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This is a marine gull that breeds on both offshore islands and rocky cliffs along the Oregon Coast. It also uses structures for nesting and, occasionally, will nest on grass-covered headlands. The Western gull's food comes from the marine environment, estuaries, and the immediate shoreline. It eats small fish, clams, mussels, bird eggs, the young of other birds nesting nearby, sea urchins, starfish, squid, crustaceans, marine worms, and carrion. it will scavenge garbage or waste from fishing boats as well. It is present all year along the entire coast of Oregon. Hear the call of the Western gull Photo by…

Features: The females are freckled all over with small reddish-brown to golden spots on gray to brownish background. Their fins are mostly yellowish-orange. The males are gray to brownish-olive, with irregular blue spots on the front of their bodies; each spot is surrounded by a ring of small reddish-brown spots. The inside of this species' mouths are yellowish. Habitat: Kelp greelings can be found to depths of 150 feet. They prefer rocky inshore areas and are common in kelp beds and on sand bottoms. Technique: It is best to target kelp greenlings by placing a line near the base of…

Features: Redtail surfperch all fins are reddish in color, and have 8-11 reddish to brownish vertical bars along the sides over a silver to brassy body. Habitat: Surfperch are found mostly in the surf. Redtail will usually be found between the 2nd and 4th row of breakers and near deeper holes and areas of high sand erosion. Technique: Some anglers use a #4 to #6 hook secured 24-30 inches below a 1- to 2-ounce sinker on 8- to 10-pound line. Baits include sand and kelp worms, sand shrimp, clam necks, and mussels. Some anglers have found success fly fishing for…

The Long-billed curlew is the largest North American shorebird. Its most striking morphological characteristic, the long decurved bill, is an adaptation for foraging on earthworms or burrow-dwelling organisms like shrimp and crab. Body plumage is a rich buff with a tinge of cinnamon or pink. Sexes have similar plumage, but females are larger with a longer bill. It can be distinguished from other curlews in flight by its bright cinnamon underwings. When observed on the ground, the Long-billed curlew's head lacks the strongly streaked pattern of other cerlews or Whimbrel. It is a locally common breeder in open grassland areas…

This is the world's smallest "peep" and can usually be picked out by its brownish coloration, dull yellowish legs, and hunched, creeping foraging style. Least can be found in small flocks in Oregon almost year-round. The Least sandpiper feeds on open mud with Western sandpipers but often feeds where some grass, salicornia or other cover is present, avoiding walking in the water as Western often do. It is uncommon to locally abundant statewide in migration, with most birds along the coast and at larger lakes and marshes inland. It is locally common on the coast in winter; smaller numbers winter…

These lizards are found in open desert shrublands, particularly where islands of sand have accumulated around shrubs and are absent where a dense grass understory would inhibit their ability to run. The Long-nosed leopard lizard eats large insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles, and also takes small vertebrates, including pocket mice, side-blotched lizards, whiptails, and Western fence lizards. Some plant material (flowers, berries) is eaten when available. Photo by Charlotte Ganskopp

This small tan-and-gray sparrow with a delicately streaked upper breast is found in summer in wet mountain meadows where its bubbly song can be heard from low shrubs. It winters in brushy lowland areas where it skulks in tall grass and weeds and is usually seen for only a moment. It breeds locally above 3,000 feet in the west Cascades and winters in the valleys west of the cascades. Hear the song of the Lincoln's sparrow Photo by Kelly Colgan-Azar, Flickr