FIELD TRIPS

OBA field trips are back! OBA is again offering trips led by experienced birders and expert local guides. To protect the health and safety of our members and the broader community, OBA adheres to all federal, state and local guidance regarding Covid-19. See our Field Trip Policies page for full details and our waiver. There is no charge to attend, but participants must be current members of OBA; you can join or renew here. Pre-registration is required and group size is limited to 10 participants plus leader(s). Weather, wildfire or other conditions may cause a trip to be canceled; if that happens, the trip leader will alert you. To suggest a trip we should run, or to volunteer as a leader, please contact us.

Santiam Valley Ranch (a.k.a. Duckflat Wetlands) Field Trip

Photo by Santiam Valley Ranch

The hundreds of acres of wetlands along Duckflat and Hunsaker Roads near Turner are one of the top-ranked hotspots in Marion County despite the fact that most are inaccessible to the public because they are on private lands. For this field trip, guided one-day access has been arranged to the vast “restricted access” portion of the Santiam Valley Ranch, which supports hundreds of acres of wetlands, prairie, oak savannah, and other habitats, along with lands managed for various agricultural and renewable energy uses. To learn more about the extensive wetland restoration and conservation work being conducted at the ranch, visit Santiam Valley Ranch.

With the land owners’ permission, the field trip leader (Paul Adamus) and colleagues have conducted monthly surveys of these wetlands for 3 years, amassing a list of 168 species. Potentially 70 species could be found during this field trip, including a variety of waterbirds and late-migrating songbirds.

  • Date Sunday, October 8th
  • Start Time 9:00 AM
  • End Time 1:00 PM
  • Maximum # of participants 12
Photo by Santiam Valley Ranch

If more than 12 people are interested, priority will be given to those who have not previously toured these wetlands with Salem Audubon.

All walking will be on dry paths that adjoin the wetlands. Three separate portions will be walked, for a total of about 1.5 miles. Bring a spotting scope if you have one. Directions to the meeting place will be provided to participants prior to the field trip.

Registration opens Wednesday, September 20 (registration form).

Field Trip Reports

We follow the American Birding Association’s Code of Ethics, developed and promoted by the ABA.

OBA Field Trip Policies