Northeastern Oregon's Winter Specialties

A month and a half into the new year I had pretty well covered my bases with Western Oregon's winter birds. My year list stood at 192, and it was time for a foray into new territory. Plans for a trip materialized just in time for a winter storm of historic significance to hit Portland and the Gorge. This set things back a week, but ultimately created the perfect conditions for finding our target birds.

February 19:

Nolan came down from Corvallis to pick me up and we were on the road early with muffins, coffee, and high expectations. Our only traffic slow down of the entire trip came in Portland along 205 as crews still worked to clean up downed limbs and debris from the previous week.

Before long we were in Hood River picking up Black-crowned Night-Herons for our year and county lists, and then it was on to the Dalles. Arriving to a large group of gulls at the Lone Pine Island viewpoint got our blood pumping. The entire flock was facing us, making it virtually impossible to assess mantle color. But that didn't stop Nolan from picking up on a bird that stood out the mass of California Gulls—an immature bird standing a little taller than the surrounding gulls, sporting a black bill, clean white upper parts, a dark mantle (seen when it moved a few times), and a pale iris all sealed the deal: second cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull!

Lesser Black-backed Gull!

A bird of this age, likely this very one, was seen here back in November, and across the river in Washington in January, but hadn't been reported back at this site in a number of months. Lesser Black-backed was on our radar while in the gorge, but finding one in the first group of gulls we checked was quite the surprise. This species continues to increase in Oregon and across many places in North America, and it is likely to become even more regular in the years to come. Nonetheless, this was a huge find, and it was my first for Oregon. Nolan broke out the state lifer chocolate, we celebrated the early trip boost of momentum, then hit the road again.

We picked up some county birds on the Wasco/Sherman County line, highlighted by a Black-crowned Night-Heron that left its companion in Sherman to fly west into Wasco for us. Quite kind. The well known Saw-whets in Sherman were a piece of cake to find, making for a fun first encounter with this species for the year. We spent all of 30 seconds saying hello then let them be.

Northern Saw-whet Owls

Back on the road we had Black-billed Magpies fly by, which is the one true sign that you've arrived in Eastern Oregon.

Phillipi Canyon provided a nice easy stop off the highway with sprawling views and vocal Canyon Wrens, always a treat to see and hear these gregarious little birds.

After a quick stop in Arlington we set our sites on La Grande. I-84 ascended to the pass at Meacham, where conifers caked in snow lined the highway. It felt like a portal to a magical land, and in a way it was. All we could do is remark over and again about how excited we were to be arriving in Northeastern Oregon. La Grande sits in a quaint valley between the dominant mountain ranges of the region: the Wallowas to the east, the Blues to the west. Though we arrived to falling snow followed by fog, the feeling a being hemmed in by these two mountain ranges was still palpable.

In the dying light of our first day we put in an effort to find the long staying Blue Jays but came up empty. Not a problem, as there would be other opportunities.

Nolan's parents, Steve Clements and Arlene Blumton, were incredibly gracious to let me crash at their place in the midst of the pandemic, and they were wonderfully hospitable hosts. It often seems quite easy to connect with fellow bird people, and this instance was no different. Shared interest in birds and the broader natural world so frequently translates to a similar disposition towards much of the rest of life. Little did we know we had quite the shared experience waiting for us the next day.

February 20:

If you're going to properly track down all of the "should-get" species in a given year in Oregon, you'll inevitably find yourself in each quadrant of the state multiple times. In the winter, Bohemian Waxwing and American Tree Sparrow sit atop the seasonal target list in Northeastern Oregon. Gray Partridge and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch can be found at other times of the year, but they are easiest to snag in this area at this time, so they are also a part of the wants list for any birder who makes it out there over the winter months. The four of us piled into the Forester and headed east to Wallowa County, which has a handful of roads famous for producing our sought after species.

Before we were even out of Union County a flock of 40 Gray-crowned Rosy-finches appeared in a barn yard along the side of the road. We would see a few more before the day was out.

School Flat and Golf Course Roads get much of the attention from visiting birders, but we got off of Highway 82 one system of roads earlier. The seven miles along Whiskey Creek and Jim Town Roads made for an incredible start to the day.

Near the beginning of Whiskey Creek Road, a Townsend's Solitaire sat quietly atop a juniper. Just a few lengths of the car later our first Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch in Wallowa appeared. We got out to inspect it as it hopped along the road, and this wound up being our best view all day of the "Gray-crowned" subspecies, which nests in the Rockies and winters in Oregon in rather small numbers. Can't really ask for better looks:

"Gray-crowned" subspecies of the Gray-crowned Rosy-finch

from the Department of Redundancy Department

Moments later we were waist deep in a flock of 150 of the "Hepburn's" subspecies:

"Hepburn's" Gray-crowned Rosy-finch

most likely not named after Audrey

As the large flock foraged on a brushy hillside, a handful of Gray Partridge began to emerge and then flew over us (!) only to return to the hill, where they called incessantly (recording on this checklist). It's the first time I recall hearing them, at least that well. Getting to see the orange outer tail feathers in flight was also a first. A great way to see species #200 for the year!

Gray Partridge

no pear trees

Jim Town Road hosted a couple groups of both rosy-finches and partridge, a sharp looking "Harlan's" Red-tailed Hawk, and a relatively closer encounter with a juvenile Golden Eagle. Note how every color of the surrounding scene is replicated somewhere on the eagle. Camouflage is tricky for a bird this size, but it still makes a legitimate effort to blend in to its habitat.

