Sauvie Island and Klamath Basin are migratory hotspots; lock seasonally

shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileOregon

the two Oregon anchor points on the Pacific Flyway

Sauvie Island and Klamath Basin are migratory hotspots; lock seasonally

— the flyway lands here twice a year.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“Two places on opposite ends of the state where the Pacific Flyway funnels through Oregon. Sauvie Island, at the Willamette and Columbia confluence ten miles downstream of Portland, holds wintering sandhill cranes and tundra swans. The Klamath Basin refuges, a complex of six across the Oregon-California line, have historically held the largest concentration of wintering waterfowl in North America. Both lock to season; the birds arrive and leave on their own calendar.

from the studio

— bring it home

Sauvie Island and Klamath Basin are migratory hotspots; lock seasonally, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Sauvie Island and Klamath Basin are migratory hotspots; lock seasonally

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Pacific Flyway runs from the Arctic to South America and threads Oregon along two principal stops. Sauvie Island Wildlife Area covers about 12,000 acres at the Willamette and Columbia confluence in the northwest of the state. The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex spans six refuges across south-central Oregon and northern California, with Lower Klamath, established in 1908, the first waterfowl refuge in the United States. Together the two stops anchor the flyway through Oregon across both the fall and spring migrations.

— informed by USFWS Klamath Basin, ODFW

— the season

Both hotspots run on a tight seasonal calendar. Sauvie Island holds sandhill cranes from late September through November and again in February and March. Klamath Basin's peak waterfowl numbers historically came in November, when over a million ducks and geese could stage on Lower Klamath and Tule Lake at the same time. Drought and water-allocation cuts have pulled those numbers down sharply since 2020, and the basin's bald eagle wintering count of around five hundred birds is now the more reliable December draw.

— informed by USFWS, Audubon

— the air

The flyway is sound before it is sight. Sandhill cranes carry a low rattling bugle across a mile of field; tundra swans give a higher, cleaner call as they cross between lakes. In a strong year the Klamath Basin sky at dawn shows a smoke of waterfowl rising off the water that resolves into separate flocks only as it climbs. Pacific Flyway birds cover the route in stages and rest at hotspots like these every few hundred miles between breeding grounds and wintering grounds.

— informed by USFWS Pacific Flyway

— where

United States · Oregon

— within

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

at the lake

Sauvie Island Wildlife Area

wildlife area

at the lake

Lower Klamath NWR

wildlife refuge

at the lake

Tule Lake NWR

wildlife refuge

at the lake

Upper Klamath NWR

wildlife refuge

Sauvie Island and Klamath Basin are migratory hotspots; lock seasonally

Sauvie Island Wildlife Area

Lower Klamath NWR

Tule Lake NWR

Upper Klamath NWR

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Sauvie Island and Klamath Basin are migratory hotspots; lock seasonally — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

One of four major North American bird migration corridors. It runs from breeding grounds in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic south to wintering grounds in Mexico and Central and South America, threading the Pacific coast and interior basins.

Both lock to season. Sauvie Island peaks for sandhill cranes from mid-October through mid-November and again in February and March. Klamath Basin's wintering waterfowl peak in November; the bald eagles peak in December.

The six refuges of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex cover about 200,000 acres across south-central Oregon and northern California. Lower Klamath, established in 1908, was the first waterfowl refuge in the United States.

They are Oregon's primary anchor points on the Pacific Flyway. The Klamath Basin historically held North America's largest concentration of wintering waterfowl, and Sauvie holds the state's most accessible sandhill crane viewing.

Yes. Drought and water-allocation cuts since 2020 have reduced wetland acreage on Lower Klamath and Tule Lake, and peak waterfowl counts have fallen sharply from twentieth-century highs. The refuges remain a critical Pacific Flyway stop.

— about the piece in your home

The Pacific Flyway is a meaningful frame for anyone who watches waterfowl. A Small or Medium with a note from the studio reads as a thoughtful piece for a birder with Oregon or California ties.

The grey-gold marsh palette sits well with Pacific Northwest modern, farmhouse, and craftsman interiors. The bird silhouettes also hold in a Japandi-leaning room with quieter walls.

A single Large works above a standard sofa. A four-tile Mural carries the flyway lines further across a wider wall, and a nine-tile Mural reads as a full atmospheric piece.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to steam and splash. The Glossy finish is for framed wall pieces in dry rooms.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not fade from regular cleaning or daylight.

— if this one stayed with you

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