![image of a hunter outside of a turkey ground blind](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/hunting-from-blind.jpg?itok=tZ95S4Jl)
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Adult tiger salamanders are relatively large with olive-colored blotches outlined in black. They have gray undersides and can grow to 13 inches in total length. As adults, tiger salamanders live almost entirely on land, returning to the water to breed. Terrestrial adults spend a lot of time in burrows that they or other animals have dug. Tiger salamanders are found in grassland and shrub-steppe habitats. It is unknown whether tiger salamanders occurs naturally in Oregon, or whether they were introduced by people after larval salamanders used for bait colonized fishing lakes and ponds. Photo by Matt Reinbold, Flickr
![blotched_tiger_salamander_matt_reinbold_flickr.jpg Blotched Tiger Salamander](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-02/blotched_tiger_salamander_matt_reinbold_flickr.jpg?itok=DawMV5ds)
One of Oregon's rarest breeders, this distinctive "shorebird" is known for its courtship display flight and loud curlew-like call. it often perches in pine trees or on fence posts adjacent to nesting areas. A small plover-like head and short, strait bill seem out of proportion to its body, which is reminiscent of a small curlew. The Upland sandpiper is a rare breeder in large montane meadows within forests of eastern Oregon. They are almost never observed away form the breeding grounds in Oregon. The Upland sandpiper is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the Blue Mountains ecoregion. Hear the call
![Upland-sandpiper_USFWS.jpg Upland sandpiper](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/Upland%20sandpiper_USFWS_cx.jpg?itok=y_c_d88s)
Heermann's gulls, the warm-water gulls of summer and fall, accompany Brown pelicans as they fly north each summer. Although most feed along the shore or in the ocean, some feed on tide flats. They often steal food from Brown pelicans. They may take fish directly from the pelicans' bills immediately after a dive or claim food that pelicans have located, discarded, or disturbed. This gull is common on the outer seacoasts, beaches, bays and estuaries. They are strongly associated with outer coasts and adjacent ocean waters, usually within a few miles of shore. A few wander inland during the fall
![heermanns_gull_kohl.jpg Heermann's gull.](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/heermanns_gull_kohl_0.jpg?itok=WLPLJELa)
A slender, orange bill, pearl gray upperparts, and fringed black crest adjoining a white face and neck indeed render this graceful hunter from the south elegant. The foreheads of adults turn white in post-breeding plumage, their usual state in Oregon. These terns frequent quiet waters or lagoons when diving for fish, but also dive in calm ocean waters. They roost with flocks of gulls and other terns on coastal spits, estuarine sandbars, and on mudflats close to bay mouths. Virtually all records of the Elegant tern in Oregon are coastal or within half a mile of shore. None have been
![elegant_tern_ingrid_taylar_flickr.jpg Elegant tern](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/elegant_tern_ingrid_taylar_flickr.jpg?itok=UwnlfQNL)
Though less conspicuous than Great blue herons, Green herons are well-established residents of western Oregon. They are distinguished by small size, glossy greenish-black cap and back, yellow legs, blackish-green wings, gray underparts, and dark red neck. One of the few tool-using birds, Green herons are experts at making and using baits and lures, such as bread crusts, mayflies, earthworms, sticks, and feathers to catch fish. The Green heron is an uncommon but regular migrant and summer resident throughout west and south central Oregon. Detection of nests is difficult and breeding status uncertain in some areas due to its secretive habits
![499_green_heron_shipley_odfw.jpg Green heron](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/499_green_heron_shipley_odfw.jpg?itok=rzYqDvf6)
This mid-sized, pink-legged gull has caused much of the confusion in west coast gull classification and identification. Its plumage characteristics are similar to Herring, Iceland, and some Glaucous-winged hybrids, and great care is needed for correct identification. It differs from the Herring gull in having a much smaller bill, a darker eye, less black in the wing-tips and, often, a more rounded head. Opportunistic feeders, Thayer's gulls regularly concentrate about landfills, food-processing plants, and over fish runs. It is a common migrant and fairly common winter visitor along the coast. The largest wintering numbers are found in the Portland metropolitan
