VAS Community Outreach: Birding with Seniors on the Auto Route
By Beth Marlin Lichter On 12/11/25 Ken Pitts and I took senior residents from University Village in Vancouver, to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, River “S” Unit. This is the famous auto route, a 4-mile loop through diverse habitats, always a beautiful ride. Your vehicle is your blind this time of year, however between May 1st and September 30th one is permitted to exit the car along the route and walk the Kiwa Trail as well (unless a…
Protect the Endangered Species Act
By Susan Saul The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is moving to weaken rules under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)—a law with a proven track record of success in protecting and recovering our most vulnerable birds. It continues to directly benefit nearly 100 of the country’s endangered and threatened bird species, including the Whooping Crane,…
Vancouver Audubon Celebrates its 50th Anniversary
Story by Don Rose, photos by Ken PittsVancouver Audubon celebrated its 50th Anniversary at its monthly meeting on December 2. We had a great turnout of currently active members and members of historical interest, including previous Chapter Presidents and Board members. Washington Audubon Interim Executive Director Trina Bayard kicked off the celebration with a nice…
Short-eared Owls
Photos and Text by Isaac Lang After arriving in America, one of the birds that I desperately wanted to see again was the Short-eared Owl. The only time that I was able to lock eyes on one was when my dad and I saw a pair of them fly between two patches of forest in…
I’m Just So Glad You Are Here (Song of the White-crowned Sparrow)
Photos and Text by Beth Marlin Lichter Still in the honeymoon stage of birding, I would call myself an advanced novice. Every bird is an uncommon bird. I get excited about a good photo of an American Robin with a berry in its beak. Every species is unique with skills and behaviors worthy of observation. Birding…
RECAP: First of the Month Bird Walk at Salmon Creek Greenway
By Sam Cable A gentle and intermittent drizzle paired with a cold, gray morning did not stop 13 observers from recording 51 species over 3 hours on our First of the Month Bird Walk led by Cindy McCormack. Leaving from the parking lot we wound our way around the softball facility whose manicured grass lawns…
Magnificent Escapees: The Red-whiskered Bulbul
Photos and Text by Beth Marlin Lichter The Red-whiskered Bulbul is native to eastern India and Burma and has been a principal species in the Asian caged bird trade. In 1960, escapees from an aviary in Miami adapted well to living locally in the wild. Bulbuls thrive on insects, fruit-bearing shrubs, and the berries of warm weather exotic trees. Florida checks all the boxes with plentiful food sources and a lush ideal habitat for these birds. In 1967 a Red-whiskered Bulbul flock (more escapees) took up residency at Huntington…
Come Celebrate Our 50th Anniversary!
by Becky Boley & Joan Durgin Join us Tuesday December 2nd at our regularly scheduled meeting when we celebrate the Vancouver Audubon chapter’s 50th anniversary! We will recognize past presidents, reflect on memories, hold a short trivia contest, have photos and other displays and wrap up with door prizes. We invite you to celebrate with…
November 1st VAS Bird Walk
By Tom Tinsley Despite the very wet and occasionally breezy conditions, thirteen dedicated PNW birders joined Cindy McCormack for Vancouver Audubon’s November first of month bird walk. Our walk began in the Vancouver Water Resources building parking lot with a quick round of introductions. We then headed for the Columbia River on the waterfront trail…
Christmas Bird Count Needs You!
