(Zoom Only)

We have all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she'll share some surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding migration is so crucial for bird conservation.

Rebecca Heisman is a freelance science writer who lives in Walla Walla, Washington, and has worked with organizations including the Audubon Society, the American Bird Conservancy, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the American Ornithological Society. Flight Paths is her first book. Please Register Here.

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm 

Trip Leader: Paul Woodcock

Register Online

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at Semiahmoo County Park parking lot.

As we enter the month of April, we welcome the coming of spring and the northward movement of our wintering birds as well as those species that winter farther south. That can result in some exciting birding along our coastal waters. And, possibly, some better weather too. Brant, loons, scoters, scaup mergansers, golden-eyes and buffleheads will still be present along with plovers, oyster catchers, maybe a whimbrel or other shorebirds. The changing season should also stimulate the activity of songbirds along the spit and might bring in some early migrants.

Please join us for what is always a rewarding outing. New or potential birders are more than welcome. We usual walk up to two miles along the spit but those who may find that difficult are welcome to drive and rejoin the group along the way.

When people think of penguins, they tend to think of snow and ice, but most of the world's penguins actually live in more temperate climes. In his talk, writer and biologist Eric Wagner will talk about some of the research that has come out of Punta Tombo, Argentina, site of one of the largest penguin colonies in the world. For more than forty years, biologists from the University of Washington have gone to Punta Tombo to study the hundreds of thousands of Magellanic penguins that breed there. In looking closely at their lives, we learn not only the challenges they face, but also the ways that humans can help ensure that penguins will always have a future. 

Eric Wagner is a writer and biologist at the Center for Ecosystem Sentinels in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington. He is the author of three books, including Penguins in the Desert. He received his PhD from the University of Washington for his work on Magellanic penguins in Argentina. In addition to penguins, he studies rhinoceros auklets off the Washington coast. He lives in Seattle with his family.

Zoom Class: Introduction to Birding:

How to Identify Common Backyard Birds
Free
Register Here

Sunday March 10, 2024

Time: 9:30am-11:00am

Trip Leader: Alex Jeffers

Register Online

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at the parking area near the end of Fairhaven Avenue. Parking is limited, carpooling is encouraged. 

The parks and neighborhoods of Bellingham offer birders a wide array of unique habitats to explore. Join other birders each month to explore a new birding hotspot within walking, biking, or bussing distance from downtown Bellingham. This month, we will be exploring Mud Bay at the mouth of Chuckanut Creek. The tidal estuary at Mud Bay offers habitat for a variety of songbirds, wading birds, shorebirds, and ducks. Hidden between Fairhaven and the Chuckanuts, Mud Bay is one of Bellingham’s birding gems.  

Saturday March 9, 2024

8:30-10:30am

Joan Sauber & Bob Stocco

Register Online

Trip Limit: 12

Meet at Whatcom Falls Park parking by fish hatchery, Silver Beach Road

Let’s explore Whatcom Falls Park. We’ll start in the parking lot, and make our way through a wooded section to Derby Pond. There should be opportunities for various viewings there. We’ll continue up the trail that will lead to the wetlands adjacent to Scudder Pond on the NW side with a possible short side trip to view the old trestle. After spending some time in the wetlands area, if time permits, we will work our way over to Scudder Pond. The loop continues back along Whatcom Falls Creek and eventually to our starting point. Of course, no trip would be complete without a view of the old stone bridge built by WPA to view the falls.

There are bathrooms available.  We will be walking mostly on gravel paths although some of the forest paths have uneven ground. There will be very minimal elevation gain. If we make our way to Scudder Pond, viewing from Electric Avenue, we would need to be careful since the viewing area is right next to the road where there are no sidewalks.

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm 

Trip Leader: Paul Woodcock

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at Semiahmoo County Park parking lot.

March is usually the time of year when we can expect to find peak numbers of waterfowl from the shores of Semiahmoo. It should be excellent birding as numbers of migrants build in anticipation of spring migration. We can expect to find over forty species of birds including about a dozen species of ducks, two of geese, three species of loons, several shorebirds species, three of gulls and about a dozen different passerines, plus definitely eagles and, hopefully, more. And we will be searching the water for grebes, which have been conspicuous by their absence so far this winter at Semiahmoo.

Please join us. Whether you are brand new to birding or an old hand, you will be welcome. We usually walk two to three miles, most of it on paved trails and some on the beach. Hope for sunshine but do not expect it; check the forecast and dress for the weather. Please register and come along.

