I got a chance to do some birding with the owner of Greensprings Inn today. He is Diarmuid McGuire. Turns out we knew each other in an earlier life.
We met at Emigrant Lake. There was a line of a few dozen White-fronted Geese and three Cackling Geese on the shoreline of the south end of the lake. And Western Bluebirds were all over the oaks at the northwest side of the lake, inside the recreation area.
Also onb the shrivelled lake: a few Bufflehead and Western Grebes.
At the entranbce to the recreationarea we watched a Kestrel swoop down on a Red-tailed Hawk hunting in a hay field. No harm, no foul.
White-breasted Nuthatch in white oak at Emigrant Lake. You could have a three nuthatch day while staying at Greensprings. The red-breasted would be right outside your door. White-breasted at abundant at Emigrant Lake and Pygmy can be seen on the road from Hwy 140 to Eale Ridge on the west side of Klamath Lake.
GREENSPRINGS INN
The Greensprings In sits on over 100 acres of woodland at the intersection of Hwy 66 and the Hyatt Lake Road. It’s 17 miles from I-5 and Hwy 66 in Ashland. The resort has a restaurant where I had a great breakfast burrito. There are motel-style rooms and five new cabins, each with great mountain views and woodsy privacy. On the grounds we found Purple Finches, Mountain Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Ravens and Steller’s Jays. The latter were making lots of angry noises high in a Ponderosa but we could not see what they were loudly despising. Likely an owl or accipiter.
In the spring there will be Hermit Warblers, Cassin’s Vireo, Juncos, Chipping Sparrows, Dusky Flycatchers, Barn Swallows and Rufous Hummingbirds.
McGuire and I will put together information on some birding excursions from the Inn that may be of interest to visitors there. It is on the north edge of the extensive Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. There are numerous great hiking trails, fine widlfowers and butterflies in spring and summer. The birding areas are all around. It’s 45 minutes eastward to the Klamath Basin. Within a few minutes are Hyatt Lake and then further north Howard Prairie: Osprey, Bald Eagle, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Cassin’s Finch, Sandhill Cranes, White Pelican, Northern Goshawk, Vesper Sparrow, Mountain Bluebird, Wilson’s Snipe. Just west of the Inn at Greensprings Summit (El. 4551′) you can turn north on a road that goes past Little Hyatt reservoir: Dipper at the dam, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Lazuli Bunting, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Cassin’s Vireo, Chipping Sparrow. About 1.5 miles west of the Inn is Keene Creek reservoir. Today there were Hooded and Common Merganser, and Bufflehead on the lake. In late summer I’ve seen both Common and the elusive Barrow’s Goldeneye here.
Hwy 66 between the Inn (4500′) and Emigrant lake down at 2500′ is good territory for Lewis’s Woodpecker in winter. I saw one from the car. Also: Acorn Woodpecker, possible Sooty and Ruffed Grouse, Western Meadowlark, Lesser Goldfinch, Lazuli Buting, Green-tailed Towhee, Northern Goshawk.
