Free birding walks.All fun, no bill.

Pied-billed Grebe • Photo by Ruth Shelly

Spot spring migrants and local favorites when Seven Capes Bird Alliance presents two guided May bird walks in Lincoln City and Waldport with new partner, MidCoast Watersheds Council.

The first outing takes place Friday, May 8, at Cutler City Open Space and Siletz Bay in Lincoln City. Birders will explore a wooded wetland unique to the Oregon Coast, where large trees can host brown creepers and hairy woodpeckers while marshy brush attracts common yellowthroat and other songbirds. Guests will also see the great blue heron rookery and hear the busy colony in action. Afterward, the group will head to Josephine Young Memorial Park to look for early arriving shorebirds on Siletz Bay.

The group will meet at 9 am at the pullout on SW 63rd Street in Lincoln City.

The second walk is set for Saturday, May 9, at Eckman Lake and Slough in Waldport, an ideal spring birding location with several distinct habitats. Visitors might spot double-crested cormorants, wood ducks, ospreys and pied-billed grebes on the lake, along with waterfowl and shorebirds in the nearby slough.

The group will meet at 9 am at the W.B. Nelson parking area in Waldport.

All Seven Capes Bird Alliance walks are free, family-friendly, easy to moderately easy and no pre-registration or experience is required. Binoculars and guidebooks are provided. Walks are held rain or shine; dress appropriately for coastal weather and muddy trails. For more information, go to sevencapes.org.