Photo of the Month: December

Mick Thompson Captures Eastside Audubon’s Photo of the Month with Unique Hummingbird Video

Mick Thompson was named the Eastside Audubon Photographer of the Month for his innovative Broad-billed Hummingbird video, shot in Arizona. This marks Thompson's fifth win and is the first time a video has claimed the honor.

The video showcases the hummingbird in extraordinary detail, filmed using the OM-1 Mark II and a 150-400mm lens. The high-definition footage, shot at 240 frames per second and slowed down tenfold, reveals mesmerizing wing movements.

 “The black background was the result of setting the flower in bright sunlight while the background was in the shade,” Thompson explained. “By properly exposing for the flower, the background is severely underexposed and comes out black.”

The video’s technical specs include a shutter speed of 1/125 seconds and an aperture of f/5.6. It was later upscaled to 4K resolution using Topaz Video AI.

The Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) is a small bird native to the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central America, measuring 3.5–4 inches in length and weighing about 3–4 grams. Males feature metallic green plumage, a blue throat, and a bright red bill, while females are duller with gray undersides. Found in arid habitats, they feed on nectar and insects. This species is admired for its vibrant colors and energetic behavior.

See more of Mick’s work on Instagram.

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About the Eastside Audubon Photograph of the Month Award 

The Photo of the Month award was instituted to recognize the work of the Photo Group Members. The group members meet monthly to show their latest photos and videos as well as share their knowledge of photography and wildlife. To attend the meetings, please join the group’s announcement list.

February: Stirrings in the Flock

The Birding Year in the Pacific Northwest

February: Stirrings in the Flock

Written by Andy McCormick 

Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon

In January 2018, the boat carrying our birding tour group moved slowly among the mangroves on the Rio San Crisobal which flows near San Blas, a town on the west coast of Mexico’s State of Nayarit. The water is calm here and the mangroves provide good cover for birds and a host of insects for them to feed on. I spotted a male Black-throated Gray Warbler and was surprised to see that it looked exactly as it appears near Seattle in summer. The bird is a striking black and white, five-inch, one-quarter of an ounce, insect-hunting specialist. Bright white stripes above the eye and below the cheek outline the black cap, black patch over the ears, and the black throat. A dot of yellow marks the spot known as the lores between the eye and the gray bill, and two white bars mark the wings. Like many wood warblers, the Black-throated Gray has one year-round plumage which it refreshes during a fall feather molt.

I  saw the bird from the front of the boat as it was foraging in low scrub brush, a habitat very different from its Pacific Northwest breeding territory high on a branch in a conifer. It was foraging on its own, which can be common for birds in the tropics. Insects are abundant, and birds are protective of their territory and will defend it from other birds. By February, the Black-throated Gray Warbler will be stirring in this productive habitat gleaning as many insects and caterpillars as it can, building yellow fat nodules under the skin of its breast and belly.

The stored fat will provide fuel to carry the warbler over 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) across the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts on its way north until it can find forested areas such as a Sky Island like Mt. Lemmon in Arizona or an oasis like Dugout Wells in Big Bend National Park in west Texas. These stopover locations allow the warbler to regroup and regenerate for a few days until it continues its journey over several weeks in shorter flights through woodlands and coastal scrubland. If it has built up enough reserves and survives the rigors of long flights, it will arrive in the Cascade Range in the latter part of April and begin nesting by early May. Some of these warblers will continue north to southwest British Columbia which is the northern limit of the species’ breeding range. 

While the Black-throated and other warblers are preparing for their spring migration, resident Pacific Northwest birds are often foraging in mixed flocks in a pattern of cooperative feeding. This behavior helps all the birds in the flock locate suitable prey and provides protection from predators. Larger birds and especially birds of prey will be nesting while tropical birds are preparing for migration.

GREAT HORNED OWL

Great Horned Owl by Mick Thompson

The Great Horned Owl is a fierce hunter. Arthur Cleveland Bent, the compiler of twenty-three volumes of information about the life histories of North American birds, quotes a man named Ernest T. Seton in 1890 who ranked Great Horned Owls as “winged tigers among the most pronounced and savage of the birds of prey.” Great Horned Owls are carnivorous and will eat almost anything that moves. They nest and thrive in Washington in coastal forests, along the Cascade Range, and in shrub-steppe habitat.

