Scholarship Deadline Is Coming in Early April
Do you have a teenager who is a graduating from high school this spring and wants to study conservation, environmental science, ornithology and such? If you do or if you know someone, have them apply for the Whidbey Audubon Society Renee Smith Scholarship for Environmental Studies.
Q&A with Jackie Lasater
Jackie Lasater serves on the Whidbey Audubon Board of Directors as the Conservation and Science Board Member and as the Conservation Committee Chair. She has been a member of South Whidbey Audubon for two years and joined the Conservation Committee last August. We talked with Jackie about her work with Audubon and her passion for activism and advocacy.
Birding in Neighborhoods - North Report
On February 12, five hardy birders donned appropriate clothing and braved the cold to walk the Windjammer Park shoreline to Flintstone Park. We were rewarded with a gorgeous blue sky and more than 1,000 American Wigeons (by Denise’s count) grazing on the lawn and swimming in the lagoon and in the harbor. It was the most thrilling sight and sound (!) when the Wigeons took flight all around us. ….
Deception Pass State Park, West Beach
On February 8, about a dozen people met at the south end of West Beach parking lot of Deception Pass then walked the Dune Trail. They spotted birds including Surf Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, Horned Grebes, and a Common Loon downing a flatfish during the two-hour walk. This was one of a series of bimonthly trips coordinated by the park’s AmeriCorps staff and led by Whidbey Audubon Volunteers.
Q&A with Dave Parent
Dave Parent is a semi-retired veterinarian who is well known on Whidbey for his three decades of treating wildlife at the Useless Bay Animal Clinic. While Dave has been leading field trips for Whidbey Audubon for many years, he only recently joined the board. We talked with Dave about his interest in animals and his work with Audubon.
Birding in Neighborhoods - South
At the end of January, we bundled up and rolled ourselves out into the sun on the dikes at Deer Lagoon, where we identified at least 39 species–a little of everything, including those beautiful and entertaining Hooded Mergansers at the edge in the slough foraging for tiny fishies, then gobbling them down with their adorable little serrated bills! A Killdeer and some Greater Yellowlegs were taking advantage of what little shore there was, along with the Crows and Mallards. Of course, the eagles and harriers were scaring up the ducks and Dunlin. While we were looking for the Snipe that Carlos had spied, a Lincoln’s Sparrow was a nice surprise….
Loons at Deception Pass
On January 25, more than 100 people participated in the annual Loon Field Trip to West Beach and Cranberry Lake led by Sarah and Steve Ellis. They spotted all three loon species, along with Surf Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe, Pigeon Guillemot and many other birds.
Q&A with James DeForrest
Jim DeForrest is a Whidbey Island wildlife photographer and the newest member of the Whidbey Audubon Society.
“I’m eager to do whatever I can to make the Whidbey community aware of the wildlife that is at our fingertips. We have important areas, and we need to cherish and protect them.”
Q&A with Janet Jernigan
Janet Jernigan joined the South Whidbey Audubon board in 2022 and currently serves as the board secretary.
“I really enjoy working with a warm, friendly group of people who share my interests and my values about conservation.”