BLACK HILLS AUDUBON SOCIETY (BHAS) is a chapter of the
National Audubon Society, representing Lewis, Mason, and
Thurston counties in the state of Washington. It is a
volunteer-based, non-profit organization whose 1,300+ members
share interests in birds and other wildlife, their habitats, and
natural history. Our goals are to promote environmental
education and recreation and to maintain and protect our
ecosystems for future generations.
We also work with the
state Audubon office (Audubon
Washington).
BHAS's 28th Annual Dinner
and
Silent Auction on
March 7th,
5 p.m.
Location:
South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) Student Union
Black Hills Audubon Society will hold its 28th Annual
Dinner and Auction the evening of Saturday, March 7, 2015
.
This year’s event will be
held at
South Puget
Sound Community College (SPSCC),
in the Student Union Building, on Olympia’s west side.
A
catered buffet dinner will be offered again this year.
Tickets to the evening’s activities will cost $30 and must
be purchased in advance. Information about the entrée
choices and ticket purchases are on the
RSVP page.
For those new to BHAS, this evening is our major
social and fundraising event of the year. Activities include: a scrumptious
dinner catered by City Picnics Catering, beer and wine will be available for
purchase, presentation of BHAS awards, silent auction, plant sale, raffle, and a
special presentation by Wildlife Biologist Ken Bevis.
Can't make it to the Annual Dinner?
We hope you will consider making a
donation to BHAS.
Thank you!!
Current issue of the Echo newsletter:
January-February 2015
Echo
(PDF, 374 kb)
The next deadline for submitting articles
will be April 1, 2014 (for the May-June 2015 Echo)
Every Wednesday, 8:00 am —
11:00 am, Field Trip:
Phil Kelley leads a Birding
Walk at
Nisqually NWR.
Meet at the Nisqually Visitor Center.
First Saturday of each month,
Birding and Breakfast
-
First Saturday of each month,
different location each time within Lewis, Mason, or
Thurston County. Birding at 7:30 am and breakfast at
9:00 am.
For more information, contact Deb Nickerson at 360-754-5397.
Third Monday of each month at
4:30 pm, Event:
Birds and Beer (Olympia)
Gather with birders at the Fish Tale Brewpub on the
third Monday of each month. People will share their “best
birding spots in our area.”
Come ready to share where
and why you go birding in a particular spot. People new to
our area will benefit from your knowledge. We will
gather at the couches in the back. Location: Fish Tale Brewpub,
515 Jefferson St. SE, Olympia
Last Wednesday of each month
at 5:00 pm , Event:
Birds and Beer (Shelton)
Meet other birders from Mason County or those who happen to
be in the area. Discuss good places to bird and the
interesting birds you have sighted recently. Have a beverage
and or a bite to eat with us.
Come ready to share where
and why you go birding in a particular spot. People new to
our area will benefit from your knowledge. Location: Smoking Mo's Kitchen
203 W Railroad Ave, Shelton, WA. See
map.
Third Thursday of each month, 8:00 a.m: Field Trip:
Guided
Birding at Eagle’s Pride Golf Course
at
JBLM
Eagle’s Pride Golf Course,
which most of us only glimpse as we speed by on I-5, has
many acres of undeveloped ponds, meadow, and conifer and deciduous forest, just one-half mile from the Nisqually
River. Over 72 species of birds have been documented so far on
these Thursday field trips.
This trip will
be from 1-3 miles long on relatively level ground, and
explore forest, water, and open area species.
No security passes are required. Trip starts promptly
at 8:00 a.m. at the golf course driving range parking lot.
Location: Exit 116 (Mounts Road), turn north, turn
right into Eagle’s Pride Golf Course clubhouse parking area,
go down ramp and make an immediate, hard left onto driving
range access road (narrow road). Proceed to driving range
parking area.
For questions, contact David Wienecke at
david.l.wienecke.naf@mail.mil or (253) 964-0341 (office) or (760)828-8788 (cell).
Field Trip:
Cranberry Lake, Mason
County Leaders: Teri King,
Norma & Allan Borden, and Clint Ferrara
The Cranberry Lake Research and Education Center is managed by the
Frank Family Foundation and is open to the public only by
invitation. The 640 acre parcel includes extensive wetlands, diverse
forest lands and abundant wildlife. The trails are mostly level and
were recently upgraded with new boardwalks and gravel. Leaders will
include Teri King, Sea Grant Specialist & Foundation Education
Director, and Black Hills Audubon experts.