In contrast to warblers which hatch, nurture, and fledge young birds in a matter of a few weeks, Great Horned Owls provide months of care to their young giving them time to achieve flight ability and enough independence to survive on their own. This may be one reason Great Horned Owl pairs remain together through the year. They can accommodate the time needed for the development of their young and begin breeding during the Pacific Northwest winter.

Barred Owl is another large owl, and it has expanded its range into the forests and suburbs of Washington and Oregon. One male has roosted in the trees behind our home near Seattle, and like the Great Horned Owl, began male advertising hooting on one October morning and again in the evening a few days later. The Barred Owl is particularly aggressive in defending its nest and annually signs warning walkers about swooping owls appear in local parks. I have experienced a Barred Owl’s dive-bomb tactics while I was on an early December pre-dawn run. These events are both exciting and frightening. The excitement of a close-up view of the owl was tempered by the fear of seeing such a large bird flying directly at me.

Great Horned Owls are not as aggressive, at least not toward humans. They do not construct their own nest but will use a variety of nesting locations including a cavity in a tree or rocky outcrop, a ledge, or more commonly, an old nest of a Red-tailed Hawk. Once eggs are deposited in the nest, incubation usually takes more than a month. Newly hatched owlets are atricial at hatching, that is, they are naked, helpless, and require full care by the adults which bring food to the nest and tear it up for the young.

After another 40 days, young owls may leave the nest by walking out onto a tree limb or ledge in a behavior called branching. They remain close to the nest and will receive food from adults during an additional 15-week immature stage. For eggs deposited in the nest in mid-February, the young will leave the nest in late March. Even though young Great Horned Owls will be able to fly in early May at five weeks after fledging, they will remain with the adults until July or August taking about six months to mature.

RED-TAILED HAWK

Red-tailed Hawk by Mick Thompson

In February or March, a Red-tailed Hawk, from which a Great Horned Owl may have commandeered a nest, will begin a search for another site. It may select another old nest, make some repairs, and occupy it. However, it is just as likely to build a new nest. But, before building can begin, courtship is required.  

The mating ritual begins as the two hawks circle one another while ascending to high altitude on rising columns of warmer air. During their flight, the male initiates a Sky Dance by flying even higher and at the apex of its climb turns down in a deep dive toward the female. As it passes the female, it will turn again and fly back to high altitude. At some point in the flight, the male will extend its talons as it approaches the female, which may reciprocate in kind. When one of the hawks flips over with feet pointing up, the pair will interlock talons while dramatically spiraling toward the ground. When it is ready to mate, the female will position herself on a horizontal branch.

For a pair which nests in early March, the chicks will fledge by mid-April and remain near the nest in an immature state until early July. By then, the young will be more proficient hunters and will be ready to begin southward migration in August.           

FEBRUARY BIRDING

By February 21 the December solstice will be nine weeks in the past and the amount of each day’s daylight, the photoperiod, will have lengthened by three hours. Resident birds of the Pacific Northwest which respond to the amount of light during the day will be more active and be moving toward their own breeding territory. However, in the shrub-steppe and woodlands east of the Cascades winter is still the order of the day. Snow-covered ground forces birds to seek other means of finding food. For example, Sharp-tailed Grouse will fly into the bare branches  of willow and birch trees to nibble on the buds.

Winter also brings a suite of birds which move south in search of food. The so-called winter finches, Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins, and Evening Grosbeaks will forage on pine and fir cones. The diurnal Northern Pygmy-Owls will be perched for hunting in the morning. Rough-legged Hawks will share the air space with Red-tailed Hawks.  Other wintering birds may show up in southern Canada and the northern United States. Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, Bohemian Waxwings, and Horned Lark numbers will vary from year to year, and Canada Jay, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch, and Pine Grosbeak may also be in the area in winter. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING

Weidensaul, Scott (2021). A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds. New York: W. W. Norton and Co.

