Cutsforth County Park
Seasons
Checklists
Location
Found along the Blue Mt. Scenic Byway, this county park can be found by taking Willow Creek Road south of Heppner and traveling 20 miles to the park. On the south end of the park, look for a large pond that can be very birdy on a summer morning. There is a playground and picnic area. Make sure you have a Forest Service map if you plan to explore past this park as the road system can be a bit confusing. Cutsforth is often snowed in for the winter.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
Tall pines, mixed forest, canyons and riparian areas. Look for mountain species like grouse, accipiters, Vaux’s Swift, Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds. Woodpeckers include Hairy, Flicker, White-headed, Red-naped Sapsucker, Black-backed, Downy, Pileated, and (rarely) Three- toed. Red and White-breasted Nuthatches are common as are Mt. Chickadees and Brown Creeper. Flycatchers include Dusky, Hammond’s, and “Western-type” (the distribution of Cordilleran and Pacific-slope Flycatchers in Eastern Oregon is not well understood). Pacific Wrens are here year round and Brown-headed Cowbirds can be found in summer. Western Tanagers, Hermit Thrush, Townsend’s Solitaire, Western and Mountain Bluebirds are all here. Listen for both Cassin’s and Warbling Vireos. Warblers include Yellow, Yellow-rumped, MacGillivray’s and Townsend’s. Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Lincoln Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, and “Oregon” Junco are here. Black-headed Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks can be found along with Cassin’s Finches and Lazuli Bunting. Watch for flocks of Pine Siskins and Red Crossbills.
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