Are You Ready for Birdathon in May?

Are You Ready for Birdathon in May?

Birdathon is a fundraising event that lasts for the entire month of May.  The funds we raise support our efforts in promoting birds, education, and conservation.  Last year, we reached out to children and adults at various schools and events to educate the public about the beauty of birds.  We planted and cared for hundreds of native trees and shrubs in Marymoor Park.  We provided numerous field trips.  All of this made possible by your contributions.  This year, we hope to do more.

There are 4 ways you can get involved and help us meet our Birdathon goals.

Join a Field Trip

For 11 months a year, we offer field trips for anyone who simply signs up.  In May, we ask that each participant donate $25 for each field trip they would like to attend.  We have some great trips we are planning, and would love to invite each and every one of you.  Keep an eye on our May calendar as we finalize the details.  And please don’t forget to register and donate!

Support a Big Day Team

A big day is simply any day in the month of May where a team goes out and counts as many birds as possible.  You can support one of our teams by pledging a dollar amount for each bird species that team sees.  For example, if you pledge $1.00 per species and that team sees 100 birds, you helped us raise $100.00!  Simply go to our Birdathon page and click on the team you wish to support!

Global Big Day

How is a Global Big Day different than a Teams Big Day?  A Global Big Day is not a team event where you raise money, but an individual event where you pay $25.00 to join.  On May 13, we would invite you to participate in the eBird Global Big Day.  For $25.00, you can challenge yourself against other Eastside Audubon Birders to see who saw the most bird species and gain bragging rights!  You can learn more by going to our Global Big Day page.  Do note that using eBird and connecting it to Eastside Audubon is a requirement, which you can find instructions on how to do that on our Global Big Day page.

Making a Contribution

Do you just want to make it simple and contribute to our Birdathon efforts to raise funds?  We have a plan for that.  Please consider making a contribution by going here or consider mailing us a check at:

Eastside Audubon

PO Box 3115

Kirkland, WA  98083-3115

No matter which method you choose to support Eastside Audubon, your support is needed more than ever.  We are grateful to all of our supporters, members, and volunteers.  You really do keep the birds singing by connecting people to nature.

As always, I am here to answer any questions you may have.  Please reach out to me at president@eastsideaudubon.org

With gratitude,

Jeremy Lucas

President, Eastside Audubon Society

Gardening for Wildlife

Gardening for Wildlife: Three Native Evergreen Shrubs

Written by Claire Waltman

This little group of native shrubs includes two evergreen shrubs that vie for being my all-time favorite native plant.  Evergreen huckleberry and Cascade or long-leaved Oregon grape are both stalwarts in my garden.  They behave themselves, are carefree, and provide year-round structure to the garden.  If you’re a rule-follower using the guideline for planning a garden with 1/3 evergreen, 1/3 deciduous, and 1/3 perennial plants, these 2 shrubs are excellent choices.  Both are readily available at most retail nurseries.

Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)

Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) grows moderately fast into a slightly irregularly shaped, 3-6 ft shrub.  It prefers sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil.  The 1 ¼” glossy leaves form very dense cover for the birds year-round and the berries provide food in summer.  It does occasionally send out a gangly stem or two that can be snipped ff to maintain a very tidy shape if you prefer.  I suppose one could shear it, but I’m not a plant-torturer so I wouldn’t know.  The berries are edible and look like small blueberries.  In my opinion they are best eaten straight off the bush while puttering in the garden because they are small and a little tedious to clean.  Once a year though I do indulge in huckleberry pancakes served with huckleberry syrup.  Specimens can be seen up close at the Bellevue Botanical Garden along the path in the Nature Discovery Garden.

Cascade Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa)

Cascade Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa), a very common understory plant in our local forest, is a year-round delight in the garden.  It prefers moist to dry soil in some shade and grows moderately fast into a graceful mounding 2-ft shrub.  This little garden star can be tucked neatly into beds or under trees.  The leaves are dark green in spring and summer turning to a subtle purple red in the fall and winter.  The yellow flowers are held above the foliage in spring to early summer.  The gracefully arching stems provide excellent hiding places for Dark-Eyed Juncos.  This may be a shrub I have over-planted even though good garden design does dictate some repetition.  I have 10-12 scattered about, mostly closely planted in groups of 3.  I’ve also let it grow wild along with sword fern in small section of my back garden where is has spread slowly by rhizomes.  These can also be seen at the Bellevue Botanical Garden throughout the natural area leading to the Ravine Experience Bridge where groups of mahonia can be best appreciated.  Remember that plants growing in the wild must compete for resources and will look a little straggly compared those grown in cultivation.