Read about Great Horned Owls and Red-tailed Hawks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birds of the World at https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/home

Read all The Birding Year articles

Header Photo: Black-throated Gray Warbler by Julio Mulero | Flickr

Eastside Audubon Christmas Bird Count 2024

2024-2025 Eastside Audubon Christmas Bird Count Report

Andy McCormick, CBC Compiler

14 December 2024
National Audubon Count No. 125
Eastside Audubon Count No. 42

99 species tallied (count day + count week)
Count day: 93 species
Count week: 6 additional species
Individual birds: 15,618
Observers: 64 (61 in the field + 3 feeder watchers)

Overview

The 42nd Eastside Audubon CBC was held on Saturday, December 14, 2024. The weather was partly cloudy with temperatures rising to about 50 degrees. We had some light rain, but it was windy in some areas with gusts close to 30 mph. We believe the counts for chickadees, bushtits, sparrows and other perching birds were kept down by the windy conditions.

The species count of 93 on count day was lower than the 10-year average of 98 species for our count circle. A review of eBird postings from within the count circle found 6 additional count week species to bring the count total to 99 bird species for the week. Eastside Audubon had an excellent group of 64 volunteers who recorded 15,618 individual birds which is 91% of the 20-year average of 17,104. This is the lowest count since the 2019 Covid-19 count, and before that, the 2015 count.

Eastside Audubon recruited 61 volunteers to fill 15 teams. Of the 15 field teams, one had eleven  members. For the first time Eastside Audubon had a youth contingent of five volunteers under age 18, accompanied by two others over 18, and two parent/drivers. We hope to build on this young-birders group in future CBCs. For other teams, one had seven members, and one had five. Two teams had four members, and seven teams had three members. There were two two-member teams, and one leader birded alone.

Data Assessment

Variability in count numbers from year to year can be a challenge to interpret. Differences in weather conditions, changes in effort due to the number and skill level of volunteers on field teams, and changes in habitat due to natural causes (e.g., storms, fire) or human development may all contribute to changes in bird species count totals. The CBC uses the 10-year average as one yardstick to provide some context for a particular year’s count totals. The numbers in parentheses following the name of a bird in this report are the total number seen in this year’s CBC, and the percentage as a ratio of the species count to the species’ 10-year average (e.g., a percentage of 100% indicates a match of the 10-year average, 150% indicates a 50% increase over the current 10-year average, and 70% indicates 70% of the 10-year average.).

Highlights

A Pine Grosbeak was seen for the first time on the EAS CBC. It was found in Redmond, photographed, and posted to eBird. One Red Crossbill was heard by a home feeder watcher who confirmed the call with the Merlin app. A flock of 30 Snow Geese was observed in the Snoqualmie Valley. This was the largest count of Snow Geese on the Eastside Audubon CBC. A total of seven Northern Harriers was the highest recorded on our CBC.

Trends

Ducks and Geese

Waterfowl numbers continue their annual variation. Cackling Geese dropped from previous high years (4901, 85%), as did Canada Geese (769, 66%). I am beginning to believe that the high counts of 2018-2020, the COVID-19 years may have been due to fewer people and reduced activity in the Snoqualmie Valley during those years, but we may never know for certain. The count for these two species is down by 50% from those years.  

Canvasback (24, 267%) repeated their good showing again this year. For decades, Canvasback numbers were in single digits, and we do not know how to account for the increase in the last two CBCs. For the second year in a row, Ring-necked Ducks (201, 123%) were above the 10-year average. American Wigeon (320, 108%), Green-winged Teal (94, 95%), Hooded Merganser (55, 89%), and Northern Shoveler (36, 106%) were all close to their 10-year average. However, Wood Duck (16, 67%), Mallard (588, 56%), and Common Merganser (38, 46%) were far below their 10-year average. The large number of Northern Pintails in 2023 (189) was an aberration, but the count of only four this year is just as aberrant (4, 5%) showing a surprising volatility in the numbers for pintail. Counts of one Lesser Scaup and no Greater Scaup were disappointing. Also absent was Barrow’s Goldeneye, and Common Goldeneye (7, 44%) was far below the 10-year average.

Grebes, Pigeons, Hummingbirds, Coots, and Rails

Pied-billed Grebes (64, 84%) held steady this year, but Western Grebes (27, 60%) were low. There were no Red-necked Grebes counted this year. For the second year in a row, we counted seven Virginia Rails (7, 117%). Anna’s Hummingbirds were in a steep drop (38, 43%) below their 10-year average of 88. Mouning Doves (42, 191%) did well again at nearly two times their 10-year average. Rock Pigeons (155, 124%) were present as usual. However, Eurasian Collared-Doves tanked (5, 13%), and we dipped on Band-tailed Pigeon.

