Spotted Towhee—Photo: Bob Boekelheide
Through the years, we’ve learned a great deal about the birds in our back yards—what they eat, the habitats they rely on, how they behave, how to identify them, and where they travel during migration. But the question has always remained: how well are they really doing?
Our January 3, 2026 program featured retired wildlife biologist Matt McCoy, who explored backyard bird population trends using data from Bob Boekelheide’s Olympic Peninsula “Top 24” species. He walked us through how trends are tracked, what’s influencing them, and ways we can support birds in our own yards. The news wasn’t all bleak—there were some encouraging surprises depending on the species and the region.