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.
Eastside Audubon is now accepting applications for two funding opportunities supporting local conservation and education efforts.
The Puget Sound Seabird Survey is looking for birders in King County to join this established Community Science program.
In the quiet of the woods the bubbling song of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet erupted, and the high trill of the Brown Creeper signaled its presence. The hormonal drive to breed had birds singing regardless of the weather.
The genus name Numenius (new-MEAN-ih-us) is Latin from the Greek noumenios, of the new moon; curve of bill is likened to new crescent moon. The species name phaeopus (FEE-oh-pus) is from the Greek phaios, gray, and pous, foot, gray-foot. It was named Whimbrel in England from uttered note which sounded like whim. It is a member of the curlew family.
In the interior of North America the Least Sandpiper is the most common of the “peeps,” the small sandpipers in the genus Calidris. However, on the coast Least Sandpipers often associate with Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers and can be lost in their great numbers. Least Sandpipers generally travel in smaller flocks.
The Pectoral Sandpiper is uncommon in Western Washington but can usually be seen during fall migration. Adults begin passing through Washington in late July and juveniles show up from mid-August to late October. The juveniles will be in new plumage having completed their prejuvenile (or first prebasic) molt, which results in the change from downy feathers to their basic plumage.
