Become a Bellevue Climate Change Leader

Want to be a Climate Leader in Your Community?

If you’ve been concerned about the climate disasters happening around the globe this summer but not sure how to take action, the City of Bellevue is launching a new program for you. They are recruiting for their first ever cohort of Climate Challenge Team Leaders. Community members in the program will become climate leaders by guiding a team of their choice through the Bellevue Climate Challenge. Team Leaders will meet with city staff monthly throughout the program for training, resources, and support. The first cohort will begin in October 2023, and run through June of 2024.

To become a Team Leader, complete our enrollment form by September 30.

If you have questions about the Team Leader program, please reach out to Sofia Fall, Sustainability Coordinator at sfall@bellevuewa.gov.

Book Club Seeking New Members

Book Club Seeking New Members

The Eastside Audubon Book Club is a small group of folks who combine their love of the natural world with their enjoyment of reading.  We are happy to announce we are looking for new members.

The group meets monthly on the third Tuesday from 7-9pm to discuss the book of the month.  Our discussion is facilitated by the member who originally suggested that month's title.  We currently use a combination of meeting venues:  outdoors in the summer, library meeting rooms late spring and early fall, and via Zoom the rest of the year.  The club is now in its seventh year.  During all that time, we have never missed holding our monthly meeting!

Book selection occurs three times a year.  During the selection process, members rotate proposing up to three titles each for the next round of reading.  We then vote on the slate of books for the next four months.  One title is chosen from each presenting member's list of proposals.

What do we read?  As long as nature is a prominent theme, any book of any genre is eligible.   The result is incredibly eclectic.  Titles have included fiction, nonfiction, essay, mystery, autobiography/memoir, science, natural history, poetry.  As one might expect from a group with "Audubon" in its name, about 25% of our books involve birds.  However, the entire biotic community is open to our literary adventures.

Over the years, we have read books on animals and plants and those that are neither.  Fin, fur and feathers, vertebrates and invertebrates, living things great, small and microscopic,  mobile and immobile: all have been included.  Being very much a part of nature, humans have not been left out of the mix.  As well, our literary journeys have not been limited to the organic world.  Our books have also explored the inorganic realm.  The four classical elements - earth, air, fire, water - serve as a useful metaphor for those explorations.  Through more than six years of titles, we have traversed the intersections of nature with racism, sexism, politics, social justice, psychology, spirituality, economics, medicine. 

Take a look at our upcoming titles for the next four months.  They are typical of the variety in the books our club reads.

September

October

November

December

If you enjoy nature and books, come join us!  For more information, contact: office@eastsideaudubon.org.

Lead Youth Bird Walks with YEC

Lead Youth Bird Walks with YEC

Do you enjoy working with young people? Do you have information about birds that you would like to share? If you answered "yes", then you could lead bird walks for the Youth Education Committee either during the week or on weekends!

Teaching youth about birding is a great way to get them involved in wildlife and conservation efforts from an early age. Serve at your convenience. We will do the paperwork for you—all you have to do is show up and lead an enthusiastic group of children. If you are interested, please contact Mary Britton-Simmons at 425-894-0100. Thank you for considering this great opportunity to share birding with youth!

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About the Youth Education Committee

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.

Read more about the work we do at this link.

Bird Photography Flies to New Heights with the Next-Generation of Noise Reduction Software

Bird Photography Flies to New Heights with the Next-Generation of Noise Reduction Software

Written by John Spilker, Eastside Audubon Vice President and Photography Group Leader

Without fail, at almost every one of our monthly Eastside Audubon Photography Group meetings, someone proclaims, "Topaz saved me". The proclamation usually comes right after they present a near-perfect bird photo.

The delighted photographer is usually referring to either Topaz Photo AI or Topaz Denoise, the popular noise reduction programs that routinely salvage dark, noisy photos.   

Noise has always existed in digital photos, but it is something that became more apparent in recent years as newer cameras can shoot photos in extremely dark conditions. To compensate for the lack of light, the cameras increase the ISO setting, which increases the sensitivity to light. 

