Welcome to our blog where we will offer commentary and reviews on various topics related to conservation, sustainability, and whatever else we think our members might “give a hoot” about!
The buzzy wRRw, wrrrr, chip-chip-chip-chip alerted our hiking group that somewhere in the swampy reeds in front of us was a Marsh Wren. My eyes followed this saucy song and finally landed on the tiny culprit.
What a great 3 days we had at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, April 22-24! Bill and I were joined by Tim, Susan, and Beth Durnell, from the Kettle Falls area, who had read about the field trip in the Spokane Audubon Newsletter. They’d never been to Malheur and thought it would be a fun destination with fellow birders…and it was, for all of us!
Exactly two years ago on this day I was finishing up a letter to Spokane Audubon Society members to explain that we were at a point where we needed to either grow or go back to a previous version of ourselves. Today I realize that the inflection point is more of an extended curve. A lot has happened in these two years, and we still are growing into a more dynamic, collaborative part of our community.
Each spring, the Spokane River welcomes a familiar sight: ospreys soaring overhead, returning from wintering grounds to nest and raise their young. These fish-eating hawks are a symbol of the region’s thriving ecosystem, and a reminder of the balance between nature and infrastructure.
Today we will talk about humming birds. Their hearts beat about 1200 beats per minute. They can breathe up to 250 times per minute.
New research shows that seasoned birders — including older adults — had denser tissue in parts of the brain tied to attention and perception.
We’ve always known our Save-A-Bird Team does outstanding work. But when Spokane Audubon Society (SAS) Vice President Lisa Langelier recently heard back from the National Audubon Society (NAS) that our chapter’s required Annual Report was accepted, she also received compliments for our Save-A-Bird Team.
Today I want to talk about the yellow headed blackbird. I wanted to talk about this flying friend because its cute.
As a bird photographer, I’m often asked how I manage to capture such close, intimate portraits of birds that are naturally wary of people. A fellow birder recently encouraged me to share my process, because while viewers see the final image — a sharp eye, a relaxed posture, a bird going about its day — what they don’t see is the quiet, careful setup behind the scenes.
Our February meeting program on citizen scientist volunteers tracking captive-reared telemetry-tagged Monarch butterflies to help determine migration routes, presented by Patrik Adair of the North Idaho non-profit organization WingsRising, Inc., raised a lot of enthusiasm and questions about Washington state efforts.
It was the bewitching hour. The hour before dark, when the Empress-Sun lights the sky, outlining each puff, strand, and wave of clouds with her lavender, silver, and yellow highlighters. Each night, she sets the stage and calls in her subjects to see her fall. She had called me to watch her cross the crimson horizon, to see past the earth into the cosmos, to know that our world is just a finite piece of infinity.
By now, most birders in the region have likely heard about this recent, uncommon visitor to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Great gray owls are the largest owl species in North America, having a wingspan of up to five feet. They inhabit bogs, grassy meadows and boreal forests, where they feed mainly on small mammals such as voles. When vole populations crash, the birds can move in large numbers south of their usual range, particularly in the winter.
Did you know that glass doors and windows can be very dangerous for our flying friends?
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