Reserve a Program

Accessible Outings with Portland Audubon

Wednesday Bird Song Walks: Mt. Tabor Park

Mt. Tabor is one of the most popular birding locations in the Portland Metro area and is a hotspot for migrant birds in spring. The mornings will include birdsong from our resident forest birds and colorful visitors like the Western Tanager and many warblers.

Forest Therapy at Portland Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary

Join Andrea Kreiner, a certified nature and forest therapy guide, for a slow and mindful sensory journey to connect with nature at the Portland Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary.

Springtime in Cape May

Beloved by beachcombers and birders alike, the quaint seashore town of Cape May is a must-visit birding destination, from forests to salt marshes. It may surprise some to discover Cape May is one of the best places in the country to watch the miracle of bird migration.

Forest Bathing for Birders

Join Tia on a very slow-paced walk of 2 hours, exploring invitations and opening our senses to our place in nature alongside the birds.

Field Class: Patching Together: Smallscale Birding for Fun!

All levels of birders and especially beginners are welcome to join this series of both online meetings and field trips to discover and explore our own patches and the birds that live there.

The New School of Birding, Module 3: The Wonders of Migration

Join Candace and Dan to learn about the wonders of bird migration through digital classes and field days! In this module, we hope to raise your awareness of the subtle cues of nature, and bring you into closer understanding of the lives of our feathered neighbors. We’ll explore how and why birds migrate, delving into the mysteries of how birds stay on course, how scientists measure migration, the amazing journeys of long-distance migrants, and much more. Along the way, we’ll practice our birding skills in the field, with a focus on the diversity and abundance of spring migrants in our region.

Nature Connection and Writing Workshop Series

In this workshop series, Julia will guide participants through sensory-based nature connection, reflective writing exercises and techniques, and community connection.  
No birding or writing experience is necessary.

Bird Journals for Beginners and Beyond: Quick Studies of Birds

We will explore excellent tools for recording your bird experiences, both at home and in the field. Each class focuses on a specific aspect of journaling and reviews the basics. Relaxation is encouraged, and your unique style will be celebrated. Please take as many classes as you wish in the series.  

In this class, learn to do quick sketches of birds, then do more detailed drawings using specimens and references. You can learn so much about drawing a bird with quick studies! Finally, you can add some color and text for a fuller journal page.

What's up at Whitaker?

This inquiry form serves as our waitlist. Completing this form adds you to our waitlist for this lottery-based outing program. We will contact you if you were randomly selected for a spot.

Friday Bird Song Walks: Kelley Point Park

Join Erin to look and listen for birds along the waterfront, in open fields, and among the cottonwoods at Kelley Point Park. You never know what you will find at this North Portland city park at the confluence of the Willamette, Columbia, and the Columbia Slough.  

Meeting place is the very last parking lot (the third parking lot) on the entry road. We will all meet in the parking lot. Look for folks with binoculars!

Thursday Bird Song Walks: Oaks Bottom/Council Crest

April: Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a fan favorite! It is the largest remaining natural area within the lower Willamette River floodplain and provides important habitat to more than 175 bird species. This site hosts a variety of meadow, woodland, and wetland habitat. Throughout the walks we may hear up to 10 different species of warblers including MacGillivray’s, Hermit, and Nashville warblers.  

May: Council Crest is rumored to be the highest point in Portland at 1,073 feet above sea level! We will only be exploring Council Crest from May 4-May 18 when it is peak migrant time for flycatchers, warblers, and vireos. Come for the mystery migrants and stay for the breathtaking views of Portland and beyond.

Digital Class

Audubon Birding Day:

Field Trip at Portland Audubon: Grades 2-6, 11:30-1:00

Interacting with Ecosystems OR Amazing Animal Adaptations, for Grades 2-6. You will choose one program on the reservation form that follows.  

Enter "1" in the box next to the pricing level that you are paying at.

Watercolor Painting with Ronna:

Field Trip at Portland Audubon: PreK-2, 11:30-12:30

Hanging out in Habitats: Grades PreK-2  
Spend the morning in the forest using hands-on learning to observe and investigate what plants and animals (including us!) need to survive in their habitats.  

Enter "1" in the box next to the pricing level that you are paying at.

Field Trip at Portland Audubon: Grade 2-6, Both Slots: 9:45-1:00

Interacting with Ecosystems OR Amazing Animal Adaptations, for Grades 2-6. You will choose one program on the reservation form that follows.  

Enter "1" in the box next to the pricing level that you are paying at.

