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Umpqua Birds
Birds and Birding in Douglas County, Oregon



Learn about Birds Share Observations Participate in Counts Digital Archives
Beyond the Umpqua


WELCOME

Douglas County's border roughly follows the outline of the Umpqua River basin,
comprising over 5,000 square miles from the Cascades crest to the Pacific Ocean.
Habitats range from snowy mountain peaks, to a variety of conifer and mixed
forest types, oak savannah, grassland and pastures, wetlands, rivers, ponds,
estuary, dunes, beach, and ocean. Because of the tremendously diverse habitats,
Douglas County hosts over 200 regularly occurring bird species, and about 379
bird species have been recorded to date. Many wild as well as managed areas are
available to explore. We hope this website helps you find the information you
need to learn about and explore birds in the Umpqua Basin. To learn more about
the Umpqua Basin itself, a great place to start is the Umpqua Basin Explorer.


LEARN ABOUT BIRDS IN THE UMPQUA BASIN!


JOIN THE CONVERSATION!

Would you like to talk with others about birds and birding in our area? Sign up
for the Umpqua Birds email list. We share information on birds in the Umpqua
River Basin and/or Douglas County, Oregon. We report birds we have observed,
share good places to go birding, ask questions about identification and habitat,
share photos, etc. For more information and a link to archives, click here.


SEASONAL OCCURRENCE CHARTS

Use the links below--or click on the region of interest on the map to the
right--to download a handout illustrating the timing and abundance of the most
regular birds in that region. We have two-page handouts for the Central Umpqua
Valleys , High Cascades. and Coastal regions of Douglas County. Similar handouts
for the Coast Range and West Cascades may be developed later as well. The
two-page handouts can be printed back-to-back (two-sided) to make one handy
sheet. Keep copies in your bird book, on your table where you watch your feeder,
in your car, and pass them on to friends!

Log of version changes to charts.

The following citations are linked to pdf versions of these articles:
Sawyer, Martha, and Matthew Hunter. 1988. Checklist: Douglas County Coast.
Oregon Birds 14(1):93-106.
Fix, David, and Martha Sawyer. 1991. Checklist: the Douglas County Western
Cascades. Oregon Birds 17(1):3-12.
Hunter, Matthew, Martha Sawyer, Ron Maertz, Brian Kruse, and Katherine Wilson.
1998. Birds of Douglas County, Part 3, The Hundred Valleys of the Umpqua. Oregon
Birds 24(4):103-117.


BIRDING LOCATIONS

The Birding Oregon website has online information on birding locations in
Douglas County.

A brochure of birding locations may be obtained from Umpqua Valley Audubon
Society while attending one of their programs. The brochures are also available
at US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management offices and Visitor Centers
in our area.

You may explore where people have been seeing birds and what they have been
seeing at eBird for Douglas County. Be sure to check out the Hotspots and Recent
Visits tabs there.

BirdTrax (the box to the right) is a Google Gadget that can be customized to
display specific records from eBird and inserted into any website. This
particular BirdTrax is set to display bird sightings for Douglas County, Oregon.
Click on the headings and symbols and explore what you can learn from this
gadget! To access much more eBird data for Douglas County, click here.

Over time we will develop guides to Douglas County birding sites here on this
website. Stay tuned!

Check out the Umpqua Valley Audubon Society website for upcoming field trips--a
great way to get introduced to local birding sites as well as other birders.

You may ask about good places to go birding or where to find particular species
on the Umpqua Birds email list.


BACKYARD BIRDS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY

Click here to see photos and short descriptions of the 60+ most common birds in
backyards (or any yards) in the lowlands of Douglas County. If you are new to
birds in Douglas County, this may help you get familiar with the most regular
species near your home. If you are somewhat familiar with the birds near your
home, you may still learn a thing or two about these avian creatures with whom
you share habitat in the Umpqua Basin. Birds are sorted by their predominant
season of occurrence and whether they normally occur at feeders or not. Click
here to learn about the most common backyard birds in Douglas County.


