![A pair of shotgun shooters getting instruction](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2022-02/Coaching%20%236.jpg?itok=vmpa2BOQ)
Search myodfw.com
![0655_quillback_swingle_odfw_hero.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2018-03/0655_quillback_swingle_odfw_hero.jpg?itok=Tl3g-VVX)
This dark, medium-sized finch with gray and pink highlights is the darkest of the rosy-finches and one of Oregon's rarest breeding birds. It is found in summer in montane areas above timberline, where loose swarms of these birds seem to blow like leaves among isolated cirques, cliffs, and hanging snowfields. In Oregon it breeds on Steens Mountain and may breed occasionally in the Wallowa Mountains. Winter distribution is poorly known, but birds have been found on the lower east side of Steens Mountain and in the Alvord Desert in winter and rarely in central Wallowa County. Hear the song of
![black_rosy-finch_tom_benson_flickr.jpg Black rosy finch](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/black_rosy-finch_tom_benson_flickr_cx.jpg?itok=q3l5P4dO)
Few birds are as astonishing as the American dipper. This nondescript, dark brown to gray bird is seldom seen more than a few feet from the water's edge. Its elaborate song, which can come forth even on cold winter days, is readily heard above the noise of rushing streams. This bird's ability to dive into a rushing stream to forage on aquatic invertebrates and reappear in the same location has elicited wonder and excitement from ornithologists, naturalists, and birders as well as envy and adoration from fly-fishers. It is an uncommon year-round resident in montane streams and rivers throughout Oregon
![american_dipper_2_odfw.jpg American dipper](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/american_dipper_2_odfw_cx.jpg?itok=DqMjWKPK)
A group of twittering, tiny gray birds streaming through bushes and trees and across openings surely are Bushtits. Females' eyes are pale, males' dark. They are highly gregarious except when nesting. The intricately made sock-like nest is unusually large for the size of the bird. Bushtits show a distinct indifference to humans and regularly nest within residential neighborhoods and establish foraging routs throughout many cities. They regularly take suet at bird feeding stations and visit backyard birdbaths. The Bushtit is a fairly common resident throughout Oregon except in Umatilla, Union, and Wallowa counties and at higher elevations of mountain ranges
![bushtit_budeau.jpg Bushtit](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/bushtit_budeau_cx.jpg?itok=KqF669WE)
The Common nighthawk is a migrant to Oregon with one of the longest migration distances of any North American bird. It is also one of the last to arrive in Oregon. Long, slender wings are marked by a white patch on the "hand" visible in flight from great distances. When perched on the ground, the cryptic brown, gray, and black mottling makes the bird almost invisible. This bird breeds and migrates at all elevations through the state. Its nesting habitat is characterized by open landscapes with little ground cover and is most abundant in sagebrush and rocky scablands and rimrock
![common_nighthawk_myatt_odfw_0.jpg Common nighthawk](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/common_nighthawk_myatt_odfw.jpg?itok=drXHDd8d)
Features: Unlike gaper clams, softshell clams have no gape on their neck end. Softshell clams have a spoon like projection on the left valve, this feature is called a chondrophore. Habitat: Brackish, muddy areas all along Oregon's coastline. Find softshells 12-18" depth. Technique: Softshells can be harvested by digging with either a shovel or clam gun. As the name suggests, they have soft or thin shells which are easy to break. Although a clam with a broken shell is still good to eat, sharp edges of a broken shell can be very dangerous. Until you've refined your shoveling skills you
![2158_clam_munsel.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2158_clam_munsel.jpg?itok=-275vF_X)
These birds are intelligent, curious, social and have good memories. Members of this group are commonly called the crow family, and are the among the most intelligent birds studied so far.
