How to Bird Watch in Oregon

Birding in Oregon benefits greatly from the wealth of high-quality ecosystems and habitats where bird watchers often have rare sightings. Oregon bird watching enjoys a storied history in the birding community. Bird watching from Oregon's rocky Pacific coast over the Cascade Range to the Columbia Plateau is a birder's delight.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Bird watching guide
• A spotting scope or binoculars
• Sunscreen
• Water
• Notebook

1. Start birding in the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and enjoy America's first waterfowl refuge. The freshwater habitats of the refuge provide shelter and sustenance for over 1 million birds during the annual fall migration, making the refuge internationally famous in the bird watching community. The refuge is a critical nesting area as well for American White Pelican, Northern Shoveler and Great Egret.
2. Find the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns. This vast refuge is the largest freshwater marsh in the western United States. Visit the refuge during the peak fall migration and see hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese. The Malheur Refuge is also a crucial nesting and breeding ground for several species, such as Trumpeter Swans and Sandhill Cranes.
3. Follow the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail and experience not only top-quality birding but also some of the most scenic drives in America. The trail follows over 1,200 miles of highways and highlights the link between local conservation efforts and sustainable development. There are well over 150 sites along the trail, which could keep an avid birder busy for months.
4. Enjoy birding in the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area as it is the most easily-reached wildlife and ocean viewing on the Pacific Coast. The area has some of the finest colonial nesting bird viewing in the country. Bird watchers who visit at the right time of year will easily see Common Murre, Brandt's Cormorant and Pigeon Guillemot. It is also a great place to observe migrating gray whales.
5. Print out maps, guides and checklists for the hundreds of birding areas of Oregon (see Resources below).