East Cascades Bird Alliance

Birders' Night: Identification Workshop - Flycatcher Fun(damentals)
2025-04-10 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Worthy Brewing, 495 NE Bellevue Dr, Bend, OR, 97701
Join a round table of seasoned local birders (Tom Crabtree, Craig Miller, Mark Gonzalez) for a Bird Identification Workshop — Flycatcher Fun(damentals) on April 10. This will focus on all flycatchers that can normally be seen in Central Oregon with extra emphasis on everyone’s favorites — Empids.

Birders' Night: Bird Restoration with Oregon Desert Land Trust
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00
Join us for Birders’ Night with a presentation of bird restoration on Oregon Desert Land Trust properties.
The Oregon Desert Land Trust conserves lands in the high desert to benefit wildlife and people. In seven years, they’ve conserved more than 20,000 acres from Brothers to the Owyhee Canyonlands. Their outreach coordinator, Kharli Rose, will share their scope of work and current volunteer restoration projects, including creating artificial burrows for burrowing owls and wetland bird surveys that go from May-July. Learn more to join a count in Fields, Oregon!
https://www.oregondesertlandtrust.org/
https://www.oregondesertlandtrust.org/bird-surveys/

Birders' Night: eBird 2.0
2025-06-12 19:00 - 21:00
Matt Cahill will discuss how to get the most out of eBird.

Birders' Night: Central Oregon's Wolves--What a birder might want to know
2025-07-10 19:00 - 21:00
For over a decade, wolves have been returning to Central Oregon. This presentation will give a brief overview of the history and status of Central Oregon’s wolves, followed by some observations, research, and speculations about how these wolves interact with and impact our local birds. There will also be a guide to birding in wolf activity areas, including how to identify and report wolf sign.

Ander Rhoads is an eighth-grade homeschooler passionate about the quest for scientific facts relating to historically mythologized and persecuted animals. Ander has been lucky enough to spend a week in Yellowstone with the wolf biologist and author Rick McIntyre. His current mentors include wolf biologists in ODFW and US Fish and Wildlife. Most of Ander’s free time is spent tracking wolves in the Upper Deschutes and Metolious pack areas. Ander has authored articles on wolves, including one published by the Nugget Newspaper. He often presents on wolves at schools and other organizations, including Oregon State Parks. Ander is also an enthusiastic volunteer with the High Desert Museum and Sunriver Nature Center. In addition to his interest in wolves, Ander has been birding with his family in Central Oregon since they moved here in 2020. Since he was ten years old, Ander has co-led bird walks and assisted with bird surveys, including recently co-mentoring students at the Sisters High School bird survey of Pine Meadow Ranch.

Birders' Night: Malheur, A High Desert Oasis in Need of Friends
2025-08-14 18:30 - 20:30
Malheur, A High Desert Oasis in Need of Friends

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is 187,000 acres of wet meadows, alkaline playas, rocky ridges, and more – all situated in the northern reach of the Great Basin. From bobolink to badgers, the wildlife that depends on the protection of this wild landscape is as diverse as the habitat. Friends of Malheur NWR Director, Janelle Wicks, will share more than the importance of this space but what their organization is doing to support it through advocacy and stewardship.

The program will start at 7pm.

Feel free to come early for dinner and a beverage. There is typically a nice group there by 6:00pm or so.

Birders' Night: Birding Northern Spain with Chuck and Dorothy Gates
2025-09-11 19:00 - 21:00
Birding Northern Spain

Presented by Chuck and Dorothy Gates

Come join us as we vicariously bird the northern half of Spain through a fast-paced slide show and talk. Chuck and Dorothy Gates spent nearly a month in that country this year and they are excited to share what they found. They will talk briefly about the logistics of getting there and back and give you their impressions of birding and vacationing in Spain. Chuck has chosen 100 of the best bird photos to share with you. This show is probably going to last a full hour so come early and order food.

Birders' Night: Waddle We Do Without Penguins?
2025-10-15 19:00 - 21:00
Patty McGill will talk about the conservation status of penguins that live at lower latitudes and challenges they face. Of these species, she will emphasize African penguins, found in South Africa and Namibia. Last fall, African penguins were declared Critically Endangered and they could be extinct in the wild in by 2035. Patty serves as the Program Leader for a group of zoos and aquariums focused on saving African penguins, and Patty will tell us about the array of projects the team leads and/or supports; these projects are focused on the most urgent and important conservation priorities.
Background:
Dr. Patty McGill received her PhD from Cornell University, where she studied competition among species of gulls and also other species of seabirds. She spent most of her career working in AZA accredited zoos, in animal (bird) care and conservation. She led the program to manage Humboldt penguins in zoos–and from there began to work with colleagues in South America on conservation & research projects on these penguins. In one way or another Patty has worked with Humboldt penguins for 40 years, and has been working with African penguins for about 10 years.

