Bird Surveys
Deschutes Land Trust / ECAS Bird Surveys
ECAS and the Deschutes Land Trust (DLT) have partnered since 2000 on a long-term project to survey birds at DLT-protected lands. Over the years, thousands of hours have been logged by volunteers who conduct regular bird surveys to help monitor loc...
Vaux’s Swift Migration Survey
Since 2011, volunteers have gathered to count migrating Vaux’s Swifts (Chaetura vauxi) roosting in chimney sites in Bend. They begin counting early to mid-April (northward migration) and again in early to mid-August (southward migration). They s...
Lake Abert Coalition Bird Survey
Lake Abert, located in Lake County, is a unique inland saline lake that is critical migratory bird habitat for an estimated 3.25 million bird-use days per year. Some years, a quarter of the world’s population of Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus ...
Summer Lake Shorebird Survey
Since 2009, 15 to 20 volunteers have gathered each spring at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Summer Lake Wildlife Area (SLWA) to count breeding waterbirds. Begun as a shorebird survey, it now includes all breeding waterbirds (gre...
Pinyon Jay Study
With the help of volunteers, two ECAS members, Kevin Smith and Ken Hashagen, began banding Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) in Crooked River and Sisters in 2012. These locations are among the most regular sites visited by Pinyon Jays. Becau...
Winter Raptor Surveys
Winter raptor surveys began in November 2004, with a total of 79 routes, all in Oregon. During the 2021-22 season, 500+ raptor routes were run in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and in small portions of north central California, NE Utah, and SW Montana...
Green Ridge Raptor Survey
Each mid-September through mid-October weekend day since 2004, volunteers have gathered near Sisters on Green Ridge to count migrating raptors. In 2021, volunteers counted 1,828 raptors representing 17 species. A total of 130 observers and visitor...