Polk County

Many rarities have been found at the Monmouth Sewage Ponds over the years:  Cattle Egret, Tufted Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Barrow’s Goldeneyes, All 3 Scoters, All three loons and all 5 grebes, Franklins, Heermann’s and Sabines Gulls, BL Kittiwa...

Open farmlands are the draw here. Some of this farmland is left fallow and can be too wet to cultivate. This provides some wild areas for birds. A bird list from this location might include Acorn Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, assorted swallows, ...

This park has a nice mix of trees, open spaces and riparian creek habitat. Even from the parking lot there can be a good number of birds viewable in the trees and surrounding fields. From the parking lot there is a trail that makes its way down to...

There are lots of possibilities at this riverside natural area. Located at the confluence of two major rivers (Willamette and Santiam), this small piece of native woodland harkens back to a time when the entire river bottom was covered with thick ...

Beck Road travels through plenty of farmland with scattered woodlots and creeks. Birds found here include Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Western Wood Pewee, Horned Lark, Bewick’s Wren, Common Yellowthroat, and American Goldfinch. The far w...

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...

Birds that are possible here include Canada Goose, California Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Western Wood- Pewee, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo, Steller’s Jay, Violet-green Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bro...

In some ways, Simpson Road is the typical Polk County Country Road. Farm fields border much of this road but several good forested areas can be found scattered around rolling hills. Mixed deciduous and conif Birds that have been seen along this ro...

This 177 acre park has a mix of forests and fields along the Willamette River. There are 5 miles of trails to explore, which are fairly under-birded considering its proximity to Salem. The trails can be muddy in winter and spring, so bring boots i...

The road from Valsetz to the Valley of the Giants is a fun road to bird along. Much of the road parallels the North Fork of the Siletz River, which can have American Dippers, Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers. This area is rarely birded, so...

There are several ponds around a large dairy and the biggest is Wendell Kreder Reservoir. A scope is helpful here and be sure to bird only from the road. Private land borders both sides of this road. Water birds are the main attraction here. 18 sp...