Scheduled at the height of spring migration and nesting in the Grande Ronde Valley, the annual Ladd Marsh Bird Festival celebrates World Migratory Bird Day with an uncrowded, non-competitive birding opportunity for the whole family.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area is located about 7 miles south of La Grande, Oregon, and has one of the the most diverse bird populations in Union County. Over 200 species of birds either visit or live permanently at Ladd Marsh.

On Bird Fest weekend, birders can explore areas of the wildlife area generally closed to the public, providing increased opportunities to see abundant ducks, geese, raptors, passerines, and shore birds.

Schedule of Events:

6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Register or check in and receive your passport with information directing you to staffed birding stations and other “birdy” areas.
Register for field trips if you haven’t done so already online.
Enjoy some snacks, pick-up some Friends of Ladd Marsh merchandise, chat with friends, then listen to the guest speaker, Ben Vernasco, Whitman College Biology professor, and his work with Gray-crowned Rosy Finch in the Wallowa Mountains.