Note:  There are two Mahonia that I don’t personally recommend.  Tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) can grow up to 10 ft in height with shiny green leaves that are a little too prickly for my tastes.  However, if you need to discourage foot traffic, this could be an excellent choice unless you want to go all out with devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus).  Low Oregon grape (Mahonia repens) is an absolutely beautiful 1-ft evergreen shrub with glorious fall color, but you have to like it a lot because it reseeds avidly so you will have many, many more to like over time.

Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum)

Image courtesy of Canva Images

Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), the state flower of Washington, isn’t as flashy as many of the named hybrids and has a somewhat lanky growth habit.  Still, the pink to purple trusses certainly brighten the woodland garden.  Provide it with some shade and moist to dry soil.  Although it can be quite large, to 25 ft in the forest, it is typically much smaller with a little sunlight.  Mine is roughly 5 feet tall at 10 years.  In additional to the more manageable size, it will also produce more flowers with some sun.  

The Youth Education Committee Needs YOU!

The Youth Education Committee Needs YOU!

Written by Mary Britton-Simmons

The Youth Education Committee is a diverse group of volunteers. What unites us is a strong belief that children who connect to nature at an early age become lifelong stewards of the environment. Through our volunteer work, we hope to inspire youth to make this connection, to become lifelong learners of nature and to live lives dedicated to making the world a better place for all of us.

How can you help? Join our committee. Make a difference in children's lives by volunteering with the Youth Education Committee. Help students at a science fair make bird feeders to take home. Assist a committee member with a classroom presentation.  Take children on a walk to see and identify birds. These are just a few of the many ways you can volunteer to make a difference.

We promise lots of fun and a feeling of giving back to your community. If you cannot make our meetings, you can still volunteer. Contact Mary Britton-Simmons at marybs98272@gmail.com to learn more.

Pacific Northwest Birding Festivals for Spring 2023

Pacific Northwest Birding Festivals for Spring 2023

Written by Andy McCormick

Birding festivals are a booming. Several Washington State festivals have been held annually for more than 20 years. Birding publications a full of ads for festivals. Some birders love them and will travel around attending them over the course of a year. Some birders tend to avoid them. It’s a matter of taste. The festivals bring birders of all skill levels together to focus on an aspect of birding such as shrub-steppe habitat, a bird species such as the Sandhill Crane, or a migration hotspot such as the Olympic Peninsula. 

Costs for festivals vary and some of the popular events have higher fees for the field trips and registering early is important. Typically, there is a registration fee and a charge for each field trip. Lodging and meals are not provided, and these add to the cost of attending a festival. Some festivals have camping facilities nearby. Most festivals offer field trips led by a local birder and limit the number of participants, so groups do not get to large. Most festivals run for a three-day weekend and may be worth a special trip to participate in them. The one-day festivals are smaller affairs and may be worth attending only if you are in the area already. The following 9 Pacific Northwest festivals are listed chronologically between March and June in 2023.

Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival , March 17-19, Blaine Middle School, Blaine, WA

This festival requires a registration fee and offers many free birding field trips and birding cruises for an extra charge. Guest speakers present on aspects of birding and often on seabirds. This festival is in its 20th year. 

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival,  March 24-26, McFarland Middle School, Othello, WA  

The Sandhill Crane festival is in its 25th year. It is a large and popular festival that provides many workshops and field trips ranging in price from $20 for a half-day trip to $80 for premium photography trips. They provide bagged lunches for $20. However, general admission is only $12 and you can attend as many of the lectures as you want. Accommodations range from camping to bed and breakfast to hotels in Moses Lake, a 20-minute drive from Othello. 

Tundra Swan Festival, March 25, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Camas Center for Community Wellness, Cusick, WA  

This is a one-day event to celebrate the migration of Tundra Swans through the Pend Oreille River Valley. It is organized in conjunction with the Kalispel Tribe. If you are in the northeast Washington area at the end of March, it would make a vrey nice additional stop on your trip. You can learn about the swans and the Kalispel community.

Olympic Birdfest, April 13-16, Dungeness River Nature Center    

This is another popular birding festival which attracts birders from around the country. In fact, most attendees live outside Washington. This festival is a partnership of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, and the Dungeness River Nature Center. It offers many field trips around the Northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula including the Dungeness Spit and a cruise around Protection Island. Field trips run about $30 each and some classes are $40. Special full-day trips led by famed Olympic leader Bob Boekelheide are $95 per person. It’s worth it. At this writing in early February, some trips are already sold out. This is lovely area for birding, and I recommend a visit in spring even if you don’t attend the festival. 

Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival, May 5-7, Grays Harbor NWR, Hoquiam, WA

This is long-running festival that uses a do-it-yourself model. Registration is only $10. There are no field trips or presentations. Festival volunteers are available on the Sandpiper Trail at the Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge to assist with bird viewing. Festival volunteers also provide information on best birding times based on the Aberdeen tide charts. This tide schedule can be downloaded from the festival website and functions as a guide to birding spots around Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties. This is definitely a hotspot for shorebird viewing whether you participate in the festival or not. 

Yakima River Canyon Bird Fest, May 12-14, Helen McCabe Park, Ellensburg, WA  

This year’s 24th festival has the theme “Get Intimate with Shrub-steppe Habitat.” There is no extra change for field trips, which focus not only on birds, but also geology, sage country habitat, and a special event to get onto the Department of Defense Yakima Training Center, an area of protected sagebrush habitat. A DOD background check is required for this event. Some events require a payment, but the amount is not available without going to the registration page. This is a special and declining habitat in Washington and the Kittitas Environmental Education Network (KEEN) of state, county, federal, and non-profit organizations is committed to preserving it. The event kicks off with a bonfire on Friday night and goes on from there!

Leavenworth Spring BirdFest, May 18-21, Wenatchee River Institute, Leavenworth, WA

This festival is in its 21rd year and it all comes together around World Migratory Bird Day. The festival offers pre-festival field trips in the $8 to $25 range and many more trips on the festival days. Art workshops run $30 to $40. Historically, the festival has involved many members and businesses in the community and the brochure has been printed in Spanish and English. A youth art program continues to be a focus of the festival. 

Meadowlark Nature Festival, May 19-22, Penticton, British Columbia  

Information about the 2023 festival is not available at this time. However, the 2022 schedule is available on the website. Field trips cover a wide range of habitats from valleys to high elevation locations. Prices range from $20 or $30 up to $150 for birding in South Okanagan with Richard Cannings, co-author of Birds of the Pacific Northwest: A Photographic Guide, which I reviewed for Northwest Science. He is probably the most knowledgeable person about birds in British Columbia. This festival sounds like it would be a great introduction to birding in the Okanagan Valley in BC! 

Dean Hale Woodpecker Festival, June 1-4, Creekside Park, Sisters, OR  

This annual event accesses U.S. Forest Service lands on the Eastern slope of the Cascades in Oregon. Habitats include Ponderosa pine forests, riparian areas and high elevation meadows and lakes. Although the focus is on woodpeckers, field trips, which range from $20 to $45, seek out bluebirds, flycatchers, owls, and shorebirds. Register through the East Cascades Audubon Society website. 

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OTHER BIRDING FESTIVALS TO EXPLORE

There are three other festivals in the PNW, but I could not locate any details about them. You might find better information in March.

Annual Harney County Migratory Bird Festival, April 13-16, Burns High School, Burns, OR

Annual Ladd Marsh Bird Festival, May 19-21, Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area, La Grande, OR  

Tualatin River Bird Festival, May 20, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, Sherwood, OR  

FESTIVALS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

If you want to go far afield you can locate birding festivals all over North America and beyond at the All About Birds website from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Enjoy spring birding wherever you decide to go!

Snoqualmie Falls Bird Survey Underway

Snoqualmie Falls Bird Survey Underway

Written by Andy McCormick

The Snoqualmie Tribe and Eastside Audubon have begun a year-long, once-a-month bird survey of the area around Snoqualmie Falls. The survey team is comprised of Tribal Government employees, some of whom are Tribal Members, and the local Audubon chapter. This work is the first joint bird count in the Snoqualmie Falls area. Parcels in the area were recently purchased by the Snoqualmie Tribe and the Audubon group has often had birding groups in the area. The collaboration grew from a mutual interest in studying the birds around Snoqualmie Falls. The tribe is working with the Audubon to provide appropriate access to some of their land for the survey team. 

By meeting once-a-month to cover the same area, the team will learn which birds are year-round residents and when they are joined by migrating birds in spring and fall. The survey will also help determine which bird species are breeding in the area as nesting birds are observed in spring and summer. The knowledge gained during the survey will be helpful with habitat protection for birds and other wildlife, which is a goal shared by both the Tribe and Audubon. 

