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Willamette Valley, Oregon

Events

Naturalist Adventure - Bicycle Birding - Birding Classes

Naturalist Adventures Free

Meet at Avery Park Rose Garden, Avery Park in Corvallis
1210 SW Avery Park Dr, Corvallis

Come learn or share your knowledge about nature in the Willamette Valley. We look at birds, flowers, animal tracks and all kinds of other things. Our nature walks are slow-paced and casually structured. Bring along a hat, rain gear and shoes that can get muddy. Binoculars are always advised. Please, no dogs. Activities are geared toward adults but children may enjoy them too*. Every third Sunday of each month.
(see article "Weathering the outdoors in comfort")

Bad weather: Rain, snow or cold will not prevent us from going out and enjoying nature. Remember to dress for the rainy and/or cold weather. If conditions are dangerous for road travel (like icy roads) trip may be canceled.

3rd Sunday of each month, 9am-Noon

April 15 - Meet at Avery Park Rose Garden: 1210 SW Avery Dr., Corvallis.

May 20 - Meet at Avery Park Rose Garden: 1210 SW Avery Dr., Corvallis.

June 17 - Meet at Avery Park Rose Garden: 1210 SW Avery Dr., Corvallis.

July 15 - Meet at Avery Park Rose Garden: 1210 SW Avery Dr., Corvallis.

August 19 - Meet at Avery Park Rose Garden: 1210 SW Avery Dr., Corvallis.

Sept 16 - Meeting place TBD. Starting in September, we will no longer be meeting at the Avery Park Rose Garden.

*Bringing Children Along

Children 10 years or more should enjoy our trips just fine. Younger children have attended our Naturalist Adventures before and enjoyed themselves. They're typically accompanied by a parent. We spend the entire ~2.5 hour period looking at birds, plants, animal tracks and more. We may discuss what we find at length, search for birds in the canopy with binoculars, analyze plants, etc. Kids who like to poke around and explore things at length will have a good time. Unlike programs specifically designed for children, we have no distraction activities to switch to if a young child loses interest. We just keep poking along and exploring.

Bicycle Birding

Free

May 27 EE Wilson • June 24 Willamette Park • July 22 McDonald Forest • Aug 26 Albany • Sept 23 Fairgrounds/Bald Hill Covered Bridge

an Audubon Society of Corvallis sponsored trip

Note: We will be meeting at a different location for every trip. We changed from previous years where most trips met at Avery Park. This gives us convenient access to more birding areas. See trip descriptions for meeting places.

Come out and enjoy life and birding at a human pace. By “going green” and forgoing the automobile for a birding trip, you won’t be sacrificing your potential bird encounters. Think of bicycle birding as high-density birding. When you’re driving down the highway, you’re whizzing by hundreds of birds without seeing or hearing them. While bicycle birding, we won’t miss anything, and we’ll be covering more ground than hiking.

Trips are free. Bring a bicycle helmet, water and binoculars. We ride slowly, listen for birds and stop frequently. Trip lengths are usually less than 10 miles. For more information, contact Don Boucher, 541-753-7689, bouchdon[at]peak.org

All trips are on the 4th Sunday of each month. May – Sept., 9am - Noon

Sunday, May 27: E.E. Wilson Chat-o-rama – north of Adair Villiage

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Meet at E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area. Parking at E.E. Wilson requires a permit (see www.dfw.state.or.us). We'll start at the pheasant cage parking area, north of Camp Adair Rd. Consider parking for free at Adair County Park (get there 20 minutes early) and riding the 2.8 miles north to E.E. Wilson. We’ll tour the old roads (closed to motor traffic) of this former military base. The area is full of wildlife and a great spot to see the uncommon Yellow-breasted Chat.

Sunday, June 24: Willamette Park/Kendall Natural Area - Corvallis

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Meet at the Crystal Lake Sports Fields/boat landing parking area on Fischer Ln. We’ll tour some of the river forest, survey spots along the river and go south along the bike path to the edge of the Rivergreen neighborhood (which is just across the river channel from Kiger Island).

Sunday, July 22: McDonald Forest (moderate hills) – just west of Corvallis

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Meet at the trail head at the end of NW Oak Creek Dr. We will slowly tour gently-sloped gravel roads which most bikes can handle. Mountain bikes are not necessary but the skinniest racing tires may not do well. It’ll be a cool, fresh ride in the shady forest full of birds, butterflies and wildflowers.

Sunday, Aug 26: Albany Bike Trails

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Meet at Monteith Park in downtown Albany. There’s a parking area at the corner of Water Ave and Washington St. We’ll tour the riverfront, pass by the Willamette Community Garden, Bowman Park, Simpson Park, Talking Water Gardens and maybe even Waverly Lake if we have time.

Sunday, Sept 23: Benton County Fairgrounds, Bald Hill Park and Campus Way Covered Bridge - Corvallis

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Meet at the Benton County Fairgrounds near the intersection of 53rd Ave and Reservoir Rd. We’ll tour the bike trails in the Fairgrounds and Bald Hill areas first and then visit the Campus Way Covered Bridge after that. We’ll get looks at common birds of open country and oak forests and a good look at a couple Acorn Woodpecker colonies.

Birding Class Schedule (Spring 2012)

The Audubon Society of Corvallis and Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC) are offering two birding classes. Instructed by Don Boucher and Lisa Millbank. Classroom sessions are held at the Avery House at Avery Park.

Registration is required, space is limited and there is a fee of $12 per person, per 2-week class, or $20 for both classes. To register, contact the CEC's Avery House Nature Center at 541-753-9211, or ahnc@corvallisenvironmentalcenter.org.

For class information contact Don Boucher 541-753-7689, bouchdon@peak.org

Birding in the Willamette Valley

We’ll learn identification skills, how to choose field guides and binoculars, and birding sites. We’ll spend time outside with the birds at the peak of springtime.

2-week class:

May 16 Wed. 7-9pm, Classroom Session at Avery House
May 19 Sat. 9am-Noon, Field Trip
May 23 Wed. 7-9pm, Classroom Session at Avery House
May 26 Sat. 9am-Noon, Field Trip

Birding by Ear

Would you like to know your local bird songs and calls? Learn to listen and remember bird sounds. Beginners, take “Birding in the Willamette Valley” first.

2-week class:

May 30 Wed. 7-9pm, Classroom Session at Avery House
June 2 Sat. 9am-Noon, Field Trip
June 6 Wed. 7-9pm, Classroom Session at Avery House
June 9 Sat. 9am-Noon, Field Trip

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