Reserve a Program

Tuesday: Bird Song Walks at Wilkes Creek

Join us for walks around Wilkes City Park every Tuesday. This new location is the epicenter of Bird Alliance of Oregon’s Greening Wilkes Initiative. In collaboration with Friends of Trees, Verde, Columbia Slough Watershed Council, and Portland Parks and Recreation, we’re working with the community surrounding the Wilkes Creek Headwaters in outer East Portland to restore and enhance the area’s greenspaces, engage the community in activities to increase climate resilience and deepen the community’s growing connection to this evolving green space. Come check it out with us!

1 class: AM Program/Lunch/Hike Spring Field Trip, 9:30-1

1 Class: AM Program, Lunch + Hike  
9:30-1:00  
Lunch onsite  
1 class (32 students max)

2 classes: AM/PM Program/Lunch/Hike, Spring Field Trip, 9:30-1

2 Classes: AM & PM Programs, Lunch + Hike  
9:30-1:00  
Lunch onsite  
2 classes (64 students max)

1 class: PM Program Only Spring Field Trip, 11:30-1

11:30-1:00  
Lunch OFFSITE  
1 class (32 students max)

Digital Class

Wednesday: Mt. Tabor Bird Song Walks - AM

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. *You can expect a large crowd of enthusiastic birders every week.

Wednesday: Mt. Tabor Bird Song Walks - PM Beginners

New to birding? Our legendary Mt. Tabor bird song walk can be a big group and for early birds.This will be a shorter outing with a smaller group size. Join us for an evening walk after work, as the sunsets and birds sing us into the night. Casual conversation and community building is encouraged on this walk. You can expect a laid-back and mindful time of birding, guides will encourage listening and self discovery rather than talking at you with a bunch of bird names. Together we will focus on our year-round resident birds and gradually welcome colorful spring migrants. Beginners and first timers are welcome here. Please note- we will most often climb down large flights of stairs. Mt. Tabor is often busy in the evening, you can expect limited parking and larger crowds of people in the park.

Thursday: Bird Song Walks at Commonwealth

Join us for a lowkey birdsong walk at Commonwealth Lake Park in Beaverton! Though this park is just a quicky hop from highway 26, it feels like a secluded little hideaway once you're there! The lake hosts many species of ducks, geese, and herons. The surrounding trees and shrubs are perfect habitat for songbirds that are nesting or just passing through during spring migration! We will probably even see some raptors soaring overhead! This is a slow-birding beginner-focused walk, but all birder levels are welcome to join in the fun!  

The trail around the lake is just under a mile long and is paved and mostly flat. We will make a slow loop around the trail, looking for birds and listening for bird songs and calls, and spending time getting to know each bird we encounter! Bring your curiosity and binoculars if you have them (we'll have a couple extra pairs if you want to borrow them)! We'll start and end at the park entrance on SW Huntington Ave.

Online Watercolor Painting with Ronna:

Friday: Bird Song Walks at Pittock Mansion

Start your day with a spring Birdsong walk at Pittock Mansion! This location overlooks the Portland skyline from 1,000 ft up and can host many suprise migrant birds flying through. Stay for the whole time or leave when you need to. We'll listen for spring migrants and resident birds. Be prepared for birding on some uphill and downhill terrain with paved and dirt trail surfaces. Bring binoculars and dress for the weather as mornings can be cool. Meeting details: No parking payment is required (parking kitty begins at 9:30AM). Meet in the parking lot at 7 am. 3229 NW Pittock Dr, Portland, OR 97210

Friday: Bird Song Walks at Elk Rock Island

Join Urban Conservation Micah Meskel and a rotation of local partners at Elk Rock Island. Situated along the Willamette River just south of downtown Milwaukie, Elk Rock Island is a unique space to bird, offering a variety of habitats like oak, madrone

Friday: Bird Song Walks at Fernhill Wetlands

Join Chris Williams for a two hour morning Bird Song walk at Fernhill Wetlands. In early spring we may expect find lots of waterfowl preparing to head north for their breeding grounds. We should also expect to hear songbirds singing as they prepare for the breeding season and hopefully we'll see some nest building. Throughout the season we can expect to see spring migrants including several warbler and flycatcher species. The loop we will do is about 1.15 miles on a paved trail around Fernhill Lake. We hope to see you there!

