sitemap send us some feedback/contact us about the fatbirder

      








 birding...

         Oregon

 







Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta ©Noah Strycker http://www.noahstrycker.com/

Known for its spectacular ocean beaches, mountains and high desert, Oregon is a state of great beauty. This scenic diversity also supports a diversity of habitats, which in turn support a diversity of bird species.

The climate along Oregon`s Pacific coastline is mild and wet, and the low mountains bordering the coast are heavily forested. Areas like the Tillamook spit are locally famed for not only for shore birding, but also for the wide variety of land birds that can be found in stands of trees and open areas just inland.

The majority of the state`s population lives in the Willamette Valley, nestled between the low Coast range and much higher Cascades range. The valley also enjoys a mild and wet climate, and offers a wide range of habitat ranging from heavily urbanized to classic farmland, large wetlands, forests, and oak savannah.

The Cascade Range is heavily forested up to about 6,000ft in elevation, with sub-alpine and alpine meadows at higher elevations. The major peaks have permanent snowfields and glaciers.

East of the Cascade Range, the climate is much drier and the average elevation much higher than west of the mountains. This combination makes for a harsh climate, hot and dry in summer, and bitterly cold with clear skies in winter. The predominant habitat is sage steppe. Annual precipitation on the Columbia plateau averages about twelve inches. In winter, the Klamath Basin, which spans the Oregon & California border, is home to the largest wintering concentration of bald eagles in the lower 48.

The southeast part of the state lies within the Great Basin, that large portion of the American West fenced from the sea by a series of mountain ranges and divides. The Great Basin includes nearly all of Nevada and Utah, as well as much of eastern California. Southeast Oregon forms the northwest corner of the Basin. Habitat types here are similar to the rest of eastern Oregon. Because there is no drainage to the sea, though, large salt playas and huge wetlands have formed in some areas. High Fault-block Mountains form local rain shadows, and at their feet lie areas with just a few inches of rain, like the Alvord Desert. Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest national refuges in the country, stretches for about forty-five miles along the valley of the Blitzen river. Refuge Headquarters, located on the southern shore of vast Malheur Lake, has long been recognized as one of the best migrant traps in the West. Many of the most serious birders in Oregon can be found here during the last weeks of May and the first two weeks in June.

  contributor

 

Don Baccus
(Portland, Oregon)
dhogaza@pacifier.com
http://donb.furfly.net/gallery/bird1.html

  numbers

 
Number of bird species:489

  useful reading

 

Birds of Oregon

Status and Distribution Edited by J Gilligan et al 330 pages, b/w photos, maps. Cinclus 1994
ISBN: 0963776517
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of Oregon

Roger Burrows and Jeff Gilligan 384 pages, col illus, map. Lone Pine Publishing 2003
ISBN: 1551053748
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of Oregon - A General Reference

Edited by Mathew G Hunter, Alan L Contreras and David B Marshall - 752 pages, illus, maps. Oregon State University
ISBN: 0870711822
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birds of Oregon: A General Reference

by David B. Marshall (Editor); Matthew G. Hunter (Editor); Alan L. Contreras (Editor) Hardcover - June 2003 Oregon State Univ Press
ISBN: 087071497X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Washington and Oregon

Jonathan Alderfer Series: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STATE FIELD GUIDES TO BIRDS 272 pages, maps, photos, drawings. National Geographic Society 2006
ISBN: 0792253132
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Watchable Birds of the Great Basin

By David Lukas Published by Mountain PressPaperback 192 pages
ISBN: 0878423974
Buy this book from NHBS.com

  useful information

 

State Bird


Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta

  clubs

 

Audubon Society in Oregon

http://www.audubon.org/chapter/or/
The usual statewide site.

