Eastside Audubon Office to Move

Eastside Audubon Office to Move

At the end of June 2022, Eastside Audubon’s lease with the Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church for office space will end. The church had asked us to reduce our office space by half by July 2022, down to approximately 210 square feet, in order to renew our lease. The board felt that such a significant reduction wasn’t feasible due to the amount of educational material, bird mounts and equipment we have, plus the need to have working space for our Executive Director, volunteers and interns. So we’re embarking on the search for a new office location.

We want to thank the church for providing our organization space for many years (decades!) and being a good partner and accommodating landlord. 

We plan to continue using the church’s sanctuary for our monthly membership meetings when they resume in person, but we’re looking for new office and storage space on the eastside. We need your help in that search.

Do you have commercial real estate experience or knowledge of potential nonprofit space that could be leased or shared? If so, the board wants your assistance. Please contact Jeremy Lucas at jeremy.lucas79@gmail.com to learn more.

Get Involved, Meet People, Have Fun!

Get Involved, Meet People, Have Fun!

Eastside Audubon offers a variety of engaging volunteer opportunities for people of all experience levels. Volunteers are important and valued members of the organization and our volunteer positions can enhance your knowledge of conservation, birds, communication, leadership and nonprofit organizations. Whether you have a lifetime interest in nature or are just getting started, Eastside Audubon has a place for you.

Board Secretary

What you’ll do: Attend monthly board meetings (via Zoom) and take meeting minutes.

Requirements: Skill in taking notes and recording them in an electronic document. No prior experience necessary.

Schedule & location: Board meetings are held in the evening on the fourth Tuesday of the month, year round, via Zoom or at the Kirkland office of Eastside Audubon. 

Engagement Coordinator

What you’ll do: Assist the board in recruiting and onboarding new volunteers. Follow up with people who have expressed interest in volunteering to match them with open positions. Help organize volunteer appreciation events.

Requirements: Enjoy talking with and meeting new people. Good organizational skills. No prior experience necessary. 

Schedule & location: Flexible schedule, year round. Work from home or the Eastside Audubon office in Kirkland.

Monthly Sunday Walks Resuming at Juanita Bay Park

Monthly Sunday Walks Resuming at Juanita Bay Park

A favorite walk is resuming this spring at Kirkland's Juanita Bay Park. One-hour interpretive walks at 1 p.m. on the first Sunday of the month, led by Eastside Audubon's rangers, are your opportunity to learn more about birds and other wildlife at this shoreline park on Lake Washington. These easy walks take place on paved walkways and boardwalks and they're open to adults, children 6 years or older when accompanied by an adult, and people with disabilities. You don't need to register; just meet at 1 p.m. at the park's kiosk near the parking lot. See our website calendar for dates. Enjoy getting outside and learning more about this beautiful place so close to home!

Remember to Clean Your Feeders!

Remember to Clean Your Feeders!

During the winter, with lots of birds possibly gathering at your feeders, it’s important to remember to clean them regularly in order to avoid the possible spread of disease. A recent (January 2022) update from Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife indicated they have been receiving some reports of dead or sick Pine Siskins and other songbirds. They went on to say, 

“At this point we are hesitant to declare this an outbreak like last year's salmonellosis outbreak in birds, but we do want to remind people that if you find a dead or sick bird (common signs are that they appear tame, lethargic, and have fluffed out feathers) near your bird feeder, please take it down for a couple weeks to encourage birds to spread out and not spread salmonellosis to each other. Or, if you don't want to take your feeder down, you can thoroughly wash it every day. Information on salmonellosis in birds, as well as how to effectively clean feeders and report dead or sick birds to help us track this illness is in a blog post we originally posted last year at Frequently asked questions on salmonellosis in wild birds | by The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife | Medium.”

Seattle Audubon also has posted feeder guidance to limit disease. Please take some time this season to protect the birds you feed.

Misty Morning Bird Walk in the Snoqualmie Valley

Misty Morning Bird Walk in the Snoqualmie Valley – Jan. 16th , 2022

Written by Kendall Wiggins

Kendall Wiggins, Master of Education

On a foggy winter morning, it’s easy to miss the nondescript turn into the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area at Stillwater, located between Carnation and Duvall in the Snoqualmie Valley. One by one, cars pull off the highway into a tiny dirt parking lot surrounded by ponds and grasses. Here, among the reeds and water-filled potholes, a group of eager birders has gathered. The group comprises members of all ages and from many places, with a wealth of experiences to share. Chilly and excited, we set out along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, binoculars and scopes in hand.

Almost immediately, we are greeted by droves of vocal European starlings, red-winged blackbirds, and American robins perched at the tops of the bare winter trees. We spend time observing a mixed flock of ruby and golden-crowned kinglets, black-capped chickadees and brown creepers which seem to move with us down the trail. We wonder: Are we following them, or are they following us? 

