The Deschutes River winds through this urban center and is lined with paved paths and green areas. Waterfowl are present year round and often produce rarities like Red-breasted Merganser, Ross’s Goose, Greater Scaup, and Red-necked Grebe. Ho...

The Deschutes River winds through this urban center and is lined with paved paths and green areas. Waterfowl are present year round and often produce rarities like Red-breasted Merganser, Ross’s Goose, Greater Scaup, and Red-necked Grebe. Ho...

A quiet beach with offshore islands, tide pools, and a hidden cove.  Look for Red-necked Grebe, Scoters, Loons, and Gulls.  Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, and maybe Marbled Murrelet, can be seen during summer.  There’s a good chance to find ...

Riparian woodland along the banks of the Deschutes River. Pygmy Nuthatch, Anna’s Hummingbird, Wood Duck, Pinyon Jay, Canyon Wren and American Dipper can be found in this interesting park. It is also an excellent place for migrants. See the bird ...

Listen for Rock and Canyon Wren. Mountain Quail are here along with Red-naped Sapsucker and Cedar Waxwing. Listen for Green-tailed Towhee and Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Mostly a narrow valley with pasture/hay fields and brush along the creek. Good variety of birds. Both Brewer’s Sparrow and Long-eared Owl have been seen here. The riparian area at the John Day River can be very birdy in migration. Look for W...

This is very much an urban trail. Urban though it may be, the dance riparian foliage attracts a lot of birds. Winter sparrows, spring and fall migrants, and summer residents make this a year round birding destination In the Hillsboro area.  It...

This mountain lake is surrounded by marshy areas and ponderosa pine. It is located near the pine-sage transition zone so it can be quite active. Birds that are expected here include Common Loon, Varied Thrush, White-headed Woodpecker, Western Wood...

Waterfowl, waders, and shorebirds are the draw here. Check the sagebrush on your way in for dry sagebrush species.

If you haven’t found Harlequin Ducks in some of the other places, this is the spot to check. There are other good birds here as well.

Low tides expose sandy bars that provide shorebirds, cormorants, pelicans, waders, and Larids (this is one of the best places to find Elegant Tern in late summer or early fall) a place to loaf and rest. Brown Pelican is abundant here. Look for Bla...

The beginning section of this hike provides good riparian vegetation and birds to look for include woodpeckers, hummingbirds, warblers, and other passerines.

This road parallels the Owyhee River and can produce everything from waterfowl to dry sagebrush species. Watch for Canyon Wren on the Pillars.

The 1634 acre Rooster Rock fire occurred in August of 2010 and was a terrific woodpecker location for about 10 years, especially for Black-backed Woodpecker.  Now, it is older and less attractive to woodpeckers.  That said, woodpeckers can still...

This area provides some habitat not seen in the rest of the county. With a plant community that looks like it was shipped in from eastern Oregon, this park can attract an interesting mix of birds. Some of the species reported from here include Buf...

The burns close to Round Lake have been a good location for Lewis’s Woodpecker, Lazuli Buntings, Sooty Grouse, and Mountain Quail along with many other mountain species.

This is riparian habitat along the Row River with numerous small ponds.  There’s the paved bike/walking path through the park, plus numerous “dirt” trails that take you around some of the ponds and through the forest.  Birding ...

Osprey and waterfowl are the highlights here. Just about anything could show up at this desert oasis. There isn’t a lot of vegetation around the reservoir.

Starting in farmland, this road goes past Rowe Creek Reservoir and into dry hills. The last 3-4 miles are in timber. Birds here include Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Spotted Towhee, House Wren, and Cliff Swallow.

This area provides good views of the Columbia River and some limited riparian areas. Ring-necked Duck, both scaup, and Bufflehead are common here. Other ducks can be found in the mix including Tufted Duck. Keep an eye out for gulls moving along th...

The riparian area here can be good for migrant and nesting passerines. The Rhea Creek Canyon is good for wintering and resident raptors. Look for Golden Eagle, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, American Kestrel, and Buteos. In late winter and early spring, ...

Explore Ruh Red Road by driving east for 7.4 miles to where it crosses the Silvies River.

