Welcome to Oregon Birds, a website whose domain name hopefully speaks for itself. Oregon Birds seeks to provide information on the winged species found throughout the state, including on birdwatching, official authorities, common and rare species, and more.
Oregon: How many bird species live here
The state of Oregon may be considered the very capital of bird habitation within the United States and quite possibly North America. According to the Oregon Birding Association’s Oregon Bird Records Committee, the state is home to a whopping 627 native species; this number ranks Oregon no. 3 on a list of states hosting the most species, trailing only California and Texas.
As such, Oregon is also one of the country’s leaders in conservation efforts, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (along with, the USFWS would argue, the local environment) enjoys a strong presence in the state.
All this gets Oregon Birds to wondering if perhaps “The Beaver State” isn’t a bit of a misnomer…
The Oregon Birding Association
The Oregon Birding Association (OBA) was originally founded as the Oregon Field Ornithologists (OFO) before undergoing a name change in 2012 so as to reflect the organization’s inclusivity in an area of birdwatching mania comparable to certain locations in Britain.
Whatever the name, the OFO/OBA is considered the official authority on all bird-related matters within the state. The association’s quarterly journal “Oregon Birds” (no affiliation with this website) meticulously detail sightings of rare birds and other details about birding and bird habitats in Oregon. The OBA’s official site is a treasure trove of interweb goodies for area enthusiasts, including scholarly articles, photography contests, forums, updated lists and the like.
And of course, the OBA continues as informal organizer/publicist for Oregon’s annual Christmas Bird Counts…
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/oregonbirding/
Oregon’s most common and rarest birds
Fostering the hobby of birdwatching in Oregon is not only the diversity of bird species themselves, but also the diversity in these birds’ population sizes. In Oregon, the would-be ornithologist can get accustomed to the pursuit by recognizing the more common species and continue for years with the excitement of sighting ever-rarer birds to add to one’s own experiential collection.
Among the more common species seen in Oregon are the Green-tailed Towhee, the Chipping Sparrow, the Sagebrush Sparrow, the Song Sparrow, the Ruffed Grouse and, of course, the state mascot, the Western Meadowlark. (Again, why is Oregon called The Beaver State…?)
Several officially-listed “species of concern” and endangered species call Oregon home as well. Among these extremely rare birds in Oregon we may include the Black Oystercatcher, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, Marbled Murrelet, Northern Spotted Owl, Short-tailed Albatross, Streaked Horned Lark, Western Snowy Plover and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.
The most famous of Oregon’s native bird species? That’s an easy one How about the good ol’ Bald Eagle? If you get bored of being outside and watching Bald Eagles in action, there are many games, including a great USA slot game dedicated to the bald Eagle, called the Eagle Bucks slot game. So check it out and play away. Like the Bald Eagle flies away. Who knows, you might get lucky and win money to go on more bird-watching adventures. After a perilous turn into endangered status, conservation efforts have helped save the national symbol and make for a true feelgood story for the USFWS.
A bird of many colors
It’s no secret that there are currently 16 land based brick and mortar casinos peppered all over Greater Oregon. Not so surprising is that many of them are located right next to or smack dab within walking distance to many well-known birding trails and wildlife refuges. Also, let us not forget that official Audubon societies are usually neighbors to several of these local casinos. If you’re local to these societies you know exactly what we’re talking about. Now- we can understand that weather and seasonal conditions might prevent the best viewing of birds- so without doubt, the down-time will occur at some point. Thankfully, we’ve thought rationally about these sorts of problems and with the advances of mobile technology might actually save you some decent pocket change and still give you a thrill at the same time. Take a look at this link to free online bird themed slot machines (or many other themes aside from that), and treat yourself to totally free casino fun in those times when you’re in the field and have nothing else to do. You’ll be thankful you get to shoot for two birds with the same stone!