A modern camera can shoot photos at an ISO (International Standards Organization) setting of 56,000 or higher. Earlier digital cameras were usually limited to 1,600 ISO. By comparison, a photo taken in sunny conditions is often shot at a mere 100 ISO, the lowest setting for most cameras.

But the increased ISO sensitivity comes at a cost. The absence of light results in noise; that is thousands of unwanted digital specks, sometimes black and white (luminance noise) and other times unpleasant red, green, and blue specs (chroma noise). Either way, the image appears muddy and not as sharp as it should be. 

To the bird photographer, a noisy photo is better than no photo, but still far from perfect. As any Audubon member knows, birds rarely stand still in bright sunlight to get their picture taken. The bird photographer often must opt for a high ISO setting and hopefully find a way to deal with the noise in the editing process.  

Example of an untouched noisy photo. The insert shows extensive chroma noise of red, green, and blue pixels. Most of the detail is lost to the noise.

Enter Noise Reduction Software 

Noise reduction software is used during the editing process when photos are typically cropped and adjusted for color, contrast, and brightness. The software has been around for some 20 years. The early versions worked well with some images but struggled with complex noise patterns that newer cameras produced. To complicate matters, the older noise programs required the user to fine-tune complex settings to achieve good results.

Topaz Labs solved much of this problem when it released Topaz DeNoise AI about five years ago.

The program utilized newly developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms that had analyzed millions of clean and noisy images to better understand the problem and possible solutions. The in-depth training helped DeNoise achieve impressive results, but many photographers still found the software complicated to use. 

Topaz upped its game last year when it introduced Topaz Photo AI, a revolutionary product that reduced noise and sharpened images with less intervention by the editor.

More recently, Adobe Inc. introduced the easy-to-use Denoise AI as part of its widely used Lightroom photo editing software program. The Adobe offering, at the very least, closed the gap with Topaz and, in the opinion of some, is even better. Other software developers have released comparable offerings.

But There are Downsides

Noise reduction software has some downsides. If overused, it can eliminate detail in an image and leave the photo with a dull, bland, or milky appearance. It also increases the editing time. An older, less powerful computer can take several minutes to process an image. It is not a bad idea to try the free trials to see if your computer is up to the task.

Noise Reduction Software in Use

For many members of the Eastside Audubon Photography Group, the new generation of software changes how they work. 

Don and Margaret Larkin are longtime users of Topaz products and are especially impressed with Topaz Photo AI. The couple are frequent winners of the Eastside Audubon Society Photo of the Month contest. 

"It is an amazing product. Not only does it remove noise after we take a photo, but it has changed how we take photos out in the field," Don says.

"In the past, we always set the ISO as low as possible to keep the noise to a minimum," says the national award-winning photographer.  “This resulted in longer exposure times, which made it difficult to freeze the action of flying birds." 

Margaret Larkin, also a national award-winning photographer, points out that noise reduction software allows her to focus more on the photograph and less on adjusting the camera settings.  

"We have switched to using Auto ISO on our cameras, even for landscapes,” she says. “We can set the shutter speed and aperture based on what is best for the subject and conditions and let the camera adjust the ISO automatically as needed. This allows us to capture spontaneous moments that we wouldn't have otherwise."

Gary Luhm, a longtime member of the photography and winner of several Photo of the Month awards, is particularly impressed with Adobe Lightroom Denoise. 

"AI photo software is moving fast. I tried Topaz almost two years ago and decided at the time the improvements weren't worth the cost and addition to my workflow," he says.

"I tried the new Lightroom Denoise and was astonished at how well and easily it worked,” Gary says. “A Denoise setting of 30% cleaned up the noisy black feathers of an old pileated woodpecker file without yielding that smeary look."

The digital specks of noise are highly visible in the insert of this untouched image that Gary shot at ISO 3200.

