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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…

Fun facts about our bats Oregon's bats eat only insects. An adult bat eats about 1,000 insects every hour! Bats hang upside down because it gives them an ideal position for take-off. Bats can fly 20 to 30 miles an hour and travel more than 100 miles a night. A baby bat is called a pup. Young bats can fly between two and five weeks of age. Bats are the only flying mammal. ODFW's Living with bats page has tips on protecting at-risk populations, and more. Bat Conservation International Batty for Bats: Facts for kids (pdf) Build a bat house…

This large bird of prey has dark brown feathers above, white feathers below with a white head and prominent dark eye stripe as well as a visible dark spot at the wrist of the wing when flying. Juveniles have buffy-tipped dark feathers above. In flight, the wings have a noticeable angle or "crook." This highly migratory fish-eating species is frequently found nesting along larger rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. A large bulky nest at the very top of a live, broken top, or dead tree and more recently on utility poles, channel markers, pilings, and cell phone towers near fishable waters…

The coyote is a typical canid intermediate in size between the foxes and the gray wolf. The pelage of the coyote is grayish, buff, pinkish cinnamon, or brownish, or a combination of those colors, often overlain by blackish tipped hairs on the ears, muzzle feet, and dorsum. The lips and eyelids are black, accentuated by contrasting borders of white fur. The underparts are paler than the remainder of the body. Considerable variation in color and markings of coyotes is evident among individuals and regionally east and west of the Cascade Range. True albinos with pink eyes and pink foot pads…

In Oregon, the nutria is considered an invasive species. The nutria is a large rat-like semiaquatic rodent. The species has a hunched body; a round, nearly hairless tail; a valvular mouth and nose; and pentadactyl feet with naked soles. The toes of the hind feet, except for the hallux, are included in a web. As an adaption to the aquatic environment, the eyes, nostrils, and small ears are set high on the sides. The pelage consists of long, course guard hairs and soft, dense underfur. Overall, the color usually ranges from dark brown to yellow-brown. The muzzle is frosted with…

The American bullfrog is a non-native invasive frog that survives and reproduces very successfully in Oregon. Bullfrogs aggressively compete for food and living space with our native frogs. They eat many types of native wildlife including other frogs, young pond turtles, and ducklings. Bullfrogs can lay almost 10 times more eggs than native frogs and can quickly out number them. Photo by Kathy Munsel

This group of animals is common throughout Oregon in various locations depending on species. Oregon just has one marmot, the yellow-bellied marmot and two of its squirrels are on the Oregon Conservation Strategy Species list: the Washington ground squirrel and the Western gray squirrel. View more information about Living with Wildlife, Tree Squirrels for tips on preventing conflicts, trapping, species status and recommended conservation actions.

The elk is the largest cervid in Oregon. These heavy-bodied, deer-like mammals have narrow faces tapering to a naked nose pad; relatively small, pointed ears; a heavily maned neck; a back slightly humped at the shoulders, a contrasting rump patch; and a small tail. Pelage color is grayish brown to reddish brown, somewhat lighter among males in winter. The mane is dark brown and the rump patch and tail are cream colored. The underparts (except for a whitish patch between the hind legs) and legs are dark brown to almost blackish. Adult females, their current offspring, and their female offspring…

The mule deer is the larger member of the genus in Oregon. The ears are long, the metatarsal gland is surrounded by hairs similar in color but considerably longer than those on the remainder of the metatarsus, and the tail is short and constricted basally. Among adult males, the antlers are dichotomously branched with tines of approximately equal length. In winter, the basic pelage color is cinnamon buff. The chest is nearly black at the midline grading to grayish on the sides. The nose, sides of face, chin, and throat are whitish to pale buff. Spots of black occur immediately…