Some birds are showier, more colorful and arguably prettier than others. And while experienced birders get excited about all sorts of gray-coated, similar-sounding, hard-to-identify birds — the avian equivalent of deep tracks — others might prefer to focus on the greatest hits. For those folks, it’s time to look to the trees and the sky, where the birds of spring are putting on a show.
On some nights during peak migration, from mid-April to mid-May, more than a million migratory birds fly over Central Oregon. Lucky for us, thousands of those long-distance travelers will drop in like James Taylor to grace us with all-too-brief appearances.
Before heading out to enjoy the hundred-plus species on tour this spring, you might want to download the Merlin Bird ID app to your phone. To extend the music metaphor, Merlin is like Shazam for birds — simply hold it out, and it will tell you which species are singing nearby. Binoculars help too, if only to better appreciate the bold colors and intricately designed feathers of the migratory birds highlighted here.
Western Tanagers
At their springtime peak, male Western Tanagers are stunning beauties that set off their black backsides with a flame-red head and golden yellow body. They’re common from the last week in April to September but are easiest to see from May to mid-July, when they’re courting and feeding their chicks.
Since tanagers prefer fruit to seeds, local birder Chuck Gates says that from late April to early May, you can coax them into wooded yards by setting out orange halves. In the wild, the birds spread out across open forests at sites including Shevlin Park, Suttle Lake, Camp Sherman and the trail at Sunriver Nature Center.
Western Meadowlarks
The best time to see and hear our handsome state bird is between April and July. That’s when males don their brightest yellow plumage and start belting out songs and displaying to attract females.
Affectionately nicknamed thunderchunks for their boisterous singing and husky bodies, meadowlarks prefer to blast their songs across arid and open areas. Listen for them at the Oregon Badlands Wilderness east of Bend and at the Crooked River National Grasslands between Madras and Terrebonne. They also perch on power lines east of Horse Ridge and north along Highway 27, and from Knott Landfill east.
Bullock’s Orioles
Tired of all those yellow beauties? Bullock’s Orioles, the orangest of our migratory birds, arrive the first week of May and stay through late August. They’re not easy to find in Bend, but you can sometimes spot their telltale flash of orange and pendulous, sock-like nests at the Ryan Ranch meadow near Dillon Falls.
Outside Bend, Bullock’s Orioles can be found at any pond or small lake with large deciduous trees, including at Smith Rock State Park, the Museum at Warm Springs, North Shore Road east of Prineville Reservoir and Haystack Reservoir.
Lazuli Buntings
Gates, who wrote “Guide to Common Birds of the Deschutes Canyon Area,” argues that Lazuli Buntings are the most beautiful of all the birds in Central Oregon. To see if you agree, go to Smith Rock State Park, which is by far the easiest place to view the cerulean beauties.
Lazulis like to hide out in dense vegetation formed by year-round seeps and springs, so walk along the rimrock in May and June scanning for places where water trickles out of the canyon walls.
If you don’t mind hiking into a canyon, and more importantly out of a canyon, the Alder Springs Trail is another likely location to see the birds, as well as Trout Creek Swamp in Sisters.
Warblers
Any discussion of colorful migratory birds wouldn’t be complete without mentioning warblers. We aren’t blessed with the diversity and density of warblers found in some other states, but that only makes the ones who do drop in more special.
Most of our common species — including Yellow Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Wilson’s Warblers — arrive in April and stay until September or October. As those first two names suggest, most are primarily yellow, a helpful trait since they hide out in willows and other leafy streamside vegetation.
To spot warblers, watch for flashes of gold and listen for their short, sweet songs as you walk along the Deschutes and other area rivers. They’re also found at area reservoirs, bike trails in Sunriver and wooded areas in Sisters such as Camp Polk Meadow.
Expert support
The best way to learn about warblers and all the other pretty migratory birds of Central Oregon is to join one of many outings led by local experts. Gates, who has birded nearly every day for the past 40 years, is a frequent leader of a beginner-friendly walk at the Crooked River Wetlands, which takes place every first and third Saturday from April through September.
From March until early June, a 90-minute birding-by-ear walk led by Dave Tracy (the original Merlin) begins at the Sawyer Park parking lot every Tuesday at 8 am. For a longer day with birders from East Cascades Bird Alliance, join the Wednesday Birders for their weekly field trip to local hotspots.
—LeeAnn Kriegh is the author of two field guides to common plants and animals found in Central Oregon and the Portland area. A new version of her first book, “Nature of Bend,” will be released by Mountaineers Press on May 1.
This article appears in Source Weekly April 17, 2025.
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