Winter Waterfowl Watching

As winter settles in to Central Oregon, rivers and managed wetlands offer excellent areas to view waterfowl.

“Central Oregon is a great place to see a wide variety of winter waterfowl, including ducks, geese, swans and grebes,” said Duke Tufty, East Cascades Bird Alliance Birders’ Night coordinator. “We are lucky to have the Deschutes River and a number of large bodies of water, such as Hatfield Ponds, that don’t often freeze over completely.”

Though early December set some record high temperatures, January’s forecast looks better for colder temperatures.

“Cold weather typically concentrates the birds into open waterways because smaller bodies of water freeze over,” said Tufty. “This year, however, that has not happened yet. Winter waterfowl are still around, but not yet in the numbers that we typically hope for, but that should change once the weather gets colder.”

So, here’s a short list of some of the better waterfowl birding areas for a wintery visit in Central Oregon.

There are sections of the Deschutes River, such as near the Sunriver Marina or through the Old Mill District or around Drake Park, that have nice concentrations of different waterfowl species in winter. Dabblers, such as mallards, gadwalls, American wigeons and green-winged teal, forage by bobbing upside down and feeding on aquatic invertebrates or vegetation just below the surface. Diving ducks, which include buffleheads, common goldeneyes, hooded mergansers and ring-necked ducks, dive underwater in pursuit of prey such as aquatic invertebrates, fish and crayfish. Shallow edges along the rivers also offer resting or preening spots where the ducks and geese haul out of the water. Thanks to an amazing circulation system, these waterfowl can stand on the ice without their featherless legs freezing.

The Old Mill District basks in the early morning light. Credit: Damian Fagan

“The Crooked River is attractive to waterfowl because of its lazy flow rate and frequent pools,” said Chuck Gates, birder and author of several bird guides and websites to Central Oregon. “Species like American wigeon, common merganser, hooded merganser, and Barrow’s goldeneye feed at these pools while bald eagles loom overhead waiting for unaware fish or fowl.”

In addition to the riverways, the Hatfield Ponds, Redmond Wetlands, and Crooked River Wetlands Complex have sections that are generally ice-free due to inlets of managed wastewater.

“The real exciting story about waterfowl and constructed wetlands is the upcoming Redmond Wetlands,” said Gates. “Though more than a year from completion, it promises to eclipse the Crooked River Wetlands as a major resource for migrating, nesting, and wintering waterfowl. Walking trails at both Hatfield Ponds and the award-winning Crooked River Wetlands offer easy access to view birds hanging out in the ponds or sulking in the woods and willows bordering the ponds.

A Hooded merganser in its winter finery. Credit: Damian Fagan

“For winter waterfowl birding in south county, I recommend first walking around Sunriver’s paths that border waterways that are not frozen,” said Sevilla Rhoads, ECBA member and field trip leader. “Lake Aspen at the Sunriver Nature Center is open all year because they use a bubbler for the swans, so it almost always has some winter ducks, such as ring-necked ducks, Canada goose and sometimes cackling goose.”

Rhoads also recommends sifting through birding reports on the eBird platform to get a sense of where waterfowl are being sighted in winter. And remember, winter is also waterfowl season so dress in bright colors and be aware of hunting in designated areas.

“For the intrepid winter birder, we have hiked (snowshoes needed much of the winter) up from Ten-Mile Sno Park to Paulina Lake when we know the lake is not fully frozen and found waterfowl up there,” said Rhoads. Both common and Barrow’s goldeneyes may be seen on the lake, as well as other ducks. Plus, the Newberry Caldera is closed to hunting.

The East Cascades Bird Alliance will resume its Wednesday Birders program in January when all the Christmas Bird Counts are finished, and will certainly have a field trip or two out to view waterfowl. Check the website for details.

In other birding news, ECBA will also resume the Youth Scholarship program in 2026 which provides funding for a Central Oregon youth to attend a Young Birder Camp in Colorado this summer sponsored by the American Birding Association and partners. This is a great opportunity for a youth birder to associate with their peers and get more into the exciting and never dull world of bird watching!