What Are Hotspot Squares?
Hotspot Squares are 1 square-mile sections chosen at random from each of the 36-square mile Townships across Oregon. You can read more about Townships and their history here. We have just over 2800 Townships and, therefore, Hotspot Squares in Oregon. These squares provide a more even distribution of survey effort, rather than just clustered around cities, parks, and other popular birding locations.
Where Are Hotspot Squares Located?
Click here for an interactive map of all Oregon 2020 Hotspot Squares, hosted by Oregon Explorer.
Your goal is to count birds within the boundaries of these squares using our recommended methods.
Click the plus-sign in the upper left of the map to zoom in until individual Hotspot Squares are visible. Continuing to zoom in will display Hotspot names, GPS coordinates, public roads, and other landscape features.
You can also locate Hotspot Squares near you on-the-go using our Oregon 2020 Birds App. This app is free and available for both iOS and Android systems.
Find Hotspot Squares that Need Surveys 
On Oregon Explorer, click the checkbox next to “Surveys Conducted” to display all previously surveyed locations within or near Oregon 2020 Hotspot Squares. Empty squares without flag icons need birding data! Locate an under-surveyed Hotspot near you and count birds in it following our recommended methods above.
Additional Information
