This popular event will be held in Sisters, Oregon from May 31 – June 3. Festival participants have a choice of 20-guided tours in search of 11 different species of woodpeckers and 200 other birds that make central Oregon a birding hot spot. Sponsored by East Cascades Audubon Society, this festival offers a fun, friendly, casual atmosphere that is all about the birds. The trips are affordable and guided by two local volunteers with the proceeds supporting the many ECAS projects and programs fostering bird conservation.
Started in 2011, this event is an opportunity to visit a beautiful area and enjoy our local birds. There are 11 nesting species of woodpeckers in the area and there is a good chance to see them all … as well as lots of other cool birds. We keep things low key, fun and casual. Local birders lead the tours (at least 2 tour leaders per group) and group size is restricted by the Forest Service. We follow ethical birding practices, minimize play backs and have strict protocols about approaching nests. The festival is focused on field trips and meeting other birders.
ONLINE REGISTRATION OPENS APRIL 2 AT 9 AM PDT and more information is on the website: http://www.ecaudubon.org/dean-hale-woodpecker-festival You can email questions to Sherrie Pierce at dhwf2018@gmail.com Trips fill quickly.
One of the best things about our annual Lassen Park campout is that we get to see several species of birds that are rarely, if ever, seen in the valley. Many of those species also nest in the park. According to their website, Lassen Volcanic National Park provides habitat for approximately 216 species of birds in which 96 have been known to actually breed in the park.
For those of you that have never been to Lassen Volcanic National Park, I thought I would post some photos I have taken inside the park of some of the bird and animal species we may encounter during our annual campout.
One of my favorite species is the Water Ouzel, more commonly known now as the American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus). This is a photo I took at King’s Creek picnic area of an adult feeding its nestlings. Click on photos for full sized images.
and a short video of the nestlings begging for food and being fed.
Of course, LVNP has a great variety of woodpeckers on their bird list, eight of them known to nest in the area, including the White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus.) This is a male with some treats for the youngsters.
and a short video of the adults feeding the nestling and drumming.
We will hopefully see the rare Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) as well.
and maybe hear it drum!
There are Pileated Woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) that hang out just adjacent to our campground in an old burn.
And Red-breasted Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus ruber) are common.
Near Summit Lake we have been able to witness Williamson’s Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) raising their young in a snag near the campground. The handsome male…
and the not as recognizable female.
Another of my favorite Lassen Park nesting birds is the Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)…
This is a video of the nesting activity of a pair of Brown Creepers at Summit Lake. Their nest is concealed in the narrow space behind loose bark on a tree.
Mountain Chickadees (Poecile sclateri) are one of the many secondary cavity nesters at the park. This is a nestling waiting to be fed at Hat Lake.
Also seen at Hat Creek, Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) tending their nestlings.
And the video accompaniment.
Other secondary cavity nesters at the park include the Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)…
the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides), the male seen here…
and the Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola).
Lassen Volcanic National Park is one of the few places that this incredible cavity nesting duck breeds in Northern California.
This is a video of a female Bufflehead searching Manzanita Lake for a cavity to nest in for the following nesting season. She is in a snag, at least forty feet up!
American Coots (Fulica americana) raise their young at the park also. If you have never seen a American Coot chick, Manzanita Lake is a good spot to find them.
Since we’re checking out the youngsters of the park, I found this juvenile Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) at Bumpass Hell. Note the remaining flesh colored gape below the eye at the corner of the beak.
Other species that nest at the park include the Cassin’s Finch (Carpodacus cassinii). The male seen here…
and the female.
You would be hard pressed to miss the boisterous Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
But if you are really lucky, you might find a young Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) at Hat Lake!
You gotta see this…
Or a Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) that also nests here.
Of course there are more than just birds at Lassen Volcanic National Park. The park is home to approximately 57 species of mammals ranging is size from the tiny shrew to the North American black bear. We are most likely to see the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)…
the American Pika (Ochotona princeps)…
and the Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris).
I hope this post intrigues you enough to consider joining us this year at Lassen Volcanic National Park for our 2017 annual campout. As always we will be camping with our friends and fellow Audubon members from other Northern California chapters. As with all of our activities, the Lassen Park Campout is posted on our calendar for more information. You are welcome to campout beginning Friday, July 28th, anytime past noon, or drive up Saturday morning to join us for the hike around Manzanita Lake.
Want more information on Lassen Volcanic National Park? Visit their website! And here is an interactive map of the park.
We have enjoyed the birding and camping at the Lost Creek Group Campground over the years, so we are scheduling this event again this year. Group Camp Site #5 has been reserved for the nights of Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25. This year the park road should be free of snow by late June and it should be ideal for observing nesting birds. We are again inviting the Redwood Region Audubon Society and Altacal Audubon Society to join us. Folks can either camp at Lost Creek or drive up for either or both Saturday and Sunday. Campers can arrive at the campsite at a time of their choosing on Friday afternoon. Saturday daytrippers should meet at the Redding Civic Auditorium (Convention Center) at 8:00 am Saturday morning to car pool. We will bird Manzanita Lake and vicinity on Saturday morning. The rest of the itinerary is open and will depend on the interests of the participants. Daytrippers for Sunday, June 28, will meet at the campsite at 9:00 am. Lost Creek has primitive facilities; pit toilets and no electricity. Potable water is available. Contact Bill Oliver (Ph. 941-7741 or email wwoliver9 AT gmail DOT com for other particulars. Map: https://goo.gl/QkU9Nj
There are eleven species of woodpeckers found in Yosemite—more than anywhere in the U.S. Here is your chance to spend a day with an expert naturalist not just watching these industrious birds, but learning about their diverse habitats and habits.
December is a particularly great time for spotting the woodpeckers in Yosemite, with less foliage on trees and without the distraction of summer breeding birds.
Field-Seminar: The Day of the Woodpecker
December 7th meeting at 9a.m. in El Portal
Cost $82
Our fees cover entrance into Yosemite and camping.
We also provide a room block at Yosemite Lodge at the Falls for an extra fee.
· All of our non-profit revenue goes to helping Yosemite
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