The first survey morning was held on January 19. During the three-hour survey the team located 17 species of birds. It was a winter morning with overcast skies and temperature hovering around 40. Birds which winter in this area are hardy and many were busy feeding, and a few sang during the morning.  

Song Sparrow by Andy McCormick

Flocks of Cackling Geese and Canada Geese got the day started as they flew over the area early in the day. Around the upper parking area across from the Salish Lodge, a large flock of Dark-eyed Juncos was foraging in the grass. The shrubs around the parking lot were alive with Golden-crowned Kinglets and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Spotted Towhee, and some Song Sparrows. Steller’s Jay, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Varied Thrush were heard calling. In the trees near the gift shop, which is being remodeled, the team found Black-capped Chickadees and one Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and more kinglets and towhees.  

A pair of Mallards made their way along the Snoqualmie River below the falls and three gulls patrolled the area until a Bald Eagle flew in and perched on a snag across from the confluence of Tokul Creek. From the bridge over the creek three American Dippers were seen hopping into and out of the water as they foraged upstream. Dippers have been nesting in the Tokul Creek area for many years and it was good to see them.  

Here is the list of birds and how many were seen and/or heard:

Brown Creeper by Andy McCormick

Spotted Towhee by Andy McCormick

• 25 Cackling Geese

• 4 Canada Geese

• 2 Mallards

• 3 Western X Glaucous-winged hybrid gulls

• 1 Bald Eagle

• 1 Steller’s Jay

• 3 Black-capped Chickadees

• 1 Chestnut-backed Chickadee

• 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets

• 10 Golden-crowned Kinglets

• 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch

• 1 Brown Creeper

• 3 American Dippers

• 1 Varied Thrush

• 19 Dark-eyed Juncos

• 5 Song Sparrows

• 3 Spotted Towhees

Gardening for Wildlife 101

Gardening for Wildlife 101

Written by Claire Waltman

If you think gardening for wildlife isn’t that important or is just too hard to do, I’d like to change your mind.  Urban and suburban areas are expanding despite the movement to increase density within cities.  Every lot that is cleared for a new home or business removes wildlife habitat.  The birds pushed out of that lot need to go somewhere and many of them would be very happy in your backyard.  In Welcome to Subirdia, John Marzloff discusses his data about bird species in suburban areas.  He found a surprising variety and density of birds sharing the suburban environment with us.

A panel of university researchers funded by the National Science Foundation and working with the National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat program have documented the success of gardening for wildlife.  A webinar about their results can be viewed here.  Doug Tallamy’s recent book Nature’s Best Hope underscores the extent of the impact that individuals can have by planting native plants in their own backyard.  So, what are you waiting for?  It’s easy.  It’s fun.  Here’s how to do it.

The basics requirements for wildlife habitat are simple.  (To be honest, I’ve taken this directly from the NWF backyard certification webpage.)

• Food:

  A birdfeeder is not required to provide food to birds.  Seeds, berries, and nuts are common food sources, but perhaps the single most important source is insects.

• Water:

  Birdbaths are an excellent source of water for birds and a source of entertainment for birders.  Even rocks with small indentations that hold rainwater can provide a hydration station.

• Cover:

  Birds need a place to shelter and to hide from predators.  American Robins and European Starlings might be happy with your lawn, but most other birds prefer a more complex environment.  Designing a landscape with layers of trees, shrubs, and groundcover provides a range of places suitable for a wider variety of species.

• Places to raise young:

  Providing nesting sites does not require bird houses.  Trees, shrubs, and snags are natural nesting sites.

• Sustainable practices:

  One of the key elements of gardening for wildlife is the avoidance of pesticides.  Insects are a primary food source for birds and, of course, bees are a primary pollinator for our gardens.

These elements are easily provided in home gardens no matter how small.  The National Wildlife Federation will even certify a balcony as wildlife habitat if it includes the necessary elements.  You don’t have to think big, think small, and move forward.

A word about native plants.  Yes, native plants do provide the optimum habitat for local species, but many of the native plants in our Pacific Northwest forests are just not appropriate for use in urban/suburban gardens.  They are too big, too invasive, or require too much water for use in gardens.  In the next newsletters, I will highlight some our native plants that provide excellent habitat for birds but also fit into small gardens.  