Look for Brewer’s Sparrow, Sage Thrasher, Gray Flycatcher, and cavity-nesting birds, which all nest in the sagebrush and open juniper forest here. 18 bird boxes in the immediate area host Mountain Bluebird, Mountain Chickadee, Tree Swallow, ...

A wide gravel path takes you around two small lakes surrounded by willows and some cattails, with a second path continuing north through a grassy meadow and ash woods.  The ponds host waterfowl year round.  Warblers can be seen in the willows in...

The Salmon River Estuary in Tillamook and Lincoln County is a State Important Bird Area, with totals of 1,000+ shorebirds (mostly Western Sandpipers) in spring.

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Mixed woodlands with open areas and brushy edges and riparian habitat. Wood Duck and Common and Hooded Merganser can be found on the river. Also look for Bald Eagle, White-tailed Kite, Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, Varied Thrush and MacGillivray̵...

This is the only known breeding location for Black Swifts in Oregon. They nest behind the falls and can be seen flying high over the bowl, below the falls, and sometimes high in the sky to the south and west of the viewpoint. Vaux’s Swifts a...

The Sandy River Delta is a unique area of extensive open habitat near the mouth of the Columbia Gorge.  As such, it draws birds that are otherwise hard to find in the northern Willamette Valley.  In late spring through summer, look for nesting R...

This area has many of the same birds as the Sandy River Delta including nesting Red-eyed Vireos.  It is more wooded and has less open spaces but has good views of the Columbia River.  This is probably the place in Multnomah one is most likely to...

Here there is an old quarry that fills with water in winter. The main attraction is the hundreds of Tundra Swans that use it in the winter. Other water fowl can be found as well. There are nice stands of Oak trees along the road in the rural resid...

This park boast large trees that offer great nesting habitat for Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Black-capped Chickadee, Bewick’s Wren, Swainson’s Thrush, Western Wood-Pewee, Hutton’s Vireo, Swainson’s Thrush and Band-tailed Pi...

Note only the south half of Sauvie Island is in Multnomah County; the north half is in Columbia County.  Also note there is no gas station on the island.

Sauvie Island offers good birding year round, but is outstanding in winter when the r...

There are little lakes and a view of the Multnomah Channel. This provides varied habitats on the drive out to The Wash: Ash Swales, Gallery Cottonwoods and open fields. Shorebirds can be found on some of the shallow lake edges during migration. Th...

Shorebirds in migration on the exposed mud edges of the lake, Pelicans, ducks, and gulls out on the lake. The Ash swales are good for migrant and breeding passerines. The puddle lake along the access road can be good for shorebirds and waders as w...

Cottonwood gallery and willow thickets, open beach with a river view that can have all manner of river birds, loons, grebes, gulls and ducks in season. Great Horned Owls have nested in the Cottonwoods; Bald Eagles use them as perches, and are pret...

Channel views with Cormorants, Common Mergansers and Pied-billed Grebes, The view of McNary Lake can have ducks, but not many. There is a small system of fishing trails through the Ash swales and are pretty good for migrant and breeding passerines...

This is a 3 mile loop trail with views of Sturgeon Lake. There is great migrant and breeding passerine habitat in remnant Oak Savanna. Bullock’s Orioles nest here every year. There are a couple of places where Sturgeon Lake can be scanned. There...

This area is basically a seasonal wetland sump surrounded by scattered wood lots on the higher ground. Productivity greatly depends on water levels which are affected both by rainfall and sluice gate management. Shore birds in migration are the ma...

Views of Sturgeon Lake at the point and associated birds. You’ll find shorebirds in migration on the lake edges. The area is good for migrant and breeding passerines as well in the Ash swales and willow thickets on the walk out to the point.

This road is mostly lined with blackberry kack. There is a new scrape lake. There are a couple of small woodlots and a marsh. This is a Sparrow haven in winter. Near the end of the road there are seasonal lakes that will have large concentrations ...

Along the north end of the open strand is the only place in the county that I’ve seen Horned Larks. The river view can have all manner of river birds, loons, grebes, gulls and ducks in season… 2014 update: the dike has been brutally cleare...