Birders' Night: Fun with Sapsuckers with Steve Shunk!
2025-11-13 18:00 - 19:30
Fun with Sapsuckers!
Did you know that sapsuckers have a paintbrush-tipped tongue? Did you know that one species is the world’s longest- distance migrant woodpecker? How about that one sapsucker is named for the daughter of German naturalist Johan Kaup, who first described the Flammulated Owl? These are just a few of the fun facts you will learn from naturalist Steve Shunk when he returns to share stories of our amazing sapsuckers. Of course, Steve will also discuss the perplexing puzzle of sapsucker hybridization, with his best tips for identifying the “chupasavias” of Central Oregon.
Steve Shunk learned about sapsuckers during his 27-year stint living on the east slope of the Cascades. His woodpecker research culminated in the publication of the Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America. In 2024, Steve moved to Mexico’s Pacific Slope to live with Mexican naturalist Lizzy Martinez. They enjoy daily encounters with the endemic Golden-cheeked and Gray- crowned Woodpeckers from their backyard at the Rancho Primavera bird sanctuary.
The program will start at 6pm. Note that the start time is 6pm, not 7pm.

Feel free to come early for dinner and a beverage. Worthy Brewing offers a happy hour from 3-6pm. We’re expecting a full house, so please come a bit early to ensure that you get a seat.

Birders' Night: Klamath Refuges
2025-12-11 18:00 - 19:30
Teresa Wicks, the Eastern Oregon Biologist and Program Manager for the Bird Alliance of Oregon, will present on bird productivity in the Klamath Refuges and the management of botulism there.
The program will start at 6pm. Please note the earlier start time.

Feel free to come early for dinner and a beverage. There is typically a nice group there by 5:00pm or so.

Birders' Night--An update on the Central Oregon Pinyon Jay Habitat Ecology Project with Alex Wilson
2026-01-08 18:00 - 19:30
An update on the Central Oregon Pinyon Jay Habitat Ecology Project.
Alex Wilson will discuss how we collected Pinyon Jay Habitat use data during the breeding season across central Oregon. The focus will be on analysis of the backpack transmitter data we collected this year, and what our plans are moving forward to meet the research needs of the region.
Alex Wilson is currently a graduate student at Oregon Tech, pursuing a Masters of Natural Resources. Most recently he was a project manager for the Blue Ridge Bird Observatory. Prior to that, he was part of the recovery and monitoring team for the Mariana Crow and the island of Rota.
The program will start at 6pm. Please note the earlier start time.

Feel free to come early for dinner and a beverage. There is typically a nice group there by 5:00pm or so.

Birders' Night--Central Oregon Christmas Bird Counts
2026-02-12 18:00 - 19:30
More details will be added in the near future.

ECBA Birders' Night--Ospreys and Osprey Watch with Kylie Lanuza and Elise Jackson
2026-03-12 18:00 - 19:30
Ospreys and Osprey Watch
Learn about osprey natural history and how you can get involved in the community science project Osprey Watch. This project helps us monitor these incredible sentinel species and better understand environmental trends across the region. We’ll also be joined by Elise Jackson from Pacific Power, who will share information about Pacific Power’s Avian Protection Program and how community monitoring efforts contribute to the survival of our native birds.
Kylie Lanuza is the Wildlife Community Science Project Coordinator for Think Wild. Elise Jackson is an Associate Environmental Analyst with Pacific Power.
The program will start at 6pm. Feel free to come early for dinner and a beverage. There is typically a nice group there by 5:00pm or so. And Worthy Brewing offers a nice Happy Hour Menu from 3-6pm.

Birders' Night--The Bird–Caterpillar Connection with LeeAnn Kriegh
2026-04-09 19:00 - 20:30
Caterpillars are the single most important insect in the diet of most terrestrial birds, yet our knowledge of these larval marvels often begins and ends with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. So, let’s get caught up on the latest research. We’ll explore the life cycles of each of the 160,000 species of caterpillars (or at least a few of the best-known), discuss why these bristly sausages are so vital to nestling diets, and learn a few simple ways we can boost caterpillar populations in our own backyards. LeeAnn Kriegh is a woolly bear enthusiast and author of The Nature of Bend and The Nature of Portland. She’ll have the 2025 editions of both books available for sale at the talk.