Lightroom Denoise removed the digital specks of noise while retaining image detail.

More Information

• Adobe: Denoise Demystified (Free trial)

• ON1 Photo RAW Noise Reduction Software (Free trial)

• Topaz Photo AI (Free trial)

A good source of information on Adobe and Topaz products is the YouTube Channel of Anthony Morganti. He gives a good overview of Lightroom Denoise in this video. 

He also has a comparison of On1 NoNoise AI, Topaz Denoise AI, and Lightroom Denoise AI. 

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About the Eastside Audubon Photography Group

The group members meet monthly to show their latest photos and videos and share their knowledge of photography and wildlife. To attend the meeting, please join the group's announcement list. 

For more information, contact John Spilker, photo group leader. 

Bird Spa @ Eastside Audubon

Bird Spa @ Eastside Audubon

Written by Shruti Mehta

Members of the Youth Education Committee met on a Tuesday last month to give our bird mounts a 'Spa day'. It was a rainy day, so a perfect one to spend indoors with the birds and some bird lovers. We had a great time grooming these bird mounts while exchanging stories of birds and bears. Sharing some highlights here with all of you.
We have a collection of over 25+ bird mounts ranging from small birds like Black-capped Chickadee, Gold-finch and Dark-eyed Junco and the more majestic ones like Osprey, Great Horned Owl and Red tailed hawk. Feathers are dead protein, very much like our hair - they too need regular maintenance. Over the past couple of months, Jill had frozen these mounts and then treated them with pest medicine to kill mites & their eggs. In this 'preening' session, we started with blow drying the feathers to remove any dust, sprayed a diluted alcohol mixture on the feathers, smoothed the feathers with a brush and then cleaned the eyes and feet with cotton. Thanks to Amanda Leon (Executive Director of EAS) for the detailed instructions and Jill Keeney for being a wonderful host to us and the birds.

I have seen these mounts several times before, but had not had the luxury of observing these mounts closely and noticing the details. We marveled at the Barn owl feathers, which at the leading edge of the wing have a comb-like structures termed serrations. This structure is known to play a role in noise reduction during flight which helps in the Barn Owl's almost silent flight. I was able to see the clear difference in the size of Cooper's Hawks and Sharp Shinned Hawks; two species which I have been struggling to ID in the field. I have yet to see a Northern Pygmy Owl so it was interesting to see the bird mount, I was fascinated that it is even smaller than a Northern Saw-whet Owl! I have seen Ospreys several times around Marymoor but had not noticed the intricate pattern on their wings. It was also a real treat to discover tiny serrations on the bill of a Hooded Merganser; which helps it to keep hold of slippery fish. 

The Audubon Name

The Audubon Name

If you have been following the news you will have undoubtably heard about the controversy surrounding the Audubon name. Our Audubon Chapter has been following these developments closely the last few years.

John James Audubon (1785-1851) was not a member of the National Audubon Society, which was founded in 1905. The organization was named in his honor. He is considered to be an important figure in Ornithology, as he documented and painted most of the bird species found in North America. His Birds of America collection was one of the earliest efforts to paint birds for field identification.

This famous Ornithologist also had a very dark side. He was a white supremacist who enslaved and bought and sold black people. To prove that white people were superior to any other race, he robbed the graves of Native Americans and Mexicans for skulls to gather “evidence” for his eugenicist beliefs. He killed and ate the birds he illustrated. He committed both academic fraud and plagiarism. He was an ardent supporter of slavery and wrote critically about emancipation.

For the last 2 years, the National Audubon Society grappled with the decision of a possible name change due to this man’s complicated history. Earlier this year, after deliberation, guidance, and feedback, the National Audubon Society’s Board voted to retain the Audubon name. Many Audubon Chapters have announced their intention to change their name, with some chapters recently announcing their new names.

Eastside Audubon Society’s Board has had some discussions on the subject and decided it best to wait on any potential chapter changes until National Audubon announced to the world its decision. Now that this has happened, we want to communicate to all of our members and supporters that Eastside Audubon is looking into this and considering all possibilities.