Gulls, Cormorants, and Herons

Short-billed Gulls (109, 24%) rebounded some but are far below their 10-year average. Observers reported high winds on Lake Sammamish which undoubtedly impacted the count of birds in that area. Glaucous-winged Gulls (110, 93%) and Ring-billed Gulls (22, 92%) were present in usual numbers. They typically hang out closer to shore. California Gulls (10, 200%) were around the lake on count day. Double-crested Cormorants (129, 93%) maintained their presence. Great Blue Herons (34, 76%) remained below their 10-year average. One Green Heron was found along Issaquah Creek.

Shorebirds

The wonderful flock of 42 Wilson’s Snipe in 2023 was followed up this year by only one snipe being counted. Killdeer (5, 13%) were also in low numbers. One Spotted Sandpiper was seen.

Raptors and Owls

Fifty-one Bald Eagles (51, 128%) were the most since 50 were seen in 2019 and 61 in 2016. Red-tailed Hawks (38, 100%) were seen in average numbers. Northern Harriers (7, 233%) doubled their 10-year average. Four Cooper’s Hawks (4, 80%), one Sharp-shinned Hawk (1, 100%), and two unidentified accipiters completed the count for that genus. American Kestrel (9, 150%) made another nice showing above their 10-year average. Kestrels were counted in double-digits in three of the previous five years. A Great Horned Owl and a Barn Owl were reported on count day. After a bonus year in 2023, Barred Owl was seen this year only in count week.

Woodpeckers, Kingfisher, and Shrike

Northern Flicker (73, 79%), Downy (18, 64%), Hairy (9, 69%), and Pileated Woodpeckers (2, 29%) all fell back and were below their 10-year averages. Red-breasted Sapsuckers (2, 33%) continued their decline on our count to such an extent that their 10-year average has declined from nine in 2018 to six this year. We have no information about why their numbers appear to be declining. Belted Kingfisher (13, 108%) was back to its average count.

Corvids

American Crows (1635, 145%) nearly doubled last year’s count. Common Ravens (10, 53%) dropped precipitously to the lowest count after 12 years of double-digit counts with a high of 27 in 2023. Steller’s Jays (45, 44%) also declined to less than half their average. With no one available to climb Tiger Mountain we were unable to document the presence of Canada Jays this year.

Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Creepers

Black-capped (244, 76%) and Chestnut-backed Chickadees (145, 93%) moved back to average numbers. Bushtits (63, 46%) dropped to half their 10-year average numbers. Red-breasted Nuthatches (51, 146%) showed well, and Brown Creepers (19, 79%) maintained close to their average count.

Thrushes and Warblers

Varied Thrushes (22, 56%) and American Robins (447, 84%) were somewhat below their average numbers. No Hermit Thrushes were seen this year.  After a banner year  in 2023 Yellow-rumped Warblers (5, 63%) and Townsends Warbler (1, 25%) were below average.

Finches

Numbers for finches can be unpredictable, and this year’s totals are no exception. Pine Siskin (699, 135%) appear to be in an irruption year. Purple Finch (22, 79%) and American Goldfinch (59, 109%) both rebounded and House Finch (119, 87%) came close to their 10-year average. One Red Crossbill was heard but Evening Grosbeaks eluded our observers.

Sparrows

Dark-eyed Juncos (613, 77%) stayed close to average range after flying high at 1,387 in 2022. Sparrow numbers were down overall. Fox Sparrows (25, 51%) and Song Sparrows (114, 52%) remained well below average. However, Golden-crowned Sparrows (103, 90%), White-crowned Sparrows (45, 102%) stayed steady. Spotted Towhees (79, 53%) dropped by almost half of their count for the past two years. Lincoln Sparrow (2, 67%) and White-throated Sparrow (Count Week only) are regular but in low numbers on our count.

Blackbirds

Red-winged Blackbirds (470, 107%) improved slightly over the past two years. Brown-headed Cowbirds (7, 50%) showed up. Brewer’s Blackbird and Western Meadowlark made count week.

