Making Room for Our Fair Feathered Friends

Every year in July people gather in the forest along the Long Tom River to celebrate the Oregon Country Fair. Today throughout the Northwest only five percent of the original riparian forest remains, making this an important site. Many migrating and resident birds use this forest as their breeding grounds and are still actively nesting when the fair takes place. Each year before and during the fair, bird nests are found in highly used areas including, in 2008 when a Bewick’s Wren nest was discovered in the women’s bathroom. Klamath Bird Observatory and its partners help to protect the nests by flagging off areas close by to keep curious Fair-goers at a distance, which they seem happy to do. It is important to keep a distance from nests because nestling birds need to eat often to survive, when there is a disturbance (such as a crowd) around the nest, parents are unlikely to take food to the young chicks. The KBO booth is located in the Community Village and is happy to help with any nests found, questions related to birds, and also welcomes people to stop by and add to the fair’s species list or share a fun bird related story. To read the whole Fair Family News article and learn more about nesting birds at the Oregon Country Fair click here.