by Ken Pitts Thomas Meinzen and Bob Archer have taken the reigns for running the Christmas Bird Count in our area. Your participation is needed for the continued success of this program. If you are interested, please fill out the form and submit it. The count date is Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Vaux’s Swift Viewing
By Susan Saul The southward migrating Vaux’s swifts have abandoned Chapman School in Portland, but that does not mean you are without viewing opportunities. Down the Columbia River from Vancouver, the chimney at the Riverside Community Church in Rainier, Oregon, has hosted up to 25,000 Vaux’s swifts during migrations since the chimney was uncapped and…
TAKE A MORNING WALK
By Beth Marlin Lichter That is my prescription for anyone who is weighed down by malaise. Whether you are suffering from loss of a loved one or pet, have work or housing woes, are experiencing the effects of extreme weather, or are weighed down by any number of other reasons to be depressed, taking a…
Winter Raptor Survey Route Available
By Don Rose I have been doing the Washougal-Fern Prairie Winter Raptor Survey for the past 3 years. I will be unable to do this survey starting this year and I am looking for someone who is willing to take this route. Jeff Fleischer did a presentation to VAS a few years ago describing the…
FOTOFEST 2025
on October 7, 2025 By Don Rose This popular event is a show of member-only photographs from the current year highlighting photography skills and the beauty of nature, concentrating mostly on birds, but could be landscapes or other wildlife. I encourage Vancouver Audubon members to submit your favorite high-resolution photographs taken in 2025 (Jan. 1…
Pelagic Trip Sept. 20-22
Westport, WA and other locations in southwest Washington While the pelagic trip on 9/21 is full, there are openings for birding near Westport the day before on 9/20, after the boat trip ends around 4pm on 9/21 to join the group around Grays Harbor, and heading home on 9/22 to Midway Beach, Tokeland and around Willapa…
If You Are Headed to the Coast, Share the Shore!
brought to our attention by Don Rose Western Snowy Plovers, Horned Larks, and other wildlife use the sandy beach habitat. Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) suggests taking these steps to help keep plovers and other coastal wildlife safe:–Respect closures: Do not walk into the dunes beyond posted closure signs. –Dogs + Birds = Problems. Keep dogs…
Birds of a Feather – Taking Your Legislators Out Birding
Submitted by Don Rose One of the best ways to keep birds and habitat at the forefront of our legislators’ minds is to invite them birding. Join Washington Audubon for this month’s Birds of a Feather peer learning session with Audubon Washington’s contract lobbyist and a guest from National Audubon’s government affairs team joining to share insights…
Project Phoenix Needs Volunteers
submitted by Don Rose Project Phoenix 2025 – Volunteers Needed Spread the word about Project Phoenix! This community science project monitors how birds respond to wildfire smoke thanks to volunteers who conduct 10-minute bird surveys once a week during fire season (July 1–Nov 30). Here’s how you can help: 1) Learn more at Birds Connect Seattle’s event over…
VAS 3rd Annual Summer Solstice Event
by Tom Tinsley Albeit the 2025 Summer Solstice actually occurred on Friday June 20 th at 7:42 pm. On Tuesday June 24 th the Vancouver Audubon Society (VAS) held its 3rd annual Summer Solstice gathering. For those who don’t know, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Many…
ACTION ALERT: TELL CONGRESS TO REJECT FEDERAL LANDSALES IN THE BUDGET RECONCILIATION BILL
By Susan Saul Republicans in Congress are working to pass a budget reconciliation bill that includes the mandatory sale of at least 2 million acres and up to 3.25 million acres of our public lands to private interests over the next 5 years. The proposal calls out Washington as one of 11 states where the…
Sunnyside Environmental School Visits Steigerwald
By Mae and Ruby We are middle school students from Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland. Recently (May 29, 2025) we went on a field trip to Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge with Ken Pitts as our guide. We learned quite a bit about the birds that live there. The experience was magical. We got to…
Backyard Wilson’s Warblers
by Lynne Heidsiek Tattered, exhausted and hungry. It’s hard to imagine what this tiny warbler endures on its long migration. You can see the feather damage in this female, as she makes use of a water feature. Wilson’s Warblers breed in areas specific to their winter locations. Most breed in the far North. Those that breed…