Field Trip:

BigJoy Bird Club:

Japan: Land of the Rising Sun

Join us for a journey through Japan’s mountainous islands and unique culture, where modernity blends seamlessly with rich traditions in arts and cuisine. Japan, located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” features over 3,000 islets, more than 100 volcanoes, and diverse landscapes ranging from subtropical areas to Siberian-like taiga, as well as 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 700 bird species, including 20 endemics. The tour begins in Tokyo on Honshu, with opportunities to see species like Eastern Marsh Harrier, Oriental Stork, and Bull-headed Shrike in the lowlands. In the mountainous forests, we may spot Japanese Green Woodpecker, Blue & White Flycatcher, and Copper Pheasant, with a visit to Nikko Toshogu, a lavish Shinto World Heritage site. On Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, we’ll encounter volcanic landscapes, hot springs, and wildlife such as White-tailed Eagle, Red-Crowned Crane, and Blakiston’s Fish-Owl. With core values of duty, harmony, and mutual respect, Japan is not only a captivating destin

Field Class

Monday: Bird Song Walks at 82nd WCC Site

Bird Alliance of Oregon is excited to introduce the future home of our new Wildlife Care Center to community members who have not yet birded this location, and explore it with the locals who have been visiting this open space that includes the Dharma Rain Zen Center Campus. The open grassland-type habitat has attracted a number of interesting species over the year, and has been a breeding location for Lazuli Buntings for several years running. Over the long term, we will be restoring this habitat, and are looking forward to documenting these changes with regular bird walks! Come join us to learn more about the exciting plans in the works.

Monday: Bird Song Walks at Whitaker Ponds

Come escape into the riparian woodland of Whitaker Ponds and learn Spring bird songs with us!  

We’ll pause often and pay attention to the words of birds like Song Sparrows, Bewick’s Wrens, Spotted Towhees, and American Robins. It’s possible we’ll come across some Spring migrants from the south, like the Western Wood Pewee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock’s Oriole, and of course, some warblers thinking they’re so sweet sweet sweet.  

Please join us if you’re a brand new birder, a long-standing birder, or anywhere in between——we’ll be glad to see you!

Pacific Northwest Trip: Malheur Foray

Explore remote and beautiful southeastern Oregon and visit a world-class birder’s paradise, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, during peak migration. We’ll focus on both birds and the natural history of the vast refuge and surrounding areas, including Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert.

2 classes: AM/PM Program/Lunch/Hike, Fall Field Trip, 9:30-1

2 Classes: AM & PM Programs, Lunch + Hike  
9:30-1:00  
Lunch onsite  
2 classes (64 students max)

Klamath Wetlands Week:

Klamath Wetlands Week: Lake Ewauna Bird Walk

Located in downtown Klamath Falls, Oregon, Lake Ewauna spans nearly 2.5 miles along the Keno Impoundment of the Klamath River, within the ecologically rich Klamath Basin—often called the “Everglades of the West.” Learn more about the community partnership working to revitalize a 65-acre Wetland Park for the benefit of wetlands, wildlife, and the human community. Designed with both ecological function and human well-being in mind, the park will provide a restorative space for mental and physical health, education, and community connection, positioning Lake Ewauna as a signature natural and recreational asset for the region.

Klamath Wetlands Week: Wildlife Conservation Photography w/ Mary

Local photographer and advocate, Mary Hyde, is passionate about inspiring people to learn about and love birds in an effort to grow a broader community of conservation stewards! Spend some time with Mary at her favorite places to capture the wonder and magic of Tule Lake or Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuges. Bring your own photography gear.

Standing Outings at Errol Heights

Join us for free, beginner-focused birding outings at Errol Heights! Space is limited to 15. Please make sure that you put this event on your calendar and let us know one week ahead of time if you can't make it.

PNW Trip: Cedars to Sage - Birding Along the Deschutes

Heading east from the Cascade crest, starkly different ecoregions present a fantastic array of habitats and wildlife. On this three-day, van-based tour, we’ll explore the avifauna and natural history of the East Cascades, Columbia Plateau, and Blue Mountain ecoregions, searching for Williamson’s Sapsucker in conifer-dominated forests, Lewis’s Woodpecker and Ash-throated Flycatcher in open oak scrub, and Sage Thrasher and Vesper Sparrow in the sagebrush steppe. We'll be staying in charming local hotels along the way.

Watercolor Painting with Ronna: White Throated Sparrow

The enchanting melody of the White Throated Sparrow fills the woodlands, captivating our hearts. In this three-hour class, we’ll paint in watercolor the intricate details of a wing in a multi-toned pattern, the head with a bold white median, and the delicate, yet finely detailed feet.

Forest Therapy at Bird Alliance of Oregon Sanctuary

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

Bird Journals for Beginners and Continuing Journalers!

Get started or continue with your bird journal, using drawing, simple watercolor, and writing. We use specimens and photos to practice. You will try simple ways to learn to see in new ways, then draw, write, and use watercolors, and develop your pages. No art experience needed, just enthusiasm and a few tools! Register for each class separately.

Forest Friends

Summer Camp: Super Scientists, Grades 1-2