Wings over Whidbey Bird Festival

10:15 - 11:00

Seabirds as Sentinels: Auklets, Puffins, and the View from Destruction Island

Every spring, thousands of rhinoceros auklets return to Destruction Island off Washington's outer coast. There they dig burrows, lay eggs, and raise their chicks. Small, gray, and adorned with a curious horn on their bill, these funny-looking birds have become an unlikely but important indicator for the health of oceans and the Pacific ecosystem as a whole. Drawing from his book, Seabirds as Sentinels, biologist and author Eric Wagner will talk about how the auklets draw together many threads—of climate change, of fisheries, of histories human and more-than-human alike.

Eric Wagner is an author and seabird biologist. He holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Washington, where he studies penguins in Argentina and, closer to home, rhinoceros auklets on islands off the Washington coast. He is the author of four books, including After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of Mount St. Helens, and the forthcoming Seabirds as Sentinels: Auklets, Puffins, Shearwaters, and the View from Destruction Island. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Orion, and High Country News, among many other places. He lives in Seattle with his family.

11:45 - 12:30

Why Bother About Birds?

We've all seen it before: joggers running in parks alive with birdsong who don't hear it because the runners' earphones are blaring. Developers indifferent to nesting birds as the chainsaws buzz. Cat owners unconcerned about the birds their pets kill. Homeowners and apartment managers putting out rat poison that also poisons hawks and owls. It's so easy in an urbanized environment to be oblivious about birds that share our spaces. But birds do matter in more ways than we might think. In this talk given by master birder Connie Sidles, you'll hear the many important answers to the question: Why Bother About Birds?

Connie Sidles is a master birder and long-time member of Birds Connect Seattle, where she served on the board and was chair of the Conservation Committee and the Publications Committee. Connie is currently on the staff of the University of Washington as an instructor in continuing education programs. She teaches classes for BCS and several other Audubon societies across the country. Connie is a published author with more than 600 published articles and is founder and president of Constancy Press. She has written four books about nature focusing on her favorite “backyard,” Montlake Fill, aka Union Bay Natural Area on the UW campus. Connie graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Egyptology, which was interesting but not lucrative. She now spends her time working on conservation issues and helping to build a community of people who care about nature.

1:15 - 2:00

Northwest Game Hawkers will be bringing and showing live raptors at Wings over Whidbey, giving a presentation on the history of falconry and conservation, and the effects of pesticides and rodenticides on these birds.

Northwest Game Hawkers is a falconry club spanning the entire NW Region of the US and includes the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Our mission is to unite falconers across the region, leveraging our collective resources, talent, and knowledge. As enthusiasts of this ancient hunting sport, we advocate alongside fellow hunters for the conservation of habitats and the protection of raptors. By securing quality land and promoting effective land management, we ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy the thrill of hunting with birds of prey.

2:45 - 3:30

Birds fly, migrate, raise young, find food, sing, and have diverse social systems. Some visit Washington in summer or winter, others stay year-round and may shift locations seasonally. Chickadees are tiny, the size of a ping pong ball. Trumpeter Swans weigh three or four times as much as a newborn baby. Both fly with grace, find mates, and raise young. Just as birds display remarkable variety in size and behavior, their songs also illustrate their unique identities. Some birds learn their song; others inherit it genetically.

After watching birds in action, their presence offers more than fascination—it brings emotional comfort. Contemplating these marvelous, feathered creatures brings joy, solace, and hope. Join me as I connect science with personal observations. My goal is to show how wild birds foster passion, healing, and personal growth. Let me share how birds bring awe and delight, and how they help us cope and continue to learn. You will leave this presentation with a new appreciation and curiosity for our feathered friends.

Thomas Bancroft is a writer and conservationist based in Seattle. He earned both his Ph.D. and M.A. in biology, specializing in ornithology, from the University of South Florida. Bancroft has served as a research biologist focused on avian studies and bird conservation, held leadership positions at The Wilderness Society and National Audubon Society, where he advanced the integration of science into U.S. public land policy and stewardship initiatives, and contributed to numerous boards and advisory groups, including the Puget Sound Partnership Ecosystem Coordination Board, the Northwest Straits Commission advisory board, Audubon Washington, and Washington Ornithological Society.