purple Finch     1