So, if you want to start gardening for wildlife.  Sure, you could hire a landscape architect, rip out all your current garden, and start over.  Or you can take the gentle, let’s not call it lazy, approach and gradually work toward a more bird-friendly garden.  Maybe you can take out a little lawn or expand a current bed to add a few native shrubs.  When updating a bed or planting a tree, you can think first of natives.  Don’t feel like you have to be a purist to provide for wildlife.  Every step helps, every native plant, every pesticide-free yard.  And many nonnative plants benefit birds.  For example, fuchsias are not native to our area, but the hummingbirds and the humans love them.  So, have a cup of coffee, sit down by the window, look out onto your garden, and think about spring and what you could do to support our avian friends.

Here are some resources for getting started.

• National Audubon Plants for Birds webpage has an extensive database of native plants searchable by 5-digit zip code.  Plant descriptions are brief but are linked to a list of birds that may be attracted to each plant.  The Buy Now button is of limited value.

• National Wildlife Federation has had a program of certifying backyard habitats as well as community habitats for years.  Their website details how to provide the essential elements needed by wildlife.  The $20 fee to certify a home garden supports a wide variety of programs.

• Encyclopedia of Northwest Native Plants for Gardens and Landscapes by Robson, Richter, & Filbert is indeed encyclopedic.  The 500-page tome provides photographs of every plant and detailed descriptions of native plants including cultivation and native range.  It is available at the King County Library.

• The Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) website has links to a number of resources for gardening with native plants.  In addition, WNPS chapters have native plant sales with a wider selection of native plants than can be offered by most commercial nurseries.

• King County has an excellent website with an extensive list of native plants.  The website includes sample landscape designs by area such as dry, shade or moist, sunny.

Photo of the Month: November and December

Gary Luhm and Jay Galvin Are the Latest Photographers of the Month

Long-time Eastside Audubon Photography Group members Gary Luhm and Jay Galvin are the latest Photographers of the Month award winners.  

Harlequin Duck by Gary Luhm

Photo details: All photos were shot on a Sony A7 IV camera with the following settings:

Lens 100-400 mm | 1/2,000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 1000

Gary Luhm, a long-time member of the Eastside Audubon photography group, was again named in November the Photographer of the Month for a shot of a Harlequin duck taking off.
Luhm, an expert kayaker, shot the image from a kayak on Chuckanut Bay south of Bellingham. 

“Harlequin Duck are frequently found there, and on this day, I captured several portraits of both males and females”, he said. 

“I hadn't captured a flight shot of a Harlequin Duck in many years. Pushing the bird to fly is unethical, and unwise as well because they will fly away from you and you rarely get another chance,” he added. 

“In this case, I was crouched low in the kayak and got some portraits, but some approaching kayakers drove the bird toward me because they were likely oblivious to the bird. I stayed still and crouched low, and this male Harlequin chose to fly right past my side to ‘safer’ waters. I was very pleased that the camera's bird-eye focus stuck with the bird as it launched. “ 

Harlequin Duck by Gary Luhm

Photo details: All photos were shot on a Sony A7 IV camera with the following settings:

Lens 100-400 mm | 1/2,000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 1000

To see more of Gary's work, including dozens of photos and kayak tips, go to his website at www.garyluhm.net 

Harlequin Duck Taking Off by Gary Luhm

Photo details: All photos were shot on a Sony A7 IV camera with the following settings:

Lens 100-400 mm | 1/2,000 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 1000

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Jay Galvin is the December Photographer of the Month

Coot by Jay Galvin

Photo details: Canon 5D Mark IV | Tamron 150-600 mm lens | 1 /640 of a second at f/9 | ISO 800

Jay Galvin, a talented, long-time member of the Eastside Audubon Society photography group, was selected as the Photographer of the Month in December for his series of photos of Coots he shot in the Auburn area.

“The North side of the pond is bordered by huge Cottonwood trees which make for a beautiful background in the fall,” he said. 

“This pond attracts many species of waterfowl in the fall and winter including cormorants, common mergansers, widgeon, blue herons, cackling geese, kingfishers, and shore birds,” he added. 

Jay also won the award in July for a series of Virginia Rail photos. More of Jay’s work is available on Facebook.

Coot by Jay Galvin

Photo details: Canon 5D Mark IV | Tamron 150-600 mm lens | 1 /640 of a second at f/9 | ISO 800

Coot by Jay Galvin

Photo details: Canon 5D Mark IV | Tamron 150-600 mm lens | 1 /640 of a second at f/9 | ISO 800

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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.

EAS Offers College Scholarships

EAS Offers College Scholarships

Do you know a senior in high school who meets our criteria for a college scholarship?