Although the trail is under a mile, there is much to see and hear so
expect the hike to last 2-3 hours. Barring a major storm or high
winds, the trip will be held regardless of the weather. Rain gear
and boots are recommended.
Pre-registration required. Space is limited and offered on a
first- come / first-served basis. If you are interested, please
register with Teri King, at 360-432-3054 or
wsgcanal@uw.edu . If
you have any questions, please contact Norma Borden at 360-426-1051.
Feb. 28 - Mar. 1
(Sat. - Sun.)
Event:
Port Susan Snow Goose and
Birding Festival Location: Port
Susan, Washington
Every year,
thousands of Snow Geese descend on the Stillasquamish and Skagit
River deltas. The Port Susan Snow Goose and Birding Festival
attracts participants who come to see these large numbers of Snow
Geese, Trumpeter and Tundra Swans, Bald Eagles, herons, ducks, and
many other species, even including Snowy Owls and Gyrfalcons!
Sponsored by the Pilchuk Audubon
Society, most events and tours are free. To see a calendar of
events, check their website www.snowgoosefest.org
.
Mar. 7
(Sat.)
7:30 am
9:00 am
BHAS Field Trip/Event:
Birding & Breakfast
Want to get a head start on your
weekend? Join us for Birding and Breakfast on the first Saturday of
each month. Bird with us at 7:30 a.m., then enjoy breakfast at a
local restaurant at 9:00 a.m.
Or, if you’re a late riser, just join
us for breakfast and we’ll tell you what birds are in the area.
Beginning birders are welcome. No expert guide.
7:30 am: Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
100 Brown Farm Rd. N.E., Olympia
Any of the following passes are
required for the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge: Interagency
Annual Pass (old Golden Eagle), Senior Pass (old Golden Age), or
Access Passport, Federal Duck Stamp, or an Annual Refuge Pass.
Black Hills Audubon Society will hold its 28th Annual
Dinner and Auction the evening of Saturday, March 7, 2015
.
This year’s event will be
held at
South Puget
Sound Community College (SPSCC),
in the Student Union Building, on Olympia’s west side.
A
catered buffet dinner will be offered again this year.
Tickets to the evening’s activities will cost $30 and must
be purchased in advance. Information about the entrée
choices and ticket purchases are on the
RSVP web page.
For those new to BHAS, this evening is our major
social and fundraising event of the year. Activities include: a scrumptious
dinner catered by City Picnics Catering, beer and wine will be available for
purchase, presentation of BHAS awards, silent auction, plant sale, raffle, and a
special presentation by Wildlife Biologist Ken Bevis.
Can't make it to the Annual Dinner?
Please consider making a
donation to BHAS.
Thank you!
March 13-15
(Fri-Sun)
Event:
Wings Over Water
Festival Location:
Blaine, Washington
This annual birding festival celebrates the incredible
variety of migratory birds that visit Blaine, Semiahmoo,
Birch Bay, and Drayton Harbor, located on the Pacific Flyway
in the Northwest corner of Washington State.
There will be field trips,
nature cruises, wildlife demonstrations, arts & crafts,
kid's activities, expert wildlife speakers and more. For
full details, including places and times, see
www.wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival.com .
Mar.
19 (Thurs)
7pm-8:30pm
(doors open at 6:30pm)
Event:
South Sound Estuary Association (SSEA)
Discovery Speaker Series
Presentation:
Shorebirds of
Puget Sound
Joe Evenson PhD, WDFW
Location: LOTT’s WET
Science Center, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia
Joe Evenson PhD, will teach us about shorebird
populations in Puget Sound. Joe will talk about the science
used to count shorebirds, the changing trends, and the
relationship with forage fish populations.
Free and open to the public thanks in part to The Russell
Family Foundation, Washington Foundation for the
Environment, presenters donating their time, and the many
members/supporters who join SSEA to help keep these programs
going.
Mar. 21 (Sat)
1:00 pm -
3:00 pm
BHAS Birding class: Shorebirds
Class
Instructor:
Vanessa Loverti
Join Vanessa Loverti, Regional Shorebird Biologist
from USFWS Division of Migratory Birds, for a presentation
about shorebirds just in time for spring. She will discuss
shorebird identification, current monitoring projects, and
the status of shorebirds within the Pacific Flyway.
Class: 1:00 pm -3:00 pm
Limited to 30 people.
Location:
WET Science Center Board Room
500 Adams Street NE
Olympia
Cost:
$15
Pre-registration required. Contact: Mary
Russell at (360) 357-6863 or greenbird321@msn.com.
