Reserve a Program

Mount St. Helens & Birds

A three-part series about birds and volcanoes presented by Gina Roberti from the Mount St. Helens Institute. Please register separately for each class.

Field Trip: Canemah Bluff

Canemah Bluff protects 300 acres of Oak woodland, meadows and mixed coniferous forest. Set just above the Willamette River just downstream from the narrows, the mix of habitats attract many species of birds. We’ll watch for early migrants such as swallows, swifts and warblers.

John Rakestraw’s Warblers and Flycatchers

This two-part series focuses on a group of birds notorious for giving birdwatchers a stiff neck and bewildered stare. Local author and guide John Rakestraw will show you how to identify these birds by sight and sound as well as posture and performance.

Field Trip: Hopkins Demonstration Forest

We will hike the extensive trail system of this 140-acre forest in Oregon City. We expect to find the common inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest coniferous forest such as Varied Thrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Red-breasted Sapsucker. In the clearing and brushy patches we will find various sparrows and new migrants will be arriving daily. We hope to find a nice variety of warblers, flycatchers and vireos.

Audubon Birding Day: Oak Island, Sauvie Island Wildlife Area

Join Brodie in exploring Oak Island, one of the prize sectors of the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area. This section is closed to the non-hunting public from October through the middle of April. With a variety of habitats, we may find Turkey Vulture, Osprey, ducks and shorebirds.

Spring Shorebirds

This class will teach you how to identify migrating shorebirds by color, size, shape, and behavior.

An Introduction to Butterflies, Pt. 1

Join Stefan for a beginner two-part series on butterflies of the Portland area. This session is an overview about what a butterfly is (i.e. the language required to read a butterfly field guide) and its life cycle.

Owls of Oregon

There are 14 owl species found in Oregon. In this class, we'll cover the ones not found in the Portland-metro area.

Owls of NW Oregon

Join educator and birding guide Brodie Cass Talbott for an introduction to the owls that can be found in the Portland area, along with tips about how to find and enjoy owls where you live.

Field Trip: Milo McIver State Park

Let’s spend a morning walking trails through riparian woodland and coniferous forest along the Clackamas River. We will watch for early migrants among the avian residents of the park. Possible species include Tree and Violet-green Swallow, Orange-crowned Warbler as well as Red-breasted Sapsucker and American Dipper.

Birds of a Feather: An Intro to Avian Families: Gruidae - Cranes

Discover the evolutionary and natural history of the world’s tallest flying birds - CRANES!  
There are around 10,000 bird species on this planet, and this series will introduce you to some of the families that make up the class of birds known as Aves. We will review each family's evolutionary history, distribution, natural history, fun facts, and look at conservation concerns for the family as a whole. This class is intended for birders who are looking for a deeper understanding of avian taxonomy and biology.

The New School of Birding (Module 2)

Join expert bird nerds, Candace and Dan, for the second module of the New School of Birding. In this module, we’ll explore how and why birds sing, diving into breeding and nesting ecology from courtship and nest building to mating and fledging. Along the way, we’ll help you level up your birding-by-ear skills as we investigate bird song from duets to dialects and practice together in the field.

Understanding Owls

Owls have some of the most unique and awe-inspiring adaptations among our avifauna. In this introduction we’ll focus on what makes an owl an owl, and study how their morphology, physiology, and unique behavior make them top nocturnal predators.

Spring Break Camp

Join us over Spring Break for two-day adventures of animal ecology exploration, springtime art, and learn about what it takes to become a Junior Wildlife Vet! March 22&23: Tails of the Forest, March 23&24: Wild Art Adventure, and March 24&25: Junior Wildlife Vet.

Marmot Family Days

Spend the day at Portland Audubon's Miller Wildlife Sanctuary! Located outside of Sandy, Oregon and bordering the Bull Run Watershed, this is the perfect place for you to learn, explore, and connect with the natural world. We will practice fire building, learn about local plants and walk our trails, seeking evidence of the animals that call this place home.

