Monthly Programs
Next General Meeting Program: Thursday, May 14, 2026 in person at the Coupeville Rec Hall
Our monthly programs feature a guest speaker presenting a subject of interest to those who love birds. We have nine programs a year, with no program in July, August and December, on the second Thursday of the month, and they are free and open to the public. Drop by and enjoy the company as we all learn something new from our featured guest. See our Calendar or Events List for upcoming programs.
Banner photo by Jann Ledbetter
The Joys of One-Bird Birding
with Maria Mudd Ruth
7:00 PM, May 14th, 2026 in person
at the Coupeville Rec Hall,
901 NW Alexander St,
Coupeville, Washington
Whidbey Audubon members are no strangers to Pigeon Guillemots. Since 2003, these lively, charming seabirds have gained a wide and devoted following on the island as the focal species of the Salish Sea Guillemot Network. There are now 250 volunteer community scientists in this ever-expanding network of “guillemoteers” and Maria Mudd Ruth is one of them. Though her first encounters with the guillemots on Puget Sound were centered on data collection, Maria’s hour-long surveys led to a curiosity-fueled, multi-year exploration of the guillemots and the lives they live beyond the data sheets. Maria’s new book, The Bird with the Flaming Red Feet, is informed by her thirteen years among the guillemots on an inlet near her home in Olympia. Her slide presentation is a celebration of the Pigeon Guillemot, the Salish Sea Network, community science, and the joys of “one-bird birding.”
Maria Mudd Ruth is the author of more than a dozen books on natural history topics for general audiences, young readers, birders and non-birders alike. Her recent books include critically acclaimed Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet and award-winning A Sideways Look at Clouds. Since 2013, she has been a volunteer community scientist with the Salish Sea Guillemot Network and is the team lead at a raucous guillemot colony on Eld Inlet. To learn more about Maria, visit her website.
Registration not necessary to attend.
Guillemot photo by Lachlan Pope.
Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship
and other Banding Research
with Scott Markowitz
Hosted April 9th, 2026 at the Coupeville Rec Hall
Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship and other Banding Research, a presentation by ornithologist Scott Markowitz of the Puget Sound Bird Observatory will take you through the reasoning and methodology of the Institute for Bird Population's Monitoring of Avian Productivity and Survivorship study. He will share the how the Puget Sound Bird Observatory's two stations operate, and how the data contributes so the scientific understanding of bird population health. PSBO operates MAPS bird-banding stations that are part of a continent-wide network of research stations monitoring the reproduction and survival of bird populations. Markowitz is the director of research at PSBO and is a faculty fellow at Pacific Lutheran University. Scott is also working on the mechanics of sexual selection in Sialia mexicana (Western Bluebird) with regards to coloration as an honest indicator of successful foragers and the connection with the rate of extra-pair copulations, of which he will also share.
Scott Markowitz is an ornithologist with a passion for local birds. He is director of research at the Puget Sound Bird Observatory and a faculty research fellow at Pacific Lutheran University. One area of Scott's research includes looking at molt strategies and coloration in Song Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, Spotted Towhee and Brown Creeper. Another area he and Dr. Julie Smith collaborate on is the mechanics of sexual selection in Sialia mexicana (Western Bluebird) with regards to coloration as an honest indicator of successful foraging and its relationship with the rate of extra-pair breeding opportunity. He lives in Gig Harbor with two very wise cockatiels, twelve wonderful hens, and 80,000 lady honeybees.
Tufted Puffin
in a Dynamic Seascape
with Dr. Scott Pearson
Recorded March 12th, 2026
The Tufted Puffin is an iconic seabird that nests on offshore islands along Washington’s outer coast and on two islands in the Salish Sea. Recent analyses suggest that the puffin is declining from the Gulf of Alaska south to California, with more dramatic declines at the southern end of its breeding range. Scott describes the species’ natural history and provides information on its status in Washington and beyond and on research and conservation efforts to benefit the species locally.
Dr. Scott Pearson is a senior research scientist at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Michigan. His research is focused on assessing wildlife population status and trends and the underlying mechanisms driving declines to help inform conservation management. His current work is focused on gaining a better understanding of marine bird and mammal diets, habitat use and quality, and the effectiveness of conservation efforts with a focus on several species of conservation concern. Scott also supervises the west-side research team for the Wildlife Program.
