Purple Martins Nesting Season 2025
In this article, Mary Hollen shares her experiences during the recent the Purple Martin nesting season–from insulating and modifying her next boxes last winter to watching the first fledglings launch on a blustery day this summer
South Whidbey Christmas Bird Count
This year’s South Whidbey Christmas Bird Count will be held on January 2, 2026, with an alternate day of January 5 if there is inclement weather. Registration deadline is December 12. Chair Govinda Holtby shares details about the 2026 count and ways you can participate in this article.
Birding in Neighborhoods - South
During some of those final glorious fall days, at Sunlight Beach, in spite of the bouncy surf, we did find some loons, grebes, geese and cormorants out there. We watched a crow watching an Osprey while he ate something on the shore…
Read Cathi Bower’s full report.
Birding in Neighborhoods - North
Cloudy skies greeted us as we gathered at Dugualla Bay on October 8, but the tide was perfect. A strip of beach brought seabirds close to shore. We successfully identified three species of gulls: California, Glaucous-winged and Ring-billed. The salt marsh featured exposed mud, channels of water and close-up views of…
Read Nancy Luenn’s full report.
Field Trip Reports: Audubon Members Hit the Road This Summer!
Thank you to trip leader Dave Parent for sharing reports from expeditions to Malheur Wildlife Refuge and Westport, WA.
Getting to Know Your Board: Tiffany Kelly
When Tiffany Kelly and her husband, Paul, moved to South Whidbey Island in 2023, one of the first things they did was to take the Birds of Whidbey class. Learn why her involvement has grown from there in our Q&A with Tiffany.
You’re Invited! Audubon Member Launches “Grateful Birds” Illustrated Book October 26
Longtime South Whidbey Audubon member Govinda Holtby and her husband, Matt, a follower of the Grateful Dead, have published a book that melds their two passions: Northwest birds and the Grateful Dead. They will be launching the book with a festive, public celebration at Ott & Hunter winery in Langley on October 26.
Birding in Neighborhoods - South
September Birding in Neighborhoods South meetups were spent at Deer Lagoon–the shifting seasons bring on something interesting everywhere we turn.
We observed a little of everything–at least 40 species during one morning early in the month–about eight different shorebirds, including…
Read Cathi Bower’s full report.
Conservation Committee Updates
The Whidbey Audubon Society Conservation Committee has added two new projects: investigating decreased water levels at Crockett Lake and securing a site for the Motus tower.
Birding in Neighborhoods - North
Thick fog greeted eleven birders as we gathered at the West Beach/Swan Lake Overlook on September 10. Only the birds closest to shore were visible. Among Ring-billed and California Gulls, we spotted Heerman’s Gulls in a full range of plumage, from juveniles to adults. The most dramatic sighting was…