Christmas Bird Count 2024 - Wallowa County

On December 21, 2024, I took part in the annual Christmas Bird Count for the fifth time, but this year was quite different from the previous four. The last four years were spent with my mom as part of the Baton Rouge count, but this would be my first Wallowa County count after De and I moved back this Fall.

I had happened to meet one of the local expert birders here, Mike, at the Joseph Sewage Ponds on Global Big Day 2020, right before we moved back to Louisiana. In late November I ran into him again near the Wallowa Lake Marina, while we were both scouting the lake for waterfowl knocked down by the recent bomb cyclone. I mentioned hoping to take place in the CBC, and Mike was kind enough to take my email and get me signed up.

I ended up joining the Upper Prairie Creek section of our CBC circle, encompassing Wallowa Lake, its Eastern Moraine and related agricultural fields, and the east side of the town of Joseph. I'd be joining experienced birder and wildlife scientist Nolan, his girlfriend, and his parents for their fourth or fifth year of participating in the CBC in this area.

I was nervous to have such a big birding day but was glad that it was in an area that I had been spending a lot of time in since we'd been back, and that I felt comfortable driving around in no matter what the weather ended up being.

Wallowa Lake

We began our day on the northern end of Wallowa Lake, scoping out waterfowl from the parking lot before they left to go out to the ag fields for the day, searching for leftover grain. (It was actually pretty similar to how my mom and I started the counts in Baton Rouge at the Capitol Lakes, counting the roosting Great and Snowy Egrets and White Ibis before they all took off just after sunrise.) It ended up being quite a productive start -- we even picked up a small flock of Turkeys picking through a grassy spot near the parking lot to get things going, which was a nice get for the count.

We counted and eventually estimated over 3000 ducks in all. Huge waves of Mallards were rolling out every few seconds at one point, hundreds in each group. A couple of giant flocks of American Wigeons went off, a chorus of squeaky whistles making it clear who they were even though the lighting was pretty rough in the early morning hours.

There were a few hundred Canada Geese milling about, with a few Cackling Geese mixed in for good measure, which was only my second sighting of a Cackler, and the most definitive by far.

I'd been seeing eBird reports of Horned Grebes at the lake from the previous few days, so I was hoping to spot them, and sure enough a pair popped up right in front of us for my first Lifer of the day!

We added a few more of the expected waterfowl in smaller numbers: Common Mergansers, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, and a decent number of Northern Pintail. There were a few Hooded Mergansers which were not as expected as their Common cousins. A distant call from a Clark's Nutcracker was a good get as well.

Two birds swim on the rippling water of a large lake. They are overall gray, a little darker gray on the back than the sides, with a white neck and lower face with a black cap. They have short, sharp bills

My lifer Horned Grebes, not too far from the boat ramp on the North end of Wallowa Lake.

East Joseph

After the lake it was time to head into town and check out the East side of Joseph. We walked the streets checking known large feeder stations and just seeing what was bopping around closer to humans.

It turned out to not be much! The group was pretty shocked to be counting House Sparrows and House Finches one or two at a time. I was with Nolan's dad Steve, and we got lucky by spotting a little raptor perched in a birch tree, which turned out to be my first Merlin in Oregon!

Overall, though, there wasn't much activity. We grabbed a quick coffee and then it was time to head back toward the head of the lake.

A small, mostly gray raptor rests in a large bare birch tree. It has a streaky white and gray breast and small, hooked bill. The tree's bark is bright white on the thicker limbs, but the tiny branches have a hint of dark red

My first Oregon Merlin in a big Birch tree in Joseph. We had quite a time figuring out what this one was, and thankfully it hung around long enough to get a look in good light.

Wallowa Lake - Shoreline, Marina and Village

Shoreline

Before we left in the morning, we'd noticed some more waterfowl along the eastern edge of the lake, backlit from our vantage point and too far to ID from there. So we wanted to keep an eye out as we made our way to the south end of the lake, and that ended up paying off handsomely.

About halfway through the lake, both cars spotted a group of four unusual ducks, including two VERY white-all-over ducks, swimming close to the eastern shore. We pulled over awkwardly in what was not exactly a designated pullover and sure enough, it was four Long-tailed ducks, a wonderful rarity and a real treat to get to see four at once. They soon flushed out toward the center of the lake, and it was nice to watch them fly away until a truck horn reminded us we needed to get out of the way.