Audubon Birding Day: Clackamas County Hotspots III

Discover the birding patches near the communities of Canby and Molalla. Small wetland areas can hold numerous ducks, herons and egrets, and possible shorebirds like Dunlin, while Tree and Violet-green Swallow will be arriving in good numbers. Lastly, patches of Oak Woodland are home to Acorn Woodpecker and the Pacific (Slender-billed) White-breasted Nuthatch.

Audubon Birding Day: Baskett Slough & Ankeny NWR

We will search for Horned Lark, waterfowl, and Northern Shrike at Baskett Slough; then we will close the day at Ankeny searching for Short-eared Owl.

Field Trip: Mount Talbert Nature Park

Enjoy the birds and landscape of Mount Talbert in Clackamas with Dan van den Broek.

Beginning Birding by Ear - Backyard Favorites

In our last section we will explore the specific vocalizations of birds we are likely to hear now, in our yards and natural areas.

Learn to Use the Nature App, iNaturalist

Want to become a better naturalist? Plants, reptiles, insects, fish … this useful app has it all. There is no better learning tool than iNaturalist. With an internet connection, find out in a matter of seconds a tricky identification. Stefan will present and explain both the phone app and the iNaturalist website.

Springtime Migrants on Mount Tabor

Mount Tabor Park is a beautiful, wooded 200-acre butte in Southeast Portland. To birders the park is best known for its many neotropical migrants that can be observed and heard from April through May each year. One notable Big Leaf Maple has hosted as many as nine species of migrating wood-warblers!  

This quiz-formatted class emphasizes birding by general impression and introduces which avian species to anticipate this spring and where to find them.  
Greg’s interactive module documents a day birding in the field. If you are looking to improve your birding skills and confidence, this is the class for you.

Field Trip: Powell Butte

March is the official start to the beginning of songbird migration in Portland, and Powell Butte is the best place to search for bluebirds and other early migrants.

Field Trip: Clackamas County Hotspots

Discover the birding patches near Canby and Molalla. We will search for Western Meadowlark, herons and egrets, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, and Acorn Woodpecker.

PNW: Newport to Florence

This three-day coastal adventure will meet all of your birding and exploration desires! Join Stefan in searching for the endangered Western Snowy Plover, White-tailed Kite and Wrentit.

Beginning Birding by Ear - Tips & Tricks

In this section we will examine the various methods and techniques used to decipher birdsong.

Little Brown Birds: Finches, Wrens and Blackbirds

Learn to identify our local finches, wrens, and blackbirds by learning each species' distinctive characteristics.

March Virtual Birding on Sauvie Island

Join Greg Baker and virtually bird Sauvie Island! This is a quiz-based class designed for participation. We will focus on identifying birds by overall impression.

Field Trip: Fernhill for Beginners

Join Stefan for a 1 mile loop around Fernhill Wetlands. We will look at everything, but our focus is on the basics of the birds that are present. Waterfowl is most abundant, but there also should be some raptors, little birds and maybe shorebirds. Don’t forget to bring binoculars; that’s all you are going to need.

Audubon Birding Day: Sauvie Island, Wapato & Rentenaar Rd.

Winter is the birdiest season at Sauvie Island, with cranes and geese wheeling overhead almost non-stop. We will be looking for White-throated and Swamp Sparrow and unusual waterfowl such as Redhead and Canvasback.

Arizona with Stefan Schlick and Randy Hill

Spring in southeast Arizona is delightful! Breeding birds will have arrived and will be singing their hearts out. We hope for highlights such as Elf Owl, Whiskered Screech-Owl, warblers such as Olive, Red-faced, Grace’s, Virginia’s and of course Elegant Trogon! *The services of your experienced Portland Audubon leaders and double-occupancy lodging is included. Hotel names and locations are included in the itinerary.  

This trip is not van-based and will be a car caravan trip, adhering to our current COVID guidelines. Transportation (flights and car rental), meals, and park entrance fees are not included and are your responsibility.