Our Education Department offers a $5,000.00 award to a senior in our area (School Districts: Northshore, Lake Washington, Bellevue, Issaquah, Snoqualmie Valley, Riverview). The criteria include the following: keen interest in the environment/nature; involvement in extra-curricular activities based on this interest; college plans; teacher or counselor recommendation. Applications are due by the end of March. The application can be found on our website here.

If you have questions, please contact Mary Britton-Simmons at marybs98272@gmail.com.

Photo of the Month

Gary Luhm and Jim Avery are the Latest Eastside Audubon Photographers of the Month

Gary Luhm and Jim Avery are the latest members of the Eastside Audubon Photography Group to be honored for their work.

Pied-billed Grebe by Gary Luhm

Gary Luhm, a long-time member of the group, was named Photographer of the Month in September for a series of Pied-billed Grebe photos shot from his kayak.

Luhm, an expert kayaker, has birded while paddling in environments as varied as Alaska and Baja, Mexico.  The grebe images were shot on Union Bay in Seattle.

“All summer I'd been observing this Pied-billed Grebe family near Foster Island in Seattle, both by kayak and from shore,” he says.  “This was the parents’ second successful brood, which at the time had three one-month-old chicks. I was parked close by in a kayak when I was alerted by the sound of begging chicks and then saw a parent approach with a catfish. A youngster grabbed it, had difficulty swallowing it, and several times the adult snatched the fish back, crushed the skull, and eventually broke its neck. All the while I stayed low by resting the camera lens on the kayak deck and shot short bursts of the action.”

Pied-billed Grebe by Gary Luhm

Gary’s love of bird photography started in the 1990s at about the same time he took up kayaking.  “It started with trips to locations like Tongue Point, where the Harlequin Duck became my spark bird. I took up sea kayaking in 1992. In 2001, I started shooting with a 500 mm f/4  lens from a kayak.  Together, the kayak and big lens confer a wonderful low-angle bokeh.”

To see more of Gary's work, including dozens of photos and kayak tips, go to his website at www.garyluhm.net 

Photo details 

All photos were shot on a Sony A7 IV camera with the following settings:

Lens 100-400 mm | 1/400 of a second at f/5.6 | ISO 1600

Pied-billed Grebe by Gary Luhm

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Jim Avery, a new member of the Eastside Audubon Photography Group, was named Photographer of the Month for a series of photos of a Golden Crown Kinglet. 

The shot was taken at Juanita Bay near the bottom of the hill sloping down from the parking lot at 98th and Forbes Creek.

Photo details 

Shot on a Sony Alpha 1 camera with the following settings:

Lens 600  mm | 1/2000 of a second at f/8 | ISO 125

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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.

Register for the Christmas Bird Count

Register for the Christmas Bird Count, Saturday, December 17

Written by Andy McCormick

Registration for the 2022 Eastside Audubon CBC is open and there are still openings for volunteers to join on some CBC teams and feeder watching. Go to https://www.eastsideaudubon.org/christmas-bird-count to become a feeder watcher, join a field team, and join the Zoom celebration. We will have 15 field teams this year. 

ACCEPTING VOLUNTEERS AGAIN

For the past two years under COVID-19 pandemic conditions, Eastside Audubon has conducted the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) with very small teams of one or two people. We were able to maintain continuity in our data collection, which was important, but we missed having full teams in the field. Now, we are resuming having more volunteers join birding teams for this year’s Christmas Bird Count Day on Saturday, December 17.

The CBC is the world’s largest and longest-running community science data collection project. The 2022-2023 count period from December 14 to January 5 marks the 123rd CBC sponsored by the National Audubon Society. It will be Eastside Audubon’s 39th CBC. 

JOIN THE COUNT FOR FUN AND SCIENCE

The EAS CBC is an all-volunteer endeavor and we have three ways for you to participate. Our chapter has 15 teams being led by experienced birders who are accepting 3-5 volunteer participants. We also support at-home feeder watchers who count birds at their home feeder or other location within the 25-mile diameter circle centered on Beaver Lake in Sammamish. Everyone, whether birding or not,  is invited to join the Zoom celebration after the count. 

FOLLOWING COVID-19 PROTOCOL

Eastside Audubon wants to have more people involved in the CBC, but we also want to be careful to protect everyone from possible spikes in COVID-19 and flu infections. We will keep the field teams to 4-6 participants, and we will require wearing of masks while driving in a car for vaccinated people. We are going to postpone the after-count dinner for one more year and will host a Zoom celebration online.  

Whether you participate by joining a field team, watching your feeder at home, or sharing in the experience of the day via Zoom, you can register for the event you want to join here. Registration closes on Dec. 10.