(Hover over photos for description and photographer)
Welcome to the Audubon Society of Corvallis!
Where birds and wildlife count
ASC is headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon and welcomes members and visitors from the mid-Willamette Valley and beyond. We host speakers, lead half-day birding walks to local areas, guide multi-day field trips to regional birding areas, present education programs to all ages, and support conservation of birds, other native wildlife, and natural habitats.
What’s Happening?
ASC Events – all programs are free (except where indicated) and open to the public.*
* July 25 – Summer ASC Board meeting, potluck, Hesthavn at 5:30. pm, board meeting at 7 pm. All members welcome
* Aug 10 – Second Saturday Field Trip 8 am – noon. Meet at Willamette Park Shelter. Free, registration required Link
* Sep 14 – Second Saturday Field Trip 8 am – noon. Meet at Willamette Park Shelter. Free, registration requiredLink
* Sep 19 – Peter Moore: “Albatross Research on Campbell Island, NZ” at 7:30 pm, Corvallis Community Center Chandler Ballroom INFO
* Oct 17 – Ann Eissinger: “Great Blue Herons” at 7:30 pm, Corvallis Community Center Chandler Ballroom
* Nov 21 – Richard Rich: “Sage-grouse and Raven Interactions” Silent Auction of 5 bird paintings by Roger Tory Peterson and others, including Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Snowy Egrets, Chickadees, and Parrots INFO
* Dec 19 – Member Slide Show – submit photos by Dec. 12 INFO
Hesthavn
* Trails – open dawn to dusk every day
* Work Party TBA Contact
Multi-Day Field Trips – registration required – sign up at monthly meetings (Fee) Itineraries, Contact
* Aug 15-18: Steens Mtn
* mid Sept TBA: S. Oregon Coast
Other Events
Register
* Aug 1 at 4 pm, Malheur NWR Friends – Zoom speaker Emilee Gooch “My Summer at Malheur NWR” Register
* Conservation Volunteer Opportunities Calendar
Monthly Speakers
“Albatrosses of Campbell Island, NZ”
Peter Moore, Sep 19, 2024
Peter’s presentation will discuss results of population surveys of three albatross species that nest on Campbell Island, a remote nature preserve. The team banded birds, added loggers and satellite transmitters, and sampled for avian influenza. Removing non-native Norway rats in 2001 resulted in population recovery of the albatrosses and other endemic species.
Meetings will be held in the Chandler Ballroom at the Corvallis Community Center. Meet and greet 6:30 pm, business meeting 7:00 pm, and presentation 7:30 pm. If accessing via via Zoom, please tune in by 7:15.
Contact for information. Open to the general public.
2023-2024 Monthly Speakers Zoom links
Bluebird Hatching Day at Finley NWR
Bluebird nesting season is in full sprint at Finley NWR. Bluebird Trail chair Matt Lee reports that all 21 nesting boxes are taken! There are five Western Bluebird nests, 15 swallow nests (all tree swallows), and one house wren nest. Bluebird Trail monitors check boxes once each week, documenting which species built the nest based on construction materials used (grasses, sticks, mosses, feathers). Monitors remove old nests and clean the box, and continue to monitor the boxes in case a there is a new nest.
Monitors dedicate their time from April through August of until all nestlings have fledged. Matt Lee collates the data and compares the current season tally with preceding years. Monitoring nest boxes is important work Elsie Elzroth began in 1979. Data show the Western Bluebird population in the mid-Willamette Valley has grown to a self-sustaining population since then.
Monitoring Info, Contact
Birding Field Trips
Second Saturday (half-day) field trips to local birding areas are led by Duncan Evered and Caryn Stoess from September through June.
The 2024 Multi-day field trips will be led by experienced birders driving rented vans. Signup sheets are available at monthly meetings starting in January 2024, or click here Contact
See Field Trips for registration and more information.
Birding & Resources
Our region is a prime place to find, watch, draw, and photograph many species of birds. Half-day field trips to local areas and multi-day trips to regional birding areas are led by ASC guides. New birders and anyone else interested are invited to participate. Find more information about ASC Birding at the links below.
Birding Field Trips Resources
Conservation
ASC participates in grassroot conservation by providing information about pending actions on national and state environmental laws. Locally, ASC has joined partners to conserve habitats, provide access on trails, and restore native plants. Conservation of Western Bluebirds and Streaked Horned Larks are other major initiatives for ASC.
For more information, click: Audubon in the News or Conservation/Protection or Priorities
Education Workshops
The Kalapuyans are a Native American ethnic group. Their traditional homelands were in the Willamette, Elk Creek, and Calapooya Creek watersheds of Western Oregon (Link). Recent workshops explored local Kalapuya history and ecology with stories, games, and uses of native plants and animals. It also included an exploration into fire management practices and restoration following fire.
Education Program
The Education Team has connected people to nature for the past 30 years. Events are often held at Hesthavn, our small Nature Center on Oak Creek Road. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, our plans for the coming year are limited, so check here for updates.
Bluebird Trail
The ASC Bluebird Trail committee was created to promote the conservation of the Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and other native cavity-nesters through field work, scientific studies, and education. A series of bluebird boxes have been placed in ideal habitat for the birds. Volunteers monitor the nesting success throughout the breeding season, and results are reported to several organizations.
Hesthavn Grounds & Nature Center
Hesthavn Nature Center started life as a barn, and now it offers a museum with taxidermied birds, Bluebird Trail and other exhibits, and a classroom. It will be open to the public for special events. The grounds include trails, bird feeders, and a native plant garden and are open are open from dawn to dusk everyday. Meadow restoration is one step in the long-term goal of restoring all habitats. Admission is free!
Join Us!
New to the area? Meet people who also like nature! Would you like to volunteer to share your passion or contribute to restoration? Become a member of ASC and help us continue our important work. You can also donate time or dollars to ASC. We also appreciate your tax-deductible contributions to our local education and conservation efforts.
Membership Volunteer Donate
Partners
ASC welcomes partnerships with other agencies and organizations. Together we provide equal opportunities for all children, allowing them to experience nature through games, art, and activities that enhance both classroom and special-event learning. Other partnerships pool funding, staff, and other resources to accomplish conservation and other education goals.
Education Conservation
Our Newsletter
Each issue of The Chat contains information about monthly speakers and their presentation. Also included is the latest news about education, conservation, Hesthavn Nature Center, field trips, bird sightings, Board meetings, calendar items, and more. Ten issues are produced by our volunteers each year, from September through June. Archived newsletters are available in PDF format from April 2003 to the present.
Current Issue
The Chat Newsletter and Archives