Wildlife Viewing & Bird Watching

Wildlife watchers will love the Southern Oregon Coast. Besides what you can see on resort property, here are two of the many areas worth visiting: Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge: In spring and fall you can see thousands of shorebirds, along with raptors and occasionally a harbor seal.

Bullards Beach State Park/Coquille River Lighthouse: The 1,266 acres of this state park include miles of beach, dunes and forests with access to the Coquille River north jetty and lighthouse. The Coquille River Lighthouse was commissioned in 1896 to guide mariners across the dangerous bar at the mouth of the Coquille. It is open year-round during daylight hours and is a great wildlife viewing area.

The migration of whales between the North Pacific and the warmer climates near the equator is an annual sightseeing highlight. From December through early January, whales can be seen heading South. They return north from March through April. Charter boat trips are also available.

More than 400 species of birds can be observed on the Oregon Coast. For the more serious birder, we recommend picking up a copy of the Oregon Coast Birding Trail (www.oregoncoastbirding.com) guide at our main office or at the Bandon Dunes Chamber of Commerce. This free 52-page guide lists all of the best birding locations on the Oregon Coast and the birds you can expect to see there. Of special interest is the Tufted Puffin which the Bandon Dunes logo is based. This small seabird spends the entire winter on the open ocean and then returns each spring to the same mate and nest burrow. If you are lucky, you may see one on the rocks and islands near Coquille Point that have a soil substrate. You may even catch them diving beneath the ocean surface and emerging with a beak full of small fish.