Bonney Butte Raptor Project

http://donb.furfly.net/bonney_butte/index.html
Bonney Butte, a lengthy north-south trending ridge lying south of Oregon`s Mount Hood, boasts the largest known fall concentration of migrating raptors in Oregon. While the wide footprint of the Cascade tends to disperse the migration, and ample wintering habitat at lower elevations to the west means that many raptors migrate to, rather then through, Oregon, about 2,500 raptors are counted here each fall. While this number pales in comparision to the average 15,000 or so raptors counted each year in Nevada`s Goshutes Mountains, it is large enough to make systematic monitoring of the count worthwhile. In 1994, HawkWatch International hired observers to conduct a season-long count, and in 1995 a small-scale banding program was begun.

Central Oregon Audubon Society

http://users.bendnet.com/coaudubon/
This site was developed to provide birding information to area Audubon members and the local community.

Corvallis Audubon Society

http://www.audubon.corvallis.or.us/
The Audubon Society of Corvallis is an active group involved in field trips, school programs, bluebird recovery, conservation issues, speakers, Christmas Bird Counts, and field projects.

Kalmiopsis Audubon Society

http://www.harborside.com/~pfandha/audubon/
Places to go birding and news etc. as well as bird counts: The 1998 Port Orford Christmas Bird Count was our most successful ever. A total of 140 species were tallied in the 15-mile diameter circle cantered at Sixes. This broke our old record of 136 species set back in 1981. A combination of good weather on December 26, sandwiched between stormy weather on the 25th and 27th, plus a crew of skilled birders, allowed us to find most of the birds in the area.

Klamath Basin Audubon Society


The Klamath Basin Audubon Society (KBAS) is an inclusive, community based organization that promotes a conservation ethic and enjoyment of the natural environment through educational and interactive programs.

Klamath Basin Coalition

http://www.klamathbasin.info/
The Klamath Basin Coalition is an alliance of local, regional and national organizations dedicated to conserving and restoring the biological resources of the West`s once-great Klamath Basin...

Lane County Audubon Society

http://www.laneaudubon.org/
Welcome to LCAS! We are a volunteer organization made up of over 1000 members. Our commitment to help preserve wildlife and habitat diversity throughout the Pacific Northwest involve many activities for all ages. Come to a Program Meeting or a Bird Walk and get to know us!

Nature Conservancy in Oregon

http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oregon/
Great picture on the opening page of Zumwalt Prairie, one of The Nature Conservancy of Oregon`s newest preserves. Welcome to The Nature Conservancy of Oregon`s web site. Here you`ll find information on the many ways we`re working with communities, businesses and people like you to protect Oregon`s amazing diversity of native plants, wildlife and natural landscapes. Since volunteers started The Nature Conservancy of Oregon in 1961, we`ve helped to protect more than 340,000 acres of important natural habitats in every corner of our state. Our membership has grown to over 27,000 Oregon households and 100 corporate members. We own or cooperatively manage 50 nature preserves safeguarding many of Oregon`s most sensitive habitats...

Oregon Field Ornithologists

http://www.oregonbirds.org/
The mission of Oregon Field Ornithologists is to further the knowledge, education, enjoyment and science of birds and birding in Oregon.

Portland Audubon Society

http://www.audubonportland.org/
The Audubon Society of Portland traces its origins in the community to the John Burroughs Club of Portland, organized by Rev. William R. Lord in 1898. Lord was the author of A First Book Upon the Birds of Oregon and Washington and a well-known lecturer specializing in stereopticon images of birds of the Northwest.

Prescott Western Bluebird Recovery Project

http://www.prescottbluebird.com/
The Prescott Bluebird Recovery Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the recovery, restoration, and enhancement of the Western Bluebird and other native cavity nesting birds. The Western Bluebird is listed as a sensitive species in the Lower Willamette Valley of the state of Oregon. This is only one step removed from threatened species designation.

Rogue Valley Audubon Society

http://www.roguevalleyaudubon.org/
Serving the communities in and around Jackson County, Oregon.

Salem Audubon Society

http://www.salem-audubon.org/
An excellent local chapter site. Visually great and with lots of useful info. The Salem Audubon Centre is an active chapter of the National Audubon Society and meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month, September through May, at 6:30 P.M. at the Carrier Room, First United Methodist Church, corner of Church and State Streets, downtown Salem.