Field Trip for PreK-2nd grade, Slot 2

Hanging out in Habitats: Grades PreK-2  
Spend the morning in the forest using hands-on learning to observe and investigate what plants and animals (including us!) need to survive in their habitats.

Field Trip for PreK-2nd grade, Slot 1

Hanging out in Habitats: Grades PreK-2  
Spend the morning in the forest using hands-on learning to observe and investigate what plants and animals (including us!) need to survive in their habitats.  

Enter "1" in the box next to the pricing level that you are paying at.

Field Trip at Portland Audubon: Grades 2-6, 9:45-11:15

Interacting with Ecosystems OR Amazing Animal Adaptations, for Grades 2-6. You will choose one program on the reservation form that follows.  

Enter "1" in the box next to the pricing level that you are paying at.

Tuesday Bird Song Walks: Cooper Mountain Nature Park

Join Julian Hwa and friends for an energizing Bird Song Walk. In the West hills of Beaverton, Cooper Mountain Nature Park is one of the top places to hear singing birds! It hosts many resident and migrant songbirds in its varied habitats, including White Crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Common Yellowthroat, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Lazuli Bunting. Keep in mind that this park is located in the West hills, the roads leading up to the park can be icy. Come prepared for variability in weather on cold and rainy Spring mornings.

Monday Bird Song Walks: Camassia Nature Preserve

Join Dan van den Broek and Lorin Wilkerson to watch spring unfold at the 22.5 acre Nature Conservancy Camassia Preserve in West Linn, an area that protects unique and wildlife rich oak savannah habitat on ice age flood scablands. The thin soil and basalt outcrops contain a mix of Oregon White Oak and wildflower filled meadows with Western Buttercup, Camas Lily, Rosy Plectritis, Large-flowered Blue-eyed Mary, and Western Saxifrage. In a small riparian area there is even a stand of Quaking Aspen, deposited by the receding ancient flood waters.  

On April walks we should find an assortment of early migrants that have been familiar winter occupants of our forests, such as Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Golden-crowned Sparrows, while Purple Finches and Band-tailed Pigeons are arriving and setting up territories. In mid to late April we should find a few of our first long-distance migrants such as Vaux’s Swift, and Hammond’s Flycatcher.

Monday Bird Song Walks: Bird Song for Newbies

Curious about birds? Brand new to birding? Consider yourself a beginner backyard birder? Then join us on this Bird Song Walk exclusively for newbie birders!  
On these Spring Monday mornings, we will be learning together, going slowly, and simply noticing birds and their many sounds.  
Whitaker Ponds is the perfect place to listen for our fav resident songbirds like the Song Sparrow, Bewick’s Wren, American Robin, and Spotted Towhee.  
Bring your coffee and birding excitement! Binoculars will be available.

Field Trip:

Pacific Northwest Trip: The Sandhill Cranes of Othello

Join Stefan and Randy on this exciting local trip to Othello, Washington, a main stopover site on the Pacific Flyway for Sandhill Crane migration, with up to 35,000 stopping to rest and refuel. It is a special treat to have Randy, a former Wildlife Biologist for Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and one of the co-founders of the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival 20+ years ago, with us to share his knowledge. We will explore beautiful landscapes, from the basalt columns of Columbia National Wildlife Refuge to the gorgeous vistas of Saddle Mountain. We’ll have good chances of seeing Long-billed Curlew, Tricolored Blackbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Chukar, Sagebrush and Vesper Sparrow, and Sage Thrasher.

Birding Oregon Hotspots: Washington County Wetlands

Wetland habitats host a great diversity of bird species, and Washington County, just west of Portland, has many great wetlands that are easily accessible to birders. This class will show you where to go, how to get there, and what birds you are likely to see.

Spring Break Camp: Wild Salmon Run!

Come join the wild Salmon run in the Columbia River Gorge on this exciting search for wildlife! We’ll visit at a fish hatchery to explore the trails and diverse habitat. We will hike parts of the forrest that are supported by the salmon run and if luck joins us, we could spot a few Ospreys and Bald Eagles.

Spring Break Camp

Amazon River Cruise

Travel with Portland Audubon on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise through the heart of upper Amazonia, on the largest river in the world! The Amazonian region boasts more than 120 endemic species and may be the most biologically diverse place on the planet – a true paradise. We will bird on a variety of tropical forest walks, observe wildlife and explore canals and lagoons by watercraft, and take in the Peruvian culture and history. From amazing birds to turtles, mammals, pink dolphins, unforgettable scenery, and culture, you don't want to miss this epic journey along the largest river in the world.