What to look for in nature in Oregon this March

When can you watch gray whales heading north off Oregon?

• Spring Whale Watch Week

  Annual, usually in late March; check Oregon State Parks for 2027 dates · 15 sites from Fort Stevens to Harris Beach

  In 2026 the week ran March 21 to 29, with trained volunteers and rangers at 15 sites from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily. Oregon State Parks had not announced 2027 dates when this page was written, so watch its events calendar. The sites include Cape Meares, Boiler Bay, Yaquina Head, Cape Perpetua, Heceta Head, Shore Acres and Harris Beach.

• The Whale Watching Center

  Open daily; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during whale week · Depoe Bay seawall

  The center on the Depoe Bay seawall has exhibits and staff who can help you find a blow. It makes a good first stop even outside whale week.

• Calves later in spring

  As March turns to April and May · Close to shore

  The same ranger said that later in spring you can sometimes see mothers with calves in tow. NOAA says calves are born during the migration or in the Mexican lagoons from early January to mid-February, then travel north beside their mothers.

Where is the March waterfowl peak in eastern and southern Oregon?

• The Klamath Basin refuges

  March, cresting in late March or early April · Lower Klamath and Tule Lake refuges, near Klamath Falls

  The refuge brochure says waterfowl numbers climb sharply in February, as the first northbound migrants arrive, and peak in March. Look for snow, Ross's and white-fronted geese, tundra swans and many ducks. Stay in the car: it works as a blind, and geese lift off in a roar if they feel watched on foot. The 2026-27 game bird regulations close goose hunting on every unit of the Klamath refuge complex from February 1 to March 10.

• Malheur's flooded meadows

  March, with songbirds peaking in mid to late May · State Highway 205 near Burns; refuge headquarters

  The refuge brochure points to the flooded meadows along State Highway 205 near Burns for snow, Ross's and white-fronted geese and sandhill cranes in March. Most shorebirds arrive in April. The species page stresses that timing matters: waterfowl and shorebirds come in late winter, songbirds later. Check road conditions with the refuge before driving on gravel.

• The Harney County Migratory Bird Festival

  Annual, in April; check the organizer for 2027 · Burns

  The organizer's site shows the 2026 festival ran April 16 to 19 and has no 2027 dates yet. It falls just after this month, but Burns lodging fills fast, so ask the organizer.

Can you watch greater sage-grouse dance at a lek in March?

• Why the locations are secret

  Lek counts run March 15 to April 30 · Sagebrush country in eight counties

  ODFW lists sage-grouse in Union, Baker, Deschutes, Crook, Grant, Lake, Harney and Malheur counties, and says the location of nesting females draws males to the leks. Oregon Natural Desert Association adds that close approaches or loud noises can cause birds to abandon a lek, and that late snow or heavy rain in March and April can make access roads impassable.

• Adopt-a-Lek

  Counts run March 15 to April 30; ask ODFW well ahead · Volunteer program

  The sanctioned way in is ODFW's Adopt-a-Lek program, which trains volunteers to monitor leks and report what they count. Oregon Natural Desert Association lists a contact address, adopt.a.lek@gmail.com.

• If you come upon one

  Early March to mid-May · Southeast Oregon

  That association's viewing guide names the Owyhee Canyonlands and the McDermitt Caldera as places with many leks. Its rules: arrive before dawn, watch from afar, and stay until every grouse has left the lek for the day.

What changes on Oregon beaches in March?

• Snowy plover nesting season

  March 15 through September 15 · Designated plover beaches on the north and south coast

  Oregon State Parks says the restrictions run from March 15 through September 15. On plover beaches in that period, no dogs (even on a leash), bikes, vehicles, kites or drones, and the rule applies to the entire dune area and the wet sand. Camping and beach fires are out, and vehicle access is restricted even for beach-driving permits. Walkers and riders stay on the wet, hard-packed sand. The plover is a sparrow-sized shorebird with a short dark bill, incomplete neck bands and dark legs, and many wear colored bands. The state says plover numbers are rebounding as visitors comply. Check its north and south coast maps first.

