Fall brings many wonderful things, part of that being beautiful gold and amber sceneries. But what comes with that is the chore of raking the lawn of these leaves after they fall. Here’s a greener idea; this fall, skip the rake and let nature do its thing.

Every December, thousands of volunteers across North America head outdoors to count birds — helping scientists understand how our feathered neighbors are doing. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) isn’t just a fun birding day — it’s the oldest and largest citizen science project in the world, and it depends entirely on volunteers like you.

Kyle Callahan is the September winner of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for his photograph of an American White Pelican taken at the Baylands Preserve near Palo Alto, California.

Joe Siebert is the August winner of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for his photograph of a Hudsonian Godwit captured during a birding trip to Manitoba, Canada.

Lighting can attract large numbers of night-migrating birds. Birds drawn into lights often become entrapped and circle the lit area, which can deplete their energy stores needed for migration and put them more at risk of colliding with buildings and infrastructure. Every year in the U.S., nearly 1 billion birds die from building collisions, most of them migratory species traveling at night. But here’s the hopeful part: when communities step in with science-based solutions, the results are dramatic.

The annual review of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) checklist for the taxonomic order of birds has been completed, and splitting of bird species into two or more independent species was a highlight of changes again this year.

Join us in October as Eastside Audubon hosts two accessible and inclusive bird outings inspired by Birdability during Birdability Week from October 20-26, 2025, a weeklong effort to support the commitment to make birding accessible to everybody.

Eastside Audubon Youth Board member Song Han Ngo will be in the spotlight this fall as a Student Keynote Speaker at the Frontiers in Ornithology Student Symposium in Seattle on October 4, 2025.

 Every year, the National Audubon Society’s Washington State office, known as “Audubon Washington”. A big part of the agenda is the awarding of the Helen Engle Volunteer of the Year Award.  This award was inspired by Helen Engle who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award during the 2013 National Audubon Convention.

It’s dry outside and f you’re like me, I’m so tired of watering my yard. But our birds, insects, and animals still need us to keep providing clean water sources.

Nancy Tom is the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month winner for July, recognized for her dramatic image of a Rufous Hummingbird feeding a fledgling in her backyard.

Eastside Audubon will be at Issaquah Salmon Days on October 5–6, and we’d love your help! This is our biggest outreach event of the year, drawing more than 200,000 people. It’s the perfect chance to connect with friendly visitors and share your love of birds.

I remember when I first moved to the Seattle area in 1995, I began looking for birding locations that were suitable for me to take my daughter along. It was not an easy task because my daughter uses a wheelchair.

Each year at this time, the North American Classification Committee (NACC) of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) reviews proposals for changes in bird taxonomy, that is, the classification of bird species.

Dorothy Sowell is the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month winner for June for her photo of an Evening Grosbeak, captured near her home in Issaquah.

This month, we encourage a focus on minimizing artificial evening light to protect migrating birds. Fall migration typically commences around August 1st.

Eastside Audubon is now accepting applications for two funding opportunities supporting local conservation and education efforts.

Mike Hoefgen has earned the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month honor for May for his image of a mother Rufous Hummingbird feeding her young at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. This is Mike’s second time winning the award.

Migrating birds have made amazing journeys of thousands of miles from the tropics to seek suitable breeding areas in the northern boreal forest and tundra in North America, Europe, and Asia. Most of this migration occurs at night when most humans are sleeping, but researchers in recent years have developed techniques to track birds during their spring and fall migrations.

The Puget Sound Seabird Survey is looking for birders in King County to join this established Community Science program.

The National Weather Service forecasts an above-average temperature for July, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Furthermore, the Seattle area has experienced approximately 6 inches less rainfall than usual, alongside a lower-than-normal snowpack. To address these issues, I would like to share some tips on reducing water waste while watering plants and containers. 

Every June, Washington State, Oregon, and British Columbia celebrate Orca Action Month (www.orcamonth.org).  There are two distinct populations of orcas that can be found in the Salish Sea and off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, the mammal-eating Biggs (or Transient) population and the fish-eating Southern Resident population. 

Jesse Gaulin is the Eastside Audubon Photo Group’s latest Photographer of the Month for his image of a Varied Thrush taken at Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland. This marks Jesse’s first time receiving the monthly recognition.