Tags: Bird-watching

Community and vsitors to Whidbey welcome

Walk the trails at the wildlife reserve

Meet at Windjammer Park, end of Beeksma Rd in Oak Harbor at 9am

Bring a lunch, be prepared to carpool, bring your Fish and Wildlife parking permit if you have one.

The public is invited

The 3 mile walk will start at 9:50 a.m., include a stop at the Kristoferson Beaver Marsh and then proceed to the trail head. The first 1/2 mile of trail has a 200’ gain. Trails on top are level. Hear about the future plans for this trail.

Pam Pritzl, President of Skagit Audubon, and John Edison, Audubon and FOCIP member, will give a presentation about the birds of Camano and locations to see them at the Camano Multipurpose Center, (blue building by tennis courts). Pritzl will also lead a field trip to Iverson Spit and English Boom Saturday, April 18, at 9 a.m. This presentation is part of a public education series hosted the third Wednesday of the month by the Camano Wildlife Habitat Project, sponsored by Friends of Camano Island Parks as part of the IslandCounty watershed project. For information
about Camano's wildlife project, call or e-mail.

First explore Au Sable for upland birds and prairie wildflowers, then Keystone, Ft. Casey and Crockett Lake, finishing up at the west end of Penn Cove. Meet at Au Sable Institute in Coupeville, Parker Rd at Highway 20.

"Wonders of Iverson" Estuary Field Day will showcase the diverse marine and freshwater habitats of Iverson Spit Preserve, a 120-acre estuary owned by Island County at the southwest corner of Livingston Bay. Family-friendly walks will lead participants through a fascinating array of habitats. Led by WSU Beach Watchers volunteers, along with a biologist with the Stillaguamish tribe who specializes in outreach education, you’ll be able to explore the former salt marsh and learn about the upper tideline area, see where the beavers have gnawed down trees to begin their dam building process, and walk through the aptly-named Hobbit Trail. Then head to the shoreline, where WSU Beach Watchers will show you what marine species live there.

This workshop is sponsored by the WSU Beach Watchers in Island County, Island County Shore Stewards, and the Stillaguamish Tribe.

Includes Crockett Lake, Fort Casey and the Navy Outlying Field, Coupeville. Crockett Lake is nationally known as a magnet for wintering shorebirds and waterfowl, Fort Casey is good habitat for forest birds, and the areas around the Navy Outlying Field attracts numerous raptors.

Call for details

Watch the bald eagles feeding on returning salmon on the Skagit River at Rockport. Meet at 8am at Freeland Park and Ride or 9am at City Beach Park to carpool. Bring a lunch. Snow and ice cancel.

An extended clan of oversized dolphins we call orcas resides just off our shores. Howard Garret of Orca Network will look into their lives, diets and languages and we'll celebrate the birth of five new baby orcas in 2009. Why were they declared endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and how can we help them by revitalizing their habitat? We'll also hear about the other whales of Whidbey Island- the grey whales that visit Saratoga Passage every year from at least March to June.

Unitarian Universalist Church, 20103 SR 525, Freeland -- 100 yards north of Island Recycling. Doors open at 7 pm, meeting at 7:20, program at 7:30. Please bring a mug for coffee. Doors open at 7pm, meeting at 7:20pm, program at 7:30pm. Please bring a mug for coffee.

Hoypus Point has the 2nd largest block of old growth forest left in the Puget Sound lowlands. Spend a few hours walking among the big trees located in the natural forest area of Deception Pass. Possible sightings include Pileated Woodpecker, Red Crossbill, and Brown Creeper.

Carpools form at Oak Harbor Windjammer Park at 8am for this 3 hour trip.

John Marzluff of the University of Washington. Doors open at 7pm, meeting at 7:20pm, program at 7:30pm. Please bring a mug for coffee.

Tours of Port Susan Preserve, snow geese and trumpeter swan tours, other area birding tours, speakers, art show, kid's activities, raptor and other displays, live music

Whidbey is home to 6 species and occasionally visited by others. Bring flashlights, dress warm.

Mt. Erie, Washington Park, Rosario Beach and March Point, but not necessarily in that order. Dugalla Bay if there is time. The goal: seabirds, shorebirds, raptors and forest birds.

Udie Ulsh presents "The Art of Building a Bird Nest". Doors open at 7pm, meeting at 7:20pm, program at 7:30pm. Please bring a mug for coffee.

Larry Ryman presents "The Lives of Osprey". Doors open at 7pm, meeting at 7:20pm, program at 7:30pm. Please bring a mug for coffee.

Spend a half day looking for ducks, shorebirds, wetland birds, raptors and others. Meet at Bayview Park & Ride. If you have them, bring binoculars and a spotting scope. Public is invited.

The Fascinating World of Bird Nests; Idie Ulsh, learn the ways feathered architects from eagles to hummingbirds makes nests, and discover interesting facts about nest construction and placement. Idie Ulsh, Seattle Audobon Master Birder and nature photographer, has photographed the nests of more than 30 species, and will share some of the photos and observations from her intensive study of bird nests.

Join experienced birder and Audubon member Pam Pritzl, along with Roxie Rochat, Habitat Steward, for a field trip to two rich bird-viewing areas on Camano Island — English Boom Historical Park and Iverson Spit Preserve. Observe birds in diverse habitats that include extensive marshes, mud flats, and cropland nestled against a forested hillside, as well as shoreline and marsh area trails along Skagit Bay.

Meet at Terry's Corner Park and Ride, 860 N. Sunrise, behind Camano Coffee Roasters to stage in carpools and get directions to the county parks. Dress in layers appropriate for the weather, wear sturdy shoes, and bring binoculars or scopes. Tour will take place rain or shine; no reservations required. This field trip is part of a public education series hosted by the Camano Wildlife Habitat Project, sponsored by Friends of Camano Island Parks.

This half day trip will explore the Navy Seaplane Base looking for shorebirds and waterfowl in the harbor, raptors and sea birds from the bluffs, ducks in the treatment ponds and song birds in the wooded areas. Some easy walking involved, including part of the new Maylor Point Trail.

Discovering the secret places of Whidbey Island with Elizabeth Guss of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and Joe Sheldon of the Pacific Rim Institute. Doors open at 7pm, meeting at 7:20pm, program at 7:30pm. Please bring a mug for coffee.

Learning bird identification from Expired Birds with Matt Klope, a biologist with the US Navy, and Robin Llewellyn of Whidbey Audobon Society. Doors open at 7:00pm, meeting at 7:20pm, program at 7:30pm. Please bring a mug for coffee.