Mick Thompson was named the Eastside Audubon Photographer of the Month for his innovative Broad-billed Hummingbird video, shot in Arizona. This marks Thompson's fifth win and is the first time a video has claimed the honor.

While the Black-throated and other warblers are preparing for their spring migration, resident Pacific Northwest birds are often foraging in mixed flocks in a pattern of cooperative feeding. This behavior helps all the birds in the flock locate suitable prey and provides protection from predators. Larger birds and especially birds of prey will be nesting while tropical birds are preparing for migration.

The 42nd Eastside Audubon CBC was held on Saturday, December 14, 2024.

One participant asked, “When the wind is so strong, where do birds go?” My quick answer was, “Wherever the wind blows them.” This led to a discussion of how birds survive winter, which the first big storm of the season foretold the coming of rainy, cold, and blustery northwest weather.

Happy New Year! Let's begin the new year with gratitude for all we have and the beauty of this planet. Remember to take care of yourself and be compassionate, as this world can be overwhelming. You are not alone, and we need each other.

In 2024, the monthly Marymoor habitat restoration workparty had 237 volunteers. We planted 131 native shrubs and trees, including bigleaf maples, Garry oaks, Oregon grapes, Nootka roses, and Western red cedars. We spread almost 70 cubic yards of mulch and removed over 50 cubic yards of invasive species like common hawthorn, Himalayan blackberry, and reed canary grass.

The Eastside Audubon Society named Don Larkin and Jeff Lane as the November winners for their remarkable wildlife photographs.

The CBC is the world’s largest and longest-running community science data collection project. The 2024-2025 count period from December 14 to January 5 marks the 125th CBC sponsored by the National Audubon Society. It will be Eastside Audubon’s 41st CBC.

Last year when I sent out the End of Year letter, I said that my first year as President gave me a great deal of appreciation for our members, donors, and volunteers. In 2024, as our reach continues to grow and expand, I am even more humbled and grateful to all our supporters.

I'm sharing a few ideas that may resonate with you. Happiest of Holidays!

It was dark but not very cold at 5:30 a.m. in the Snoqualmie Valley of Washington on December 17. It was Christmas Bird Count (CBC) day and my birding and life partner Carol, and I were out pre-dawn hoping to start the count day with a Great Horned or Barn Owl.

The Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for October was presented to four photographers—Mick Thompson, Michael Hoefgen, Sam Wilder, and Amanda Buse.

Leah Turner and Mick Thompson were named co-winners of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for September. Leah won for her shots of elusive Common Loons at Semiahmoo Spit, south of Vancouver, B.C., while Mick earned recognition for his photos of long-eared owls taken at Boundary Bay in British Columbia.

November is a time of consolidation in the birding year when birds are focused on recovery from the rigors of long-distance flights and raising young birds. They need a safe location where they can regain some of their lost weight and complete a feather molt in time for spring.

A stiff breeze was blowing the already high sea water up onto the boardwalk at Redondo Beach when we arrived. My colleagues and I are a survey team for the monthly Puget Sound Seabird Survey. With the wind blowing we wasted no time setting up our spotting scope for the 30-minute survey period. We were there to count wintering seabirds.

Leah Turner has once again claimed the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month award for August, marking her fifth win. Leah's winning photograph features the uncommon Williamson's Sapsucker, a bird seldom seen in Washington State.

By September, the birding summer has run its course and birds will use the time in late summer and early fall to rebuild their reserves. For most birds, the individualistic drive for the success of their own nest and young dissipates and they join into flocks for mutual support and safety.

Mick Thompson is the winner of the Eastside Audubon Photography Award for July, honored for his captivating images of tufted puffins captured off Smith Island near Anacortes.

Want more joy with the satisfaction of helping restore habitat, volunteering and/or adding some native plants to your yard?  Here are some opportunities to check out.