HUMMINGBIRDS IN DOUGLAS COUNTY

In our area we have two regularly occurring species: Rufous Hummingbird and
Anna's Hummingbird. The Rufous Hummingbird typically arrives here in mid- to
late February, usually males first, and is present through September most years.
Numbers fluctuate during the season depending on location, weather, and nesting
success. Anna's Hummingbirds have only been in our area since the mid-1900s, but
have become one of the most familiar hummingbirds at feeders in the lowlands of
Douglas County as they are here year round. Feeding tips: plant flowers, don't
use red dye in your sugar mixture, platform feeders are generally best. For more
information, see the Feeding Hummingbirds page at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. To
be a "citizen scientist" for hummingbirds, check out Audubon's Hummingbirds at
Home effort. To learn more about the hummingbirds we have here in Douglas
County, click here.


TIPS FOR BEGINNING BIRDERS

If you have developed an interest in birds and/or birding and want to learn
more, there are many opportunities available. You can develop your interest at
the pace and in the way that interests you. There is no "one way" to do birding.
Peoples' interests in birding stem from many different motivations and desires.
Enjoy all aspects that suit you. What we present here are some elementary tips
that can enhance the richness of your journey. Not all of these may be a fit for
you; choose what you like: (1) If you have not already, obtain binoculars and a
spotting scope with tripod to bring the birds in to closer view. (2) Most
importantly, spend time enjoying birds: observing, watching, listening,
learning. (3) Acquire a good bird identification book relevant for our area, or
try the Merlin Bird ID App for beginners. (4) If you enjoy learning from or with
others, find someone with whom you can pursue your interests. (5) Venture out
from your home to nearby parks, ponds, woods, and pastures to discover the
different species associated with these different habitats. (6) Thoroughly
explore this website!   :-)  Lastly, see #2 again, and again, and again....  For
an expanded discussion of these topics click here.


REPORT / SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS


USE EBIRD TO REPORT AND KEEP TRACK OF THE BIRDS YOU SEE!

eBird is an online spatial database of bird sightings. You can input records of
birds you see at your home feeder each day, or enter field notes from an outing
to a local birding spot. You can also query your own sightings or what others
have seen at particular locations and times of year, in your local area or
around the globe! To learn more about using eBird, see eBird.org


EBIRD APP

There's an app for your mobile device (phone, tablet, pad) that allows you to
record bird observations right in the field, and then with a touch of a button,
submit the information directly to eBird! This enables you to record your field
observations once and submit directly to eBird, rather than having to re-enter
them into the computer or later trying to remember what you saw and how many. To
learn more, click here.


UMPQUA BIRDS EMAIL DISCUSSION LIST

Share your observations with friends and neighbors on Umpqua Birds, a local
email list where people share about birds and birding in Douglas County. When
you share what you have been seeing at your feeders or local birding spots, we
all get to share in your experience and by virtue of these vicarious experiences
we all gain more "experience" with birds in our area through others'
experiences. It's kind of like "pot-luck" birding, where everyone brings a
little something and we all enjoy the richness and variety and new recipes.
Everyone has different birds, experiences, and observations at there "patch" and
when everyone shares, we all get a feast!


REPORT MARKED/TAGGED/BANDED BIRDS

CLICK HERE to report your marked or banded bird!

This link takes you to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Bird Banding
Laboratory website. On this web page there is a link "Report a Bird Band or a
Marked Bird," as well as links to lots of information on bird banding.

When you report a banded, collared, or marked bird, not only do you do a service
to the people studying these birds, the Bird Banding Lab will send you
information about the bird you observed, such as where and when the bird was
banded, and if known, the age, sex, and perhaps other info.

To learn about birds banded or observed here in Douglas County, Oregon, click
here.


REPORT AN INJURED BIRD OR ANIMAL TO UMPQUA WILDLIFE RESCUE: 541-440-6895

Not an emergency? Click here to see their website!




