Join us for this 4-night Experience during peak bird migration season! This Experience includes a presentation about the natural history of the Summer Lake Basin, an excursion to a birding hot spot, and a dinner prepared by PLAYA’s house chef.
Our birding excursion will focus on the Summer Lake Wildlife Area*, a major high desert wetland administered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. In May and June this complex of marshes and small lakes is alive with the trilling songs of Marsh Wrens, the raucous squawks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and the bugling of Sandhill Cranes. Other notable species that we will likely see include American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, Trumpeter Swans, White-faced Ibis, and White Pelicans.
After a group dinner provided by PLAYA on Friday night, Pepper Trail will lead off this weekend with a talk on the natural history of the Summer Lake Basin, which will introduce many of the special bird species we will see on Saturday’s field trip. On Saturday morning, we will depart PLAYA at 8:00 AM (or earlier depending on group preference) and drive ten miles to the Summer Lake Wildlife Area, where we will spend the morning following the Auto Tour Route, with frequent stops to observe the many species of wading birds, waterfowl, raptors, and songbirds that make their home in the area. We will be back at PLAYA in time for lunch. For those interested, Pepper will also offer a birding excursion in the afternoon. Depending on conditions, and the preference of the group, options could include the Paisley area (cranes, curlews, and snipe), Christmas Valley (Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks), or Winter Rim (Townsend’s Solitaire, Cassin’s Finch, and Black-backed Woodpecker).
PLAYA Experiences offer you time and space on the PLAYA campus for your own creative, restful, or exploratory pursuits as well as time spent learning from an expert! Experiences are like Self-Directed Residencies, but elevated with a dinner and a field trip, evening presentation, and/or special event.
*An Oregon ODFW parking permit is required to access the Summer Lake Wildlife Area; as participants will be carpooling to this location, not everyone needs to purchase a permit. When signing up, please let us know if you have a permit and would be willing to offer your car for carpooling.
Details and Agenda
Instructor: Pepper Trail
Dates: Thursday, June 25 – Monday, June 29, 2026
Arrival: Thursday, June 25, 2026 1:00-4:00 PM
Departure: Monday, June 29, 2026 11:00 AM
Skill Level: All knowledge levels welcome.
Mobility: All birding activities will be car-based. Participants will carpool to birding sites in personal vehicles. While PLAYA is accessible, the sites off campus are not.
Materials List to Bring:
- Binoculars
- (Optional) If you’re into wildlife photography, bring your telephoto lens
Agenda
Day 1 // Thursday, June 25, 2026
1:00 – 4:00 PM: Arrival
Day 2 // Friday, June 26, 2026
Day for your own restful, creative or exploratory pursuits.
6:00 PM: Group dinner provided by PLAYA
After dinner: Talk by Pepper Trail about the natural history of the Summer Lake basin and an introduction to the species we will observe on Saturday.
Day 3 // Saturday, June 27, 2026
8:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Birding field trip to Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge
(Optional) Late afternoon: Birding excursion to flooded meadows near Paisley
Day 4 // Sunday, June 28, 2026
All day for your own restful, creative or exploratory pursuits.
Day 5 // Monday, June 29, 2026
Depart by 11:00 AM
Instructor Bio
Pepper Trail is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and a retired ornithologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. A long-time board member of PLAYA, he continues to lead the PLAYA Science Council. Pepper is also a poet and writer. His environmental columns appear regularly in the Writers on the Range syndicates series, and his poetry is included in several anthologies, including Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry. His collection, Cascade-Siskiyou: Poems, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Poetry. He lives in Ashland, Oregon, where he serves as a science advisor to many regional conservation efforts.
No pets allowed. Thank you.