Siskiyou Audubon Society


Our priority for 2001 is to build a mini-mobile-interpretive-center so we can more easily outreach to local events, presenting Siskiyou Audubon information for habitat protection, birdboxes , Hotspots, bird biology video, birding by ear tapes.

  reserves

 

Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge

http://oregoncoast.fws.gov/bandonmarsh/
Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge protects the largest remaining tidal salt marsh within the Coquille River estuary. Located near the mouth of the Coquille River, it is an oasis for migrating shorebirds, waterfowl and threatened and endangered species including coho salmon, bald eagle and California brown pelican. Expanded in 1999, the refuge now encompasses 712 acres...

Chintimini Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

http://www.chintiminiwildlife.org/
Our mission is to provide care for injured and orphaned wildlife, and to foster a connection between people and wildlife through education.

Depoe Bay State Park

http://www.oregon-coastdirectory.com/parks/lincoln/depoebay/depoebay.htm
Two State Parks, Beverly Beach and Fogarty Creek, contain coastal forests and their associated birdlife. Native sitka spruce and lodgepole (shore) pine are the dominant trees, while the brush consists of salal, huckleberries, salmonberries, and various ferns. Typical year around resident species found in this wet forest are Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Steller`s Jay, Common Raven, American Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush, Wrentit, Hutton`s Vireo, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, and Evening Grosbeak.

Malheur

http://donb.furfly.net/malheur/index.html
This guide covers a large portion of south-eastern Oregon cantered around the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It is oriented towards the natural history enthusiast and nature photographer. Due to the fact that the area offers the best springtime birding in Oregon, the emphasis is very much biased towards birds. There is also information on mammals, snakes, flowers and sightseeing.

Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=11664
Established in 1928, Tule Lake Refuge encompasses 39,116 acres of mostly open water and croplands. Approximately 17,000 acres are leased by farmers under a program administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Refuge permit holders farm another 1,900 acres of cereal grain and alfalfa. These crops, together with the waste grain and potatoes from the lease program are a major food source for migrating and wintering waterfowl. A ten mile auto tour route allows for wildlife observation throughout the year...

  trip reports

 

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

1987 [March] - Jennifer Matkin

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/Canada/BC-02-97.htm
The following is a brief report of a trip I took with my parents, who are just getting interested in birding, up the Oregon Coast and into Vancouver, B.C...

1998 [September] - Mary Beth Stowe

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/USA/Multi/US-multi-1998.htm
Spent most of the day driving from Bremerton down to the Salem, OR area. Seeing as I realized I`d have time to briefly check out some of Oregon`s National Wildlife Refuges after all, I made a reservation in Corvallis and arrived at the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge around one (not the best time for birding, but you`ll never know what you`ll kick up).

  tour operators

 

Bird Guide Pelagics

http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/
For Pelagic Trips off the Oregon coast. - Enjoy albatrosses and other seabirds at close range! Travel by boat off the beautiful coast of Oregon encountering murrelets, auklets, terns, kittiwakes, phalaropes, and jaegers. Once offshore, you can photograph albatrosses, fulmars, shearwaters, storm-petrels, oceanic gulls, and other seabirds right up next to the boat! Friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable on-board guides help you see and identify all the birds, as well as learn about their fascinating life histories.

Birding Pal

http://birdingpal.org/or.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

  places to stay

 

Flery Manor B&B

http://www.bbonline.com/or/flery/
Outside you are invited to rest on the huge deck, stroll paths by the ponds and streams to the Gazebo, lie in a hammock under an umbrella of trees, or explore seven acres filled with wildlife. If you enjoy bird watching, in the Spring you can find over 50 species of birds right here at Flery Manor.

Pine Meadow Inn B&B

http://www.bbonline.com/or/pinemeadow/
Pine Meadow Inn Bed & Breakfast is a distinctive country retreat on nine acres of secluded meadow and woods near the Rogue River in southern Oregon. Our inn is styled after midwestern farmhouses, with a wrap-around porch, a sitting room with fireplace and a dining room with bay windows to capture the morning sun.

