Ellen Nelson, At-Large WAS Board Member and Liaison to the Salish Sea Guillemot Network, reports that 2026 Pigeon Guillemot (PG) breeding survey season is beginning and shares how you can get involved. Also, a new book about PGs is out this month!

“Now that we’ve had that spring tease for a few days there, we’ll recollect these past winter weeks, which began with hot cider and goodies at Freeland Park back on Christmas Day! A surprising turnout of birders and birds—up in the park and along the shore that morning we saw and/or heard over 30 species.

Since then, from the East and West dikes at Deer Lagoon we’ve observed the season and tides turn….” Read about the species spotted in Cathi Bower’s report.

“On January 19, uncharacteristically flat water and clear skies brought fewer birds than normal to the Keystone Harbor with seven humans and only a few Glaucous-winged hybridgulls attending the sit.…On the first day of February, a dozen people came by the Coupeville Wharf small sit…The highlight of the sit for the field trip leader was helping an enthusiastic new birder from the mainland identify their mystery birds they saw from the ferry….”

Trip leader Madrone Ruggerio shares his report.

“We started our field trip at Libbey Beach Park, taking advantage of the high tide that brought seabirds close to shore. The water was choppy, but the birding was great with the morning sun highlighting the seabirds…We moved on to Hastie Lake Park. The tide was pushing waves against the breakwater, but the sun was warm and the wind had settled. The birding was equally good…”

Learn about the species the group spotted in Nancy’s Luenn’s article.

Linda Rhodes, a longtime Greenbank resident who retired from a career as a research microbiologist at NOAA, joined the Audubon board earlier this year. We talked with Linda about her life on Whidbey and work with Audubon.

The Island County Commissioners are placing an advisory vote on the November 2026 general election ballot to “ban consumer fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Island County.”  This would include our two Important Bird Areas: Deer Lagoon Preserve and Crockett Lake. 

Whidbey Audubon has joined a coalition of local citizens, businesses, nonprofits and environmental groups supporting a yes vote on this measure.

South Christmas Bird Count lead Govinda Holtby reports that her group of 32 field observers and 6 feeder watchers spotted 15,071 Individual birds and 109 species in January.

The north end count, officially known as Washington Oak Harbor, was conducted on Saturday, Dec. 20. Strong winds battered the 33 volunteer participants that day. 

A total of 109 species were found and 16,595 individual birds were tallied. Many team leaders felt the winds that gusted over 30 mph were a factor in reducing bird numbers.

Read Steve Ellis’s full report.

Whidbey Audubon is adding “small sits” to our field trip offerings. The idea of a small sit is to offer a type of field trip that may allow some who are unable to attend traditional walking field trips an opportunity to go birding and enjoy the outdoors.

The sits will introduce both well known and lesser known birding spots on Whidbey Island that have accessible areas.

On January 14, the view from Windjammer Park resembled a watercolor painting. Smooth silvery water below and thick fog above. The still water made it easy to find seabirds. Species identified included Surf Scoters, a White-winged Scoter, Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads and scaup. Close to shore we saw…

Read Nancy Luenn’s full report.

The last few shortest days of the year found us at Sunlight Beach once, Deer Lagoon West side most often, and once to Lone Lake looking for a Canvasback Duck which had been hanging out there. Though we missed the Canvasback, it is just Duck Season now and everywhere you go there are at least eight or ten different types of water fowl….

Read Cathi Bower’s full report.

What’s so special about a Western Tanager? Just about everything. To start, their color is spectacular. Their diet gives them the red color from a rare plumage pigment called rhododoxathin. No other tanager has this plumage….