SONG SPARROWS like the one above have begun singing at Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area. ODFW photo

Ladd Marsh Viewing Report... 

Elk on the Zumwalt Prairie compete with cattle and other wildlife for habitat and are being hazed toward the national forest this winter. KATY NESBITT / The Observer

In the past 20 years many of the elk in Wallowa County’s Chesnimnus wildlife unit have shifted their habitat range from the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest to private land on the Zumwalt Prairie.

Though the reasons for this vary, moving the elk back onto the forest is supported by ranchers, hunters, nonprofits and wildlife agencies alike.

Seth Hargett, 10, fills his bird feeder with a mix of sunflower seeds and millet. Once you start feeding birds, it’s a good idea to keep them stocked through harsh weather. Getting youth involved with feeding wild birds can be a good way to introduce them to the natural world.” JIM WARD photo

Providing nourishment to our feathered friends is effective way to see birds up close 

LADD MARSH WILDLIFE AREA

Wildlife viewers and anglers need a parking permit to park on the wildlife area.

The $7 daily or $22 annual permit can be purchased online or at an ODFW office that sells licenses or at a license sales agent...

Analysis by Montana lab finds ailing elk that wandered La Grande's streets last winter before being euthanized was 14-years-old 

Don Hagey of Cove speaks about the 13 months he spent in Antarctica during a presentation at a meeting of the Cove History Committee Sunday. DICK MASON / The Observer

Cove man shares his memories of ‘windiest, driest, coldest place on earth’

Two western screech-owls like this one, photographed earlier in Union County, were located during the Christmas Bird Count. TRENT BRAY photo

No snow, with one minor exception, fell during the recent annual Union County Christmas Bird Count.

But six records did — including a most coveted mark.

Counters located 88 species of birds, eclipsing the old record of 87. The previous mark was set a year ago. That was considered a landmark because it was the first time at least 80 species had been counted.

Elk are amazing animals. Indeed, they are one of the fastest growing critters on our continent. JIM WARD photo

Other than a couple of cow hunts, most elk seasons in Northeast Oregon have closed.

Many hunters have shifted their focus to such things as football or New Year’s resolutions.

Doug Smith and his son-in-law Randy McNeeley, both of La Grande, were out hunting elk at 7:15 a.m. Dec. 20 when they spotted a herd of elk on property bordering Owsley Canyon Road.