Friends of Ladd Marsh

11/05/2026

November First Saturday Bird Walk

November 7, 2026
10:00 AM
Meet at Ladd Marsh Headquarters on Pierce Road
Don’t forget your Parking Permit

Fall migration is coming to a close and our avian winter residents are beginning to settle in. Join the Friends of Ladd Marsh and the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area for the November First Saturday Bird Walk. We will meet at the Ladd Marsh Headquarters on Pierce Road at the winter meeting time of 10:00 am on Saturday, Nov. 7th. Dress in layers for whatever the weather may bring.

Directions to Ladd Marsh HQ:

From La Grande: Take the Union Highway (203) to Pierce Road (near B&K Auto Salvage). Turn right (south) on Pierce. Continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

From Union: Turn left on Pierce Road and continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

HQ can be reached from I-84: Take exit 268 (Foothill Road) then turn east. At the “T” with pierce Road, turn left (north). Continue about 1.5 miles to HQ on the left.

Send a message to learn more

11/05/2026

Friends of Ladd Marsh Annual Meeting

November 12, 2026
Community Room at the Library on Adams and 4th Street
Doors Open at 6:00 PM, Meeting starts at 7:00 PM

The FOLM will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, November 12th in the community room at the county library on the corner of Adams and 4th Streets in La Grande. The room is accessed from the parking lot on the north side of the building. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm, but come early, visit birding buddies, renew memberships, and share stories. The doors will be open by 6:00 pm. We have elections for three board members and a guest speaker from EOU. More on both later. Hold the date and plan to attend.

It has been a good year of FOLM activities and we have much to share.

A copy of the Minutes from the 2025 Annual Meeting can be accessed here:

09/30/2026

First Saturday Bird Walk:

October 3, 2026
8:00 AM
Meet at Ladd Marsh Headquarters on Pierce Road
Don’t forget your Parking Permit

This Saturday, Oct. 3rd will be the Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area/FOLM bird walk for the month of October. Plan on meeting at the LMWA HQ at 8:00 am. We will be doing something a bit different for this month’s event. We will be travelling over to the pull-out /overlook on Hot Lake Lane just past the Hot Lake RV park. We will take a few moments to view the Cathy Nowak memorial plaque that has been placed at the pull-out that overlooks one of the areas she regularly went to watch nesting Sandhill Cranes. After a few words, we plan on hiking down into the marsh through the Host Site area for our birding adventure. We hope you can join us for the event. Don’t forget your good walking shoes, binoculars, and ODFW parking permit.

Directions to Ladd Marsh HQ:

From La Grande: Take the Union Highway (203) to Pierce Road (near B&K Auto Salvage). Turn right (south) on Pierce. Continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

From Union: Turn left on Pierce Road and continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

HQ can be reached from I-84: Take exit 268 (Foothill Road) then turn east. At the “T” with pierce Road, turn left (north). Continue about 1.5 miles to HQ on the left.

09/01/2026

First Saturday Bird Walk:

September 5, 2026
8:00 AM
Meet at Ladd Marsh Headquarters on Pierce Road
Don’t forget your Parking Permit

FOLM and LMWA First Saturday Bird Walk for September will be this Saturday, Sept. 5th. We will meet at the LMWA HQ at 8:00 am. The early birds are gathering for migration and we have seen large groups of Egrets (40) and Sandhill Cranes on Foothill Road. We plan to check out Foothill Road hotspots and walk the ODOT Pond area. Rain is predicted for the last half of this week and we will have to see what Saturday brings. Dress for fall and bring a rain coat just in case.

Directions to Ladd Marsh HQ:

From La Grande: Take the Union Highway (203) to Pierce Road (near B&K Auto Salvage). Turn right (south) on Pierce. Continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

From Union: Turn left on Pierce Road and continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

HQ can be reached from I-84: Take exit 268 (Foothill Road) then turn east. At the “T” with pierce Road, turn left (north). Continue about 1.5 miles to HQ on the left.

Send a message to learn more

08/01/2026

MAPS Bird Banding: Period 10.

Talk about an action packed final day. Today we wrapped up our MAPS bird banding season, and Mother Nature definitely kept us on our toes. We opened early to beat the heat but had to call it a bit short due to declining air quality- closing after 4.5 hours instead of our usual 6.

Despite the shortened morning, the birds were certainly active! We logged 54 total captures across 11 different species.

Final day breakdown: 45 new bands, 6 recaptures and 3 unbanded.
Species breakdown: 13 American robins, 12 common yellowthroats, 9 yellow warblers, 5 lazuli buntings, 3 Bewick’s wrens, 3 song sparrows, 4 spotted towhees, 1 Willow flycatcher, 2 cedar waxwings, 1 black capped chickadee, and 1 MacGillivray’s warbler.

A Hugh thank you to everyone who supported us, volunteered and followed along with our banding season this year. We couldn’t do this vital research without you.

We hold all necessary state and federal permits to band birds.

