Since plenty of good field guides for identifying birds exist, what the birder needs today is more information on new places to visit and how to enjoy them. Klamath River Bird Finder, a recent publication of Living Gold Press, does just that. The book details tours from Irongate and Copco Lakes down the Klamath River nearly 150 miles to its confluence with the Trinity River, as well as up to the Marble Mountain and Siskiyou Crests in California and a portion of Oregon. The experience of nearly 30 years living in and birding the region, plus the collaboration with other local birders and artists has resulted in a very thorough guide.

The Klamath River bisects the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion, renowned for its diverse geology and plant species. The area may support the most endemic serpentine plants in California. Some of these interesting plants, such as Baker’s Cypress, Brewer’s Spruce and Foxtail Pine, plus a few endemic flowers, crop up along the tours beside the many bird species. About 250 birds have been recorded here, a considerable number since no coastline or large marshes exist within the List Area. (Nearby Scott and Shasta Valleys are excluded from the List Area but are briefly touched on in Bird Finder.)

Tours detail how to find such diverse species as American (Blackbilled) Magpie in the juniper woodland, Allen’s Hummingbird and Ruffed Grouse in the more forested downriver areas, or Gray Jays in the highlands and California Thrashers in the lowlands. The river corridor is sparsely populated (by primates, that is), largely “wild” National Forest lands, and is very scenic, and so is a great place for the naturalist to explore.

The Klamath River area remains a stronghold for such breeding species as Wood Ducks, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Mountain Quail, Spotted Owls, Lewis’s, White-headed and Pileated Woodpeckers, Willow Flycatchers, Purple Martins, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Black-capped Chickadees, Rock Wrens, American Dippers, Mountain Bluebirds, Hutton’s Vireos, Hermit Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Lazuli Buntings, Green-tailed Towhees, Thick-billed Fox Sparrows and Cassin’s Finches. In winter Barrow’s Goldeneyes are regular visitors on the upper river. Enough tours are included to sample all areas and elevations, which varies considerably from “upriver” to “downriver”, and even a Big Day tour to challenge the experienced birder. A surprise to many regional birders are the Black-chinned Sparrows during the breeding season, offering one more good reason to visit the Klamath River.

Klamath River Bird Finder can be purchased online at www.livinggoldpress.com and amazon.com, or contact Living Gold Press (PO Box 2, Klamath River, CA  96050) to request ordering information.