Wheeler Hotels Motels and Inns

http://www.best-hotel.com/northamerica/oregon/wheeler.html
Wheeler, what some call; Pukalani, the hole in the sky. It`s simply the best weather on the coast! Bay watch while soaking out body and mind tension in your private spa. From your room or the private dock enjoy the ambiance of Nehalem Bay. See Salmon leap as they race by; Curious seals bob by; birds and wildlife feed.

  mailing lists

 

OBOL

http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
To post to list:obol@lists.oregonstate.edu
List contact:obol-owner@lists.oregonstate.edu <obol-owner@lists.oregonstate.edu>
SUBSCRIBE obol Your Name
Oregon Birders On Line - Mailing List – Discussion Group - Discussion of birds in Oregon. To subscribe go to website.

  other links

 

Bird Notes

http://birdnotes.net/
This web site is designed to gather information on bird distribution throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.

Birding in Oregon

http://birding.about.com/library/weekly/aa072799.htm?once=true&;
From Tufted Puffins to Mountain Bluebirds, from heavily wooded mountain forests to rugged coastline to parched desert, Oregon is indeed a birder`s paradise. Here are a few places to begin exploring this state.

Birding on the Oregon Coast

http://www.ohwy.com/or/c/coastbir.htm
With the ocean, there is never a time of year without good, often exciting, birdwatching. However, the coast is best for birding August through April, and pelicans, common murres, and puffins are at the coast only during these months. The following links will take you on a tour of the Oregon Coast`s birding hot spots from north to south. Also provided is a list of birds that make the coast their winter homes.

Birds

http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html
Mike Patterson`s pages with lots of links.

Birds Oregon

http://www.ohwy.com/or/b/birds.htm
Oregon is a bird watchers paradise. Many of the offshore rocks along the Oregon Coast provide habitat for migrating seabirds, and the inland lakes and rivers are home to a variety of species.

BLOG - Feed the Birds

http://www.feedthebirdsnw.blogspot.com
Bird feeding in the Pacific NW and around the world…

BLOG - John Riutta – Born again birdwatcher

http://www.bornagainbirdwatcher.com/
Sharing the joys, discoveries, quandries, and other psychological phenomena arising from encountering anew as an amateur something I have done professionally for years….

BLOG - Northwest Nature Nut

http://www.mdupraw.blogspot.com/
The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree. I grew up in rural Oregon, learning an appreciation for the natural world. Join me as I continue to explore nature in my backyard and beyond...

Cascades Raptor Center

http://www.raptor-center.com/indexnew.htm
CRC`s MISSION is to preserve a healthy, viable population of birds of prey and other wildlife in their natural habitat.

Columbia River Estuary

http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/cbc/ce_cbc.html
Basically a site to record the Christmas bird counts… none the less of interest.

Field Birding

http://users.easystreet.com/timurray/Field-Birding/Index.htm
Welcome to Field-birding.com, where birders of all levels can share travel tips, essays, advice, site guides and information for birdwatchers on the move.

Garden Outfitters

http://www.gardenoutfitters.com/bird_feeders/bird_feeders
...a company in Oregon that carries an interesting line of bird feeders, many are made out of wood and glass...

Hardin Optical

http://www.hardin-optical.com
Hardin Optical Company is your one stop telescope and accessory store on the Southern Oregon Coast. 1-877-447-4847 toll free personal service. Hardin Optical`s telescope shop is a complete retail store that offers quality optical products from a wide variety of manufacturers.

Harlequin Ducks in Oregon

http://hometown.aol.com/OWLHOOTER/HQPAGE1.html
The breeding status of Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in western Oregon has remained uncertain since Gabrielson and Jewett listed three definite breeding records in the 1940 publication of Birds of Oregon. Two of the records were of broods seen in the Wallowa Mountains, and the third was of eggs collected by Jewett on the ZigZag River in Clackamas County. Despite this paucity of confirmed breeding records, the authors concluded their entry on breeding records of the western Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus pacifica in Oregon by stating Undoubtably, this beautiful little inhabitant of the mountain streams nests through the Cascades in suitable localities and more records will be procured as the number of bird students increases.

