October 5 - October 6
Pacific Northwest Trip: Raptor Migration at Green Ridge *FULL*
*This is a self-catered trip. Lodging, transportation and meals are your responsibility.
Green Ridge is Oregon’s unsung raptor migration hotspot, with comparable numbers of raptors to the more well-known Bonney Butte, but easier access and more accessible local birding. Join Brodie Cass Talbott for a self-catering tour of peak raptor migration at Green Ridge. We will augment an afternoon of raptor counting with birding around the Sisters and Black Butte area.
We will meet at Indian Ford campground at 8 am on Saturday, birding our way around the campground area, looking for local specialties like White-headed Woodpecker, Pygmy Nuthatch, and sapsuckers. We’ll visit Calliope Crossing for a mix of songbirds and woodpeckers before we carpool up to Green Ridge, hoping for a chance encounter with Sooty Grouse along the way.
Lunch (don’t forget to bring one!) will be at the Green Ridge raptor observation point, and then we will spend the rest of the afternoon helping the Hawkwatch team locate and identify a steady stream of accipiters, hawks, eagles, and falcons. This trip is scheduled for peak raptor migration, and last year on a similar date, the team counted over 300 raptors over 8 hours, with the majority flying in the afternoon. Overall, the 2018 season had 15 species of raptors, including Broad-winged Hawk and Northern Goshawk, and with a good deal of luck, we may see one of these as well.
When the hawkwatch adjourns at 5, we will end our day, with an optional group dinner in Sisters.
On Sunday, we’ll visit other hotspots in the area, including Camp Polk, to look for Pinyon Jays and Evening Grosbeaks, and Trout Creek, searching for Black-backed Woodpeckers. Time allowing, we may visit one or two other local spots as well. The trip will adjourn by mid-afternoon, allowing participants ample time to return to Portland during daylight hours.
Important Trip Considerations
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- Sisters’ weather can be highly variable this time of year, from beautiful sunny days to cold and stormy. Please bring ample layers, and know that Green Ridge occasionally cancels their Hawkwatch for the weather – if it is too cloudy, the birds can not be counted.
- We will be perched on top of a ridge for 3 to 5 hours. Full sun protection is strongly recommended. Participants will be responsible for their own comfort: A folding chair, sufficient water, lunch, and snacks are recommended.
- The recommended lodging is Sisters Inn & Suites. Other accommodations are plentiful nearby. The town of Sisters is about ten minutes from Indian Ford Campground.
- For a full description of the Green Ridge Raptor Count, visit the East Cascades Bird Alliance of Oregon Society website.
- Please bring lunch, water, snacks, and binoculars each day.
- You will need a NW Forest Pass. Please purchase ahead of time and bring along with you.
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Amenities (bathrooms and parking): we will have limited formal bathrooms for much of our birding – maybe every 3 hours. Informal opportunities will abound. At the hawkwatch site there is a portapotty in the parking area, .5 miles from the viewing site.
Parking: A large parking spot with two accessible spots. The parking lot is large, and often quite empty.
Rest Stops: We will be making multiple stops each day. At the raptor watch, participants are encouraged to bring a camp chair to sit in if they don’t want to stand, or sit on rocks.
Exposure: Full for hawkwatch; partial to full for other stops
Accessibility
Distance: We will have 3-4 short to medium-length hikes, of 1-2 miles. The hike to the Green Ridge site is less than a mile from the parking spot – we may also go on a short hike from the hawkwatch site as well.
Pacing: Slow, with frequent stops to view and listen for birds.
Elevation Changes: Most hikes will be flat to slight inclines of less than 50 feet.
Trail Tread and Width: Trails will mostly be single track loose dirt and gravel, uneven, possibly with exposed rocks or roots
Public transit: none
Cooper's Hawk, photo by Adam Stunkle
Bald Eagle, photo by Scott Carpenter
Pinyon Jay, photo by Scott Carpenter
Join Brodie Cass Talbott for a self-catering tour of peak raptor migration at Green Ridge.
Green Ridge is Oregon’s unsung raptor migration hotspot, with comparable numbers of raptors to the more well-known Bonney Butte, but easier access and more accessible local birding. We will augment an afternoon of raptor counting with birding around the Sisters and Black Butte area.
Join the WaitlistTrip Details
Trip Leader: Brodie Cass Talbott
Fee: $250 members / $300 non-members
When: October 5-6, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Group size: Limited to 10 participants.
What is included: The services of your experienced Bird Alliance of Oregon leader.
Not included: Transportation, meals, and lodging.