Vancouver Pollinator Festival June 21
by Don Rose Come join us on June 21 as we participate in the 2nd annual Pollinator Festival hosted by the Vancouver Bee Project. We will be hosting a booth there to share information about Vancouver Audubon and local bird resources. There will be a multitude of other information booths available to tap into the…
Bird Photography in Southeastern Oregon
By Ken Pitts I took a bird photography trip to the other side of the Cascades and southeast to Summer Lake, Cabin Lake Bird Blinds, and Malheur. The trip lasted four days and started on April 23, 2025. Jon Pugmire (see his 17 favorite trip shots) was the most experienced at doing wildlife photography at…
Tabling at Columbia Springs Kids Fishing Festival
by Tom Tinsley On Saturday, May 17th, members of the Vancouver Audubon Society (VAS) took part in a tabling event. It was held at the Columbia Springs Kids Fishing Festival. For those who don’t know what tabling is, it is essentially an activity where an organization shares information and knowledge. This sharing is about a…
May 10th VAS Bird Walk
by Ken Pitts Burnt Bridge Creek Trail at Devine Road was a great place to be on May 10th at 7:00 am. When Cheri Gavin and I arrived to lead the walk, American Robins were singing. Black-headed Grosbeaks also seemed to be competing for the most dominant song of the morning! I think the grosbeaks…
South TX Bird Photography
By Ken Pitts I had the privilege of traveling with Steve Bredthauer to the coast of South Texas for eight days in early April of photographing some unique birds inhabiting the areas from Austin, to Port Lavaca, Port Aransas, North and South Padre Islands, Rio Grande Valley, and finally San Antonio. Our focus was really…
Gorge Bird Watching Trip
By Susan Saul Cindy McCormack led a VAS birding trip on April 26 with stops at Sams Walker Day Use Area at Skamania, the Beacon Rock State Park boat launch, and the River to Rock Trail between the boat launch and Ridell Lake, which is more marsh than lake these days. Highlights included American Dippers feeding young…
Katie Warner
By Don Rose Our own Katie Warner was recently acknowledged on an episode of the American Bird Association podcast for her help with the update of the National Geographic Field Guide. Katie has been our website editor and co-leader of our Young Birders Club while finishing high school for the past couple years. She will…
Land Acknowledgement
By Don Rose Vancouver Audubon Society has adopted a new land acknowledgement statement that will be shared on our bird walks, field trips, and other events. We hope that the statement will connect participants with the history and spiritual quality of the area we are visiting, promote openness to all who are attending, and inspire…
A PAIR OF WESTERN BLUEBIRDS CHASE AWAY THE BLUES
Photo Essay by Beth Marlin Lichter According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Champoeg State Heritage Area near Newberg, Oregon is home to the northernmost spot in the continental United States, where resident pairs of Western Bluebirds have been spotted. I can happily say that yes, there is a male and female using one of the…
Recap of 3/22/25 Ken Pitts VAS guided bird walk at Champoeg SP co-led by Cheri Gavin and Beth Marlin Lichter:
20 participants on a beautiful early spring morning. Don Rose ID’d a Red-necked Grebe and a splendid male Rufous Hummingbird came to the flowering red currant bushes near the visitor center. Plus, the Western Bluebirds are defending their nesting boxes against the Tree Swallows. We identified 49 species eBird Checklist for Champoeg A short drive…
Rainy Days
Five Ways to Enjoy Rainy Birding (Especially in the Pacific Northwest) Every year, as winter fast approaches and the weather makes birding…less appealing, to say the least. However, there are still many great birdingexperiences to be had, atmospheric rivers or no. In fact, many of ourfeathered friends can become easier to observe as the rain…
VAS Pelagic Trip Report – August 26, 2021
A full contingent of birders from as far away as Florida and Pennsylvania, as well as our group from the Vancouver Audubon Society, boarded the Monte Carlo for a Westport Seabirds pelagic trip early Thursday morning. We hoped for cooperative weather so we could get great views of the myriad wildlife that inhabits the offshore…
Lights Out: Providing Safe Passage for Nocturnal Migrants
