Birdathon is Here! Join One of Our Special Events
By Lori Danielson
We’re kicking off Birdathon events this year on April 30th and they’ll continue through May 21st. Birdathon is the biggest annual fundraiser for Eastside Audubon and we have scheduled several special birding trips, a “Big Sit” and a bird photography workshop designed especially for beginners. We even have a Big Day competition with prizes! See the event descriptions below.
These seven April and May events with their registration links (for some events) are also on our website calendar here. Please look there for any updates. Your donations, paid online or provided to the trip leader at the start of the trip, will support the chapter’s conservation, education, and advocacy work. We look forward to having you join us to view our spring birds and support the chapter!
*** POINT NO POINT, HANSVILLE WALK ***
DATE: SATURDAY, APRIL 30
TIME: 6:15 AM departure from Kirkland Park & Ride to be on 7:10 AM ferry from Edmonds to Kingston.
DONATION: $25 suggested donation to Eastside Audubon for Birdathon.
MEETING PLACE: Meet at north end of the Kingsgate Park & Ride, 13001 116th Ave NE, Kirkland, WA 98034 at 6:15 AM for carpooling.
REGISTRATION: REQUIRED. Registration link here.
DESCRIPTION: Hansville, Point No Point, and Foulweather Bluff are excellent spots for seeing seabirds including Marbled Murrelet, Rhinocerous Auklet and other alcids, Bonaparte’s Gull, and Long-tailed Duck is possible, Loons, grebes, and Black Brant should be around. The area is on a migrant flyway, and we will also bird the marsh, and walk the wooded Point No Point trail, and look skyward for a variety of flight migrants including warblers, vireos, and other birds heading north. We will also walk the wooded trail at Foulweather Bluff and visit two other parks in Hansville. Bring binoculars, camera, (scope is optional), lunch, fluids, and a snack. Dress for the weather. We will walk from the cars up to a mile on two different forest trails, but some may want to continue a sea watch instead. Restrooms are available on the ferry, at the lighthouse, and in Hansville. Back by early evening depending on ferry service. Discover Pass is needed by drivers. Carpool cost: $10.00 per non-driver, plus cost of ferry, shared equally by riders. Contact trip leader Andy McCormick at 425-518-0892 with any questions.
ALTERNATIVE MEETING PLACE: Those who wish to meet in Hansville should take the 7:10 AM ferry from Edmonds, then WA-104 from the Kingston ferry terminal for two miles, turn right on Hansville Road NE for eight miles. In Hansville turn right on NE Point No Point Road for one mile and park in the lighthouse parking lot.
*** NISQUALLY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PHOTOGRAPHY WALK ***
100 Brown Farm Road, Olympia, WA 98516
DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 7
TIME: 7:30 AM – 10 AM
DONATION: $25 suggested donation to Eastside Audubon for Birdathon.
MEETING PLACE: Meet before 7:30 AM in front of the Nisqually Refuge’s visitor center entrance.
REGISTRATION: NOT REQUIRED. Contact Raghav at raghuvmehta@gmail.com with any questions.
DESCRIPTION: Any experienced bird photographer will tell you that bird photography is hard but extremely rewarding. Birds can be elusive and only present for momentary opportunities for the photographer. This field trip is designed help new photographers learn how to find and photograph birds. It will be led by Raghav Mehta, a veteran bird photographer and winner of two Eastside Audubon photography awards. Access to a DLSR or mirrorless camera and telephoto lens is recommended but not required.
The Nisqually Wildlife Refuge is home for some 20,000 migratory waterfowl. The grasslands teem with mice and voles that are meals for hawks, owls, and eagles. Thick cattails and sedges provide homes to marsh wrens, soras, bitterns, and swallows. The refuge has a daily fee of $3.00 per four adults. This can be paid at the kiosk outside the visitor center. If you have a pass for the refuge, please keep it with you and don't leave it in your vehicle. Read more details about the refuge here. There are well-maintained restrooms available at the visitor center.
This is a meet-you-there trip. Please meet before 7:30 AM in front of the visitor center entrance. We will not be carpooling and the walk is limited to those vaccinated against COVID-19. The trip leader is fully vaccinated. Please bring a bottle of water, a snack if you like, and wear comfortable shoes & appropriate clothing as per the weather. This trip is a leisurely walk, with a mostly flat grass/gravel/pavement/boardwalk for 2 to 4 miles.
*** IDYLWOOD PARK "BIG SIT" STATIONARY BIRD WATCHING ***
3650 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE, Redmond, WA 98052
DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 14
TIME: 6 AM – 12 PM, choose a 1 to 2 hour time period.
DONATION: $25 suggested donation to Eastside Audubon for Birdathon.
MEETING PLACE: Idylwood Park’s northern beach area, directly downhill from the parking area.
REGISTRATION: REQUIRED. Contact Anne Wehrly by email at annewehrly@gmail.com to pre-register for a time slot or with any questions.
DESCRIPTION: We will try out a different way to bird, sitting in camp chairs near the Lake Sammamish shoreline, with our binoculars and a spotting scope. Both waterfowl and songbirds will be present in good variety, and bald eagles are commonly seen here as well. This event could be great for people with mobility or energy limitations, and also for beginning birders.
The Big Sit will run from 6 AM until noon, and participants will be asked to pre-register for a 1-2 hour time slot so we don't get overcrowded. Bring your own camp chair, protection from cold, sun or rain as appropriate, and snacks if desired. This park has accessible parking and restrooms. Meet in the northern beach area, directly downhill from the parking area.
