MARION COUNTY, Ore. — This week's "Let's Get Out There" highlights the annual birding and wildflower festival at Silver Falls State Park as one of the local events to take mom or grandma to this weekend.
If you visit the Silver Falls Historic District, the main attraction can’t be ‘mist’ — South Falls was roaring on Wednesday after several days of rain.
“It's a great place to come out, enjoy the weather, move around a little bit, see the sights here at the park,” said park ranger Matt Palmquist.
Palmquist knows Silver Falls State Park like the back of his hand and identifying the park’s migratory birds by their call is like second nature to him.
“Right now, I'm hearing at least two different bird songs," Palmquist told KGW. "I hear a Wilson's warbler and a hermit warbler. But you can also hear the waterfall. It's got such a great volume right now that you can hear it from probably 1,000 feet away.”
Over a million visitors enjoy this park every year. Each season has its own draw, and the weather is warming up just in time for Mother’s Day.
On May 11 and 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the annual Mother’s Day Birding and Wildflower Festival returns. Visitors can go on expert-led wildflower and birding hikes every hour on the hour. A native plant sale and wildflower show, which was a hit last year, will be at the South Falls Theatre. There will also be live raptor presentations.
“We had to update our signage because too many people were looking for the dinosaurs,” Palmquist smiled. “So we had to clarify that raptors, in this sense, are birds of prey.”
Speaking of raptors, peregrine falcons have been recently spotted in the park. Last year, a pair nested near South Falls and had a fledgling. Swallows were visible slicing through the falls’ spray feeding on insects.
If you’re planning to visit Silver Falls over Mother’s Day weekend, all the festivities are free, but there is a $5 day-use fee. Palmquist advises arriving early because the parking lot fills up fast.
“Even if you're not making it here to Silver Falls, if you can go to your local neighborhood park — tons of birds to see, lots of great wildflowers. There are great natural areas, especially throughout the Portland metro area, that are really well taken care of and are great places for people of all abilities and ages,” Palmquist said.
You can find out more information about this weekend’s festival on the events calendar at stateparks.oregon.gov.
"Let's Get Out There" airs once a week on KGW's 4 p.m. newscast and "The Good Stuff," which airs Monday-Thursday at 7 p.m. We're including viewer photos for this series. You can text your photos to 503-226-5088 or post them on the KGW Facebook page.