Every year, billions of birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall, the majority of them flying at night, navigating with the night sky. However, as they pass over big cities on their way, they can become disoriented by bright artificial lights and skyglow, often causing them to collide with buildings or…
City of Vancouver Puts Six-Month Hold on New Bulk Fossil Fuel Facilities
The construction of any new large-scale fossil fuel infrastructure businesses in the city of Vancouver has been halted, at least temporarily. That decision was preceded by nearly two hours of public testimony, during which only one citizen spoke out in opposition to the temporary ban. Vancouver Audubon Society submitted written comments and verbal testimony in…
Migratory Bird Protection Act
We’re in a bird crisis: Three billion birds have disappeared in North America since 1970. Two out of three birds are threatened by climate change. Earlier this year, a federal rule dramatically weakened the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), our nation’s most important bird protection law. The weakened law no longer holds companies liable for…
Protect America’s Seabirds and the Forage Fish They Rely On
Threatened by the effects of climate change, overfishing, and habitat loss, seabird populations around the world have declined by 70 percent since 1950. Seabirds rely on small, schooling fish known as forage fish to eat and to feed their chicks. However, marine forage fish are not protected by federal fisheries management, leaving them vulnerable to…
Staying Vigilant for Vancouver Lake
Vancouver Lake and its associated lowlands are a vital regional asset for migratory birds and other wildlife. It is a major wintering area for waterfowl, with as many as 200,000 birds recorded here at one time. The area hosts the largest number of Sandhill Cranes west of the Cascade Mountains at Cranes Landing. The National…
Birds at the Washington Legislature
The first-ever remote legislative session has begun in Olympia. The virtual nature of this year’s legislative session presents an unparalleled opportunity for everyone to engage with our state lawmakers without traveling to Olympia. Audubon Washington’s top two climate priorities for the 2021 legislative session are passing a Clean Fuel Standard and updating the state’s Growth…
Washington Denies Kalama Fracked Gas-to-Methanol Refinery
The Washington Department of Ecology denied permits for a proposal to build the world’s largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery along the shores of the Columbia River in Kalama on January 19, 2021. Citing significant negative impacts on our climate and Washington’s shorelines, the Department of Ecology denied a key permit required to build and operate the…
Audubon Virtual Advocacy Day is December 9
We want our legislators to the start the 2021 Legislative session with Audubon’s bird-friendly priorities in mind. Since we won’t be able to meet with our legislators in person, we will be meeting over Zoom. If you live in the 49th Legislative District, join us for our Virtual Advocacy Day with Senator Annette Cleveland and Representative…
Goldendale Pumped Storage Project Threatens Wildlife & Cultural Resources
Rye Development wants to build a massive pumped storage hydroelectric project along the Columbia River in Klickitat County near the John Day Dam. The Goldendale Energy Storage Hydroelectric Project would be the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Rye’s plan would excavate two reservoirs: the hilltop reservoir would span 60 acres and the…
Oppose the Massive Fracked Gas Refinery at Kalama
Comment Period extended to Oct 9 The fracked gas industry wants to build the world’s largest fracked gas-to-methanol refinery in Kalama. The proposed refinery would consume a staggering amount of fracked gas, more than all of Washington’s gas-fired power plants combined. The project would convert the fracked gas to methanol, which would be shipped overseas to…
Federal Judge Rules Administration’s Bird-Killing Policy is Illegal
After Victory, Our Work Is Not Yet Done In a major victory for the National Audubon Society and other conservation groups, a federal judge has overturned the Trump administration’s unprecedented attack on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), and restored its longstanding protections for birds. The court ruled that the MBTA does protect birds from…
March 2020 Newsletter is available
The March 2020 Columbia Flyway has been sent out and is also available for viewing on the website. If you did not receive your copy in your inbox, contact the membership chair or editor.
Vancouver Audubon 