Spawning fall chinook salmon have returned to Bear Creek, kicking off the annual experience of viewing these Rogue River giants in urban Medford.

JACKSON - Bats can be seen foraging for insects from dusk to well after dark. Look off toward the lighted horizon to see their erratic and uneven flight. Some of the common species that can be observed are Big Brown Bats, Brazilian Free-tailed Bats and several species of smaller bats.

JACKSON - The many trails within the Denman Wildlife Area offer good opportunities to see the various bird species that dwell among the buck brush and berry patches there. Young deer are present and commonly seen now along the upper Rogue River by rafters drifting during the evening.

MERLIN — Ten cotton balls and some smooth handiwork by wildlife rehabilitators sent a young osprey to freedom Wednesday.

Black bears are multiplying and on the move across North America, snooping around cities where they've been a rarity, becoming roadkill and leading states to start or expand hunting seasons.

Pelagic sea birds - The absence of heavy north winds along the coast has resulted in higher than normal water temperatures near shore. This often brings pelagic sea birds — albatross, petrels, storm-petrel and others — closer to shore where viewing is easier. Several charter boats offer pelagic bird-watching trips to capitalize on this situation.

Southern Oregon so far has escaped the spate of shark sightings off the central and northern coasts last weekend.

JACKSON/JOSEPHINE - Osprey chicks are starting to fledge (leave their nests). Their large-stick nests can be seen on dead trees or electric poles along the Rogue River. Look for nestlings standing on the edge of nests practicing their lift by flapping their wings.

(Corynorhinus townsendii)

(Chaetura vauxi)

(Crotaphytus bicinctores)

(Opheodrys vernalis)

PROSPECT — Two-dozen members of the Rogue Valley Chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association spent Saturday erecting a relatively harmless yet powerful line of defense in the woods to help Roosevelt elk in the woods near here.

Black-crowned Night Heron

(Phocoenoides dalli)

CURRY - Harbor seals can be observed in estuaries throughout the South Coast. Look for sandy haul-out sites. Remember, spring is pupping season so please observe these animals from a distance. If you find pups on the beach, leave them where you found them — mother knows where they are.

(Taxidea taxus)

CURRY - Harbor seals can be observed in estuaries throughout the South Coast. Look for sandy haul-out sites. Remember, spring is puping season so please observe these animals from a distance. If you find pups on the beach, leave them where you found them — mother knows where they are.

(Chordeiles minor)

JACKSON/JOSEPHINE - Ospreys and great blue herons are actively fishing along the upper Rogue River corridor and around most local reservoirs.