This may be a controversial issue for many of us. We are discussing all possible scenarios and outcomes for either retaining the name “Audubon” or dropping it. No matter where we land on this issue it is clear from our conversations that Eastside Audubon is more than just an organization. We are a community of friends that are bound together for a love of birding, conservation, the environment, and being outdoors. I know many of you have made some lifelong friends through this amazing birding community. I know I have.

There are plenty of reasons why it might make sense to change our name, based on what I briefly wrote above. I would also encourage each of you to read this article, which does a better job of describing John James Audubon than I could ever do here. The big question is, does the name “Audubon” transcend the man to mean something more? As language evolves, as it has since its invention, should we strive to change the meaning of this word, or is its roots too dark that they must be left behind?

We are discussing the legalities and expenses of a name change. Our Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, business accounts, bank accounts, various licenses, and contracts with our partners would need to be updated. This work would take effort and people dedicated to doing it, which could take away from time spent on organizing our programs. This isn’t to say that the above should be a reason not to consider a name change, but these are important considerations.

On the other hand, retaining “Audubon” in our name means that we will work harder as an organization that represents much more than the work of one person. We will continue to focus our work on assuring that equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging are at the core of our conservation and birding outreach.

We are looking forward to hearing from our community throughout this journey. Our Board is actively discussing our options and we know this is going to take time. We are committed to communicating when we have made our decision. We acknowledge that the National Audubon Society has been a champion in bird conservation and has cleared the way for all chapters to be successful. We are looking forward to our continued partnership.

Thank you all for your support. Our work is not possible without you!

Jeremy Lucas
President
Eastside Audubon
president@eastsideaudubon.org

Contribute to Science Through Birding

Contribute to Science Through Birding

The Puget Sound Seabird Survey is looking for birders in Eastside Audubon’s catchment area to join this established Community Science program.

PSSS - Richmond Beach - Linda and John Mutfeldt, and Kristin Campbell (black hoodie) © Toby Ross - Oct 2015

The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a community science survey created by Seattle Audubon in 2007 and continued by the Puget Sound Bird Observatory since 2022. This survey effort trains volunteer birdwatchers to gather valuable data on wintering seabird populations in Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and waters surrounding the San Juan Islands. 

Volunteers are asked to conduct 7 surveys with a small team of fellow surveyors at specific locations throughout the Sound. All surveys are synchronized to take place once per month on the first Saturday in October – April. You will be provided training in the survey technique, and ideally will have good seabird identification skills. However, there are roles on the survey teams for birders of all levels. Now in its 15th season, you’ll be contributing to valuable science that monitors wintering seabirds across Puget Sound and informs important management decisions.

Some of the members of Eastside Audubon Society already participate in the Puget Sound Seabird Survey, and we would love to have more Eastside folks participate.

Previously, the project was part of Birds Connect Seattle’s (formerly Seattle Audubon) science program but transitioned to its new home at Puget Sound Bird Observatory in 2022. More information can be found on our website and if interested in taking part, please reach out to Program Manager Toby Ross t_ross@pugetsoundbirds.org

Calling Fred Meyer Shoppers!

Calling Fred Meyer Shoppers!

Earlier this year, Amazon decided to end its Smiles campaign, which allowed its customers the ability to have donations made to a charity of their choice for each purchase.  Eastside Audubon benefited from this program and we are sad to see it go.

But every door closed leads to a door opening!  Did you know that Fred Meyer offers a similar program?  It’s true.  By simply shopping at Fred Meyer, you can help Eastside Audubon raise money at no cost to you!

All you need to do is:

• Enroll in their Rewards program (if you haven’t already)

• Link your Rewards card to your online account (you will need to create this)

• Link Eastside Audubon to your account

That’s it!  It’s easy to do, and you help us raise money!  For more information, visit the Fred Meyer site.