Journal of Oregon Ornithology

http://www.orednet.org/~rbayer/j/joomenu.htm
An online journal - SOO is a serial for monographs longer than articles included in the Journal of Oregon Ornithology (JOO). SOO and JOO are published irregularly with individual issues available for purchase; there are no subscriptions. Both attempt to document details of Oregon ornithology clearly enough that they will hopefully still be useful a century or more from now. The goal of these series is not to compete with other publications, but to publish material that might otherwise be inaccessible.

North Coast Diaries

http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/
A comprehensive log from Oregon…

NYC Nova Hunter - BLOG

http://novahunter.blogspot.com/
Interested in nature with a focus on birding and astronomy. Current project is a visual hunt for novae or exploding stars in the Galaxy from New York City. Got hooked on discovering things while birding and found that the hunt for novae in NYC is right up my alley.

Oregon Birds Forum

http://oregonstate.edu/pubs/birds/
The Oregon Birds Forum is a dynamic, interactive reference on birds in Oregon--about this site.This is the working site for the new book, Birds of Oregon: A General Reference and the culmination of the COOT Project. Examine statewide species accounts.

Oregon's Important Bird Areas

http://www.oregoniba.org/
An Important Bird Area (IBA) is a site providing essential habitat to one or more species of breeding or non-breeding birds. The sites vary in size, but are usually discrete and distinguishable in character, habitat, or ornithological importance from surrounding areas. Site boundaries may be either natural (rivers, watersheds) or man-made (roads, property boundaries). In general, an IBA should exist as an actual or potential protected area, with or without buffer zones, or should have potential to be managed in some way for birds and general natural conservation. IBAs have no minimum or maximum size, but wherever possible they should be large enough to supply all or most of the requirements of the bird(s) during the season for which they are important. For all of the criteria, the use of the term species refers to species, subspecies or distinct populations.

Orgegon Bird Checklist

http://www.teleport.com/~skipr/birds/obrclist.htm
Complete checklist of Oregon`s birds (current as of January 1997). This list is based on the records of the Oregon Bird Records Committee (OBRC) and uses the taxonomic sequence and nomenclature of the American Ornithologists Union (AOU); as published in AOU, 1983, Check-list of North American birds, 6th edition (Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, KS); as supplemented.

Skip`s Birding Pages

http://www.teleport.com/~skipr/birds/
Great stuff from a completely homemade site.

Wampole`s list of the birds of the Coos Bay area

http://www.oregonvos.net/~rbayer/j/j545.htm
John H. Wampole`s list of the birds of the Coos Bay area from 1958-59 is one of few such compilations from that region, and the only reasonably accessible one from its era except for Giesler (1952); which covered only the Cape Arago region. Wampole`s list has been circulating informally as a poorly reproduced typescript for many years, but has never to my knowledge been published. I was unsuccessful in attempts to locate the compiler or the others whose notes are used in this list. I hope that they would approve of its publication thirty-seven years later.

  artists

 

Photographer & Artist - Noah Stryker

http://www.noahstrycker.com/aboutme.htm
Noah Strycker is an 18-year old birder, photographer, illustrator, and writer based in Creswell, Oregon...

Photographer - Don Baccus

http://donb.furfly.net/gallery/bird1.html
These pages are written and maintained by Don Baccus, a software engineer, naturalist, freelance photographer and writer from Portland, Oregon. The excellent bird photographs are available... in some cases for free.

Photographer - Matt Ragen

http://www.theragens.com/photos/
San Juan Wildlife and Nature Photography...

Photographer - Rick Cameron

http://racphoto.com/
I (Rick Cameron) have compiled a lifelist of all of the birds I`ve seen over the past few years. The categories are based on those found in the National Audubon Society`s Field Guide to North American Birds.

Fatbirder Logo
  Birding Top 500 Counter