Mar. 25 (Wed.)
5:00 pm
BHAS Event:
Birds and Beer (Shelton)
(Last Wednesday of each month at 5 pm)
Meet other birders from Mason County or those who happen to
be in the area. Discuss good places to bird and the
interesting birds you have sighted recently. Have a beverage
and/or a bite to eat with us.
Come ready to share where
and why you go birding in a particular spot. People new to
our area will benefit from your knowledge.
Please note
time: 5 pm.
Location: Location is changing. Please contact
Norma at 426-1051 until we settle on a new location.
Mar. 27 – 299 (Fri-Sun)
Event:
Othello Sandhill Crane Festival Location: Othello, Washington
Long one of Washington State's most
popular birding festivals, the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival is
timed to offer visitors the chance to see the tens of thousands of
Sandhill Cranes that stop in Othello's fallow grain fields and
wetlands to fuel up on their migration north.
The Festival has many tours for
crane-viewing along with specialty tours to see landscape and birds
very different from ours on the west side of the Cascades. Specialty
tours have included Columbia National Wildlife Refuge/Potholes area
wildlife tour, Missoula Floods and the Channeled Scablands geology
tour, Lower Grand Coulee birding tour, and Wahluke Slope/Shrub
Steppe birding tour.
Pre-registration is suggested to
reserve your seat, as some fill up quickly. For more information and
to register, go to
www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org .
Mar. 28 (Sat)
7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
BHAS Field trip:
Theler Wetland, Belfair State
Park,
and Mountain Quail sites Leaders: Gary Wiles
and Paul Hicks
This trip will
visit several sites at the far southeast end of Hood Canal in Mason
County, including Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve and Belfair State
Park. Both locations should be good for a mix of water birds,
songbirds, and perhaps lingering shorebirds. We'll also be searching
for Mountain Quail in the same vicinity.
Meet at the Mud Bay Park-and-Ride.
Bring lunch and drinks. Dress for the weather and expect to walk one
to two miles during the day. Group size is limited to 12 people and
3 cars, and all vehicles need a Discover Pass.
Pre-registration needed:
Please call Gary at 360-943-8786 to reserve your spot.
Deadline to apply:
April 1.
Bird-banding Training 2015
Scholarships offered
BHAS is excited to offer two scholarships for a bird-banding
training this coming spring. Taught by the Center for
Natural Lands Management (CNLM), the six days of training
will occur on May 22-25, and May 30-June1.
Deadline to apply: April 1.
One scholarship will be for an
adult and the other one for a teenager/student. The cost for
training each person is $450. BHAS will provide $400 of the
fee for each scholarship recipient, and each participant
will have to provide the remaining $50. After the training,
each recipient will be expected to make a short presentation
at a BHAS program meeting and participate in volunteer
bird-banding using her/his new skills.
The training, taught by Dan
Froehlich and Glenn Johnson, will cover all the aspects of
setting up and running a MAPS station and will produce, as a
goal, banders who can extract birds captured, record data,
and perform most aging and sexing of the common species. The
focus of the course will be on aging by wing feather
patterns, sexing, and skulling with the goal of separating
adults from juveniles. The course will also cover net
placement, MAPS concept, bird handling, and data recording.
If you are interested in attending this camp and applying
for one of the scholarships, please
provide a statement by April 1, 2015,
explaining:
Why you would best be
suited to receive the training, and
How this training will be
applied to your professional work, personal pursuits,
and/or interests.
Please send your statement by
April 1st to Sam Merrill, Conservation Committee
Chair, BHAS, at
sammerrill3@comcast.net.
Apr. 4
(Sat.)
7:30 am
9:00 am
BHAS Field Trip/Event:
Birding & Breakfast
Want to get a head start on your
weekend? Join us for Birding and Breakfast on the first Saturday of
each month. Bird with us at 7:30 a.m., then enjoy breakfast at a
local restaurant at 9:00 a.m.
Or, if you’re a late riser, just join
us for breakfast and we’ll tell you what birds are in the area.
Beginning birders are welcome.
7:30 am: Tenino's Mull Street marsh and Heernet
Foundation woods.
Paul Hicks will lead. Meet at Scotty B's Diner (500 Sussex Avenue
East, Tenino), on the corner of the shopping center at the
intersection of Route 507 and Old Highway 99.
We'll carpool from there.
Contact Bonnie Wood at 360-943-4612
with questions.
