Teacher Grant Award for 2021-22

Teacher Grant Award for 2021-22

Written by Mary Britton-Simmons

Annually the Youth Education Committee awards Teacher Grants to low-income schools on the Eastside. This year’s grant of $450.00 has been awarded to the principal of Kenmore Elementary School in the Northshore School District. Her profile on the school website describes Geetha George-Shapiro as “most proud of the connections she has made along the way with students she now calls her friends. Her work mostly in elementary schools has been rooted in equitable practices, social justice, social emotional learning, student leadership, and mindfulness.” Ms. George-Shapiro plans to use the grant money to create gardens in her school. In fact, she has already purchased some of the supplies she will need. 

Over the years, we have awarded grants to numerous schools for a variety of projects, including the following: to a secondary school for rehabilitation work on a park trail, to an elementary school for the purchase of 100 nature-themed books for fourth grade classes to share, to a middle school for a time-lapse camera and supplies for a pond study. You, the members of EAS, make all these grants possible through your generous donations. Your reward this year is knowing that these projects have inspired students to become stewards of the environment.

Photo of the Month

Photo of the Month

Dorothy Sowell is the Eastside Audubon Society’s first Photo of the Month winner for her shot of a Black-necked Stilt at Hayton Reserve in Skagit County. Other members of the EAS Photography Group tried to photograph the bird, but Dorothy was the one who was successful.

The photo was no fluke. Dorothy’s tenacity is inspiring. She never fails to present a wide selection of high-quality photos at the photography group’s monthly meeting. Her work is the result of her trips to Marymoor Park, Juanita Bay Park, American Bittern Pond, Wiley Slough, Hayton Reserve, and the Issaquah area.

Dorothy is relatively new to EAS and Puget Sound. She moved to Issaquah from Oregon in May 2020 and joined the Society a few months later. Since then, she has been a regular participant in the monthly photography group meetings on Zoom. She’s says she has learned great photography tips as well as the best places for birding from the group’s members.

The winning photo was taken on the morning of October 16 at Hayton Reserve during low tide. It was her first visit to the Skagit Valley area The photo was shot in RAW mode on a Canon Rebel T7i with a Canon EF 400 mm lens (ISO: 1000; Aperture: f/8.0; Shutter: 1/1000).

Always a lover of nature and hiking, birding has gotten more exciting for Dorothy after she purchased the telephoto lens. “Seeing details on birds and waterfowl – colors, patterns, feathers – really amazes her and enhances the birding experience,” she says.

The Photo of the Month award was instituted at this month’s meeting to recognize the great photography work of members who share their knowledge of photography and local wildlife. To attend the meeting, please join the group’s announcement list.

Black-necked Stilt by Dorothy Sowell

Christmas Bird Count, Feeder Watch, and Zoom Celebration

Christmas Bird Count, Feeder Watch, and Zoom Celebration

Written by Andy McCormick, CBC Compiler

Eastside Audubon will be conducting the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in our count circle on Saturday, December 18, 2021. As we did last year, we will conduct the count with small teams and be following the Eastside Audubon COVID-19 protocol. 

We are also recruiting people to join our CBC Feeder Watch Team and count birds at home. The only limitation is that you have to watch birds within the CBC Count Circle, which you can see below. 

Any Audubon member may join the Post-Count Zoom Celebration and review the count day activities. 

All registrations for Christmas Bird Count activities begin at https://www.eastsideaudubon.org/christmas-bird-count.

Each year our feeder watch team has been growing and we hope you will consider watching birds at your feeder and entering the total into our database to be included in the CBC total count. First, register with Eastside Audubon. Then, on Saturday, December 18, choose a two-hour period when the birds will be busiest around your feeder or yard. 

Here is how to join the EAS CBC Feeder Watch Team and count birds at home. The deadline for registrations is December 12, 2021.

1. Register with Eastside Audubon by completing the online form at https://www.eastsideaudubon.org/christmas-bird-count.

2. We will check your address to determine if your home falls within the EAS CBC Count Circle and let you know if you are eligible to be a feeder watcher. You can check the Count Circle below.

3. Feeder watchers should watch their feeders for two consecutive hours. Count the maximum number of a species you see or hear at any one time. For example, if you start watching at 7:00 a.m. and see 3 Black-capped Chickadees at 7:20, but at 8:00 a.m. you see 5, your count would be 5, not 8. In another example, if you see a Steller’s Jay at 7:10, see 2 and hear a third from a nearby tree at 8:20, and 2 more at 8:50, your count will be 3 Steller’s Jays, the most seen and/or heard at one time.