Count Week Birds

Six Count Week birds brought our total bird species count to 99. Common Loon and Cedar Waxwing were found in Marymoor Park, Barred Owl in Bellevue, Western Meadowlark on Neal Road, Fall City, White-throated Sparrow in Redmond, and Brewers Blackbird at Sikes Lake were posted on eBird checklists from within our count circle during the three days before and three days after our count day.

I am grateful for all our volunteer team members and feeder watchers who completed the count of birds in our count circle. Thank you all for your dedication to the birds and for collecting important information which I have sent to National Audubon.

Andy McCormick, CBC Compiler
Eastside Audubon
Washington

Green Tip of the Month

January 2025 Green Tip of the Month

Happy New Year! Let's begin the new year with gratitude for all we have and the beauty of this planet. Remember to take care of yourself and be compassionate, as this world can be overwhelming. You are not alone, and we need each other.

January will be a tough month for me, but I am gearing up to do what I can for the environment over the next four years, and I cannot be silent. Rest up, and let's do what we can to protect our birds, green spaces, and the environment. Your voice and actions matter.

Here are a few ways that you can commit to a Green mindset this new year:

• Minimize Single-Use Items: Swap out disposable items like plastic water bottles, straws, and shopping bags for reusable ones.

• Buy Less, Buy Smart: Before purchasing anything, ask yourself if you truly need it, or consider buying second-hand to reduce demand for new resources.

• Start Composting: Divert food scraps and yard waste from the landfill by starting a compost pile or using a compost service.

• Embrace Energy Efficiency: Replace old light bulbs with energy-efficient LED ones, unplug devices when not in use, and consider a programmable thermostat.

• Support Sustainable Brands: Choose products from companies that prioritize environmental sustainability.

• And, as always, pick up litter where you can: Consider bringing a small trash bag with you when you’re on a walk or outside to pick up any litter. The birds and wildlife will thank you!

Cheers!

Jeannine Sielinski

2024 Marymoor Park Recap and Goals

2024 Marymoor Park Recap and Goals

Written by Alice Xing, Marymoor Coordinator

In 2024, the monthly Marymoor habitat restoration workparty had 237 volunteers. We planted 131 native shrubs and trees, including bigleaf maples, Garry oaks, Oregon grapes, Nootka roses, and Western red cedars. We spread almost 70 cubic yards of mulch and removed over 50 cubic yards of invasive species like common hawthorn, Himalayan blackberry, and reed canary grass. This work to increase biodiversity provides food and habitat for native and migratory birds – Marymoor park is a big park with protected environment as well as an important piece of the Pacific flyway. 

We meet at Lot G in Marymoor park at 9am by the red Eastside Audubon kiosk. I get people signed in, with parking passes if they need them, and give an introduction to who we are and what we’re doing that day. We then pass out tools and gloves as needed and get to work – we might be planting native species, or mulching previous plantings, or cutting and uprooting invasive species. It can be strenuous work, but we each work at our own pace and take breaks as needed. We start cleaning up and putting tools away at 11:30 or 11:45 so that we can be done at noon. Recently, we’ve started sharing feedback and reflections as a group before dispersing.

Mushroom at Marymoor Park

Being at the workparty is a lot of fun – we get distracted by the birds, scenery, and wildlife, in a good way! Sometimes we discuss whether the bird silhouetted in the tree over there is a robin or a cedar waxwing. We’ve seen cute furry neighbors like a coyote in the park and the occasional field mouse in our shed, and of course the dogs passing by in the dog park and on leash on the trails. In the fall, we see interesting mushrooms.

Volunteers at Marymoor Park planting Oregon Grape and Nootka Roses, December 2024

It’s fun to play outside in the dirt!

Some of our goals for 2025 include:

Savannah Sparrow by Alice Xing

• Maintaining our work from the previous 18 years – keeping Scotch Broom under control, mulching to protect our recent, less-established plantings, laying down cardboard and mulch to control invasive Reed Canary Grass, and doing other maintenance.

• Getting the invasive common Hawthorn saplings and trees under control in our meadow. We need to protect the meadow, which is an important habitat for ground nesting birds like the Savannah sparrow during April-September.

• Updating and replacing our old, sun-bleached signs around the Audubon bird loop. This includes the signs marking the main trail as well as interpretive signs for the surrounding environment.

• Developing a more detailed suitable-plant list for habitat restoration, to guide our future plantings.

