Head out in fall and winter to see great blue herons, bald eagles and other winged marvels.
Nearly 500 species of birds nest, feed or frolic on the Oregon Coast all year long — and it’s easy to see why they love this habitat of bluffs, crags, sea stacks and nutrient-rich waters.
The Oregon Coast sits along the Pacific Flyway — a major north-south migratory route. A diverse mix of birds can be found in mixed-conifer forests, around coastal lakes and on remote rock formations. Many of those habitats are protected via national wildlife refuges — including the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which stretches the length of the Coast. This special area comprises more than 1,800 rocky headlands, reefs and islands, and serves as an important breeding ground for migrating seabirds.
Today visitors can experience some of the roughly 1.2 million seabirds that live on and visit the Oregon Coast. Fall and winter, in particular, dazzle with quiet bird-watching opportunities. Here are a few tips to inspire your next birding adventure.
Where to Go Birding on the North Coast
East of Astoria, off the Columbia River, the Twilight Creek Eagle Sanctuary is home to dozens of resident and migrating bald eagles between midwinter and early spring. Spot egrets, great blue herons and tundra swans in the tidal marshes and mudflats.
North of Seaside, Necanicum Estuary Natural History Park comprises a tidal estuary and sand dune where the Necanicum River and Neawanna Creek empty into the Pacific Ocean. Watch for great blue herons fishing for their next meal from a roadside viewpoint — or get on the water for a peaceful paddle. It’s a great alternative to Haystack Rock in nearby Cannon Beach in summer, too, when crowds flock there during tufted puffin nesting season.
About 30 miles south of Tillamook, the 1,200-acre Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1991 to protect dusty Canada geese, which continue to winter around Nestucca Bay. Today visitors may spy sparrows, bluebirds and more across coastal forest, upland prairie and other ecosystems.
Where to Go Birding on the Central Coast
For a flat walking trail, head to Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge — it passes through a hardwood forest, mudflats and a salt marsh on the shores of the bay around Lincoln City. Fall is an ideal time to see mallards and pintails, while winter brings loons, grebes and raptors. While you’re in town, join a Bird Watching Explorience hosted by Seven Capes Bird Alliance, a local chapter of the National Audubon Society. Guided walks begin in summer and continue through early winter, when you can spot egrets, pelicans and osprey.
Just north of Newport, Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area offers ample opportunities to spy brown pelicans just offshore and red-tailed hawks flying above the Salal Hill Trail. You may have luck spotting peregrine falcons and western meadowlarks around Quarry Cove and Ocean Bluff.
For a bucket-list birding trip, Oregon Pelagic Tours offers expert-led day cruises that hit the open waters of the Pacific Ocean to see fulmars, puffins and other seabirds that don’t often come ashore in winter. Most boat trips depart from Newport, but some head out of Garibaldi.
Where to Go Birding on the South Coast
The rugged South Coast is known for its concentration of off-shore islands and rock formations that provide habitat for a variety of species. See those formations along the Cape Arago Beach Loop outside Coos Bay. In winter murrelets and gulls frolic in the protected waters at Sunset Bay State Park. Nearby, Shore Acres State Park attracts black oystercatchers, common murres, grebes and more.
To the south, Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge sits along the Coquille River north of Bandon’s historic downtown. There you’ll see ducks, hawks, buffleheads and grebes feeding in the estuary throughout fall and winter.
If You Go:
For more inspiration, the Oregon Coast Birding Trail brings together roughly 150 sites across the entire Coast. Learn more with the Bird Alliance of Oregon, a long-running advocacy and educational organization, where you can connect with fellow birders at public events throughout the year.
If you’re planning a midwinter visit, consider joining the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Between mid-December and early January, volunteers can help monitor bird populations with counts that take place around Astoria, Tillamook Bay, Florence and Port Orford.
– By Matt Wastradowski
– Top photo by Steve Dimock