At Summer Lake Wildlife Area, in southeastern Oregon, you can get some great views of gulls, terns, and cormorants. At the north end of the Wildlife Area, you’ll drive by a rocky island covered with birds in the spring and summer months.

In this picture you can see California Gulls, Larus californicus, and Common Terns, Sterna hirundo.

In the picture below, you can see California Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants, Nannopterum auritum.

Luckily, this bird colony is a few hundred yards from the main road you drive on. I have helped band birds in seabird colonies before and they are one of the stinkiest places I have ever been. Phew!

You might associate gulls, terns, and cormorants with seaside habitats. However, Summer Lake is a five plus hour drive to the coast. These types of birds also live near large inland bodies of water.

Birds of the Week

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