Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Fishing Owls in Washington?

I had seen posts on various sites about Barred Owls catching and eating crayfish but I had never witnessed it myself. So when a birding friend called…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Trip Report: Camano Island

September 21, 2021

65 Species

It was another gorgeous September day on Camano Island for our group of 17, as we stopped along Utsalady Bay, and at Iverson Point, Barnum Point County Park and Eide Rd. Some of the highlights…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Trip Report: South Whidbey Island

September 14, 2021

76 Species

Sixteen birders boarded the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry for a tour of birding hotspots in the southern half of Whidbey Island. We had many interesting finds, including an out-of-season…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Trip Report: Fir Island

September 7, 2021

61 Species

Sixteen birders welcomed back the Tuesday day trips after an 18-month hiatus. A shortage of shorebirds at…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

The Results Are In!

Photographers from across the state submitted their best bird photos from this past year, and the results were breathtaking! With record participation this year, the judges had an incredibly difficult task on their hands…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

The Importance of Shared Spaces

John Muir once wrote “Keep close to Nature’s heart….Wash your spirit clean”. There is little doubt that being out and enjoying nature is a soul cleanse for many people. We have different ways of enjoying what nature offers us…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Bird Banding: Its Role in Conservation and How You Can Help

Bird banding is the practice of safely applying a band or tag to part of the bird, usually the leg, for data collection and individual identification. Banding birds allows researchers to learn the migration patterns, life span, breeding territory, and…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Birding is the Only Thing

Sometimes birding is the only thing that makes me feel better.

When I’m out walking through the woods, scanning a pond, or scoping out a wetland; when I hear the call of a Barred Owl or focus my binoculars on a Green Heron—the troubles and controversies of the political scene fade away…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Reconnect with Your Local Birds

March 24, 2020

For the health of our communities and ourselves, we should all heed the shelter-in-place orders as much as we possibly can. But that doesn’t mean we have to rid ourselves of birding completely!

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Great Backyard Bird Count Trip

February 26, 2020

On February 26th Pilchuck Audubon Society, Academia Latina, and the North Sound Birders’ Meetup visited Ferguson Park and Blackman’s Lake in Snohomish to celebrate the Great Backyard Bird Count with…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

The Pursuit of Accuracy

For a novice birder or even a well-traveled, experienced birder, everyone at some point has faced the disheartening ritual of writing these dreaded words on their checklist…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Blaine & Birch Bay

February 25, 2020

68 Species

Birds of the day included a great view of the leucistic Red-tailed Hawk and the Eared Grebe. At the Blaine Harbor we had a very close up view of a Long-tailed Duck pair and the photographers were able to get stunning photos…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Deception Pass

February 18, 2020

68 Species

It was not until we got to Ala spit that we found our first Oystercatcher of the day. Then we when to Dugualla Bay and found Canvasbacks and Redheads…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Port Townsend

February 11, 2020

71 Species

The best part of the day was seeing all of the alcids on our list. When looking for the alcids a Red-throated Loon popped up right in front of us. That was a favorite sighting for the day…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Fir Island

February 4, 2020

52 Species

This was a very cold day with temperatures hovering between 32-35 with wind and snow flurries.  The bird of the day was the sighting of the Golden Eagle…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

South Whidbey Island

January 28, 2020

71 Species

We enjoyed seeing the 300 Western grebes with most of them at Holmes Harbor.  We also found a Red-breasted Sapsucker…

Read More
Brian Zinke Brian Zinke

Snoqualmie Valley

January 21, 2020

49 Species

Birds of the day included seeing over 800 Cackling Geese fly into the field in the Valley.  We also enjoyed watching song sparrow practically…

Read More