*** BIRDING COMPETITION FOR GLOBAL BIG DAY ***
DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 14
TIME: Between 12 AM (midnight) to 11:59 PM
DONATION: $10 registration fee per participant to Eastside Audubon for Birdathon.
MEETING PLACE: None.
REGISTRATION: REQUIRED. Registration link here.
DESCRIPTION: Global Big Day is an annual celebration of the birds around us. To celebrate this day, Eastside Audubon is conducting a fun birding competition! This competition will give birders opportunities to:
Contribute important data through eBird checklists to help scientists better understand birds.
Donate to Eastside Audubon to support its work to preserve and enhance ecosystems for the benefit of birds.
Compete with other birders, have fun and win some cool prizes!
How to participate?
Register as an individual or team. Registration fee is $10 per participant. Last date to register is May 13, 2022.
Create a trip report (Named GBD_Team/Individual Name) on eBird and share it with eastsideAS on eBird. Learn how to create a trip report here. Don’t have an eBird account? Get started here.
Go birding on May 14th and add all checklists into the trip report for review by the judges.
Results to be announced through mail and social media on May 22nd!
Competition Guidelines
Checklists should be created while birding in Washington State.
Checklists should record birds seen/heard only between midnight May 14 to midnight May 15.
Birds can be identified by sight or sound.
Playback of recorded bird songs should not be used to lure birds in.
All participants should follow the ABA Code of Ethics.
Additional Guidelines for teams
At least two of the team members should identify each species recorded.
Team members should bird together (within shouting distance) and should not split up to cover more area.
Prizes
There will be prizes for two individuals who record the greatest number of species; a prize for the team which most number of species recorded; a prize for individual who spots the rarest bird, and a lucky draw participant prize!
Winners can choose one of these three cool birding accessories as their prize:
We look forward to your participation! If you have any questions, please feel free to write to shrutijayaprakash@gmail.com.
*** NISQUALLY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE WALK ***
100 Brown Farm Road, Olympia, WA 98516
DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 15
TIME: 7 AM
DONATION: $25 suggested donation to Eastside Audubon for Birdathon.
MEETING PLACE: Meet at 7 AM in front of the Nisqually Refuge’s visitor center.
REGISTRATION: NOT REQUIRED. Contact Shruti by email at shrutijayaprkash@gmail.com with any questions.
DESCRIPTION: Join Raghav and Shruti for a bird walk at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. The refuge has various types of habitats and hence a wide variety of birds. We expect to see spring migrants and a variety of waterfowl and raptors.
We will be meeting at 7:00 AM in front of the refuge’s visitor center. The four-mile round-trip walk will be at a leisurely pace on flat terrain and will take approximately 4 hours. Please bring your binoculars, a bottle of water and a snack if you like; and wear comfortable shoes and weather appropriate clothing. The refuge has a daily fee of $3.00 per four adults. This can be paid at the kiosk outside the visitor center. If you have a pass for the refuge, please keep it with you and don't leave it in your vehicle. Read more details about the refuge here. There are well-maintained restrooms available at the visitor center.
*** RATTLESNAKE AND CHRISTMAS LAKES WALK ***
DATE: TUESDAY, MAY 17
TIME: Meet at 7 AM to carpool.
DONATION: $25 suggested donation to Eastside Audubon for Birdathon.
MEETING PLACE: At the uncovered Tibbetts Lot at 1675 Newport Way NW, Issaquah.
REGISTRATION: REQUIRED. Registration link here. Contact trip leader Andy McCormick at 425-518-0892 with any questions.
DESCRIPTION: Rattlesnake and Christmas Lakes offer a variety of habitats for spring birding in the Cascade foothills near North Bend. We will walk on a paved trail with some slight inclines along the shore of Rattlesnake Lake looking for MacGillivray’s Warbler, Rufous Hummingbird, Warbling Vireo, Spotted Sandpiper, and Osprey. Then we’ll follow the Christmas Lake gravel and dirt foot trail looking for Pacific-slope flycatchers, hoping for an Olive-sided Flycatcher (uncommon), Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers, various swallows, Yellow and Black-throated Gray Warblers, and Common Yellowthroat. The old red alders, second-growth conifers, black cottonwoods, wetlands and lake provide a variety of habitats and possibly some unexpected species. Total walking distance is about three miles over paved, gravel, and dirt paths. Bring binoculars, camera, (scope is optional), lunch, water and a snack. Dress for the weather. We will return by early afternoon. Carpool cost is $9.00.
ALTERNATIVE MEETING PLACE: Those who prefer to meet at Rattlesnake Lake take I-90 east and Exit 32 to turn right onto 436th Ave SE. Drive 5 miles to the Rattlesnake Lake parking area. Please arrive by 7:45 AM.
*** LAKE SAMMAMISH STATE PARK WALK ***
2000 NW Sammamish Road, Issaquah, WA 98027
DATE: SATURDAY, MAY 21
TIME: 8 AM – 10:30 AM
DONATION: $25 suggested donation to Eastside Audubon for Birdathon.
MEETING PLACE: Lake Sammamish State Park’s rotunda picnic shelter.
REGISTRATION: NOT REQUIRED. Contact Lori by email at lddanielson@gmail.com with any questions.
DESCRIPTION: Join Lori for a birding tour at Issaquah’s Lake Sammamish State Park. Meet at 8:00 AM at the park’s rotunda picnic shelter, visible near the park entrance. The walk will be at a leisurely pace on flat terrain and will take approximately 2.5 hours. Please bring your binoculars, water and a snack if you like. Wear comfortable shoes and weather appropriate clothing. A Washington State Park Discover Pass is required.
Photo credit: Silverbill Birds by Sajis Rashan De Silva.