• Harbor seal pups

  Late March onward; sources differ on the peak · Sandy and cobble beaches and haul-outs

  ODFW says harbor seal pups are born in late March through April. The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, run from Oregon State University, gives a longer season, March through June, with a peak in mid-May. Pups are often left on the beach while mothers search for food, and a pup on the sand is usually not stranded. Stay at least 50 yards away and leash dogs. The network's coordinator says a pup taken from its mother will certainly die, and touching or moving a marine mammal is illegal. For an injured animal, or any whale, dolphin or porpoise on the sand, call the NOAA West Coast Stranding Hotline at 1-866-767-6114.

• A tide table for tide pools

  March 19 to 26 holds the month's lowest predicted lows · Yaquina Bay entrance, near Newport

  March 2027 is a modest month for tide pooling. NOAA's predictions for South Beach show the lowest tides of the month on the dates below, only about half a foot below mean lower low water, the usual zero for tide tables. All are daytime lows. Tide times differ along the coast, so check the predictions for your own beach.

What are Oregon's frogs, toads and newts doing in March?

• Treefrog tadpoles

  March, in warm shallows first · Ponds, ditches and seasonal pools in the lowlands

  ODFW's fact sheet says treefrog breeding begins at different times by location, from February through July, and a female lays 400 to 750 eggs. Eggs hatch in three to five weeks, faster in warm water, and tadpoles become half-inch froglets in eight to ten weeks. A pond that chorused in February may now be full of tadpoles. The sheet adds that treefrog numbers swing widely from year to year.

• Rough-skinned newts

  Mild, damp nights in spring and fall · Forest trails, road shoulders and wetlands from the coast to the Cascade foothills

  The rough-skinned newt is brown above with a bright orange belly, up to nearly eight inches long. ODFW says it travels far for its size between breeding and non-breeding habitat and may cross roads in spring and fall. Both skin and eggs hold a strong neurotoxin, so look but do not touch, and ODFW advises avoiding hand-to-mouth contact after handling one.

• Western toads

  Varies with elevation and snowmelt · Wetlands, lakes and slow streams statewide

  The western toad is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in six of the state's nine ecoregions. The state's conservation profile says it breeds in sunny, sparsely vegetated shallows, and recommends culverts or drift fences where roads cut across its routes. Slow down for a toad on a spring road.

• Red-legged frogs

  Active year-round on the coast, according to ODFW · Damp forests and forested wetlands of the Coast Range, Willamette Valley and West Cascades

  Oregon State University's profile calls the northern red-legged frog cryptic and often missed because it calls only underwater. Look under logs along a shaded stream by day instead.

Which birds are coming back to Oregon in March?

• Rufous hummingbirds

  Traveling north from February through May · Along the West Coast, then inland

  Oregon State University Extension says rufous hummingbirds fly from Mexico between February and May, almost entirely along the West Coast, timed with the bloom of manzanita. To feed them, mix one part cane sugar with four parts water, boil one minute, cool it, and clean the feeder regularly. A hummingbird that looks dead may only be in torpor, so leave it alone. Journey North maps first sightings.

• Swallows and sparrows at Malheur

  Average dates March 2 to March 27 · Refuge headquarters and the Harney Basin

  The refuge averages are tree swallow March 2, sagebrush sparrow March 21, sage thrasher March 23, vesper sparrow March 26 and violet-green swallow March 27. They come early and in small numbers, so look in the cool morning hours.

• Finley refuge

  Migration builds through spring · William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, south of Corvallis

  The refuge's spring page says the wintering waterfowl start back north while neotropical songbirds and shorebirds stop to feed. Its prairies later show golden paintbrush, camas, rose checkermallow and Oregon grape along Finley Refuge Road.

What is in bloom in Oregon in March, and when do the hard frosts end?

• Tom McCall Preserve opens

  Open March 1 through October 31; most flowers in April and May · Rowena Crest, Columbia River Gorge

  The Nature Conservancy keeps this grassland preserve closed in wetter months to prevent erosion, and its trails open March 1. Its page describes the display as running from March into June, most abundant in April and May, when the preserve can be extremely busy. No dogs (ground-nesting birds), no picnicking, stay on the trail. Park at the Rowena Crest viewpoint or the trailhead on Highway 30. March means quiet and fewer blooms.

