Birding Locations - Tillamook Bay

We are working on adding additional Birding Sites to our website.  In the meantime, do you have a favorite birding spot or birding tips for specific spots in Tillamook County? Please tell us about it, we'd love to include it!
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PictureDouble-crested Cormorant -- Photo: Jack Booth
Tillamook Bay is one of the state's largest estuaries, with a mix of outstanding birding habitat. From Barview Jetty on the north to Bayocean Spit on the south/southwest, it takes more than a day to cover this extensive area.

Bayside towns of Garibaldi and Bay City offer docks, coves and water treatment plants for a variety of shore birds (spring and fall) and waterfowl (winter).

Tillamook Bay Wetlands (Rain River, Goodspeed Road) is a large marshy area with nesting Black Phoebes and winter resident Red-shouldered Hawks and White-tailed Kites.

Barview Jetty (north) and Bayocean Spit (south/southwest) offer both ocean and bay birding.  The spit also boasts brush and trees that serve as migrant traps during spring and fall migration.

Tillamook Bay Area Bird Observations (eBird)
eBird "Hotspot Explorer" for Tillamook Bay

Additional information
ADVISORY:  Use extreme caution and common sense -- don't walk out on the jetty during high winds or waves (see safety tips link).
The north jetty for Tillamook Bay, Barview offers ocean and bay birding, as well as brushy habitat (county park) for passerines.
  • Turnstones, sandpipers, and other shorebirds are usually on the lee side of the jetty
  • Spring and fall, walk around the park for vagrant warblers

Bird Observations (eBird)
eBird "Hotspot Explorer" for Barview Jetty

Additional information
Picture
Red Knot -- Photo: Jack Booth
Conditions (also see our "Conditions" page)
Located between Garibaldi and Tillamook (city), Bay City offers both a water treat plant and an oyster farm for birding.
  • Fall/winter, visit Bay City Oyster Company mid-tide (2-4') for Black and occasional Ruddy Turnstones
  • Bay City Sewage Ponds host vast numbers of winter waterfowl
  • Watch for nesting Purple Martins in the area
  • Goose Point is worth checking out. Walk the bay shore from the end of either Spruce, Salmon, or Crab street. On lower tides there are extensive sandbars which are good for shorebirds, especially Black-bellied Plover. Black Turnstone, Greater Yellowlegs, and Marbled Godwit can often be found here. In the winter this is a good area for waterfowl, gulls, and Bald Eagles. Large groups of Band-tailed Pigeons are sometimes found on the ground at the small stream just east of Goose Point. If you have tall rubber boots it is worthwhile to walk the shore all the way to Kilchis Point on lower tides.


Bird Observations (eBird)
eBird "Hotspot Explorer" for BC Oyster Co.
eBird "Hotspot Explorer" for BC WTP

Additional information
Picture
Least Sandpiper -- Photo: Jack Booth
Conditions (also see our "Conditions" page)
ADVISORY: Goodspeed Road winds through private property, and ends well before what is shown on GPS mapping programs.  Be courteous and do not trespass. The kiosk by the main parking area has a map showing the public trails. There is a loop but the best birding is west to the river and back (about 3.5 miles total). A second parking area has been added off of Sissek Rd. No facilities at site.
Tillamook Bay Wetlands is located on the southeast edge of the bay, where several small rivers and streams merge before dumping into the bay. Access the wetlands, or "Rain River" via Goodspeed Road off of Highway 101 in Tillamook city. There is parking at the end of the road.
  • A Barn Owl is a consistent winter daytime sight along the trail
  • Black Phoebes can often be seen at the first bridge on Goodspeed Rd and the first set of ponds on the trail
  • Best spot for Red-shouldered Hawks and White-tailed Kites
  • Watch the flocks of sparrows along the road, some interesting ones have been seen there

Bird Observations (eBird)
eBird "Hotspot Explorer" for the wetlands

Additional information
Picture
Townsend's Warbler -- Photo: Jack Booth
Conditions (also see our "Conditions" page)
Located on the west side of Tillamook Bay via Bayocean Road (follow Three Capes Scenic route signs). Two single lane roads traverse the spit, ending at a small parking area.  From there trails lead out to the jetty, the ocean and bay.
  • Best tide for shorebirds is incoming, 4.5 to 6.0 feet
  • Walk out the bay side on the incoming tide, and then cross over to the beach when the water is too high in the bay
  • Spring and fall, watch the wooded area on the east side for vagrant warblers and other passerines
  • Cape Meares Lake, on the south end of the spit, is a freshwater lake, providing habitat for some unusual birds during fall and winter

Bird Observations (eBird)
eBird "Hotspot Explorer" for Bayocean East Side,
Bayocean West Side, and Bayocean Spit

Additional information
Picture
Dunlin -- Photo: Jack Booth
Conditions (also see our "Conditions" page)