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If this is a new activity for you, our friends at the Audubon Society have tips on how to start birding and how to connect with other birders. This is a great resource that also includes tips on choosing binoculars, reviews and recommendations on the best birding apps and field guides, and an easy seven-point guide on how to identify birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has an extensive website that includes the world's largest archive of wildlife sounds and videos, bird cams, eBird citizen science opportunities, scientific publications, bird guides, bird nesting box plans and more. ODFW's Living with…

With four wing-beats each second pushing them to 62 miles per hour, brant are the fastest and strongest geese in flight and among the swiftest of all large birds. Black brant comprise the vast majority of brant occurring in Oregon. These small geese have smoky black backs and bellies, and dissected white collars and white around the tails provide striking contrast. The black brant can live up to 20 years and are resilient enough to ride out storms on the open ocean. In Oregon, wintering numbers along the coast have seen a 50 percent reduction from previous years due to…

Features: Identified by its prominent radiating ridges. Habitat: Cockles are "hard shelled" clams. Their protective, stout shells and short siphons mean that they do not have to bury as deeply as other common bay clams. Good cockle beds will often have cockles right on top of the sand on a good tide. They prefer sandy areas with high salinity, but can be found at many types of tideflats. Technique: The best clamming is during low/minus tides. Because these clams are so near the surface, you rake, rather than dig, for them. A four prong gardening rake is perfect for raking…

Features: When in the ocean coho salmon can look very similar to Chinook salmon . However, coho will have a white gum line on the lower jaw with darker color both inside and outside of the gum line, and will only have spots on the upper lobe of their tails. When coho return to freshwater they become red on their sides and dark greenish on their backs, heads, and fins. Coho adults may reach 25 pounds or more, but rarely exceed 15 pounds. Habitat: Small, relatively low-gradient tributary streams with pea to orange-sized gravel for spawning and juvenile rearing. Coho…

Features: Smallmouth bass are golden green to bronze with dark vertical bars and blotches on the side. The upper jaw does not extend beyond the eye. In some locations, it has a red eye. Somewhat smaller than the largemouth, smallmouth bass in Oregon may reach 23-inches and exceed 7 pounds. Habitat: Smallmouth bass are adapted to flowing waters and do well in warm streams with deep holes and rocky ledges. They also prefer lakes and reservoirs with rocky shorelines and limited vegetation. Adult smallmouth feed mostly on fish and crayfish. Technique: Much of what was written about largemouth bass also…

Features: Pumpkinseeds may be identified by the orange or red spot on the ear flap and the orange cheeks with wavy blue or turquoise stripes. Color is exceedingly brilliant and somewhat variable; olive to brassy-green above, the back finely dusted with gold or emerald. Habitat: Pumpkinseeds are found in the same habitats and often in association with bluegills. Adults often congregate beneath old deadheads and trees that have fallen into the water. Food habits are also similar to bluegill. They consume large numbers of snails by browsing on the stalks of aquatic vegetation. Techniques: Pumpkinseed are found in many of…

Searching for frogs and salamanders is a great way to introduce kids to the wonders of Oregon's wildlife and the great outdoors. Learn more about their various habitat needs and you'll increase your chances of seeing one of these unique species. Remember to leave no trace to preserve their habitat. Check out our fun facts on Oregon's frogs.