PARTICIPATE IN ANNUAL COUNTS OF BIRDS

Would you like to contribute to the knowledge of birds in your region or the
world? eBird is the simplest and most convenient way to do that on your own,
wherever and whenever you like, but the following events are organized to focus
effort on a specific location, time period, or both. Some of these are done on
your own, while others can be fun group activities. There are one or more of
each of these counts or routes in the Umpqua Basin. Explore and see if you find
one or more that suit you!


OREGON 2020

[Note: This project is completed.] Want to contribute to a benchmark survey of
Oregon's birds right here in Douglas County? Become a Douglas County Explorer
for the Oregon 2020 Project. This project, publicly launched in 2014 is
employing a combination of citizen science participation and
scientifically/systematically collected bird data from all over the state of
Oregon. Their goal is that by the year 2020, we will have amassed sufficient
data on Oregon's birds from all over the state that a thorough picture of the
status and distribution of most species will be possible for this snapshot in
history. The best way for citizen scientists (i.e. birders) to contribute, is to
register and begin visiting the Oregon 2020 Hotspot Squares. You can fill out
forms and send them to the Oregon 2020 crew to enter, or you can save them some
time and money and input the data yourself directly into eBird. To find out
more, click here.


GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT (GBBC)

This nationwide count is geared toward backyard, feeder birders, but you can
count any area you want during the 4-day period, mid-February each year. It's
kind of like a Christmas Bird Count (see below), but it doesn't need to be
coordinated locally (everyone can count when/where they want), and it goes for
several days. Cornell University's GBBC website has information on how to
participate and links to let you explore data and bird distribution maps from
previous years, etc. Not surprisingly, it uses eBird as its vehicle for data
input and analysis.


CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT (CBC)

These are local one-day counts in early winter, coordinated nationwide by the
National Audubon Society, and organized locally by a "compiler." The count
occurs on a specific day chosen between mid-December to early January. A number
teams are formed and each team counts all birds in a specific sector within the
15-mile diameter circle. Often times a "count down" is done at the end of the
day at a restaurant or home with some good warm food, drink, and good stories.
The CBC is one of, if not thee, longest-running organized bird count in the
world (started in 1900), though most local counts are "younger" than that. The
Roseburg-Sutherlin CBC has been run consistently since December 1974. To learn
more about CBCs, see the National Audubon Society's CBC website. To learn more
about CBCs in Douglas County, click here!


NORTH AMERICAN MIGRATION COUNT (NAMC)

[Note: this project has ended.] These counts are in some ways like the Christmas
Bird Count in that they are one-day events, but they occur during peak spring
and fall migrations rather than winter and in Oregon they are organized and
compiled by county. The compiler simply attempts to make sure participants are
spread out so that areas (and birds) are not double-counted.


BREEDING BIRD SURVEYS (BBS)

These breeding season surveys have been conducted in Oregon (and across the
country) for many decades. They are 25-mile routes with dedicated 3-minute
survey stops every half-mile (total of 50 stops). They are run once per year
during a breeding season window, which is sometime in May through July depending
on location. A familiarity with songs and calls of local birds is necessary for
this particular survey. But if you don't have those skills, you can tag along
with someone who does and learn a lot! To find out more, see the Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center BBS website.


SWIFT WATCH

Each spring and fall, hundreds and sometimes thousands of Vaux's Swifts enter
the Clay Place chimney behind the Umpqua Valley Arts Center on Harvard Avenue in
Roseburg at dusk to roost. Umpqua Valley Audubon Society (UVAS) often hosts an
educational Swift Watch event there once or twice a week in spring and fall,
which typically includes art activities for kids provided by the Umpqua Valley
Arts Association. UVAS seeks volunteers to count swifts during these events--see
the UVAS website for more information. However, many of the other days do not
get counted. If you are so inclined, you can increase the amount of Vaux's Swift
data collected at this site by counting the swifts at dusk and submitting the
data with this online data form. For more information on this effort to collect
migration data on Vaux's Swift, see the Vaux's Happening website. To see an
astonishing slow-motion video by Bob and Jeannie Pollock of swifts entering the
top of the chimney click here!