• Setting up a Chronolog site, such that passerby can contribute photos for a sort of timelapse of our newly planted Bigleaf Maple grove.

• Expanding our shed storage and re-organize our current supplies.

Lastly, we hope to expand our leadership team! Please let me (Alice, at alicewxing@outlook dot com) or another leader know if you would like to get more deeply involved.

Join the 2024 Christmas Bird Count

Join the Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 14, 2024

Written by Andy McCormick

Registration for the 2024 Eastside Audubon CBC is open! Go to the CBC page to become a feeder watcher, join a field team, and join the Zoom celebration. We will have 15 field teams this year.

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

The EAS CBC is an all-volunteer project, and we have three ways for you to participate.

Become an at-home Feeder Watcher

If you’d like to participate in the CBC but can’t commit to a full day or field count, you can count birds from your house! As long as you live within the 25-mile diameter circle centered on Beaver Lake in Sammamish, you can register as a Feeder Watcher. Spend an hour or two counting birds in your backyard and submit that valuable data for science.

Join a field team

Our chapter has 15 field teams being led by experienced birders who are accepting 3-8 volunteer participants. You can see the groups and the areas they count on the CBC page. Registration is open until December 10.

Everyone is invited to the CBC Zoom Social!

This is an appreciation for the bird counters who have spent the entire day observing and tallying bird counts in the largest citizen science project in the world. At the end of our count day on December 14th, we will look at the results and have a conversation about the CBC over Zoom. Whether you have participated in CBC or not, you are welcome to join us!

Please register at the link below if you’d like to attend. The Zoom Social will be held from 5-7pm on December 14th, after the count.

JOIN THE COUNT FOR FUN AND SCIENCE

The CBC is the world’s largest and longest-running community science data collection project. The 2024-2025 count period from December 14 to January 5 marks the 125th CBC sponsored by the National Audubon Society. It will be Eastside Audubon’s 41st CBC.

Whether you participate by joining a field team, watching your feeder at home, or sharing in the experience of the day at the dinner, you can register for the event you want to join below. Late registrations, please email Andy McCormick at amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org

See you on Count Day!

A Note from the President

END OF YEAR LETTER 2024

A Note from the President

Jeremy Lucas, President of Eastside Audubon Society

Last year when I sent out the End of Year letter, I said that my first year as President gave me a great deal of appreciation for our members, donors, and volunteers. In 2024, as our reach continues to grow and expand, I am even more humbled and grateful to all our supporters. It has been an honor to be the President of an organization full of such amazing and dedicated folks passionate about birds and environmental issues.

My theme in last year’s letter was what birds are telling us and what we need to do to respond. In 2024, we all worked together! We are still, after 18 years, creating native habitat at Marymoor Park by planting trees and shrubs and removing invasive species. In January 2025, we will be planting trees and shrubs in a residential area of Redmond, creating more valuable bird habitat. To further partner with our supporters, we have hosted not one but TWO native trees and shrubs giveaways — helping more folks create habitat at home! We also kicked off our small but mighty ‘Tiny Forests’ project.

Restoration work isn’t the only thing. We have started to find our stride by increasing the number of in-person Program Nights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, as well as participating in more “tabling” events that allow us to talk to more people about the importance of a healthy environment. Speaking of the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, we have also partnered with them to lead bird walks for their year-long Lost Birds Project exhibit.

Of course, at the end of the day, we are here to enjoy birds! Our volunteers work hard in planning, orchestrating and leading bird walks to connect birders of all skill levels to nature. We have also continued to conduct our more scientific bird counts with programs like Climate Watch and the Christmas Bird Count.

None of this is possible without all our support over the years. For 44 years, Eastside Audubon has shared the passion of birds with our friends, family, neighbors and community. As a mostly volunteer organization, we depend on your support. Since joining Eastside Audubon in 2018, I have been humbled by the work our great volunteers have been able to accomplish!  I have made life-long friends that go beyond birding, planned many projects and went from Volunteer Leader to Conservation Chair to Vice President to President.

In reflecting on my last two years as the President I am proud of, and at times amazed, at all the things we were able to accomplish together.  The position of being the President of Eastside Audubon has helped me grow tremendously.  I never thought, in my life, that I would manage budgets, bank accounts, look at lease agreements and insurance policies, develop Board Meeting agendas and lead meetings.  What a great experience it has been.

