Connect with Nature!
With the arrival of autumn weather in late September and early October come Golden-crowned Sparrows. This species nests in Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and British Columbia, then spends the winter along the west coast from southern British Columbia to Baja California. They remain in the Willamette Valley until mid-May. Read more...
Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are found in Oregon all year, but their nomadic behavior makes it hard to predict where you will find them at any given time. They may arrive in your yard one day (usually in a flock), spend a day or two, and then disappear for months. Read more...
Chapman School in Northwest Portland houses the largest known roost of migrating swifts in the world! Hundreds of bird watchers visit the school during September to watch up to 35,000 Vaux Swifts swarm into the chimney at dusk. Read more...
If you’re looking to bring some new visitors to your yard, throw out a handful of millet and see if the fascinating Mourning Dove will find it. Mourning Doves, with their distinctive coo and exciting courtship and aggressive displays, are one of the most interesting backyard birds to watch. Read more...
Many backyard bird watchers agree that spring really begins when the swallows return! A northwestern favorite is the Violet-green Swallow, a summer resident that can be coaxed to nest in our backyards. Read more...
In March we welcome Rufous Hummingbirds, who fly up to 3,000 miles from their wintering grounds to join us in the northwest. Read more...
Few Portland area wild bird lovers are unfamiliar with the dramatic silhouette and raucous honking of the Great Blue Heron. Its four-foot height and six-foot wingspan make it one of the largest birds around. Read more...
Once limited primarily to California, Anna's Hummingbirds have expanded their range in recent decades and can now be found in Portland year-round. Read more...
The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) was the first time that European-Americans went bird watching in the American west. The expedition discovered several species new to science, and the explorers’ journals provide us with a glimpse of Oregon’s bird life in the early 19th Century. (Lewis and Clark were the first to describe California Condors along the Columbia River.) Read more...
Downy Woodpeckers are family favorites! Everyone from my toddler to my parents loves to watch the “Downies” who feed regularly at a suet feeder hanging from a wrought iron crane outside our family room window. Read more...
Woodpeckers are well known for their specialized feeding behaviors. With chisel-like bills, these birds excavate wood or peel bark in search of insects. Their long tongues are barbed at the tip to aid in removing insects from tunnels and crevices. Read more...
A favorite backyard bird is a small (4-1/2") bird with a distinctive shape -- compact and tapered at both ends! Read more...
You may hear this bird before you see it! If you hear scratching and rustling noises coming from leaf litter or a birdfeeding area, you may be hearing a Spotted Towhee. Try to get a peek, because it's a beautiful backyard bird! Read more...
The Chestnut-backed species is a conifer lover and, true to its name, has a distinctive chestnut-colored back. Its primary range is the Pacific Northwest. Read more...
Whether you are looking out over a river, a wetland, a residential lawn, or a parking lot, it is not hard to see swallows on any summer day. These graceful fliers spend much of their time on the wing, speeding through the air as they catch flying insects. They even drink and bathe while flying. Read more...
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