Morgan Sidoine was named the Eastside Audubon Society Photographer in April for her photograph of a Common Merganser. This is the second time she has won the award.
College Scholarship Winner
College Scholarship Winner
Pinyu Liao, College Scholarship Winner 2023
Pinyu Liao from Inglemoor High School in the Northshore School District won this year’s college scholarship. It was a difficult decision as many of the applications were excellent. In addition to being a bird watcher, Pinyu is particularly interested in “the intersection of human health with environmental impacts, particularly in antibiotic resistance.” In fact, she directed and filmed a documentary on the topic which was screened in Times Square, New York, and led to interviews with the Seattle Times and Forbes Magazine. This interest also led to her work with the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to expand the state health curriculum to include antibiotic resistance.
In 2019 she began a small business, Koala Earth, which donated its profits to WIRES Wildlife Rescue in Australia. Design for Change, a club she founded, followed soon after as she worked at Inglemoor High School on advocacy and activism. She is no stranger to awards: Second Place Grand Award in Microbiology at the 2022 International Science and Engineering Fair; Rising Star in Nanoscience Award and First-Author Presenter at the 23 IEEE Nanomaterials: Applications and Properties Conference in Poland; 74 Million Magazine 16 Most Accomplished Students Under 16 Years Old.
In addition to her remarkable scientific background, she is dedicated to working for humanitarian endeavors and has the leadership skills to accomplish this: Inglemoor ASB Student Body President; Educational Equity District Representative; Dorothy Johnson Humanitarianism Award for Leadership and Community Service. Her plans? She is still looking at colleges, but she will pursue her interest in “using computational tools for humanitarian causes.”
Thanks to the generous donations of the members of Eastside Audubon, the Education Committee has awarded this college scholarship to amazing recipients, like Pinyu, who will spend their lives dedicated to making the world a better place for all to live. We wish her the very best as she pursues her goals.
Are You Ready for Birdathon in May?
Are You Ready for Birdathon?
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 field trips scheduled and encourage everyone to sign up for as many of these as you can! See our May calendar. And please don’t forget to register and donate!
Support a Big Day Team
A Big Day is 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! 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 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 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
Lark Sparrow
Busy Times for the Youth Education Department
Busy Times for the Youth Education Department
Written by Mary-Britton Simmons
The end of winter was a busy time for the Youth Education Department. We started off the season with a new program, a monthly walk for children at Juanita Bay Park. Seventeen intrepid birders, some with and some without children, braved the cold weather as Shruti led us around the park, one of our favorite places to find and identify birds. Watch the Covid Crier for monthly dates and join us!
Later in the month, we spent the day at Ella Baker Elementary School where we gave presentations to four classes of first graders. A Rufus Hummingbird, a male Bufflehead, two Cooper’s Hawks, and others greeted our students as they entered the classroom. There was more to enjoy: feathers with magnifying glasses, bird song books, and even a chance to practice flying on their own. It was wonderful to be in a classroom again. The month ended with a trip to the Newport Library where parents and children were enthralled by the mounts, carefully passed around the Ostrich egg, and stretched arms wide to showcase the wings of a Wandering Albatross.
March provided more fun with students from Providence Classical Christian School in Bothell. Two classes of first graders learned about migration. Our mounts, such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler and Vaux’s Swift, were some of their teachers. Our volunteer carefully explained concepts such as the tools, characteristics, and dangers of migration. They met Hope, a Whimbrel who migrated each fall to St. Croix and back in the spring to northern Canada. Finally the month ended with two STEM nights for the Lake Washington School District at Margaret Mead and Samantha Smith Elementaries.
In April the Youth Education Committee will turn its attention to reading the applications for Eastside Audubon’s College Scholarship. One talented high school senior will earn a $5,000.00 college scholarship from Eastside Audubon. Stay tuned!
Photo of the Month: March
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
Eastside Audubon Society has some exciting events coming up in April and May!
April Program night : Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement | April 27th
Join us for an inspiring evening, where we will learn about the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement and how they are bringing awareness to preserving their ancestral homelands. This event is not only an opportunity to learn about indigenous rights and the impact of recreation on the environment but also a reminder of our duty to be mindful of our impact on the environment when engaging in recreational activities.
Workshop: A shared vocabulary for bird sounds| April 24 & May 1st
Most attempts to teach bird sound identification rely primarily on memorization. This workshop takes a different approach. Just as beginning birders learn the different parts of the bird and how to distinguish colors like “buff” and “rufous,” we will study the different parts of a sound and how to distinguish tone qualities like “burry” and “polyphonic.” Once we have a common vocabulary for describing bird sounds, we can apply these skills to some bird sound identification challenges in the region.
No matter your level of experience, this workshop will help you listen to sounds more analytically, describe them more accurately, and use them more effectively in identifying birds. This workshop by Nathan Pieplow will be recorded and shared with registered participants. Nathan is the author of The Peterson Field Guide Bird Sounds of Eastern & Western North America.
Workshop: Earbirding with your Phone | May 4th
In this online session by Nathan Pieplow, we will discuss apps for recording and identifying birds with your cell phone, with special attention to Merlin Sound ID.
Nathan Pieplow has been fascinated by birds since his childhood in South Dakota, and has intensively studied bird sounds since 2003. He is a professor at the University of Colorado and author of The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern & Western North America.
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
Photo of the Month: January
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.
Sandhill Crane
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.
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!
President's Letter
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
Christmas Bird Count 2022
Eastside Audubon held its 39th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on Saturday, December 17, 2022. The count was part of the 123rd CBC sponsored by the National Audubon Society. In total the teams found 94 species of birds on Count Day and a review of eBird postings for Count Week, which includes the three days before and three days after Count Day.