Apr. 9
(Thurs)
BHAS Field Trip to
Olympic Peninsula
Black Hills Audubon is organizing a group to go to the Olympic
Peninsula to synchronize with the Olympic Birdfest, April 10-12,
2015.
The Olympic Peninsula is home to
many birding hotspots on the Great Washington State Birding Trail
and many Important Bird Areas (IBAs). The northeast Olympia
Peninsula is also an easy jumping-off point to Olympic National
Park, the San Juans, and Vancouver Island and Victoria.
Our (tentative) plan is to caravan up to the Peninsula on Thursday,
April 9, stopping to bird at sites along the Hood Canal on the way.
BHAS will host a reception on Thursday night for BHAS members and
their friends. On Friday, the festival's field trips begin: there
are a plethora of field trips to choose from, led by local birding
experts. See
www.olympicbirdfest.org for the full schedule of events and
to register. Many of the field trips do have a fee; these proceeds
go to support the education programs at the Dungeness River Audubon
Center.
Sam Merrill and Bob Wadsworth will be our own leaders as we wend our
way north. Birders of all levels are welcome to join us.
Choose and arrange your own lodging plans—Port Townsend,
Sequim, and Port Angeles have myriad lodging options. Good detailed
information about lodging, the festival's field trips, and other
offerings is on the Internet and the Olympic Birdfest website, www.olympicbirdfest.org
.
If you are interested in this trip, please contact Bonnie Wood at
360-943-4612 or
bwood2800@gmail.com , so we can get a sense of numbers. If
you leave a message, please leave your phone number and e-mail
address. I will get back to you promptly with details about where
and when to meet and other information. (Plans are not yet
concrete.) Thanks!
Apr. 10 -12
(Fri-Sun)
Event:
Olympic Peninsula
Birdfest Location: Sequim,
Washington
This festival
provides opportunities to see birds normally seen on the Olympic
Peninsula, which includes many locations on the Great Washington
State Birding Trail and IBAs (Important Bird Areas). Field trips are
planned to Sequim Bay, Port Angeles Harbor, Ediz Hook, Dungeness
Spit, the Elwa River, Salt Creek, and Neah Bay. Boat trips to
Protection Island are also planned. For full information about the
festival, go to
www.olympicbirdfest.org.
Black Hills Audubon hopes to
organize a group to go up to the Peninsula on Thursday, stopping to
bird along the way. Black Hills Audubon will host a reception on
Thursday night. See previous listing on this page about the BHAS
Field Trip to Birdfest.
Apr. 17 (Fri.)
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Black Hills
Book Discussion Group
The discussion of the first book (The
Sixth Extinction) went so well, we are continuing to read and
discuss books of note to our members.
In April, we will discuss The
Human Age by Diane Ackerman. Read it by April 17th
so you can come discuss it with us.
We will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
at Deb Nickerson’s house. Contact her at debranick@gmail.com
if you have questions.
Apr. 25 (Sat)
8:30 a.m.
BHAS Field Trip:
Twin Rivers Ranch Leaders: Whittier
Johnson and Capitol Land Trust's Mike Leigh
Black Hills Audubon and Capitol Land
Trust are pleased to offer their members a joint field trip to one
of Capitol Land Trust's properties, Twin Rivers Ranch. This property
in Shelton, on Oakland Bay, provides open saltwater, wetland,
estuarine, riparian, forested, and open field habitat for an
incredible variety of birds: waterfowl, shorebirds, and over 83
species of land-birds.
Expect to be at Twin Rivers Ranch for the morning. Expect the drive
to Twin Rivers Ranch to take a good 45 minutes from Olympia. Dress
for the weather and bring water and snacks as needed.
To reach Twin Rivers Ranch, take US
101 towards Shelton and then the exit for Highway 3 (S.E. Olympic
Highway South) toward Shelton/Bremerton. Continue on Highway 3
through downtown Shelton and along Oakland Bay for about six miles.
Twin Rivers ranch will be on your right just after Ecler Road. Look
for a white CLT EVENT sign on the road. (Google map directions are
at http://goo.gl/maps/DWZUO .)
Follow the driveway over the bridge, past the house, and park by the
barn.
Apr. 29 (Wed.)
5:00 pm
BHAS Event:
Birds and Beer (Shelton)
(Last Wednesday of each month at 5 pm)
Meet other birders from Mason County or those who happen to
be in the area. Discuss good places to bird and the
interesting birds you have sighted recently. Have a beverage
and/or a bite to eat with us.
Come ready to share where
and why you go birding in a particular spot. People new to
our area will benefit from your knowledge.
