CATHI BOWER, KATHY OBERSINNER AND PATTY CHEEK

Although team members have come and gone, Cathi and Kathy have been Whidbey’s Shore Thing since we began together in 2017 (along with our ringer Darwin Wile, that first year) when we spied the first Yellow-headed Blackbird to be seen during an Island Birdathon.

Our Birdathon sightings high-count has so far been 110 for the day, so pledge to team Shore Thing by number of species, if you dare! We do strive for the Coveted Golden Binoculars Award, but more importantly, we’re after that Bronze Owl, the award for the team who has inspired the greatest giving to this Whidbey Audubon event!

Victorious or not, a day’s fun adventure is a Shore Thing!

ANN CASEY, GOVINDA HOLTBY, MARILYNN STRAYER, LINDA BAINBRIDGE, ANN NISHIMOTO AND FRANCES WOOD

Once again, the Wild Women of Whidbey (WWW) Birdathon Team will participate in the WAS Birdathon Fund Raiser. Our team of Frances Wood, Ann Casey, Marilynn Strayer and Linda Bainbridge will gather and head out over hill and dale in search of as many bird species as we can find, employing our sharp eyes, our keen ears, our trusted binocs and scopes and leaving no habitat area uncovered.

The WWW is one of the charter member teams in the Whidbey Audubon Birdathon fund raiser. In past years, WWW has been in the top three teams and just a species or two away from winning the coveted Golden Binoculars Award. This year we will be trying our best to surpass our previous team records.

We appreciate your support and donations and will do our very best to represent you in our efforts to help Whidbey Audubon Society achieve it's mission and goals. THANK YOU.

GO WWW!!!!!!

JANET HALL, SARAH SCHMIDT, ANN LINNEA, DYANNE SHELDON AND LIBBY HAYWARD

The Wingin’ It team began participating in Birdathon in 2003, making 2026 our 24th year! We love sharing a full day of birding while raising money to support Whidbey Audubon Society. We usually find around 110 species. While we aim to maximize our species count, we always take time to share and learn together.

Wingin’ It is led by Sarah Schmidt and Janet Hall, joined this year by Ann Linnea, Dyanne Sheldon and Libby Hayward. We are grateful for your donations which further the work of Whidbey Audubon Society and our Scholarship Program.

STEVE ELLIS, MARTHA ELLIS AND MADRONE RUGGIERO

Raven for More won the Golden Binoculars Award in 2025 for finding the most bird species. We not only look for birds but add mammals, fish, butterflies, and native plant species that are blooming. It's a mini-biobltz that celebrates the glorious Whidbey Island spring. Every supporter gets a list of where and when each bird species was found plus a list of all the other wonders we come across.

LOUIE SHELLENBERGER, PATRICIA DUARTE

Until very recently our team name "No Egrets!" was literally the case as they are rarely seen on the island particularly during Birdathon. One was spotted earlier this year, but as a team we still have No Egrets!

JOAQUÍN SWETT-FOSMO, GRACE WEBB, JULIETTA MERCULIEF, SABRINA CAREY, SOFIE SWETT, G HOUCK, LUCIA BEATTY, TRISTAN MÖEHS

At Stork Raven Loonatics, we believe in quantity over quality. We might not be the best birders, but there sure are a lot of us! On May 3rd, we’ll be stuffing as many Loonatics as we can fit in one car and zoomin’ up and down Whidbey Island trying to spot ‘em all. We’ve only got four pairs of binoculars between the eight of us, so wish us luck!