Project Description
For more than 30 years, local volunteers have cleaned and filled guzzlers, and maintained two blinds at Cabin Lake, Oregon, beginning in April and continuing through November. There is no lake at Cabin Lake—these guzzlers are the only water around for miles.
Why We Do This and What We Have Learned
Built at an interface between desert sage and Ponderosa Pines, the guzzlers allow many birds to extend their breeding range, thereby mitigating somewhat the loss of habitat in both biomes. The scarcity of other local water sources allows birders and photographers close-up views of many species of birds.
This site is also used by coyotes, weasels, badgers, bats, and rodents. However, the use by deer and cattle threatens the integrity of the water source which is even more in demand under drought conditions.
What Volunteers Do
Volunteers clean guzzlers, check and add water to the cisterns, clean the site, put suet in the feeders, and maintain and rebuild the blinds as needed.
Project Focus Areas
- Community Engagement
Would You Like to Volunteer?
The most important job volunteers do is bring water. The cisterns are designed to collect water from snow melt which has been below average for several years. You can quietly volunteer each time you visit the blind by carrying water to pour in the cistern. If you can, bring 10 or 20 gallons or more, but every bit helps.
To volunteer, email your contact information to ECBA at ecba@ecbirds.org. Please put “Cabin Lake Bird Blinds” in the subject line.
Project Reports and Information
Other Projects
- Bluebird Nest Box Project
- Deschutes Land Trust / ECBA Bird Surveys
- Don and Lowell Franks Nest Box Project
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Project Support
- Golden Eagle Nest Camera on Whychus Creek
- Greater Sage-Grouse Project
- Kestrel Nest Box Project
- Lake Abert Coalition Bird Survey
- Pinyon Jay Study
- Summer Lake Shorebird Survey
- Vaux’s Swift Migration Survey
- Winter Raptor Surveys