Throughout summer we visited a half dozen locations -  from Possession Point at the far tip of the Island and the Glendale (aka, Possession Sound Preserve) Pigeon Guillemot colony where we watched a PIGU deliver a fish to its burrow and saw a lone and early southbound Swan, up to Greenbank Farm where we spied…. Read Nancy Luenn’s full report.

BIN-North birders met three times this summer, including in a trip with BIN-South in August. Highlights included watching the antics of a family of California Quail, being buzzed by a territorial Red-breasted Nuthatch, and seeing a mother river otter and her pup catching fish among the tide pools. Find out else delighted and surprised the group in Nancy’s BIN-North report.

On the first of the month, between wandering the Greenbank Farm grounds and our stroll to the Wonn beach access, we identified at least 36 species. There was a little of everything, including the most exciting, a closeup look at a gorgeous pair of Blue-winged Teal right there in the pond…

On another cool gray morning, eleven birders met at the Pacific Rim Institute on May 14 to look for birds and wildflowers. Hearing that Barn Owls are nesting in the 1910 pole barn, we walked in the direction of the forest….

I had the pleasure of leading the first official Whidbey Audubon trip to Reifel in many years. Twelve enthusiastic participants and I met at the Reifel entrance station…

Five enthusiastic participants met me and the state park employee at the locked gate to the Hoypus Point Road.

On April 9, ten birders met at Joseph Whidbey State Park on a cool gray morning. We walked into a forest full of spring green leaves and birdsong. Among the species we identified were Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Black-capped Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Golden-crowned Kinglet.…

We’ve nearly doubled our species sightings in just a couple weeks! Back in early April at Waterman Shoreline Preserve, even missing the usual shore-type ducks and peeps, we did identify at least 30 species, plus a couple who were too quick for us….

In spite of the cold and windy weather, eight birders joined the BINN outing on March 12. We visited three marine environments and were rewarded by seeing 29 species.

Our first stop was Mueller Beach Access on Madrona Way to see what birds were sheltering in Penn Cove. There we found numerous Common Goldeneye and a few Barrow’s Goldeneye, Scaup and Bufflehead….

We had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. The weather was very good and except for two short episodes, we had no rain. Roger Melendez was a remarkable guide and provided great accommodations, good meals, excellent birds, a few remarkable mammals, and good history and culture….

The traditional February trip to the bottomlands of the Skagit and Samish rivers did not come off as planned this year. Trip leader Jay Adams and I had looked forward to at least one—and possibly two—visits with Whidbey birders, but we were thwarted by persistent rains and high winds. 

However, we did have good luck on a reconnaissance trip on January 29….

Early in the month, on the Deer Lagoon West dike, we identified over 40 species, and then later for the first day of spring, we mixed it up over at Sunlight Beach and the East Dike, with at least 35 species, including four Northern Harriers swooping together over the fields.  Four!  Two of each, male and female….