Please note
time: 5 pm.
Location: Location is changing. Please contact
Norma at 426-1051 until we settle on a new location.
Apr. 30 (Thur.)
6:30 - 8:00 P.M.
BHAS
Audubon Outreach Committee
Meeting
Audubon Outreach
welcomes new members, creates opportunities to bird and socialize
together, assists with chapter projects and events, and organizes
educational experiences for Thurston, Lewis, and Mason counties.
By volunteering alongside others we get to know each other better.
Help with Annual Dinner in
March of each year
Come to First Saturday Birding
and Breakfast and answer questions about Black Hills Audubon
Greet or bring refreshments at
a Program meeting on the 2nd Thursday of the month
Staff a table with Audubon
materials and answer questions about Black Hills Audubon at
local events
Post birding events on website
event calendars of local radio stations, newspapers, Chamber of
Commerce and others.
Post Birding and Breakfast and
Birding and Beer posters at local libraries and businesses.
Location: Deb Nickerson's home.
Please email debranick@gmailfor
directions.
Newcomers are welcome!
Audubon Outreach meets the last Thursday of September, January, and
April. Contact Black Hills Audubon Society at 360-352-7299 for location
of future meetings.
May 1-3 (Fri Sun)
Event:
Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival
2015 Location: Hoquiam,
Washington
Each spring,
hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to rest and feed in Grays
Harbor estuary on their migration northward. Coming from as far
south as Argentina, these Arctic-bound shorebirds are among the
world's greatest migrants. Some birds travel over 15,000 miles round
trip! Tens of thousands of shorebirds feed on the open mudflats in
the estuary. This concentration of birds offers people a great
chance to view a number of shorebird species, and with luck, to see
the birds fly together in beautiful formations while trying to
escape the fastest creature on earth, the Peregrine Falcon. For full
information about festival events, see www.shorebirdfestival.com.
At Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge (GHNWR), shorebirds can be
viewed best during the period about two hours before high tide to
two hours after. During high tide, birds are closer and more
concentrated for better viewing. The peak in migration typically
occurs the last week in April. Best viewing times at GHNWR during
the 2015 festival are:
High tide Best viewing
Friday, May 1 12:30 p.m. 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 2 1:20 p.m. 11:20 a.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Sunday, May 3 2:00 p.m. 12 noon - 4 p.m.
NOTE: Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is open from sunrise to
sunset.
Publications Chair & Webmaster:
Deb Jaqua ................................ 360-491-3325 Webmaster
Sign
up for BHAS Alerts by sending an email to the
Webmaster.
We will then send you an invitation that you will need to confirm (so that
someone else doesn't "accidentally" sign you up!)
State Conservation
efforts. Read about issues involving birds, other wildlife, and
their habitats at the state level.
National Action Alerts.
The National Audubon Society has set up this special Web site to give you an
easy and convenient way to communicate with your lawmakers and newspapers on
national conservation issues that impact birds, wildlife and our shared
environment. Remember, your letters will make a difference -- so take action
today!
The Education Committee has been busy creating
well-attended
birding classes, helping schools get students out into nature with the Board the
Bus grant, and promoting Audubon Adventures.
In 2009, BHAS awarded its first Dave McNett Environmental Educator of the Year
Award, honoring long-time volunteer Dave McNett.
Black Hills Audubon Society receives 4% of every purchase from this page to support our conservation program and other goals. Our prices are exactly the same as Amazon.com! All purchases are managed by Amazon.com. Use the search link below to make all of your Amazon.com purchases, or
go to our book store page for selected items.
Ever see a dead bird on a beach and
wonder why it succumbed? Would you like to help scientists
find out why?
COASST (Coastal
Observation and Seabird Survey Team) is a citizen science project based at the
University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences in partnership
with local community and environmental organizations, and state and federal
agencies. COASST volunteers collect data on beach-cast carcasses of marine birds
on a monthly basis to establish the baseline, or 'normal' pattern of beached
bird mortality on North Pacific beaches. Baselines are crucial for assessing the
impacts of oil spills, fisheries, and climate change. Data collection by COASST
volunteers helps address important marine conservation issues and protects
marine resources.
Lists of COASST trainings and more information about COASST
are posted on their website at
http://www.coasst.org.
From the main page, click on What's New. Then click on the Training Sessions
tab.
BLACK HILLS AUDUBON SOCIETY 
The 
birding classes, helping schools get students out into nature with the Board the
Bus grant, and promoting Audubon Adventures.