Birding the Sisters Country
By Jim Anderson

No matter how you get to Sisters, you can have a wonderful time birding.

Take flying in. When you tie down your aircraft in the visitor parking area in summer all you have to do is listen for a moment and you will hear Oregon's State Bird, the western meadowlark. They nest in the open areas near the runway and in adjacent fields, and the mountain bluebirds flitting about will knock your eyes out! You might also use caution and keep an eye out for eagles, hawks and turkey vultures soaring near the east end of the runway.

When you drive into the Sisters Country via the McKenzie Pass route, over Highway 242 in the summer (it's closed in winter), you're driving through blue grouse and pygmy owl country. You can walk up to the grouse and take close-up photos. The little pygmy owl, on the other hand is a spook, and often kills and eats animals much larger than it is.

Passing down the east side of the McKenzie toward Sisters you will pass Cold Springs Campground. Take the time to turn in and walk the short nature trail adjacent to the parking area. It will be well worth it. White-headed woodpeckers nest in the aspens, along with hairy, downy woodpeckers and sapsuckers, and spotted towhees scoot along under your feet.

Leave plenty of time to arrive in Sisters while crossing the Cascades on Highway 22. The birding is exceptional, and the burned forest is a woodpecker wonderland! Spotted Sandpipers are visible on most of the lake shores, waterfowl and osprey are always busy around and in Suttle Lake. If you turn off at Cache Lake, you may even see a northern spotted owl.

A stop at Indian Ford Campground will open the door to warblers and an accipiter or two, like a Cooper's hawk intent on a warbler for lunch. Watch for bald eagles perched in the tops of towering fir and pines alongside the highway. They are watching for trophy fish in Suttle Lake.

Coming into Sisters from Bend you'll be in western meadowlark country, with three or four active red-tailed hawk nesting pairs hunting the hay fields across from ODOT's scenic pullouts. If you're watching, it will be almost impossible to drive from Bend to Sisters without seeing our smallest falcon, the American kestrel, perched on powerlines adjacent to Highway 20. In winter the northern shrike competes with the kestrels.

This author in company with birding friend, Don McCartney, has been banding kestrel nestlings for over eight years that were reared in Don's 150+ nesting boxes placed throughout the Sisters/Bend area.

Each year, all through the month of June, Don, a group of birding volunteers and I band nestlings. This is a family activity that encourages young people to help. If you would like to take part in this activity, e-mail naturalselection@uci.net, or telephone 541-388-1659.