Birders' Night: Visions of Desert Life with Alan Contreras
2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:30
Visions of Desert Life with Alan Contreras
Long-time Oregon birder and writer Alan Contreras will present an unusual program of poems, stories and images related to birds, wildlife and the human experience of eastern Oregon. He will read from his own work and the work of other writers including Ursula K. Le Guin, Ada Hastings Hedges, Ellen Waterston, C.E.S. Wood and others. These readings will be accented with images by visual artists and photographers working in eastern Oregon and perhaps excerpts from music inspired by eastern Oregon.
Alan L. Contreras, a fourth-generation Oregonian, has published several books about the natural world as well as professional work in higher education, poetry and essays. His recent work includes A History of Oregon Ornithology (senior editor, OSU Press 2022), Edge of Awe: Experiences of the Malheur-Steens Country (editor, OSU Press 2019), and Collected Poems of Ada Hastings Hedges (ed. with Ulrich Hardt, OSU Press 2020). He is currently working on a book on the Oregon desert as a source of creative inspiration. He will have books for sale at the meeting.

Birders' Night: Harry Fuller on Birding Harney County
2026-06-11 19:00 - 20:30
Photo: Sora at Page Springs, taken by Wendy Temko
BIRDING HARNEY COUNTY
Where and when are always crucial elements when seeking that special bird. And Harney County has many birds not found where most birders live. From Bobolink to Common Nighthawk. From Ferruginous Hawk to Franklin’s Gull. From White Pelican to Wilson’s Phalarope this area is a birder’s challenge. Timing, habitat, amount of water in the basin–the variables are many and crucial to understand. Although Malheur NWR is the largest refuge in the 48 states, it is a small parcel of what huge Harney County has to offer–a county large than Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticutt combined, with fewer than 8000 human residents.
Harry Fuller is a veteran birding guide. He currently leads field trips for the Malheur Field Station in eastern Oregon as well as for Salem Audubon and Polk County Soil Conservation. Baskett Slough and Cornerstone Preserve are favorite birding locations near Salem. He also leads GGOwl trips to Ashland area.
He writes occasional bird essays for Salem Reporter website.
Harry has authored four natural history books: San Francisco’s Natural History: Sand Dunes to Streetcars; Great Gray Owls of CA-OR-WA; Freeway Birding, freewaybirding.com; and most recently Birding Harney County.
His bird blog: ecowise.wordpress.com
He also contributes to “Salem Turkey Tracker” group on Facebook.

Birders' Night: Tracking Lewis’s Woodpecker Migration Using Motus Technology with Kaly Adkins
2026-07-09 19:00 - 20:30
Birders’ Night: Tracking Lewis’s Woodpecker Migration Using Motus Technology with Kaly Adkins
Come learn about how wildlife biologists from the state, a variety of NGOs and Cal Poly Humboldt have collaborated to learn about migratory pathways of Lewis’s Woodpeckers throughout the PNW using Motus wildlife tracking technology. This technology can be expanded to a variety of small-bodied wildlife and is helping to unravel the mystery of migration for many of these species. Kaly Adkins is a Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in Bend that specializes in species of greatest conservation need east of the crest of the Cascades in Oregon.
If you want to learn more about MOTUS towers before the Birders’ Night, you can listen to a podcast that Kaly did with Northwest Nature Matters on this topic. Here is the link to the podcast episode: http://nwnaturematters.libsyn.com/motus-a-collaborative-research-network-tracking-wildlife-movement

Birders' Night: Ducks Unlimited Wetland Restoration for Wetland Habitat with Ashley Tunstall
2026-08-13 19:00 - 20:30
Ducks Unlimited Wetland Restoration for Wetland Habitat

Join Ashley Tunstall, Ducks Unlimited Southeast Oregon biologist, to learn more about DU’s wetland restoration work for waterfowl and wetlands in the Oregon SONEC. From stream restoration to dam replacement, Ashley’s work runs the gambit to improve watershed conditions for wetland dependent species in this critical migratory stopover habitat. Learn about the active restoration work going on in your backyard in eastern Oregon on both public and private lands!”

Birders' Night: Jeff Fleischer on the Winter Raptor Surveys.
2026-09-10 19:00 - 20:30
Birders’ Night: Jeff Fleischer on the Winter Raptor Surveys.
More details will be posted when available.

Birders' Night: Stu Garrett on Oregon’s Sagebrush Steppe and the birds that live there.
2026-10-08 19:00 - 20:30
Birders’ Night: Stu Garrett on Oregon’s Sagebrush Steppe and the birds that live there. More details will be posted when available.

Birders' Night: Marina Richie will introduce us to her new book that is scheduled to be released this fall–Feathered Forest: Aloft with Birds in Ancient Trees.
2026-11-12 19:00 - 20:30
Marina Richie will introduce us to her new book that is scheduled to be released this fall–Feathered Forest: Aloft with Birds in Ancient Trees.
More details will be posted when available.

Birders' Night: Holiday Gathering!
2026-12-10 19:00 - 20:30
Birders’ Night: Holiday Gathering!
More details will be posted when available.
