ECBA News

Helping Birds Keep Their Cool

Central Oregon is on track to break temperature records this summer (again), reminding us that the High Desert sun is no joke. High temperatures can lead to dehydration, heatstroke, and even death for our feathered neighbors. The good news? There are simple, affordable steps everyone can take to create a life-saving oasis for our visiting yard birds.

News from Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)

 Just to the east of Bend, OR and slightly south lies a refuge that draws in birds and birders of all kinds. From lazuli buntings to listers and phalaropes to photographers – all are welcome, and all find their needs met by the abundance of this high desert dreamland.
Photo courtesy of Lane Wintermute.

ECBA Member Laurel Collins Wins First Place in OBA Photo Contest

White-faced Ibis in Harney County, by ECBA member Laurel Collins, was the First Place May, 2025 Oregon Birding Association (OBA) photo contest winner.

Greater Sage-Grouse Project progress 2023-2024

Late last October, 2023 about twenty ECBA volunteers rendezvoused at the ECBA Brothers Project, just north of Highway 20 and about forty miles east of Bend, to begin creating the largest demonstration of native forb restoration in the Great Basin. All photos courtesy of Stu Garrett and Josh Collins

Photos that Tell a Story: “I’ve had an opportunity to watch a Cooper’s Hawk since January, 2023, when it was a juvenile.”

Photos Story by Abbott Schindler

Pollinator Pathway Bend

Facing threats like habitat loss, disease, invasive species and a changing climate, Central Oregon's birds, bats, bees, butterflies and moths need your help!  Photo courtesy of Barb Rumer

Fourth Annual Bird Days of Summer

Join Bird Alliance of Oregon for their Fourth Annual Bird Days of Summer with a series of free and laid back outings, perfect for nature lovers of all ages. These 10 events are located in Harney County and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Injured & Orphaned Birds

If you have found an injured or orphaned bird, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in your area immediately. Photographer, Sue Dougherty of Think Wild

Bangers, Boxes and Babies

​People often ask us for advice on what to do about Northern Flickers drumming on their houses.

Birding by Ear Weekly Walk Returns

It must be spring! Birding by Ear in Sawyer Park returns. Photo courtesy of Jim Moodie

Join a Christmas Bird Count

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society

Harney County Migratory Bird Festival 2024

Spend an amazing weekend witnessing the spectacular spring migration in the Harney Basin of Southeast Oregon.