• The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

  March 19 to April 25, 2027, as the farm shows it (tentative) · Woodburn, in the Willamette Valley

  The farm's own page lists its 2027 festival as tentatively scheduled for March 19 to April 25. Treat the dates as provisional, since weather and bulbs rule, and watch the farm's newsletter or social media before you drive out. The tulips are cultivated, not wild, but they are a dependable first splash of color.

• West-side forest scouting

  Timing depends on elevation; log your own dates · Silver Falls State Park and other low forests

  Oregon State Parks' wildflower leaflet for Silver Falls lists western trillium, skunk cabbage, red-flowering currant, salmonberry, osoberry, Oregon fawn lily, Oregon grape and wood violet among the park's common flowers. It gives no bloom dates, so use it as a checklist and note the day each plant first opens.

• Camas in April

  April to early May, per the Conservancy · Camassia Natural Area, West Linn

  The preserve is open year-round, and common camas blooms April to early May, so March shows leaves and buds. Trails are muddy in spring, the boardwalk is slippery, and poison oak grows there.

What is March weather like in Oregon, and what should you watch for?

• Cold nights east of the Cascades

  All month · Bend, Burns and the Harney Basin

  Average March lows are 27.6 degrees at Bend and 26.3 at Burns, so ponds can freeze overnight and thaw by afternoon.

• Snow and avalanches

  Through the month · The Cascades, Blue Mountains and Wallowas

  The snowpack is still deep at altitude. The Northwest Avalanche Center posts avalanche forecasts; read the one for your zone before going near steep slopes.

• Surf and sneaker waves

  Any time, especially after storms · The whole coast

  The National Weather Service says sneaker waves can run at least 150 feet up a dry beach, often after 10 to 20 minutes of small waves. Stay well back and off the logs.

• The outlook

  Updated monthly · NOAA Climate Prediction Center

  NOAA's seasonal outlook maps are redrawn monthly. Open the latest outlook to see the March to May maps; our weather page has forecasts and radar.

How much daylight does Oregon gain in March, and when do the clocks change?

What can you see in the Oregon night sky in March 2027?

• Mercury before dawn

  Widest on the evening of Tuesday, March 16 (Pacific); best about March 8 to 25 · Low in the east-southeast before sunrise

  Mercury swings out to its widest morning angle, about 28 degrees from the sun, at 9:20 p.m. PDT on March 16, which is March 17 in universal time. Early in the month it appears roughly sixty minutes before sunrise. Spring mornings give northern viewers a shallow angle, so you need a clear east-southeast horizon. Venus is well above it.

• Venus and the end of Saturn

  Venus all month; Saturn in the first weeks · Venus in the east before dawn; Saturn low in the west after dusk

  Venus is a brilliant morning star, rising roughly two hours before the sun at the start of March and about an hour and a quarter before it by April 1. Saturn, low in the west at dusk, lingers about two and a half hours after sunset at the start of March, ninety minutes by the 15th and is gone in twilight by early April. These timings come from a central-U.S. calculation, so Oregon's will differ somewhat.

• Jupiter and Mars

  The Moon passes Jupiter on the evenings of March 18 and 19; by our own figures Mars and Jupiter are about 4.3 degrees apart on the evening of Tuesday, March 30 · East to south after dark, in the constellation Leo

  Both planets are up in the evening and set near dawn in early March. On the 18th and 19th the Moon, about 88 percent lit, passes within a degree of Jupiter, closest at 2:26 a.m. PDT on the 19th. At month's end our calculation puts Mars and Jupiter about 4.3 degrees apart. Mars is fading from February's opposition but still outshines most stars.

• The Worm Moon

  Full at 3:44 a.m. PDT, Monday, March 22; Sunday evening, March 21, is the best look · Rising in the east around sunset

  The March full moon is often called the Worm Moon, one of several traditional names. It turns full early Monday, so Sunday evening shows it rising at its roundest. Our moon phase page keeps the calendar.

What can families do outside in Oregon in March?

What should I watch out for outdoors in Oregon in March?