Throughout the walk, song sparrows, spotted towhees, and Pacific wrens keep us company as they forage in the brush and on islands of grasses in the ponds along the trail. Keen eyes spot chestnut-backed chickadees, Bewick’s wrens and a fox sparrow in the nearby shrubs. Intermittent Steller’s jays undulate between trees overhead and a common raven calls from behind the tall conifers. In the distance, double-crested cormorants fly above the Snoqualmie River as it winds its way through the valley. 

Red-naped and Red-breasted Sapsucker Hybrid by Raghav Mehta

The trail is quiet for a while until we see a large flock of bushtits flitting through some low shrubs, accompanied by lone kinglets and chickadees. These adorable little birds lift our spirits as the fog begins to clear and we glimpse blue sky. Some group members continue ahead to spot the first waterfowl of the day, while others stick around and discover a sapsucker conundrum. 

After many minutes of deliberation with many group members weighing in, we decide this bird is most likely a red-breasted and red-naped sapsucker hybrid, though its call was clearly that of a red-breasted sapsucker. A bald eagle watches the entire exchange from a tree across the field.

Cover photo credit by Mick Thompson.

November Photo of the Month

November Photo of the Month

Raghav Mehta is the November winner of the Eastside Audubon Photo of the Month Award. At the group’s recent meeting, the participants selected Raghav's photo that captured an encounter between a harrier and an owl.

Raghav was well prepared for the chance conflict at the Fir Island Farm Reserve in Skagit County.

“I spotted the owl at a distance through my scope and had the camera setup on a tripod hoping that the owl might fly towards me”, he said.  “After a while, I saw a harrier gently glide in the general direction of the owl. The owl had spotted the harrier as well and tracked the harrier as it flew closer and closer to the owl's perch. When the harrier was about 6 feet from the owl, it decide to dive-bomb the owl to harass it in an attempt to chase it away from that territory.”

Raghav recently joined the EAS Photography Group. He is a self-taught photographer who has pursued wildlife photography as a hobby for the last 5 years.

“I find nature photography to be meditative and calming,” he says. “It takes a lot of effort and concentration to find a bird, absorb all the field marks and behavior, enjoy the beautiful colors and patterns, dial in the right camera settings, and then patiently wait for some magic to happen.”

To view more of his work, see his Instagram page.

The Photo of the Month award was instituted to recognize the work of the Photo Group Members. The group members meet monthly to show their latest photos and videos as well as share their knowledge of photography and wildlife. To attend the meeting, please join the group’s announcement list.

Photo details

The photo was shot on Canon EOS R5 with a Canon EF 600 mm f/4 IS III USM lens. The camera shutter speed was 1/800 of a second, ISO 500, and aperture setting of f/4.

Owl and Harrier by Raghav Mehta

River Center Makes Changes

Dungeness River Nature Center Has a New Mission, Name and Logo  

This fall the Dungeness River Audubon Center changed its name to the “Dungeness River Nature Center.” The new name reflects the River Center’s educational mission to teach children and adults about the natural environment of the Dungeness River watershed--from its head-waters in the alpine meadows of the Olympic Mountains to its estuary entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The expansion and remodel of the Center is five times larger than the original building at Railroad Bridge Park and will integrate the natural history and the S’Klallam culture of the Olympic Peninsula. 

The River Center’s partners, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, and the State and National Audubon Societies have collaborated on the new center. Powell Jones, River Center Director and Park Manager said, “Although we want to continue to be a go-to place for birds, we want visitors to come learn about the Dungeness River’s unique ecosystems and inhabitants that include salmon, mammals, insects, and plants. Additionally, we want to be a place where people come to learn about the special relationship that the Jamestown Tribe has had with this watershed for time immemorial.” Jones says. While “Audubon” has been part of the River Center’s name and logo since 1997, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe has been an active partner since 1994. 

The River Center sits in the 75-acre Railroad Bridge Park, owned by the Tribe. The Tribe provides a full range of maintenance, repair, and Park and Center facilities upgrades; including caring for the historic railroad bridge that crosses the Dungeness River. “Our Tribe is very excited about this expansion of the Dungeness River Center,” says W. Ron Allen, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Chair and CEO. “The new name and logo reflect a turning of the page in this Tribal/community program’s purpose.”

“The Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society will continue to sponsor and present bird-centric programs, field trips, Bird-Fest, and classes as core components of the Center’s expanded offerings,” says Ken Wiersema, OPAS President. We’re delighted to see the Pileated Woodpecker in Salish art, in the new logo. The National Audubon Society and their State office will continue to work in partnership with the Center to achieve our shared goals." said Wiersema. 

Statement By Bud Turner, logo artist of the Jamestown S’Klallam House of Myths

The Salish art form, that you see in this logo, was traditionally done through the craft of woodcarving. The Woodpecker, poised with his claws in the bark and his strong tail bracing him against the tree to carve out his nest, is at the center, encompassing most of its space. Between the Woodpecker and the tree is a long, flowing blue arc that represents the Dungeness River. 

The colors are simple but striking to the eye. [They] are warm and welcoming to the viewer, inviting all to come inside the Nature Center to explore and learn all about the complex watershed of the Dungeness River.” 

Cover photo Credit by Zach Taiji.