A Birding Hotspot Turned Wildflowers Hike, at Hamaker Mountain

Hamaker Mountain 

Date: June 28, 2020
Place: Hamaker Mountain, Klamath Fa;;s, Oregon
Coordinates: 42.068240, -121.973326
Length: 0.8 mile

Level: easy

On the summer of 2020 we had plans to travel overseas for a family vacation, but the pandemic had ruined our plans. We still wanted to go but now the options were very limited, restricted to where we would be willing to drive because flights were out of the question. While it seemed that California was slowly opening up a bit, and only a week before we could even go camping in the Sierra Nevada, most of the state was still closed down. After some thought we chose to go to Oregon, to Klamath Falls and Bend. 

The Klamath Falls is one of our favorites because of the excellent birding in that area. The drive there however, is long and it took us a full day to get there, including a refresher brake and hike at Castle Crags State Park in California. On our first day in Klamath Falls we went looking for the birding 'hot spots' as listed in the local Audubon Society chapter, and Hamaker Mountain was one of these hot spots. 

After a somewhat disappointing search for birds in a local forest we drove up Hamaker Mountain, and found ourselves all alone there, in a dirt pullout below what looked like a radar structure. 

It was very quiet there, and we didn't see any birds, not right away, anyway. There was a patch of yellow flowers at the edge of the pullout - little buckwheat plants on full bloom. 

Buckwheat, Eriogonum sp. 

There was no trailhead sight but the place's description at the Audubon Society website mentioned a hiking trail surrounding the mountain's summit, so we started looking for the trail. We found the trail at the southern edge of he parking area. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

As we were getting ready to go on the trail Pappa Quail and the elder chika found their first birds - a pair of Cassin's finches. 

Cassin's Finch, Female

Naturally, we all waited until these little birds were properly appreciated by my family's birders. It was a good thing too, because for the rests of the hike we didn't get to see many other birds and those we did see, didn't cooperate with the cameras. 

Cassin's Finch, male

We started on our little hike, circling around the fenced off summit of Hamaker Mountain clockwise. Since we started going south, we got a magnificent view of Mount Shasta early on our hike. Mount Shasta, with its snowy peak partially hidden in the clouds was looming over the vast plateau that stretches across Northern California and South Oregon, making it look closer than it really was, 

Mount Shasta

As for birding, Hamaker Mountain wasn't all that bird-rich (at least not on the day we were there) but wildflowers were another matter all together: Everywhere I looked there were many beautiful flowers. It looked like the bloom was at its peak. There was wonderful diversity of species and colors. While many of the flowers were familiar to me, I cannot be sure they were of the same species that I know from California so I decided to identify them only at the genus level. 

Coyote Mint, Monardella sp. 

The trail was easy enough to follow. It wasn't even a hiking trail but a sporadically used dirt road that was overgrown in parts by the new spring vegetation. 

Hamaker Mountain Trail

One of the most common wildflowers there was the lupine. Nearly all the blue color we saw on the mountain that day was of lupine. It was absolutely gorgeous. 

Lupine, Lupinus sp. 

Houndstongue flowers are normally blue too, or turn pink after their pollination. There were plenty of blue colored houndstongue flowers around the mountain as well, but I also go to see completely white-blooming individuals. They're of the sane species, so I guess it's a mutation. 

Houndstongue, Cynoglossum grande

Most of the red color came from the Indian paintbrush shrubs but there were pretty large patches of scarlet gilia here and there along the trail. These are also called 'birdfoot gilia' because of the narrow, back-curved petals. 

Scarlet Gilia, Ipomopsis aggregata 

The forest of Hamaker Mountain was patchy with trees growing n groves and stands, separated by wide clearings grown with shrubs and wildflowers. Circumventing the summit from the south we had the view of Mount Shasta peeking (or peaking ...) between the tree tops for a long part of our little hike. 

Mount Shasta 

White flowers were many, with no one species dominating this color. Phacelia plants were certainly common there, and also attracted many pollinators. 

Phacelia sp. 

For the most part the trail followed the fence that surrounded the radar structure. For the entire hike we saw no other human there, nor any apparent activity inside the fence. In fact, the whole place looked unattended and abandoned. I wonder who is in charge of the structure there and whether it's even needed anymore.  

As we turned around the corner and walked north we got some great views to the east. A very arable plateau lay below us, with green fields stretching all the way to the next mountain range. 

View East

There seemed to be more trees on the northeastern slope of the mountain, and although most of our trail was unshaded, many shade-loving wildflowers were added to my list of sightings that day, including the small, yellow violets. 

Violet, Viola sp, 

Out in the sun however, shrubs dominated the plant community. Among the most noticeable shrubs was the Indian paintbrush, with its bright red bloom. 

Paintbrush, Castilleja sp. 

The fragrance of the Ceanothus is impossible to mistake with anything else. Thee was much of that smell in the air as we made our way along the northeast part of the loop trail. 

Ceanothus sp. 

The Ceanothus too was at its peal bloom, I fid it hard to get a good closeup shot of Ceanothus because its flowers are so tiny, but I think I got a good one this time. Imagine a heavy honey-like smell filling your nostrils when you click on this picture. 

Ceanothus sp. 

Some of the bushes had thick woven nests of  caterpillar colonies on them. I don't know the species that does that but I do see it often. These caterpillars grow in large numbers inside this silky nursery, protected by the sticky threads and consuming the plant inside it until they are large enough to break through and leave the nest in order to continue growing on their own and eventually metamorphose onto a chrysalis. 

Caterpillars

We curved around the north side of the summit. The trail continued north down the mountainside and we had to look around a little until we found a continuation of the trail that was leading in the direction that we needed to go. The forest was a bit denser on the north side of the loop but still very separated and full of clearings with nice wildflowers. We could hear birds all around us but the birds remained obscure, giving a hard time to my family birders.  

Ne and the younger chika waited patiently while Pappa Quail and the elder chika walked between the trees trying to detect tiny warblers trough the thick foliage. Meanwhile I found many other wildflowers, including kinds I have no idea how to get their ID. 

I was happy to see wild strawberry in bloom. I like to taste their fruit when in season, and seeing the flowers had me salivating although I knew I won't be back there in time to enjoy the fruit. 

Strawberry, Fragaria sp. 

We arrived back at the dirt pullout where we parked with a very low count of birds but a wonderful display of wildflowers. As we neared our car my birders spotted another bird on the wire and went over to check it out.  

Western Wood Pewee

It was a lovely little hike that didn't take very long. I was happy with it but Pappa Quail and the elder chika were disappointed with the low bird count and so I opened the list I prepared of the birding hotspots listed by the local chapter of the Audubon Society. Another 'hotspot' we checked was also not a rich one, not even in wildflowers. The last place we checked out that day however, turned out to be a smashing success in terms of both wildflowers and birds. Hamaker Mountain was a sweet little hike but it was the appetizer for the main course which was Collier State Park at Chiloquin, north of Klamath Falls. 

Hamaker Mountain Road