Memories of the Klamath River Mouth

River Otter - Lutra canadensis — *My favorite memory of this location was meeting ravenous River Otters in the lagoon at the mouth of the Klamath River.*

On 2017-09-12, I drove south from Crescent City and found the Klamath River Mouth where River Otters entertained me. I spent the night right there and drove a short distance to the Log Cabin Diner for breakfast and make plans to drive south past Fortuna and cross over the Coast Range to Red Bluff then south to Willows and visit Sacramento NWR, Colusa NWR and wing it from there.

On 2022-03-11, I was driving north, with Crescent City as my last planned coastal visit before I temporarily head inland to visit family in the Medford area. My past experiences in Crescent City have taught me that overnight parking options can be sketchy. I also had experience camping near the beach at the Klamath River Mouth, just a little more than 20 miles south of Crescent City, and I set my sights on this location as my overnight home-away-from-home.

As soon as I parked and stepped out to sniff the air, I noticed a commotion erupting from a nearby tree. The scene took place between me and the sun, which limited my ability to analyze the identity of the actors, but I deciphered all the birds as corvids. American Crows and Steller’s Jays were upset by the presence of a Canada Jay. Before I could get my camera gear out, the entire mob disappeared up-slope. According to literature, Canada Jays range this far south, but are uncommon here. Alas, another opportunity to capture an unusual bird slipped away.

After settling in at my riverside parking spot, I gathered my gear and walked along the estuary’s beach. I saw waterfowl at the opposite shore, and pinnipeds splashing in the shallow waters as they chased a meal. However, as a thin fog rolled in, my opportunities for images dwindled. The only avian subjects that presented themselves to me were Song Sparrows — and there were plenty of them for my enjoyment.

I spent two nights here. My second day at camp was cold and rainy, and I used the time to catch up with the storytelling and the accompanying image preparations. The weather turned especially nasty on my last night in camp. The wind and rain rocked the van through the night, but I lived to tell the story!