Virtual Puget Sound Birdfest

RENOWNED CROW AND RAVEN SPECIALIST TO KICK OFF ONLINE PUGET SOUND BIRD FEST Celebrate the 16th annual event online with speakers, photo exhibit, and virtual birding tours.  Renowned crow and raven specialist Kaeli Swift has been selected as the Keynote Speaker for the 2020 Puget Sound Bird Fest, which will be held online September 12- ... Read more

Wings Over Willapa

Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge 3888 U.S. 101, Ilwaco, WA, United States

Wings Over Willapa has been cancelled for this year.  Look forward to September 23-26, 2021 for the next Wings Over Willapa, a festival connecting people with birds, art, and nature in celebration of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.  This annual celebration includes at least 35 tours, hikes, walks, classes, and presentations. On Friday September 25, the ... Read more

The Birds that Lived with Other Dinosaurs – Part 2

This talk is a continuation of one that I gave at a BHAS chapter meeting a few years ago. (No worries if you didn’t see the last one: I promise that you won’t get lost.) Its focus is on the birds that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, the age of dinosaurs. Birds – true ... Read more

Tufted Puffins of the NW Coast

Scott’s presentation will focus on tufted puffin natural history, conservation status, ongoing conservation actions, and the latest information on population trends range-wide. He will also provide an overview of our ongoing research in Washington to help us better understand puffin diet, reproductive success and habitat use.

Ashley Ahearn – The Status of Sage Grouse in the West and Washington

Journey into Sagebrush: After the 2016 election, Ashley Ahearn left her job at the NPR station in Seattle and moved to rural Washington sagebrush country. There, she fell in love with sage grouse and was inspired to make a podcast series. She'll talk about what these strange, troubled birds can teach us about ourselves, our ... Read more

Kate Kendall – The Secret Life of Bears: What trail cameras and genetic analysis of hair have revealed

Bears, by their solitary nature and the remote habitats they occupy, have long been challenging to study. Trail camera footage and genetic analysis of bear hair are providing fascinating windows into bear behavior and population status. Join Kate as she shares what she has discovered about grizzly bears and black bears in the Glacier National ... Read more

Beginning Birding Class: Building Confidence

The class is structured so that you can take any or all of the parts: there will be no content overlap from week to week. Below is an approximate list of the birds we will discuss.  The instructor is (Dr.) Kim Adelson. Large and Noisy: Doves & Pigeons Big Blue Birds: The Jays Thrushes Grosbeaks ... Read more

Beginning Birding Class: A Pastiche of Common Neighborhood Birds

The class is structured so that you can take any or all of the parts: there will be no content overlap from week to week. Below is an approximate list of the birds we will discuss.  The instructor is (Dr. ) Kim Adelson. The Tree Huggers: Woodpeckers, Brown Creepers and Nuthatch Our Two Chickadees Crow ... Read more

Dr. Gary Ivey – Sandhill Cranes of the Pacific Flyway

Dr. Gary Ivey will talk about the sandhill crane populations that breed and stage in Washington State and the broader Pacific Flyway. He will discuss the status, biology, life history, migration routes, wintering areas, and breeding areas of the three subspecies found in the state. Dr. Ivey works for the International Crane Foundation as a ... Read more

Beginning Birding Class: Looking for More Subtle Differences

The class is structured so that you can take any or all of the parts: there will be no content overlap from week to week. Below is an approximate list of the birds we will discuss.  The instructor is (Dr.) Kim Adelson. The most common LBBs: sparrows and finches Towhees and Juncos Little guys: Kinglets, ... Read more

BHAS Book Club Launch

Black Hills Audubon is launching a book discussion group in March via Zoom as another way for our members to gather, exchange ideas, and inspire our community. We will begin with the book featured last month in the Armchair Birding column, For the Good of the Order, that tells a little known part of the ... Read more

Jason Fidorra – Burrowing Owls in Eastern Washington

Jason Fidorra is a Wildlife Biologist working for the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife in Tri-Cities. Jason is working on the front lines of shrub-steep conservation which is critical habitat for many of Washington’s species of greatest concern.

Dr. Dean Gushee – The Risky Life of Emperor Penguins in Antarctica

This talk documents the risks that emperor penguins take at the ice edge while coming and going to sea in search of food for their chicks. This story starts after the ‘March of the Penguins’, when adults make an arduous journey from their nesting sites to find food. It focuses on how emperors avoid their ... Read more

Mary Coolidge – The California Condor Recovery Program at Portland Zoo

Mary served as Portland Audubon’s Assistant Conservation Director from 2008-2012 and currently coordinates the BirdSafe and Non-lead Campaigns. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Lewis & Clark College in 1997 and spent a decade studying a wide array of bird species in both urban and rural environment. She has also been a Zookeeper ... Read more

Recurring

Olympia Birds & Brew

Boston Harbor Marina 312 73rd Avenue N.E., Olympia, WA, United States

It is finally happening. Most of us are vaccinated and beginning to emerge from our homes to once again socialize. Birds and Brew is ready to meet in person and we will begin June 21st. The time will be 4:30 – 6 with a “drop in anytime” agenda. We will have our first meeting at ... Read more

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center 100 Brown Farm Rd NE, Olympia, WA, United States

Join us for the first BHAS-sponsored field trip in over a year! This trip to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is primarily for beginning and intermediate birders. In light of COVID-19, we will follow strict guidelines, which are listed on the liability form at: https://blackhills-audubon.org/black-hills-field-trip-liability-form/. We will explore the diverse habitats of ... Read more

AUGUST FIELD TRIP

For those of you who are vaccinated, there will be a BHAS field trip on Tuesday, August 17, to Bottle Beach, Westport and the Ocean Shores area.  We will be looking for migrating shorebirds, ducks and passerines. This trip will be limited to 16 people in four cars.  Gary Wiles and Paul Hicks will be ... Read more

Puget Sound Bird Fest Online Photo Contest

Puget Sound Birdfest Headquarters 700 Main Street, Edmonds, WA, United States

Amateur and professional photographers are invited to participate in the 2021 Puget Sound Bird Fest Online Photo Contest, in conjunction with the Puget Sound Bird Fest.  Entry is free.  Accepted entries will be displayed online, and voting will be open to the public from Saturday, September 4 through Sunday September 12, 2021.  Voting will close ... Read more