![thayers_gull_jerry_mcfarland_flickr.jpg Thayer's gull](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/thayers_gull_jerry_mcfarland_flickr.jpg?itok=DHkHFF_U)
Skuas are the size of a Western gull, dark with a pale nape and large white patches on the bases of the primaries on both the upper and lower surfaces. This is a solitary bird. Its flight is low and direct with heavy flapping and little gliding. It steals food from other seabirds, and is aggressive, bordering on predatory. It may grab a shearwater's head, wing, or tail and shake and kick the bird until it regurgitates its food. Chances of detection are best around flocks of shearwaters feeding behind fishing boats. It is a rare to uncommon fall transient
![south_polar_skua_tony_morris_flickr.jpg South polar skua](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/south_polar_skua_tony_morris_flickr.jpg?itok=pQM6CTpF)
Belding's ground squirrel is a medium-sized ground squirrel without spots, stripes, or splotches. The pelage is smoky gray with some pinkish on the face, feet, and venter, and with a more or less well-defined reddish or brownish band in the middorsal region. The tail is cinnamon on the ventral surface. This squirrel occurs south and east of a line connecting Enterprise, Heppner, Maupin, Wasco Sisters, Diamond Lake, and south to Fish Lake. It may occur in steppe and shrub-steppe area, particularly in meadows; sagebrush flats; and small-grain pasture , and hay-crop fields, and sometimes in openings in woodlands. The Belding's
![1517_beldings_ground_squirrel_kohl_odfw.jpg Belding's ground squirrel](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/1517_beldings_ground_squirrel_kohl_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=WBmy3Bn3)
A white form on the distant water may be the sides and breast of an adult male, whose deep green head and dark back are less visable when far away. The pearl gray bodies and white breasts of females, subadults, and eclipse males are starkly delineated from their full-crested chestnut heads. Long, slender, saw-tooth bills are held horizontally during surface swimming and grip squirming prey after an underwater chase. From coastal bays to the high Cascades, in all corners of Oregon and far beyond, common mergansers ply the rivers and peer into still waters in their efficient pursuit of fish
![common_merganser_gilson.jpg Common merganser drake](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-04/common_merganser_gilson.jpg?itok=liwRuBQM)
These small, fast flying seabirds are unique among alcids in North America in their use of coastal coniferous forests, primarily old-growth trees, as nesting habitat. Their solitary nests are usually concealed within the forest canopy, and breeding birds are cryptic and primarily crepuscular at nest sites. Because of their secretive behavior and elusive nests, Marbled murrelets were considered the "enigma of the Pacific" and were one of the last ornithological mysteries in North America, as the first nest was not discovered until 1974. Distribution at inland nesting sites is fragmented, as birds occur only in areas where suitable habitat remains
![Marbled-murrelet_USFS.jpg Marbled murrelet](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/Marbled%20murrelet_USFS_cx_1.jpg?itok=KGxa969Z)
In quiet backwaters and wooded wetlands, these stunning ducks can occasionally be seen skulking near the shoreline as they search for fish. The male with a striking black head and extensible white crest, white breast, black back, and chestnut sides is truly a sight to behold. Females and immatures are quite plain by comparison: dull grayish-brown except for a reddish brown crest. Hooded mergansers are surprisingly secretive and local during the breeding season. They breed locally throughout the Willamette Valley west to the coast and south to Coos County. They are casual from April to early October in the Umpqua
![2434_hooded_merganser_3_gilson.jpg Hooded merganser drake](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-04/2434_hooded_merganser_3_gilson.jpg?itok=Xi-kR1ru)
