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Prineville Sewer Ponds - THE PRINEVILLE SEWER PONDS ARE NO LONGER ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER THIS FACILITY! WE HOPE THIS WILL BE A TEMPORARY SITUATION SO WE ARE STILL INCLUDING THIS IMPORTANT LOCATION IN THE SITE GUIDE. WATCH FOR FUTURE UPDATES.
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Location
Hwy 126 between Redmond and Prineville (eight miles east of Redmond or 10 miles west of Prineville). Many roads leave the highway and cross through the agricultural fields. Parish Lane has had a nesting pair of Golden Eagles for years. Williams Road has several pairs of Osprey nesting on platforms in summer. Reif Road can be very productive in winter as it goes through farmland. Shumway Road is often the best winter raptor area. Take all the side roads to get a feeling for the wide variety of raptors found here, especially in winter.
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Habitat and Birds
The agricultural fields hold high numbers of wintering raptors, flocks of blackbirds and sparrows. Drive the farmlands in winter for hawks (Rough-legged, Red-tailed, Ferruginous, Northern Harrier…) and falcons (American Kestrel, Prairie, and Merlin). In spring and summer, patches of sagebrush will provide good birding (Brewer’s Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, California Quail, and even an occasional Sagebrush Sparrow). Great Horned Owls are very common at night and Barn and Western Screech-Owls are here as well. Between December and March, park at the Community Center on Reif Road after the sun has set and watch Short-eared Owls fly out from their day roost. Unusual species include American Redstart, Harlan’s Hawk, Black Phoebe, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, Red-shouldered Hawk, White-throated Sparrow and Northern Waterthrush.
Nearby Birding Locations
- Prineville Sewer Ponds - THE PRINEVILLE SEWER PONDS ARE NO LONGER ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER THIS FACILITY! WE HOPE THIS WILL BE A TEMPORARY SITUATION SO WE ARE STILL INCLUDING THIS IMPORTANT LOCATION IN THE SITE GUIDE. WATCH FOR FUTURE UPDATES.
- Crooked River Wetlands Complex
- O'Neil Valley
- Elliott Lane
- Houston Lakes
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