![3681_magpie_munsel.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/3681_magpie_munsel.jpg?itok=xekRMN5T)
![angler holding a very large lake trout](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2021-03/281_bull_trout_LBChinook.jpg?itok=DFUDRSc_)
Features: The color of all trout varies with environment. In general, the rainbow is bluish-green on the back, silvery on the sides and belly, and has a white edge to the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. A generous sprinkling of black spots appear along the back, and on the dorsal, adipose and caudal fins. A pinkish band usually extends along the sides. Habitat: Rainbow trout are the most widely stocked and distributed trout in Oregon. They occur naturally in many rivers and streams, and each year ODFW stocks millions more in ponds, lakes and streams. Prime trout waters are clear
![6810_rainbow_trout_munsel_odfw_1.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/6810_rainbow_trout_munsel_odfw_1.jpg?itok=gfqcLZ3a)
This small, rich-brown wren is only slightly larger than a quarter, and has a tail quite short for a wren. A quiet observer in the forest will see these birds hop in and out and all over logs, snags, shrubs, twigs, and limbs on the forest floor. It has been said that the song of this bird is larger than the bird itself. The Winter wren breed from Coos County southward and in eastern Oregon in the Blue and Steens mountains. It retreats from high altitudes in winter where snow pack is heavy. Migration probably occurs throughout the state, but
![winter_wren_fyn_kynd_flickr.jpg Winter wren](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/winter_wren_fyn_kynd_flickr.jpg?itok=nRO62f3y)
One of the most familiar sights along the roads of Oregon is a Red-tailed hawk soaring high on the sky over a field, or perched on a utility pole, waiting patiently for prey. Red-tailed hawks are large-bodied raptors with relatively broad wings. The back is mottled brown, and the tail of mature birds is orangish red with a thin, dark subterminal band. Perched birds can be identified from behind even when the tail is concealed by the white mottling on the scapulars forming a faint 'V'. Most individuals can be assigned to one of two color morphs, light or dark
![red-tailed_hawk_2_gardner.jpg Red-tailed hawk](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/red-tailed_hawk_2_gardner.jpg?itok=YCofUU-Y)
![A pair of shotgun shooters getting instruction](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2022-02/Coaching%20%236.jpg?itok=c6_CJs6Y)
Aug. 28, 2024 If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com. Best bets for weekend fishing The cold front knocked the grasshoppers back but there's still good fishing on the Wood River, and meadow areas of SF Sprague, NF Sprague, Upper Sycan Rivers and Long Creek. Brook trout fishing is excellent in the headwater areas of the Sycan, SF Sprague, North Fork Sprague, Long Creek, Upper Williamson, and Sevenmile Creek. Yellow perch fishing remains excellent at the classic areas (mouth of Sevenmile, Williamson River
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
![2156_cockle_munsel.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2156_cockle_munsel.jpg?itok=OYfv76NY)
Not sure what to do with a fishing rod even if you had one? Thought about hunting but getting started seems like an impossible task? Then let us help you. During ODFW's hands-on workshops and family fishing events we will provide the instruction and gear you'll need to actually catch a fish or shoot a pheasant. Other classes will help you navigate the controlled hunt process, or show you what equipment you'll need to hunt or fish.
![A pair of shotgun shooters getting instruction](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2022-02/Coaching%20%236.jpg?itok=vmpa2BOQ)
Not sure what to do with a fishing rod even if you had one? Thought about hunting but getting started seems like an impossible task? Then let us help you. During ODFW's hands-on workshops and family fishing events we will provide the instruction and gear you'll need to actually catch a fish or shoot a pheasant. Other classes will help you navigate the controlled hunt process, or show you what equipment you'll need to hunt or fish.
![Shooter aiming a shotgun while instructor looks on](/sites/default/files/styles/380x228/public/2024-04/shotgun%20instruction_0.jpg?h=864ba1b2&itok=fRw2Qwhi)
In grass or sagebrush-dominated habitats throughout the state, the song and striking appearance of the Western meadowlark create one of the most familiar and endearing avian images in Oregon. It's one of Oregon's most recognizable birds with its bold yellow breast and belly with a distinct black V across the chest and its habit of perching on fences along roadsides. Fittingly, it was chosen as Oregon's state bird by a vote of Oregon schoolchildren ratified by the Legislature in 1927. It is one of the most widely distributed open-country species in the arid desert country of eastern Oregon. It can
![meadowlark_ganskopp.jpg Western meadowlark](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/meadowlark_ganskopp_cx.jpg?itok=fsxnJDrT)
Features: Dungeness crab can sometimes be confused with rock or other crab species. However, it is easily identified by its white-tipped claws and reddish-brown to purple color. Habitat: Adult Dungeness crab forage on a number of fish and invertebrate species. They can be found throughout the sandy and muddy areas in the shallowest parts of lower estuaries all the way to depths of almost 1,500 feet. Techniques: There are many kinds of crab catchers – from crab pots and rings, to traps you can cast with a fishing rod. You can easily crab from a dock in many coastal bays
![5247_dungeness_munsel_odfw.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/5247_dungeness_munsel_odfw.jpg?itok=-JH3vwZH)
![900_dunlin_moore_odfw_hero.jpg Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2018-07/900_dunlin_moore_odfw_hero.jpg?itok=njPQgOF2)
World famous for its loud, persistent singing and mimic abilities, the Mockingbird is highly conspicuous. The white flashes in the wings and tail of this grayish bird identify it in flight. It is primarily a southern species that has, by taking advantage of the environmental changes brought about by the ever-increasing human population, expanded its range northward in recent years. In many parts of the country it is a familiar bird of residential neighborhoods. Hear the call of the Northern mockingbird Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW
![northern_mockingbird_kohl.jpg Northern mockingbird](/sites/default/files/styles/232x139/public/2023-05/Northern%20Mockingbird_kohl_cx.jpg?itok=Xgf826k3)