Towheeblog

Sept. 24, Southern Cascades
This was my second Klamath Bird Observatory field trip of the weekend. We arrived early at Keno Access Road and before 830AM we has spotted what turned out to be a juvenile Great Gray Owl hunting in Two Pine Meadow. Soon an adult owl flew across the meadow then hooted the youngster back into the forest. Late that morning we saw our third GGO flew along Parson’s Meadow south of Howard Prairie Lake Resort. In the afternoon our second shade of gray were flocks of Gray Jays…again three flocks. These jays were along Howard Prairie Dam Road and Keno Access Road. Our first encounter with these guys feeding on the ground was at Klum Landing just west of Howard Prairie Dam. They seemed to be feeding on small dark insects they were finding on the ground. They were as confident and bold as if they were stealing potato chips from our picnic table.
There were a half dozen shorebird species in the shallow northern end of Howard Prairie Reservoir which can be reached overland after a short hike through tall grass from Lily Glen Campground.
Here are two Wilson’s Snipe, bookending one of the many Least Sandpipers: