Cabin Lake Guard Station - Bird Watching

Bird Watching

There are two permanent bird blinds located within easy walking distance of the guard station. The blinds are located approximately 300 feet apart. They are 8 feet by 12 feet covered shelters with veiled window openings allowing observers to view and photograph birds from a distance of 15–20 feet. To attract birds, each blind has a small concrete basin called a guzzler that fills with water from a nearby storage tank that is fed by water collection aprons.

Because Cabin Lake Guard Station is located on the border between the eastern Cascade pine forests and the high desert eco-systems, the guzzler’s water attracts an unusually wide range of birds typical of both environments. Among the birds common to the site are Lewis's Woodpecker, White-headed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Gray Flycatcher, Loggerhead Shrike, Clark's Nutcracker, Morning Dove, Pygmy Nuthatch, Steller's Jay, Pinyon Jay, Gray Jay, Common Poorwill, Green-tailed Towhee, Mountain Chickadee, Brewer's Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbill, Mountain Bluebird, Western Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Townsend's Solitaire. Many bird photographs used in Wikipedia articles were taken at the Cabin Lake viewing blind.

• • Lewis’s Woodpecker
• • Red Crossbills
• • Mountain Bluebird
• • Morning Dove
• • Cassin's Finch
• • Green-tailed Towhee
• • Brewer's Sparrow
• • Least chipmunk

Thirsty mammals also use the guzzlers. During the day, the most common wildlife seen from the blinds are Least Chipmunk, Yellow-pine Chipmunk, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, and American Badger. In evening, mule deer, bushy-tailed woodrats, deer mice, and several species of bats coming to drink at the guzzlers.