Balm Creek Reservoir

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Seasons

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Location

From I-84 Exit 302 in Baker City, take I-84 north for 3.5 miles. Take exit 298 to Medical Springs Hwy 203. Travel east on Hwy 203 for 18 miles. Turn right at Big Creek Road. In two miles, the road will change to Collins Road/NFR 70. Stay on this road for 9 miles to Balm Creek Reservoir. Take a local Forest Service map with you to explore the surrounding area or you can bird only around the lake. Any of the accessible creeks (Goose Creek, for example) offer good riparian birds and the surrounding forest habitat is worth checking.

Directions

Habitat and Birds

Care should be taken when attempting access to this lake in early spring as snow may block your path. From mid-summer to late fall, the lake sometimes dries up. Forest species in this area include Ruffed Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Wild Turkey, Northern Goshawk, White-throated Swift, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Mountain Quail, Flammulated Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Calliope Hummingbird, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, White-headed Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Cassin’s Vireo, Mountain Chickadee, all 3 nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Townsend’s Solitaire, Hermit Thrush, Veery, Townsend’s Warbler, Western Tanager, Cassin’s Finch, Red Crossbill and many more.

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