February 27, 7:00pm NCAS Membership Meeting at Whatcom Museum Old City Hall (In Person)

Documenting Human’s Impact on the Planet – Daniel Beltrá

Documenting the forces and impacts of climate change can sometimes feel like an impossible task, but for over thirty years, award winning photographer Daniel Beltrá has been traveling the world to shine a light on the dramatic changes afflicted on our fragile ecosystems. In his presentation Beltrá views the climate crisis with hope and optimism for the opportunity it presents to us to make long overdue changes.  He brings you along on his photographic journeys while witnessing global shifts from Greenland and the Arctic Circle, to the world’s great tropical rainforests in the Amazon, Indonesia and the Congo, to Antarctica. His most striking photographs are images dramatically captured from airplanes and helicopters. This perspective gives the viewer a wider context to the beauty and destruction he witnesses, while revealing a delicate sense of scale that emphasizes that the Earth and its resources are finite. His passion for conservation and truth-seeking is evident in the evocatively poignant images that reveal the precarious balance the planet has been pushed to by our carbon-intensive economy.

8:30-10:30am

Joan Sauber & Bob Stocco

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 12

Meet at Whatcom Falls Park parking by fish hatchery, Silver Beach Road

Let’s explore Whatcom Falls Park. We’ll start in the parking lot, and make our way through a wooded section to Derby Pond. There should be opportunities for various viewings there. We’ll continue up the trail that will lead to the wetlands adjacent to Scudder Pond on the NW side with a possible short side trip to view the old trestle. After spending some time in the wetlands area, if time permits, we will work our way over to Scudder Pond. The loop continues back along Whatcom Falls Creek and eventually to our starting point. Of course, no trip would be complete without a view of the old stone bridge built by WPA to view the falls.

There are bathrooms available.  We will be walking mostly on gravel paths although some of the forest paths have uneven ground. There will be very minimal elevation gain. If we make our way to Scudder Pond, viewing from Electric Avenue, we would need to be careful since the viewing area is right next to the road where there are no sidewalks.

Time: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Trip Leader: Helen Dolejsi

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at Bay to Baker parking lot: 640 Marine Dr, Bellingham, WA 98225

Join us for a winter morning walk through Little Squalicum Park, where we will enjoy an urban forested trail, boardwalk, estuary, and hopefully winter waterfowl on Bellingham Bay. We will meet Sunday, February 11th at 9:30 AM, at the Bay to Baker parking lot. Trails are gravel, with minimal elevation gain. Please email with any further questions about accessibility. Birders of all experience levels are welcome! 

Meet at Frank Geri Fields Parking Lot, Corner of Fraser St and Puget St

The parks and neighborhoods of Bellingham offer birders a wide array of unique habitats to explore. Join other birders each month to explore a new birding hotspot within walking, biking, or bussing distance from downtown Bellingham. This month, we will be exploring Salmon Woods along Cemetery Creek in Bellingham’s Puget Neighborhood. Salmon Woods offers mature forest, wetland, and stream habitat hidden away between neighborhoods. We will meet at the Frank Geri Fields Parking Lot on the corner of Fraser St and Puget St. For accessibility information, see the Salmon Woods and Whatcom Creek Trail entry on Birdability.org. For information on bus schedules see the WTA website or contact Bellingham Smart Trips. 

Time: 9:30am-11:00am

Trip Leader: Alex Jeffers

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 16

"Recognizing Avian Behaviors: Marine Birds" with David Drummond

The "Art of Seeing" takes us beyond species ID, numbers and photos. 

Here, we can begin to learn and appreciate what the birds are doing in their bio-ecological context. Join us for an insightful, ethological study to  enhance your field experience! We will focus on the auks, loons, diving ducks and gulls of our West Coast, in our evening zoom class and afternoon field trip.

Place: Zoom class: February 7 (Wed.) 7- 9  PM, 2024. Register through Eventbrite.

Zoom Link

Field Trip: February 10 (Sat.) 2-4 PM. Meet at Semiahmoo Spit- Whatcom County Park in First Parking lot at the bottom of the hill on the left (N side). Start Time: 2 - 4 PM (Sharp).

What to Bring: Your Curiosity, Binoculars, Spotting Scope, Field Notebook, pencil, Water, Snacks and Clothes for the current weather~

Cost: $20.00 members, $25.00 non members.

*A 2nd Field Trip will be added (IF over 15 registrants for the 1st Field Trip).to take place on the next day, February 11 (Sun,) 1-3 PM.

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm 

Trip Leader: Paul Woodcock

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at Semiahmoo County Park parking lot.

