BIRDING SITES
01. Willamette Heights
02. Dorris Ranch
03. Jasper Pond
04. Clearwater Park
05. Volunteer Park
06. Wyatt Meadows
07. Jasper Meadows
08. Walterville Pond
09. Bob Artz Park
10. Wallace Ruff Park
11. Lively Park
12. EWEB Bike Path
13. Harvest Landing
14. Corporate Way
15. Guy Lee Park
16. By-Gully Path
17. Kelly Butte
18. Eastgate
19. West D Greenway
20. Island Park
21. Millrace Park
Photo Credits
Unless otherwise noted, all bird photographs courtesy of Greg Gillson thebirdguide.com.
Birding Trail Site #18
Eastgate Woodlands
512 Aspen St.
High quality, diverse native plant communities
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Shown above: Great Blue Heron and Bushtit
Facts
• 40-acre park
• Includes boat ramp access to the Willamette River
• Commuter and recreational bike path connecting to the regional multi-use
path system
• Kalapuya Talking Stones
• Gravel parking area
• No restrooms
• Park hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Habitat
Eastgate Woodlands contains mature riparian forest with black cottonwoods and Oregon ash, Pacific ninebark, and osoberry. More upland areas contain bigleaf maple, incense-cedar, and snowberry. Much of the ground cover is English ivy, but some areas still have exceptional remnants of diverse native herbaceous plants. A little more than five acres of the park is a mowed open grassy field bordering I-5.
Birding Highlights
A Great Blue Heron rookery is located on the north side of the canoe canal in a tall cottonwood. Winter gulls and Double-crested Cormorants can be seen on the river. Brown Creeper nest here. Swainson’s Thrush sings its beautiful early morning song in late spring.
Mallards are frequently seen in the canoe canal (Patterson Slough). Hummingbirds are particularly fond of the delphinium when in bloom. Western Wood-Pewee, Black-headed Grosbeak and Wilson’s Warbler are summer nesters. Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Bewick’s Wren, Bushtits, and Black-capped Chickadees can be found all year. American and Lesser Goldfinch forage for seeds in the summer.
Other Attractions
A playground is located at the entrance to the park. Spring blooms of bleeding heart, waterleaf, delphinium, piggy-back plant, and cow parsnip are prolific in more pristine areas of the park. Deer and river otter are occasionally seen. Kalapuya habitation is discussed in a kiosk near the parking area and represented in the Talking Stones found throughout the Whilamut Natural Area.
Getting There
From downtown Springfield, drive north on Mill Street to D Street. Turn left on D Street and proceed to the stop sign at Aspen Street. At the stop sign, turn left onto Aspen and follow the road into the park and to the parking area. On a bike, the bike path from the west enters from Eugene under I-5. From the east, the bike path enters Eastgate Woodlands from West D Street Greenway.
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