Reed College Canyon

Natural History of the Canyon

Animals

Amphibians | Birds | Fish | Macroinvertebrates | Mammals

The Reed Canyon supports a broad array of animal life. There are breeding populations of many bird species, and the lake supports large schools of sticklebacks and other fish. The mammals are harder to spot, but quiet visitors can usually catch a glimpse of a beaver or a nutria in the upper end of the canyon toward the springs.

We don't have complete lists of all the organisms found in the canyon, but this page should give you a good sense of the variety that exists.

Amphibians

At one time the canyon likely supported a broad range of native amphibians, but most of those animals disappeared over the past century. There is only one amphibian that is known to exist as a breeding population in the canyon right now, the Oregon Salamander, (more info) Ensatina eschscholtzii oregonensis.

The Oregon salamander has been the focus of faculty research, as well as several senior theses in the Biology department. Interestingly, a senior thesis from 1952 gives us a report of another salamander that existed in the canyon at that time (although it is no longer found here), the Pacific Giant Salamander, (more info) Dicamptodon tenebrosus.

There is also a single turtle (named "Yertle") who can usually be seen basking in the sun on a log near the amphitheater. Yertle is thought to be a former pet that was released into the canyon. As far as we know, there are no breeding pairs of turtles in the canyon at this point.

Based on their known distributions, other amphibians that might move into the canyon in the future include:

For more information, see the Habitat Assessment of Reed Canyon from the Portland Parks and Recreation Department.

Birds

Many species of birds can be found in the canyon and several local birdwatchers have kept lists of what they've seen. A few birds, such as the mallards, are willing to tolerate the human activity around the middle of the canyon, but most birds prefer the more secluded areas to the east and west of the lake.

Here are some of the most common birds:

For more information, see:

• "Ecology of the Canyon," by Bruce Moreira
• Dave DeSante's Winter Bird List
• Jess Kimball's Bird List
• Appendix C from the Reed Canyon Brief, by Jimmy Huang

Images of most of these birds can be found on the CalPhotos web site.

Fish

With the construction of a dam and the creation of Reed Lake in the early 1900's, migrating fish were blocked from reaching the upper reaches of the canyon. Fish continued to live and spawn, however, in Crystal Springs Creek.

Here are some of the fish that have been recorded in the stream flowing out of the western end of the canyon.

Mammals

The mammals of the Reed Canyon have not been as thoroughly studied as the birds or the fish. Several visitors have reported seeing beavers, bats, squirrels and more, but we do not have any precise information on numbers or species.

Based on their known distributions, here are some of the mammals that you might see in the canyon:

For more information, see the Habitat Assessment of Reed Canyon from the Portland Parks and Recreation Department.

Macroinvertebrates

Students from the Environmental Middle School here in Portland are currently studying the macroinvertebrates of the canyon. We hope to have some of their information on-line very soon.

For more information, see the Crystal Springs Creek data from Rick Boatner at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.