February is prime time for marine birds on the eelgrass habitats of Semiahmoo and Drayton Harbor. Please join us for a rather leisurely stroll as we bird the beaches along the spit. If weather conditions allow, we will walk from the county park to the pier at the end of the spit and return, a distance of about 2.5 miles. Please check the forecast and dress for the weather.

We can usually locate about 45 species of birds including about 15 duck species, two of geese, two cormorants, possibly three species of loons, three different grebes, several species of shorebirds and gulls, Bald Eagles, a collection of about a dozen passerines and maybe a surprise or two.

Birders of all skill levels are welcome. If you are new to birding please let us know and ask for assistance. Besides your leader, there are usually a number of knowledgeable Auduboners present willing to be of help.

January 25, 7:00pm NCAS Membership Meeting (Zoom Only)

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) and its Emergence in the Marine Ecosystem in Washington – Katie Haman

Dr. Katie Haman will provide a brief review of avian influenza (Influenza A Virus) and the key differences between low pathogenic avian influenza and the highly pathogenic avian influenza. She will discuss the emergence of the H5N1 strain, and its impacts on wild birds, both globally and here in Washington. Dr. Katie Haman is the lead wildlife non-game veterinarian with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and is the agency lead for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). She hails from Georgia, but has called Washington home since 2010. She, her husband, 2 kids, and a variety of furred and feathered friends live on the Olympic Peninsula. Registration required. Please register here.

8:30-10:30am

Joan Sauber & Bob Stocco

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 12

Meet at Whatcom Falls Park parking by fish hatchery, Silver Beach Road

Let’s explore Whatcom Falls Park. We’ll start in the parking lot, and make our way through a wooded section to Derby Pond. There should be opportunities for various viewings there. We’ll continue up the trail that will lead to the wetlands adjacent to Scudder Pond on the NW side with a possible short side trip to view the old trestle. After spending some time in the wetlands area, if time permits, we will work our way over to Scudder Pond. The loop continues back along Whatcom Falls Creek and eventually to our starting point. Of course, no trip would be complete without a view of the old stone bridge built by WPA to view the falls.

There are bathrooms available.  We will be walking mostly on gravel paths although some of the forest paths have uneven ground. There will be very minimal elevation gain. If we make our way to Scudder Pond, viewing from Electric Avenue, we would need to be careful since the viewing area is right next to the road where there are no sidewalks.

Time: 9:00-1:00

Trip Leader: Steven Harper

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 11

Meet at: Alger Park and Ride, I5 Exit 240

Contact Steven Harper: sharper@northcascadesaudubon.org or 360-650-9065

This field trip will be searching the Samish Flats for Raptors, Snow Geese, Trumpeter Swans, waterfowl, shorebirds and any other interesting birds that happen to be around. The trip will begin and end at the Alger Park and Ride, I5 Exit 240. Arrive early so we can leave promptly at 9:00 am. We will carpool in 3 cars (please volunteer if possible)(4 in each car) while we search for birds. Bring water, hot beverages, snacks and lunch to eat on the run. Dress to keep dry and warm and bring binoculars and a spotting scope if you happen to have one. We will see Trumpeter Swans, Bald eagles, Rough-legged hawks, Harriers, Red-tailed hawks, Kestrels and search for the other less common raptors such as Short Eared Owls and Merlins and Snow Geese.

Time: 9:30am-11:00am

Trip Leader: Alex Jeffers

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at Frank Geri Fields Parking Lot, Corner of Fraser St and Puget St

The parks and neighborhoods of Bellingham offer birders a wide array of unique habitats to explore. Join other birders each month to explore a new birding hotspot within walking, biking, or bussing distance from downtown Bellingham. This month, we will be exploring Salmon Woods along Cemetery Creek in Bellingham’s Puget Neighborhood. Salmon Woods offers mature forest, wetland, and stream habitat hidden away between neighborhoods. We will meet on Sunday November 19 at 9:30 am at the Frank Geri Fields Parking Lot on the corner of Fraser St and Puget St. For accessibility information, see the Salmon Woods and Whatcom Creek Trail entry on Birdability.org. For information on bus schedules see the WTA website or contact Bellingham Smart Trips. 

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm 

Trip Leader: Paul Woodcock

Register online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at Semiahmoo County Park parking lot.

If you are looking for a place to kickstart your 2024 bird list, Semiahmoo can offer that opportunity. We usually locate over forty species of birds on a good winter outing. Semiahmoo is one of the best local locations to find a variety of wintering waterfowl. You can expect to see loons, grebes, scoters, harlequins, scaup, goldeneyes, mergansers, and other ducks. Geese, including brant, cormorants, herons and, hopefully, a few shorebirds will be present along with wintering passerines along the spit. Eagles are to be expected and other raptors are a possibility.