Golden Eagle

The day was off to a roaring start, and spirits were high as we arrived on School Flat and Golf Course Roads.

School Flat Road Views

A couple happy birders squinting due to the immensely bright surroundings

It felt as though every time we came around a new bend in the road, another flock of rosy-finches would appear.

Gray-crowned Rosy-finch

We came upon a pasture along School Flat, and the exposed ground was a magnet for the birds. A large flock of Horned Larks joined the action with the rosy-finches and partridge.

Gray Partridge

Gray-crowned Rosy-finch

Before long, our first American Tree Sparrows of the day appeared. After our first sighting it seemed like we saw them steadily for the rest of the day.

American Tree Sparrow

Did I mention there were a few rosy-finches around?

Gray-crowned Rosy-finches

You have to be a special kind of nutty to ride along with the windows down on a winter day in Wallowa, but this questionable activity does pay off from time to time, and it certainly did on Golf Course Road when a group of Horned Larks flew over the car accompanied by the diagnostic rattle of a Lapland Longspur!

Lapland Longspur

Horned Larks, Lapland Longspur, and Gray-crowned Rosy-finch

This wasn't a year bird, but it was still an exciting find for the day, as was the case with the next mega flock of birds we found: Snow Buntings!

Snow Buntings

All of that, and it wasn't even noon yet. The constant barrage of birds was staggering to behold. Things finally quieted down as we arrived in Joseph. We walked the streets for a while, searching unsuccessfully for Blue Jays and Pine Grosbeaks, but on the south end of town we ran into a flock of 80 Bohemians!

Bohemian Waxwings

Wallowa Lake had a single bird on it: a drake Barrow's Goldeneye. As we left the parking lot on the north end of the lake, yet another group of partridge appeared.

Gray Partridge

The early afternoon lull threatened to set in, so we stopped at Arrowhead Chocolates in Joseph for a pick-me-up. I'll be stopping there for coffee every time I'm in town for the rest of always.

Caffeinated and ready for more birds, we made our way up to the Ferguson Sno-Park. It was very quiet, but my first Mountain Chickadees of the year were still calling in the distance. The only other bird was a flyover raven.

On the way to Elk Mountain Road we encountered more American Tree Sparrows, another large flock of rosy-finches, and our first snowfall of the day. A large falcon got us excited for a moment, but it turned out to be a Prairie rather than the Gyr that has been around all winter. Still a fun sight in the blizzard-like conditions. As we watched the falcon, a flock of 600+ rosy-finches rose up out of the nearby pasture, a few Snow Buntings in tow.

Prairie Falcon

The snow fell hard, but not for long. It made for a nice reminder of just how perfect the conditions had been all day long. The previous week's snow drove all of the birds to exposed ground and roadsides, but the roads themselves were in great condition for driving. We could not have asked for better timing.

Next we poked around a few spots in Enterprise. This hybrid goldeneye was the highlight of our stop at Pete's Pond. Note how the white spot on the face, the pattern on the back, and even the head shape are all intermediate between Common and Barrow's.

hybrid Common x Barrow's Goldeneye

We encountered our second flock of Bohemian Waxwings in town as well, and got much better looks this time around. Enterprise doesn't get as much coverage as Joseph it seems, so it turns out this was the first flock of Bohemians reported here this year.

Bohemian Waxwings

We were over twenty checklists deep into the day at this point. My thumbs were tired from all the eBirding, but when we finally slowed down to take a look at the numbers it was all worth it. We had recorded 1,750 Gray-crowned Rosy-finches, spread over 12 different checklists! We figured with our conservative estimates on the large flocks that it was quite possible that we saw upwards of 2,000. Nolan started doing the math and estimated that we saw right around 100 pounds worth of rosy-finch for the day. Given that we laughed with joy with each new flock that appeared, a comical measurement like that seemed quite fitting. Back in La Grande we finished out the day with tasty takeout and Oregon Fog from Side A.

It was one of those unforgettable days that frequent the life of an avid birder. We saw all our targets, yes, but it was the volume and manner in which we saw them that provided the greater joy. Sometimes you just need to be blown away by the birds.

February 21:

Before making our trip home, Nolan and I spent a while walking around La Grande looking for Blue Jays. After an hour of fruitless searching we were starting to get nervous, though my waaaaay overdue first Hairy Woodpecker of the year added some comedy to moment. Then an odd corvid call drew our attention, and then another. It was not the standard call we were expecting, but when we arrived at the source we found our target flying across the road. Two Blue Jays dove deep into a thicket, never to appear again. All our searching culminated in a three second observation that didn't even give me enough time to snag a photo. But this was still a huge moment: another state lifer for me, and an important bird on an ever-growing year list.

A handful of stops along the gorge yielded a few more county birds, the best of which was a Clark's Grebe continuing in the Dalles. Our last stop of the trip was an unsuccessful search for Harris's Sparrow on Sauvie Island, but the constant sounds and display of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese overhead made for a perfect spectacle to round out a wonderful three days of birding.

As I wrap up this post I'm sitting at 210 species for the year in Oregon so far, I'm really ready for it to not be February any longer, and plans are in full swing for a busy Spring of seeing every bird I possibly can. On to the next!