Bird Brains

Captain: Jim Rettig

Members: Jan Rettig

Location: Central Washington

Bird Brains Team is at it again.

The Bird Brains will hit the road in late May to once again join Birdathon and help raise money for our Eastside Audubon chapter.  This year the team will include Tricia Kishel and Jim Rettig, a team that’s been together for more than a dozen years.  In 2011, this team identified 126 different species by starting the day before 5:00 am at Marymoor Park and ending it at nightfall (9:30 pm) at Birder’s Corner off Dodson Road in Central Washington.  This year Tricia and Jim will follow the same course as they seek to find the same species and/or to determine possible effects on Washington birds due to climate chaos. 

We’ll meet early again as we listen to the Dawn Chorus, logging in our first species of the day.  Then we’ll head for Marymoor Park, go up to Sammamish and visit Llama Lake and Pine Lake.  Heading east on I-90 we’ll stop at at Ollalie State Park, Hyak, Gold Creek, and Lake Keechelus.  By then we might have 60 or 70 species on our list.  As we motor into eastern Washington we’ll make a few special stops, scope the Cle Elum ponds, head over to Ellensburg, continue on to Quilomene Wildlife Area and on down the hill to Ginko Petrified Forest.  From there will proceed east to Dodson Road and Birder’s Corner.  Can we identify 126 species of birds this year?  Time will tell.

Put this team on your Birdathon donation list today!

Photo Banner Credit: Penelope Kipps