Please remember to dress for the winter weather. Be prepared for possible wind and cold but please join us for what is always a memorable outing with friendly, helpful birders. Beginning birders are welcome. Please join us.

Time: 8:30 - 1:00 PM

Trip Leader: Chris Brewer, Dorrie Jordan, Steve Glenn

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 5 cars, leave contact info for carpool coordination and final instructions

Meet at Sunset Square, 1229 East Sunset Drive, by the Taco Bell.

Join Audubon in a wintry visit to Bald Eagle hot spots along the Nooksack River and surrounding area. Parking at birding sites is extremely limited as is registration so provide phone or email contact for final meeting information. Bring a lunch to eat at Deming Library following.

8:30-10:30am

Joan Sauber & Bob Stocco

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 12

Meet near 4095 South Bay Drive, park on the side of the road, about a 1/2 mile past Heart to Heart Tree Farm. Space is limited so carpooling is encouraged. 

South Lake Whatcom Park is a great place to spot eagles because nearby Fir Creek is filled with Kokanee salmon this time of year. There are a couple different ways we can get to the lake where we'll also see gulls and other waterfowl. Once we've had our fill of eagle watching we can cross the road and visit the Whatcom Land Trust property called Ladies of the Lake. This is a 100-acre property in the Lake Whatcom Watershed and contains riparian habitat along Fir Creek, an open field, and a steep forested hillside. Wear boots or other footwear to protect your feet from water as it probably will be muddy. 

Please join us at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship social hall for our annual holiday potluck to celebrate another great year of birding with our wonderful Audubon community!  In addition to sharing some delicious food and fine company, our special guest, Eric Ellingson, will share his photographs and stories from some of the birding festivals he has attended.  Please bring a main dish, side or dessert to share and your own plate and utensils.  Coffee and tea will be provided.  We look forward to seeing you!  

Saturday, December 9th 1 to 3:30 pm

Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship

1207 Ellsworth, Bellingham

Time: 9:00-1:00

Trip Leader: Steven Harper

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 11

Meet at: Alger Park and Ride, I5 Exit 240

Contact Steven Harper: sharper@northcascadesaudubon.org or 360-650-9065

This field trip will be searching the Samish Flats for Raptors, Snow Geese, Trumpeter Swans, waterfowl, shorebirds and any other interesting birds that happen to be around.  The trip will begin and end at the Alger Park and Ride, I5 Exit 240. Arrive early so we can leave promptly at 9:00 am. We will carpool in 3 cars (4 in each car) while we search for birds.  Bring water, hot beverages, snacks and lunch to eat on the run. Dress to keep dry and warm and bring binoculars and a spotting scope if you happen to have one.  We will see Trumpeter Swans, Bald eagles, Rough-legged hawks, Harriers, Red-tailed hawks, Kestrels and search for the other less common raptors such as Short Eared Owls and Merlins and Snow Geese.

Meet at the parking lot off Koehn Road (6899 Koehn Rd, Blaine, WA 98230) 

We will take our time wandering through the coastal forest, enjoying winter woodland species before coming to the bluffs where waterfowl and gulls are quite common. The trail is just under a mile and quite flat, although there are stairs that provide the option to go down to the beach and extend your stay if you want. We will engage our ears and learn how to identify species by their sounds, plus how and why birds create such an incredible diversity of sounds.

Time: 9:00-11:00

Trip Leader: Luke Pearson

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 12

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm 

Trip Leader: Paul Woodcock

Registration Required

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 12

Meet at Semiahmoo County Park parking lot.

December usually brings not only a lot of birds to the eelgrass beds of Semiahmoo but also a pleasing variety of species. The wintery weather can also present challenges to the birders who wish to see them. Please check the forecast and be prepared for possible wind, rain and cold temperatures. But do come! You will be rewarded by an outstanding variety of bird species. Please bring binoculars and scopes if you have them.

Bald eagles will be returning to the spit and a few other raptor species may also be present. But the numbers of birds on the water are the main attraction. We can often find fifteen or more species of waterfowl alone, plus cormorants loons and grebes and probably a few shorebird species. On the spit, resident species like crows, chickadees, house finches, wrens, towhees and juncos are often joined by wintering sparrows and kinglets, among others.

Novice birders are more than welcome. Please ask questions and for support as needed. 

Be prepared not only for the weather but for a good time with birds and other birders.

