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WINGS Birding Tours – Photo Gallery

Oregon: Birds and the Shakespeare Festival

Once in Ashland, we’ll settle into the Bard’s Inn. From there it’s a short walk to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival grounds where we’ll spend a number of delightful hours. Nearly all of our birding mornings will begin with a picnic breakfast in a fabulous setting… …perhaps within sight of an Olive-sided Flycatcher… …or one of the large-billed types of Red Crossbill, here sitting on a Shasta Fir. The mountain meadows are a palette of colorful wildflowers… …such as this Scarlet Gilia. The OSF isn’t all Shakespeare; – more than half of the program includes varied works such as Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. (DC) On OSF’s one day off, we’ll venture farther east to the Klamath Basin, where Clark’s Grebe is a possibility at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge… …and a desert cliff face might host a Barn Owl. This stark vista, typical of the east side of the Cascade Mountains, illustrates the variety of landscapes in Oregon. On our way to Crater Lake National Park, we’ll stop at Annie Creek. More than 7000 years ago, Crater Lake collapsed and filled with water during the violent eruptions of Mount Mazama, forming the deepest and bluest lake on the continent. Delicious picnic lunches in gorgeous settings are a favorite feature of this tour. Even during this driest time of year, the Rogue River flows steadily… …providing habitat for the delightful American Dipper. Against such stunning backdrops as Mt. McLoughlin… …we’ll look for birds amid towering giants like this Western White Pine, the tallest in the world… …where we hope to find White-headed Woodpecker. We’ll then return to Ashland for more plays, which one year included Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance. (TCE) Birding in the western valleys we’ll look for Spotted Towhee… …and the odd Wrentit. Each evening has free outdoor performance; here the Siskiyou Violins delight audiences. (TCE)

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