This is one of the most widespread and familiar waterbirds in Oregon. It is the largest heron in North America, standing approximately four feet tall. It is slate gray with a white crown, cheeks, and throat, rusty thighs and a uniformly yellow bill. Adults develop long gray-white plumes on chest, neck, and back during breeding. Juveniles have similar plumage but may be distinguished by absence of breeding plumes, a dark crown, and dark upper bill. Great blue herons frequent many habitats from shallow areas of marshes, lakes, streams, and oceans, where they feed on fish, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates; to
![Great-Blue-Heron_Newport-Bay_Nick-Myatt-08.jpg Great blue heron](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/Great%20Blue%20Heron_Newport%20Bay_Nick%20Myatt%2008.jpg?itok=21wNnEKT)
Peregrine falcons are among the most charismatic and noted of the world's birds. They are described as the fastest animal on the planet, and have been recorded reaching speeds in excess of 240 miles an hour in dives after prey. They are one of Oregon's boldest raptors, and have been observed usurping active Golden eagle nest sites, stealing fish from Ospreys and ground squirrels from adult Bald eagles who stray into their territory. It has, for perhaps 4,000 years, been used by falconers because of its skill in capturing game birds in tandem hunts with humans. Peregrines are medium-sized raptors
![230_peregrine_falcon_moore_odfw.jpg Peregrine falcon](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/230_peregrine_falcon_moore_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=g321CRQV)
The Rocky Mountain tailed frog’s coloring often matches the color of local rocks ranging from brown or reddish-brown to gray. They have grainy textured skin that further enhances their camouflage. Males have a short tail, the signature for tailed frogs. Adult males are slightly smaller than adult females that grow to two inches in length. Rocky Mountain tailed frogs are found in the water or close by it. They live in very shallow and heavily shaded water of fast-flowing, small, permanent streams in older mountain forests with cold and clear water, rocky substrates and little silt. These streams are often
![rockymountain.jpg Rocky Mountain tailed frog](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/rocky_mountain_tailed_frog_cx.jpg?itok=MVcGByDW)
When it comes to turkey hunting from a ground blind, popup blinds are ideal. Popup blinds set up in minutes and are easy to move around. You also can construct a blind from natural materials, but it’s time consuming and you can’t take the blind with you to your next hunting location. The best blind for you One-person popup blinds are small and portable, but there’s not much room to move. Unless a bird approaches and stops directly in front of you, you may not get a shot. The best blind for most turkey hunters is a larger, two-person, 360º
![image of a hunter outside of a turkey ground blind](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/hunting-from-blind.jpg?itok=tZ95S4Jl)
Turkey anatomy plays a big part in determining shot placement with a bow. Knowing where vital organs like the heart and lungs are will help you make a clean shot. Sometime getting to the vital organs may mean going through bone. In fact, a shot to the spine will drop a turkey quickly. But turkey bones are very strong, despite being hollow. That’s why many experienced archers prefer shooting a bow with a heavy draw weight, often the same setup they use for deer and elk hunting. Head shots, the most popular turkey shot for shotgun hunters, should be avoided
![image of a successful bow hunter and his turkey](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2020-09/bow%20shooting%20tips.jpg?itok=J9oySsA6)
![Successful turkey hunter Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2019-03/Wild%20turkey%20hunter.jpg?itok=UK5hAbKV)
Humpback whales are seen during their north and south migrations from northern waters to breeding grounds near Hawaii and also feeding offshore during the summer. Humpbacks have been documented travelling 3,000 miles between Alaska and Hawaii in as few as 36 days. They are usually five to 15 miles offshore, so they are most often seen by fishers. Humpback whales live in all major oceans from the equator to sub-polar latitudes. Humpbacks eat primarily krill and small fish and can consume 3,000 pounds of food a day. Humpbacks grow to 60 feet in length with a stocky body, an obvious
![hunpback_whale_amila_tennakoon_flickr.jpg Humpback whale](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-06/humpback_whale_amila_tennakoon_flickr_cx.jpg?itok=ChOQYoxS)