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Devil’s Lake Recreation Area Bogs and Birding

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As school was about to get out it was time to get away for the weekend, trying to find the sun as a cold rainy system decided to come down from Canada we headed south to Devil’s Lake Recreation Area in Lincoln City, Oregon. Devil’s Lake could be any other PNW lake on the west side of the cascades surrounded by forest with nice views and plenty of available water activities, but one thing that makes it unique is how close it is to the ocean. Just a one minute drive outside of the lakeside campground and you’re on the beach! In fact Oregon has claimed the D River which flows from the lake to the ocean, a mere 120 feet, to be the shortest river in the world. And just to be more special, a trail from the campground to a fishing boat launch will walk you on a boardwalk through a sphagnum bog.

Why is that unique? Wetlands may seem common but can actually be broken down into marsh, swamp, bog, and fen. Bogs and fen are similar and the most rare, both contain lots of sphagnum moss but bogs are much more acidic and are formed from precipitation alone, while fens are formed from ground water. Both are home to really special plants and animals and at Devil’s Lake you get to explore a bog. One of the campground hosts told us all about this and recommended the book Fen, Bog, and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and it’s Role in the Climate Crises. I have not read it yet but being that I enjoy birding, and wetlands are often the best birding locations I will definitely have to learn more.

Devil’s Lake Recreation Area was an excellent campground, though even in late June it was quite waterlogged the sites had good tree cover for privacy and the bathrooms and showers were very well managed. There was access to fishing and swimming, and of course birding and wildlife watching. Lincoln City has plenty of nice spots to eat, though clearly a tourist spot we enjoyed the food at Kyllo’s Seafood and Grill which had excellent views of the ocean.

Cedar Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
As for the birding there were plenty of bird visitors at the campground by the lake. Cedar Waxwing visited our campsite daily as there were some nice berries for them to feed on (they love berries!) while the Western Flycatcher and Warbling Vireo sang their songs all throughout the day. Driving up and down the coast from here were many excellent parks and beaches to visit, we saw Black Oyster-catcher’s, many harbor seals, and a Bonaparte’s and Short-billed Gull.
As always the Oregon Coast is a wonderful place to visit, we hope to head further south in the future and report back on some more excellent beach state parks and more. You can also read about our trip to Manzanita an hour or so further up the coast from Lincoln City.

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