Eagles, Falcons, and Geese: Oh My!

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Images: Discover Klamath

The following is a press release from Discover Klamath.

Klamath Falls’ 43rd annual Winter Wings Festival welcomes thousands of birds as they migrate the Pacific Flyway, February 17-20, 2023

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - Discover Klamath is preparing to welcome the 43rd Annual Winter Wings Festival to the Klamath Basin from February 17-20, 2023. Organized by the Klamath Basin Audubon Society, the four-day festival invites birders, nature enthusiasts, and photographers to take in the sights and sounds of thousands of migratory birds while learning from top-notch birding professionals and enthusiastic local guides. 

The Klamath Basin is a popular way station along the Pacific Flyway, one of four major North American migration routes for birds — especially waterfowl — which extends from Alaska and Canada, through Oregon and California, to Mexico and South America.

During peak migration in February, the Klamath Falls area is a bird lover’s paradise, bringing more than 120 species of birds into the region.

The refuges along the border of Oregon and California (Lower Klamath and Tule Lake) host upwards of 80% of the migrating waterfowl that use the Pacific Flyway, numbering at times to over a million birds and including large numbers of Ross's Geese. These refuges and the surrounding agricultural lands also provide hunting grounds for one of the densest concentrations of wintering raptors, including owls, in the country. The Klamath Basin also hosts the largest wintering concentration of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states.

Last year’s festival recorded sightings of 124 species. Anticipated bird sightings for 2023 include: 

  • Numerous varieties of geese including Cackling, Greater White-Fronted, Snow and Ross’s

  • Tundra Swan

  • Sandhill Crane

  • American Kestrel

  • Peregrine and Prairie Falcon

  • Bald and Golden Eagle

  • Ferruginous, Rough-legged Hawk, and Red-Tail Hawk

  • Northern Pygmy Owl

  • Great Blue and Black-Crowned Night Heron

  • Eurasian Wigeon

  • White-Headed Woodpecker

  • Northern Shrike

The 2023 Winter Wings Festival will feature singer/songwriter and raptor specialist Jen Hajj and award-winning photographer Ray Hennessy. With event headquarters at Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech), the festival will also feature an extensive array of field trips, workshops, presentations, and receptions that highlight the wonders of the Klamath Basin in wintertime. 

The Winter Wings Festival is produced by Klamath Basin Audubon Society volunteers with support from sponsors, grants, and participant registration fees. Proceeds from this festival support local grants to teachers and other entities for outdoor education and community nature-related projects.

For information and registration for the Winter Wings Festival, see winterwingsfest.org or call 877-541-BIRD (2473).