Join Audubon in a wintry visit to Bald Eagle hot spots along the Nooksack River and nearby location for eagles at Kokanee run. Parking at birding sites is extremely limited as is registration so provide phone or email contact for final meeting instructions. 

Meet at Sunset Square, 1229 East Sunset Drive, by the Taco Bell.

Trip will be Limited to 5 Vehicles. 

Time: 8:30 - 12:30 PM

Trip Leader: Chris Brewer, Dorrie Jordan, Steve Glenn

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit:  5 cars, leave contact info for carpool coordination and final instructions

Ocean acidification is sometimes called the evil twin of climate change.  It's driven by the carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere, which is changing the chemistry of the oceans.  These changes can influence how hard it is to make a shell, or how easy it is for plants and algae to grow.  Ocean acidification can affect anything from the survival of tiny oysters to the sense of smell in fish, affecting marine food webs in varied and unpredictable ways. Brooke will go over how ocean waters are changing and some of the more common responses among different kinds of organisms, including some that are common in the Salish Sea.  She will discuss what we do and don't know about what happens when things get complicated, like when temperature and carbon dioxide are changing at the same time, or in coastal waters that have many other influences.  Finally, she will take a look at what we know about what the future holds and how people and policy makers are addressing the coming changes.

 

Brooke Love (WWU Associate Professor) is an oceanographer who is interested in how ocean acidification and climate change are unfolding in our local Washington waters.  She is a chemical oceanographer by training, who started building instruments to measure carbon dioxide in high temperature black smokers on the sea floor.  She now studies how ocean acidification and temperature change affect organisms ranging from plankton, to eelgrass to herring.  This involves a lot of plumbing, and she is always happy with a box of fittings and some tubing.  She's also dedicated to ocean education inside and outside the classroom. 

Join experts from the North Cascades Audubon Society in the John M. Edson Hall of Birds to learn about migration, conservation, birds in peril, and the importance of studying bird specimens today. The exhibit provides a variety of interactives, including video and audio files, and hands-on activities for children. All ages welcome to this drop-in program.

INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION/MEMBERS FREE

Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm 

Trip Leader: Lynne Givler

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 14

Are you ready to work up an appetite before Thanksgiving?! This combined walking and driving field trip will start at the end of Semiahmoo Spit near the Plover Dock where we’ll scan the channel between Semiahmoo and White Rock, B.C. for loons, grebes, scoters, long-tailed ducks and a wide variety of other wintering water birds. We’ll then walk along the shoreline trail before driving back to the park buildings for a further look at Drayton Harbor and Semiahmoo Bay. Next (for those who haven’t had enough!), we’ll drive to Marine Park in Blaine and walk along the waterfront in search of other new or familiar species. Bring a spotting scope if you have one and snacks or a lunch. And come prepared for rain, wind, and/or sun!

Time: 9:30am-11:00am

Trip Leader: Alex Jeffers

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 16

Meet at Bay to Baker Parking Lot

The parks and neighborhoods of Bellingham offer birders a wide array of unique habitats to explore. Join other birders each month to explore a new birding hotspot within walking, biking, or bussing distance from downtown Bellingham. This month, we will be exploring Little Squalicum Park on Bellingham’s Northside. The CIty of Bellingham has recently opened a new boardwalk through restored marsh and estuary habitat, which we will have a chance to explore. We will meet on Sunday November 19 at 9:30 am at the Bay to Baker parking lot on the corner of Marine Drive and W Illinois St. For accessibility information, see the Little Squalicum Park entry on Birdability.org

8:30-10:30am

Joan Sauber & Bob Stocco

Register Online

Registration will open 7 days prior to event date

Trip Limit: 12

Meet at Whatcom Falls Park parking by fish hatchery, Silver Beach Road

Let’s explore Whatcom Falls Park. We’ll start in the parking lot, and make our way through a wooded section to Derby Pond. There should be opportunities for various viewings there. We’ll continue up the trail that will lead to the wetlands adjacent to Scudder Pond on the NW side with a possible short side trip to view the old trestle. After spending some time in the wetlands area, if time permits, we will work our way over to Scudder Pond. The loop continues back along Whatcom Falls Creek and eventually to our starting point. Of course, no trip would be complete without a view of the old stone bridge built by WPA to view the falls.

There are bathrooms available.  We will be walking mostly on gravel paths although some of the forest paths have uneven ground. There will be very minimal elevation gain. If we make our way to Scudder Pond, viewing from Electric Avenue, we would need to be careful since the viewing area is right next to the road where there are no sidewalks.