Ankeny Refugewinter wildlife

Birds on the wetlands number in the thousands during the winter and drop to hundreds in spring and summer, per the Fish and Wildlife Service (a season, not a peak): during the winter. That's general timing for this place, not a peak date or a forecast.

Not now: its usual winter wildlife window for this year has passed. Next time: during the winter, local timing.

The Eagle Marsh Viewing Blind, the Pintail Marsh Overlook and the Pintail-Egret Marsh Boardwalk are open all year; the seasonal trails close on September 30.Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge ↗ (opens in a new tab), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Near where the Santiam and Willamette Rivers meet, just off Interstate 5, with boardwalks, dirt trails and accessible viewing platforms.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge ↗ (opens in a new tab)

For the dusky Canada goose, a subspecies of Canada goose that was declining in the late 1950s and early 1960s.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Eagle Marsh Viewing Blind: open year-round on the south side of Buena Vista Road: wildlife viewing without a hike; Pintail Marsh Overlook and Pintail-Egret Marsh Boardwalk: year-round overlook off Wintel Road and a boardwalk open all year; a good stop to photograph birds.

Birds on the wetlands in the thousands (Dec–Feb), Green herons, American white pelicans and river otters at Pintail and Eagle Marsh (Jun–Aug) and Bigleaf maple and black cottonwood leaves turn golden yellow (Sep–Nov).