07/29/2026

First Saturday Bird Walk:

August 1, 2026
7:00 AM
Meet at Ladd Marsh Headquarters on Pierce Road
Don’t forget your Parking Permit

We are planning for the First Saturday Bird Walk on Ladd Marsh. We scouted today (Tuesday) and saw 34 species of birds in a couple of hours. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in La Grande on Tuesday morning was 75 (tolerable), but just north and east of Peach Road the AQI looks much worse. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted better air quality by this weekend, but I would not count on it too much. Bring a mask if you wish. We found that early in the am is better for the AQI, so we are planning on meeting at the LMWA HQ at 7:00 am. Don’t be late and don’t forget your ODFW parking permit. Insect repellant might come in handy. Some places are pretty bug free but there are pockets of flying vampires. Overall, not too bad. We can avoid the places with the most mosquitoes.

Directions to Ladd Marsh HQ:

From La Grande: Take the Union Highway (203) to Pierce Road (near B&K Auto Salvage). Turn right (south) on Pierce. Continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

From Union: Turn left on Pierce Road and continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

HQ can be reached from I-84: Take exit 268 (Foothill Road) then turn east. At the “T” with pierce Road, turn left (north). Continue about 1.5 miles to HQ on the left.

07/25/2026

MAPS Period 9 update: Beating the heat and Early Migrants!

Talk about a warm one! With smoky skies and temperatures rising fast, we opened the nets 30 minutes early to beat the heat. To keep both our birds and banders safe, we wrapped up after 4.5 hours instead of usual 6. Even with the shortened schedule, it was a booming morning. Fall migration is officially kicking off, and we’re starting to see birds on the move alongside our local breeders.

By the numbers: 76 captures, 10 different species, 66 newly banded birds, 8 recaptures and 2 unbanded.

Species breakdown: Lazuli bunting 25, yellow warblers 19, Common yellowthroats 10, song sparrows 4, black capped chickadees 8, Bewick’s wrens 4, cedar waxwings 2, American robins 2, black headed grosbeak 1, and spotted towhee 1.

A huge thank you to my crew for adapting to the heat and handling these early migrants with top notch care. Safe travels to the birds heading south!

We hold all necessary state and federal permits to band birds.

07/19/2026

Period 8 MAPS Bird Banding Summary.
Another outstanding day with 74 captures with 14 different species. We opened the nets a little early to beat the heat and was able to band for 4 and a half hours. We banded 63 birds, had 7 recaps and 4 birds left without bands.

Here is the breakdown: common yellowthroat -31, Yellow warblers - 12, lazuli buntings-8, Bewick’s wrens-4, black capped chickadees- 4, MacGillivray’s warbler-2, western tanager- 1, Cedar waxwings- 3, eastern kingbird-3, American robin - 1, black headed grosbeak- 3, Willow flycatcher- 2, American goldfinch-1 and song sparrow -1.

Thanks to my amazing crew that braved the mosquitoes and heat!

We hold all necessary state and federal permits to band birds.

07/11/2026

What an incredible day yesterday at our MAPS banding station!
Because of the warm temperatures, we closed our nets after just 5 hours instead of the usual 6 to ensure the safety of the birds. Even with the shorter session, we surpassed all previous records for this banding period.

Our final numbers:
52 total captures and 10 different species
42 newly banded birds
8 recaptures
2 birds left unbanded

Here is the break down:
Common yellowthroat-16, song sparrow-15, yellow warbler-6, black capped chickadee-4, Bewick’s wren-4, Willow flycatcher-2, Lazuli bunting-2, chipping sparrow-1, western wood peewee-1 and rufous hummingbird-1.

Days like this remind us how valuable the MAPS program is for monitoring bird populations and collecting long term data that helps us better understand and conserve our migratory and breeding birds.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this day a success. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings.

All birds were captured and banded under a federal permit issued by the Bird Banding Lab, part of the US Geological Survey and a state permit issued by ODFW.

07/01/2026

First Saturday Bird Walk:

July 4, 2026
8:00 AM
Meet at Ladd Marsh Headquarters on Pierce Road
Don’t forget your Parking Permit

This Saturday, July 4th will be the host day for the FOLM/LMWA First Saturday Bird Walk for the month of July. We will meet at the LMWA HQ at 8 am. Have your walking shoes on and your best optic gear ready to use. This is the season of new birds, as in fledglings, so we can celebrate the birthday of the USA with the birthday of many of our local avian species. The weather should be warm and sunny, so be sun ready; sun screen, water, shade hat, sun glasses, etc. Include a walk in the marsh as part of your holiday celebrations.

Directions to Ladd Marsh HQ:

From La Grande: Take the Union Highway (203) to Pierce Road (near B&K Auto Salvage). Turn right (south) on Pierce. Continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

From Union: Turn left on Pierce Road and continue for approximately 1.25 miles to HQ on the right.

HQ can be reached from I-84: Take exit 268 (Foothill Road) then turn east. At the “T” with pierce Road, turn left (north). Continue about 1.5 miles to HQ on the left.

Send a message to learn more