Birding

Bird watching is proliferate in the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region and you don't need to be an ornithologist to participate! Just grab your binoculars and a field guide, and head out to shallow marshes, forest trails, or rugged coastline to view a wide variety of birds in their natural habitat. The best time for birding is dawn to mid-morning.

Oregon Bird Watching Eugene, Cascades & Coast Birding

For adventurous birders, tree climbing expeditions can hoist you up 150 feet (45.72 m) into an old-growth forest canopy for a bird's eye view. Or visit Eugene's Cascades Raptor Center to learn how birds of prey are an important part of our eco-system. Every season offers new opportunities to view migrating or nesting birds or attend a birding event.

  

What Birds Will I See?

Local favorites include the Pelican and Rock Sandpiper seabirds, Three-toed Woodpeckers and Nashville Warblers. The Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, just 10 miles (16 km) west of Eugene, hosts over 10,000 acres (4,046 ha) of marshes where 250 species of birds make their home including Great Blue Herons, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and Red-shouldered Hawks. And don't forget to check out the Delta Ponds which is home to birds, turtles and otters.

The Springfield Community Birding Trail offers 21 prime locations for birdwatching. At Walterville Pond look for an American Coot, Canada Goose or Western Grebe. At the Millrace Park spot American Robins, and at Island Park watch for a Brown Creeper or Red-breasted Sapsucker.  

If you're near Oakridge or the McKenzie River region, follow the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail and discover area birds in the spectacular scenery of the Cascade Mountains. Back at the coast, the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area in Florence hosts an expansive stretch of dunes and coastline where Great Horned Owls, Downy Woodpeckers, and Northern Harriers can be spotted.

For easily-accessible, family-friendly, and informative bird watching, visit Creswell's Garden Lake Park just off of Interstate 5. Wood chip trails on flat terrain encircle a small pond where beaver can sometimes be spotted. The park also includes interpretative signage, picnic tables, bathrooms, a small dock for fishing, and a boat ramp for non-motorized boats.

  

Birding Events

A bird walk coordinated by the Lane County Audubon Society convenes on the third Saturday of every month at various locations. The bird walk is open to all novice and expert birders for a small donation.

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