Stanfield Meadows & Echo Meadows
Seasons
Checklists
Location
Location: From Pendleton, travel 26 miles west on I-84 (~18 miles east of Boardman) to exit 182 (Hwy 207 look for signs to Hermiston). At the end of the exit ramp, turn right (north) and immediately turn right (east) on Stanfield Meadows Road (paved). Stanfield Meadows Road is a narrow paved road without a wide shoulder or pullouts. There can be significant traffic, usually traveling a fast speed, so be careful! Mann’s Pond (both sides of the road) is at mile 0.7. Travel east on Stanfield Meadows Road to mile 4.3 and turn right (south) onto Echo Meadows Road. Go over the freeway and watch for the intersection of Emert and Andrews Roads with Echo Meadows Road. Go straight (south) on Andrews Road. Go 3.1 miles and turn right (north) on Rosenberg Road. Go 1 mile and turn right (east) on Emert Road. Emert Road intersects with Andrews and Echo Meadows Roads. Continue straight (east) to get on Echo Meadows Road. Stay on Echo Meadows Road as it winds its way south. Turn left (east) onto Hwy 320, which takes you to the town of Echo. The road becomes W. Main Street/Hwy 320 in Echo. Just past the railroad tracks, there is a stop sign at N. Thielsen Street, the end of the route. To return to I-84 (Exit 188), go left (north) on N. Thielsen Street for 1.5 miles. A right (south) turn onto S. Thielsen Street goes to Rieth (also spelled Reith) Road, which follows the Umatilla River for about 20 miles to Pendleton.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
Wet or flooded pastures (especially in spring), ponds, and dry grasslands. In spring, Mann’s Pond is on both sides of Stanfield Meadows Road. Waterfowl are common here, especially in early spring. The large flocks of Cackling Geese in March have occasionally included the rare Ross’s Goose. This area is good for all three species of teal, and Eurasian Wigeon; a male Eurasian Green-winged Teal was seen between Feb. 8 and Mar. 5, 2016, along Emert Road and the wetland at the intersection of Stanfield Meadows and Echo Meadows roads. Shorebirds include Dunlin (April and early May), Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitcher, the occasional Red-necked Phalarope. Virginia Rail and Sora may be present in the cattails and tall grasses around the ponds. American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlew, Wilson’s Snipe, and Wilson’s Phalarope breed in this area, especially along Stanfield Meadows Road. This is one of the best places to find White-faced Ibis in the county, but they are rare and infrequent (mainly in May). Check the gull flocks in the spring. The fields along the Andrews, Rosenberg, and Emert roads loop is a good stopover for Sandhill Cranes and a good place to compare the Greater and Lesser subspecies. The first cranes arrive about Feb. 10 – 15 and continue to early April. Beginning in early April, look for Swainson’s Hawks that breed in this area. Check the feedlots along this route. Just about any Oregon blackbird can be found here including the occasional Rusty Blackbird (winter). Check the cattails for small flocks of breeding Tricolored Blackbirds.
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