Birding

This marshy wetland area supports many birds and animals including deer, coyote, beavers, rabbits, frogs and snakes. Spout ducks, blue heron, songbirds and bats. Seasonal closures to protect nesting waterfowl. Manged by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Head west on Highway 126 from Eugene, turn left on Central Rd opposite Perkins Peninsula Park. Turn left on Cantrell. Parking area on left by creek's west bank.

A group of dedicated birders created this website to showcase 11 sites in Eugene. It includes a map of the location, photos of birds and descriptions. This guide will direct you to the finest places to observe many of these birds.

With nearly 200 sites along more than 1,000 miles of scenic roadways, the Cascades is an area for birders of all skill and interest levels. The Delta Old-Growth Trail winds through low-elevation, old-growth conifer forest. Look for the tree’s native homeowners including five, Hermit Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. In the hallows left by the five species of woodpeckers that also call the forest home spot Hooded Mergansers, Wood Duck, Northern Pygmy-Owl, and the Northern Flying Squirrel. For more birding locations, follow the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail guide.

Where Cape Creek meets the Pacific Ocean, Heceta Head Lighthouse and scenic viewpoint is an excellent location to search for the different types of seabirds that nest and migrate along the Oregon Coast. In the waters see hundreds of Western Gull bathe and along the Sitka spruce forest lining the path up to the lighthouse see close views of Wrentit, Song and White-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill, Varied Thursh and Wilson’s and Oregon-crowned Warbler. Drive further along the coast and stop at any of the 173 birding hotspots. Don’t forget your binoculars and Oregon Coast Birding Trail Guide.

A 258-acre, working filbert farm, Dorris Ranch is just one of 21 locations in Springfield where you can watch birds in action. With upland prairie and riparian forest, this wet habitat is a great location to spot the Pileated Woodpecker, Spotted Sandpiper, owls and winter raptors. Dorris Ranch is a superb one-stop birding location. To visit the other 20 great birding locations in Springfield, follow the Willamalane Birding Trail guide. Stop by the Eugene, Cascades & Coast Adventure center to get your complimentary copy or print your own copy online.

Many of the birds that Lewis & Clark wrote about in their journals over 200 years ago can be found throughout the lush landscape that marks the end of the Oregon Trail. The Delta Ponds in the heart of Eugene near the Willamette River is home to over 120 bird species. Look for pond regulars like Gradwall, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, and Great Blue Heron in the swamping marshes and overhead for Bald Eagle, Osprey and Peregrine Falcon. To view more native birds to the Eugene area, complete the birding loop around Fern Ridge Reservoir as outlined in the Willamette Valley Birding Trail Guide.