4. As soon as you can after you count birds enter the data into the Feederwatch Data Sheet online. If you cannot enter data from your computer or cell phone make a list of the birds and the highest number you saw at one time and mail them to: Eastside Audubon, P.O. Box 3115, Kirkland, WA 98083-3115, or email them to amccormick@eastsideaudubon.org.

5. Thank you for being a feeder watcher and adding the birds in your yard to the Christmas Bird Count data.

EAS COUNT CIRCLE MAP:

Photo credit by Penelope Kipps.

Owls Visit Wellington Elementary School

Owls Visit Wellington Elementary School

Written by Mary Britton-Simmons

While rain fell outside, owls were kept warm and dry inside PACE (Parents Active in Cooperative Education) second and fifth grades at Wellington Elementary in the Northshore School District. For thousands of years, people have been fascinated with owls and attributed various symbols to them: wisdom, dread, knowledge, spirit world, and even death. In fact, where I lived in Peto, Yucatan, seeing an owl meant that someone in our small Mexican village was going to die. 

Equally fascinated by owls were students in both grades at Wellington. They marveled at their extraordinary hunting behavior due to keen eyesight and remarkable hearing. They ran careful hands over the soft wing and tail feathers of the Snowy Owl, examined a Great Horned Owl egg and skull, and ended the session by listening to and then imitating owl calls. One student even raised his hand and asked me, “Who cooks for you?” A clever ending to a fun and information-packed lesson!

And finally, they became citizen scientists by examining pellets and attaching their discoveries of skulls and other bones to a chart. Excited shouts rang out: “I found a feather.” “Look at the skull hidden in my pellet.” “My parents will really like all the bones glued to my chart.”

Our last message to the students was the importance of keeping our earth safe for owls as their numbers are decreasing. Through our programs, we always hope to inspire students to be stewards of the environment and to consider science as a career. We plant seeds (or in this case, bones) and hope they sprout!

Stay Connected With Eastside Audubon’s Virtual Programs

Stay Connected With Eastside Audubon’s Virtual Programs

Written by Jeremy Lucas

The COVID-19 pandemic created a lot of challenges and also opportunities for Eastside Audubon, as it did for many other organizations.  A perfect example was how we hosted our Program Nights.  Before the pandemic, Program Nights were hosted in person.  There is, of course, a lot to be said about meeting up with your “birding family” and listening to subject matter experts as they present from a variety of environmental topics. But due to the pandemic, Eastside Audubon adapted and switched Program Nights over to virtual events.

Migrating to a virtual platform has taken away our ability to meet up and see old friends.  However, with this migration, we have been able to record and share our virtual Program Nights.  Did you know that Eastside Audubon has a Vimeo page?  You do not need to be a member to watch any of our content.  Were you looking forward to a Program Night but couldn’t make it because of your busy schedule?  Did you miss our Bellevue City Council Candidate Forum?  Do you want to see the latest presentation from the Eastside Audubon Photo Group?  Our Vimeo account has got you covered.

You can see our page here.  Do consider signing up for a Vimeo account and following our page.  If you have thoughts about what you might like to see, feel free to drop us a message.

Use Your Voice to Advocate for Birds

Use Your Voice to Advocate for Birds

Written by Adam Maxwell of Audubon Washington and Lori Danielson

The Audubon in Washington Advocacy Day is scheduled for December 7th, 2021. Audubon Washington will be working with local chapters to schedule virtual meetings with legislators that will provide the opportunity for you to join other chapter members in speaking up for the birds. No need to go to Olympia, instead we’ll talk to the legislators from the comfort of home!  Register here if you’d like to join.

Speaking to your representatives is one of the most powerful actions you can take to help steer the future of our region. The legislature meets for a short 60-day session in 2022, which means it’s even more important to take the opportunity to make sure Audubon’s priorities are top of mind before our legislators head into the new year. We’ll be looking to advance policies that support bird-friendly clean energy, Puget Sound recovery, and carbon-friendly agriculture. 

Join us in making sure our state legislators do everything they can in the upcoming legislative session to protect the places birds and people need to thrive in a changing climate.

To help you prepare, local Audubon leaders will be hosting preparatory meetings in late November and early December. Our state’s Audubon Washington office will also host sessions to go over our policy agenda and answer any questions you may have. Together we have the power to make sure our elected officials are ready to get to work in 2022, protecting birds and people, now and into the future.