It is bittersweet that I announce that I will be stepping down as President effective January 1, 2025.  I am pleased to announce, with your vote, of course, that John Spilker will be our new President.  I look forward to the future of this organization under his leadership as we grow to new heights in a potentially challenging few years that lie ahead.

As for me, don’t worry…you aren’t getting rid of me that easily!  😊  I will stay on as a voting Board Member (again, with your vote of course) and take on special projects like leading Birdathon planning, co-leading Climate Watch, and co-leading restoration projects.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of us at Eastside Audubon.

One last thing I will mention.  We are working our way through a very large email migration project.  I will spare you all the details but in the long term, this should make it much easier for all of us to communicate effectively but will create a few short-term bumps.  As you reach out to any of the Board Members or Volunteer Leaders at Eastside Audubon, please be patient as we get our email server migrated completely.

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A Note from the Vice President

No one is more disappointed to see Jeremy step down than I am. Jeremy brings tremendous energy to the organization and has an amazing ability to connect with people and make them feel welcome. We all owe Jeremy a great deal of gratitude for his leadership, the outstanding work he has done, and the accomplishments he mentioned in his note. I am delighted that he will remain on the board and continue working on key projects such as Birdathon.

I’ve been a member of EAS for about five years. I’ve been active in the photography group and joined the board about three years ago.

It’s hard to overstate the impact COVID-19 had on our organization. Many of our programs came to a standstill during the lockdown, and restarting them is no small task, especially as many key people have moved on.

Nonetheless, I am confident that we have a strong and energetic board, as well as a dedicated membership. In the coming year, we will focus on revitalizing birding classes and bird walks while placing greater emphasis on habitat restoration.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any concerns or questions.

Thank you,
John Spilker

Green Tip of the Month

Green Tip of the Month: December

I'm sharing a few ideas that may resonate with you. Happiest of Holidays!

• Reuse wrapping paper for this year's gifts: I've made a habit of this, and it feels good and looks great. Save money and paper while adding a personal touch to your presents. If you haven’t saved wrapping paper in previous years, you can also use eco-friendly options like recycled paper or fabric instead! Then, remember to save this years wrapping paper for next year.

• Give experiences for Christmas: Join a bird walk with your family or friends to enjoy the wonders of nature together.

• Be conscious of leaving your Holidays lights on at night: Having lights on at night make it hard for birds and wildlife to get a good night sleep, so turning your lights off at night or having them on a timer will make a big difference. Consider also decorating with energy-efficient lights or natural elements like pinecones and greenery.

• Pick up litter on your walks: Help keep critters and birds safe from harmful plastics or Styrofoam by picking up litter during your walks.

• Keep fresh water out for birds this winter! By offering fresh water, you help birds stay hydrated, maintain their health, and conserve their energy during a season when resources are limited.

Saturday, December 14th is the Christmas Bird Count

We need volunteers to participate in the longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations. If you can't make it to the field, you can still contribute by counting birds from your home. For more details, please see the Christmas Bird Count page or contact Andy McCormick at amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org.

See you in 2025!  Cheers

Jeannine Sielinski

Plants for Birds Giveaway Recap

Plants for Birds Giveaway Recap

On November 9th, Eastside Audubon hosted our very first ‘Plants for Birds’ giveaway! After the success of our Tree giveaway earlier this year, we continued to learn about the need for smaller shrubs and trees in our community. National Audubon Society awarded EAS a grant earlier this year to continue our efforts to support native habitats — and we are so happy with the result.

We provided 800 shrubs to 230 homes! Plants that we gave away included Salmonberry, Snowberry, Vine Leaf Maple, Red-Flowering Currant, Huckleberry, Hazelnut and Red-Twig Dogwood. These plants were selected for their ability to provide food, habitat and nesting materials for native birds.

The event was promoted in English, Spanish, Hindi and Chinese to reach more community members. Thanks to the Boy Scouts from Troop 591 who volunteered to help distribute the plants!

For those that missed the event, we will be hosting more native Shrub and Tree giveaways in the next year, so keep an eye on our website! For those that got trees or shrubs from us, thank you for your support.

To learn more about Native Plants and get inspiration for your own garden, please visit our Plants for Birds page where we have a list of plants and information on what they can provide and what birds they are good for!