Shortly after, the car with the main group (I was alone in our van) somehow noticed a tiny Northern Pygmy-owl fly across the road, which we were able to stop safely and get some lenses on for confirmation. We had a good group of Chickadees and Nuthatches along the moraine as well, and a Townsend's Solitaire where you'd expect it in the winter time, guarding a stand of Juniper trees in the wetter south of the moraine where larger vegetation is able to grow.

Marina

After the excitement along the shoreline, we headed to the State Park to check out the Marina area and south end of the lake.

We stopped at the bridge on the way into the park to take in the resident American Dippers. They obliged us, and their swimming and dancing through the rippling river currents never ceases to impress.

At the south end of the lake we added Barrow's Goldeneye, Ring-necked Ducks, American Coots and a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

In one of the boat inlets, we also found a first-year American Dipper exploring the rocks on what was technically the edge of the lake, which none of us had seen before. It seemed to be struggling a little bit in the deeper water, a little too buoyant for its own good. Hopefully it will figure things out!

The weather turned quickly as we walked back to our vehicles, and an attempt to check the State Park grounds for birds in the tall trees was cut pretty short due to the rain and high winds.

Village Area

Checking through the Wallowa Lake Village area, we trudged through the slick, rainy streets for a bit to see if we could add anything along a side street lined with shrubs. Luckily it was worth the effort, getting a Song Sparrow and our only little group of California Quail for the day.

A tiny mottled gray owl rests perched on a bare branch, his eyes and face barely visible.

The tiny Northern Pygmy-owl looking fierce on a gray day, even though it's only a few inches tall. Still can't believe we were able to spot this little friend.

Two ducks swim on the rippling water of a lake. One is a very striking black against white, and the other is more gray and brown with a dark head. They both have bright yellow gold eyes.

A pair of Barrow's Goldeneye swimming together near the Marina. They are becoming my favorite duck.

A small gray-brown songbird wades through the clear water of a lake

The young American Dipper wading through the just-a-little-too-deep water along the edge of the Marina inlet on Wallowa Lake.

East Joseph - Second Check

After all the excitement of the Lake area, we headed back for another quick check of some of the usually-productive spots in town, but it was still very quiet. We suspect it was just a little too warm on the day, and the birds we might have expected were able to be further out of town foraging in the fields and foothills.

The good news was that the precipitation began to let up the farther we got away from the mountains.

East Moraine Ag Fields

Prairie Creek Rd

As expected, the agricultural fields on the east moraine and extending out from it were a raptor paradise. Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, and nearly 30 Red-tailed Hawks.

At one point we made a turn and suddenly were headed into a little old cemetery in the middle of the hilly fields. I had a good feeling about it!

Cemeteries are often really productive birding spots. They tend to have a good bit of well-cared-for vegetation, frequently in a spot where there isn't a lot of that around. We would stop at a large cemetery in Baton Rouge as part of the CBC there, and it was often our best spot for "tree birds" all day. It was our only reliable spot for Red-headed Woodpeckers, hanging out on some old Water Oaks in one corner.

We had some good luck at this one. I got a text saying Partridges, and looked up to see a covey of my Gray Partridges scooting from the base of one shrub to another, and got my binoculars and camera up just quickly enough to see and snap a few of these Lifers.

A bit further down the road we stopped to check the view out across the moraine, and suddenly there was a cloud of birds moving through the sky high above us. Nolan and Samantha were able to scope them out well enough to positively identify them as Gray-crowned Rosy-finches, an estimated 1700 of them soaring above the grassy hills. Another Lifer, and number 400 for me for the United States!

Knapper Rd & Turner Ln

We picked up our Golden Eagle here, soaring high above us. The rest of the group also had a Red Crossbill, but I didn't catch that one, so it will remain high on my to-see list to hopefully pick up later on this winter.

Liberty Rd

More hawks, eagles and ravens moving around this area, but we found one little property with some dense shrubs along the yard, and picked up our only Pine Siskins for the day out there.

Four plump, gray and brown birds walk through the lawn of a cemetery. They have reddish brown faces and spotted brown feathers on their wings.

A few of the Gray Partridge covey we spotted at the cemetery. Such cool looking little birds.

Wallowa Lake - Afternoon Visit

We finished the day with one more trip to the north end of the lake, seeing if any new species happened to come in while we were out in the fields, but there wasn't much to see.

We parted ways after a successful day, having tied their group's record number of species for the Upper Prairie Creek area. It was a great time, and I made some great new birder friends in the process.

This was my first time in a long time doing a big birding day where I wasn't either leading the walk or birding with my mom, and it ended up being one of my favorite birding days ever. Looking forward to next year.

eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/314965?welcome=true