Whitman Mission National Historic Site - Birds

Whitman Mission contains 98 acres, so birds move into and out of the park all the time. So far, ninety-three species of common birds, ducks, and geese have been observed and recorded within Whitman Mission National Historic Site. The local chapter of the Audubon Society compiled a bird list for the Walla Walla Valley that includes all the birds seen at the park. In the late 1940s the Army Corps of Engineers built McNary Dam on the Columbia River near Hermiston, Oregon. Knowing that the impounded water would flood established Canada goose nesting sites, the National Fish and Wildlife Service, along with the Oregon and Washington State departments of Natural Resources captured many of the gees. Their wings were clipped and then breeding pairs were distributed to different, safe areas. Because of Marcus Whitman’s Millpond, the park received some of the geese. Whitman Mission now has geese in the Millpond every spring and fall. Some of the most common birds are: Mourning doves, Sparrow, Junc, Red-winged blackbird, Robin, Pheasants, Mallards, and Canada geese.