HUMMINGBIRDS AT HOME

Hummingbirds are one of the most fascinating, endearing, and watchable birds we
have in our area. The Audubon Society has developed a citizen scientist program
specifically for learning more about hummingbirds in North America. You may
contribute individual sightings of hummingbirds; short surveys for hummingbirds
at specific locations such as your feeder, yard, garden; and flower-blooming
observations. Audubon has developed excellent computer-based and mobile apps to
help you do short surveys and enter your observation data online. To learn more,
see Audubon's Hummingbirds at Home website.


NIGHTJAR SURVEY NETWORK (NSN)

Nightjars (also known as goatsuckers) are an intriguing group of crepuscular and
nocturnal species with cryptic owl-like plumage. Comparatively little is known
about these species, and this survey effort coordinated across North America by
the Center for Conservation Biology attempts to learn more about their
distribution and habits. Regular species in our area are the Common Nighthawk
and Common Poorwill. The nighttime surveys consist of ten stops each spaced
about a mile apart, during specific weather and moon conditions. Surveyers
listen for nightjars for six minutes at each stop and record results. To find
out more or participate in nightjar surveys in our area, see the Nightjar Survey
Network website.


WINTER RAPTOR SURVEYS (WRS)

These were begun in the early 2000s by the East Cascades Bird Conservancy (now
East Cascades Audubon Society). Routes are on the order of 50 to 90 miles long,
and run once per month from December to March. They are essentially driving
routes in which you stop only if you need to identify a raptor, or to look
around in good locations. These are also fun to do with a friend, and a good way
to learn more about habits and identification of raptors. To learn more, see the
East Cascades Audubon Society WRS website.


DIGITAL ARCHIVES: PHOTOS, VIDEOS, SOUND RECORDINGS

For now, this is just a placemark for a resource I envision that will archive or
link to digital media on birds in the Umpqua Basin. For now, I just offer:

All eBird data, photos, and recordings from Douglas County, Oregon

All iNaturalist bird data, photos, and recordings from Douglas County, Oregon

Elva Paulson's Field Sketches from Douglas County, Oregon

Elva Paulson's Field Notes blog includes some photos and sketches from Douglas
County, Oregon

Paul Meyer's Photo Albums (many birds from Douglas County)

Francis Eatherington's Bird Photos (many but not all birds from Douglas County)

Francis Eatherington's chronological photos of a Rufous Hummingbird nest on her
front porch.

Francis Eatherington's Youtube channel with interesting video of local birds and
other wildlife

Jimmy Billstine's Blog includes many stories and photos

Matt Hunter's older photo albums from Douglas County (with a few others' photos
and videos included and acknowledged)

Matt Hunter's blog on bird and naturalist stuff in Douglas County

Enjoy!

If you have photos, videos, or sound recordings from the Umpqua Basin you would
like to contribute or that I could link to, or if you would like to take on this
project yourself, please contact me! Thanks!


BEYOND THE UMPQUA

Below are primary links to resources for learning more about birds and birding
in Oregon and North America.

Oregon Audubon Chapters: A list of Audubon chapters in Oregon.
Oregon Birding Association: Our state birding organization, formerly Oregon
Field Ornithologists.
Oregon Birders On Line: Our statewide bird discussion list.
Birding Oregon: Birding locations and bird lists for every county in Oregon.
American Birding Association: A nationwide birding organization.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: A mountain of resources for anyone intersted in
birds.
Earbirding: A multitude of resources and links for someone interested in bird
sounds.
Ebird: A field notes database for birding locations worldwide.
Avian Knowledge Northwest: Distribution models and data on birds in the Pacific
Northwest.
Slater Museum of Natural History Wing and Tail Image Collection: Searchable
images of bird wings and tails.
USFWS Forensics Laboratory Feather Atlas: Searchable images of individual flight
feathers of bird wings and tails.

If you have feedback on this website, ideas to make it better, or would like to
help in some way, see my contact info below. Thanks!

This website was developed in part with support from the Umpqua Valley Audubon
Society



Matthew G. Hunter
Wildlife Ecologist/Birding Guide
matthewghunter@gmail.com, 541-670-1984
© All rights reserved.