February brings a full slate of OPAS activities following our President’s Notes—A Year of Accomplishments! This issue highlights our February 7 Backyard Birding program, Bird Nesting and the Great Backyard Bird Count, leading right into the February 13–16 Great Backyard Bird Count and our always‑popular Members’ Photo Night on February 18. You’ll also find a field trip program update, an action alert on protecting our marine waters, an engaging feature article Where in the World is Rufous?, and links to recent program videos, including Birds of Borneo—from the Malaysian Side and Backyard Bird Population Trends.

February President’s Notes

President’s Notes—A Year of Accomplishments!
by Matt McCoy 

You may have thought you’d seen the last of the year‑end best‑of, review, and highlights articles for 2025, but we have one more—your Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society’s accomplishments. The following are some, though not all, of our chapter’s highlights from 2025 (with a nod to alphabetizing organizational etiquette). We have much to be proud of thanks to our many dedicated volunteers (project leader names are in parentheses). You can find more information about these activities on our web pages.

Thank you to everyone for making 2025 another wonderful year for birds and birders. If you’d like to join our volunteers, please visit the Be Involved page and fill out the form.

Awards

• Harlequin Award – Dee Renee Ericks joined an illustrious group of past recipients in recognition of her outstanding contributions to our programs and mission.

• Conservation Awards – Barbara Blackie and Joey Gish were recognized for their commitment to preventing bird strikes on exterior glass at Peninsula College.

Click here to continue reading about our accomplishments.

Action Alert: Stop Pollution of Washington's Marine Waters!

Tufted Puffin—Photo: Mick Thompson

A loophole in shipping regulations allows ocean-going vessels to dump polluted scrubber wastewater directly into our oceans and inland waters. This toxic discharge harms the marine food web, threatens seabirds like the Tufted Puffin, and puts clean water, fisheries, and coastal communities at risk. 

HB 1652 would close this loophole by requiring cleaner fuels and reducing harmful pollution from ships. Similar protections are already in place in California and are overdue in Washington. 

Ask your legislators to support HB 1652 and stop pollution of Washington's marine waters!

Field Trip Program Update

Birders—Photo: Skip Perkins

Field Trip Program Update
by Marie Grad  

Planning for the Year Ahead

I recently met with several of our field trip leaders to begin organizing the field trips for the upcoming year. After thoughtful discussion, we agreed to focus much of this year’s program on the Elwha River area, offering a series of quarterly trips.

Elwha River Series

Throughout the year, we will be visiting both the mouth of the Elwha River and the region near Madison Falls. By scheduling these excursions in different seasons, each trip will highlight the variety of bird species present at those times, giving participants a chance to experience the changing avian diversity.

Exploring New Destinations

We are also exploring opportunities to schedule field trips beyond Clallam County. While it may not be possible to organize all of these trips within the current calendar year, there are a few destinations that we hope to include in this year’s schedule.

Continuing Popular Outings

In addition to the new and expanded offerings, we will continue with some of our popular past trips, such as the Purple Martin and shorebird outings. These favorites remain a staple of our field trip program.

Learn more

Anna's Hummingbird chicks on nest—Photo: Gary Bullock

OPAS Backyard Birding: "Bird Nesting and the Great Backyard Bird Count"
Presented by Ken Wiersema and Ben Hannah
Saturday, February 7, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to noon
Rainshadow Hall at Dungeness River Nature Center
Suggested donation: $5

The February OPAS Backyard Birding program explores bird nesting, local nest types by species, early breeding‑season behavior, and preparation for the National Audubon & Cornell Lab Great Backyard Bird Count. With spring approaching, presenters Ken Wiersema and Ben Hannah will lead this updated and informative session.

Participants will learn how local species choose nesting sites, build their nests, form pair bonds, and share parenting roles. The program also includes a practical “how‑to” walk‑through for birdwatchers of all ages and skill levels, encouraging participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count on February 13–16, 2026. A short primer on using the eBird app—an essential tool for reporting bird sightings—will round out the session.

Learn more

Great Backyard Bird Count—February 13–16

Golden-crowned Kinglet—Photo: Paul Kusmin/Audubon Photography Awards

Participating is easy, fun to do alone or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds. Join our OPAS Backyard Birding program, "Bird Nesting and the Great Backyard Bird Count" presented by Ken Wiersema and Ben Hannah on Saturday, February 7, 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Dungeness River Nature Center. See previous program listing for more information.

If you cannot attend the program, you can learn how to participate by reading step-by-step details on our website.

Click here to learn more details about how to participate.

Evening Grosbeak female—Photo: Sally M. Harris

OPAS Program: “OPAS Members’ Photo Night” 
Organized and presented by Christina Heliker
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Rainshadow Hall, Dungeness River Nature Center
Free to attend.

For 2026 we decided to give our members a bit of a breather after the holidays and shift our OPAS Members’ Photo Night to February. This is not a contest, but a chance for members to share their favorite views of birds and their behavior. You may submit pictures taken locally or anywhere from your recent travels.

If you have photos you would like to share, please send Christina a maximum of 8 images by February 6th, 2026, at the latest. That way she can get them organized in time, and everything will be ready to go. Please read the image guidelines before sending!

Note:  If you think you are going to submit, please let Christina know ASAP. If more people than usual are interested, she may need to reduce the number of photos each of you can show.

Click here to read the image guidelines and contact information.

Where in the World is Rufous?

Rufous Hummingbird male—Photo: Jane Nicholas

Where in the World is Rufous?
By Jane Nicholas and Ida Domazlicky

With so many congenial Anna’s Hummingbirds visiting our feeders now, it can be easy to forget about our other hummingbird, the Rufous. While the Anna’s certainly aren’t missing those feisty rascals that hog the feeders in summer, I long to see those bright, copper‑penny feathered friends again. But where are they?

You’ll be happy to know that most are enjoying the warm, sunny climes of southwestern Mexico. These tiny three-inch fliers make one of the longest migrations of any bird. Some travel up to 4,000 miles from Alaska to their winter home—that’s 78,470,000 bird‑body lengths! Rufous Hummingbirds can live up to eight years, meaning some individuals make that arduous journey as many as sixteen times.

They aren’t heading south for the beaches; they make the trip for the specialized—but threatened—nectar plants and tiny insects that thrive in that climate.

Click here to continue reading about the Rufous Hummingbird.

OPAS Program: “Birds of Borneo—from the Malaysian side” Video

Stork-billed Kingfisher—Photo: Sudheer Nunna on Unsplash

Borneo—shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei—is one of Southeast Asia’s major biodiversity hotspots, home to more than 420 bird species. Its once‑dense forests are rapidly disappearing due to palm oil expansion and timber harvests, putting many species at risk. Our January 21, 2026 OPAS program offered a rare glimpse into this remarkable region.

In 2025, Deneb Maine spent part of the summer on the Malaysian side of the island while pursuing a master’s degree, returning with striking photos of the northeast and its wildlife. Deneb now serves as Education Coordinator at the River Center and is working toward an MA in Biology through Miami University of Ohio.

Click here to watch the video.

Spotted Towhee—Photo: Jim Gift

Through the years, we’ve learned a lot 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 go during migration—but one question remains: how well are they really doing?

At our January 3, 2026 program, retired wildlife biologist Matt McCoy explored backyard bird population trends using data from Bob Boekelheide’s Olympic Peninsula “Top 24” species, explaining how trends are tracked, what’s influencing them, and how we can support birds in our own yards. The news wasn’t all bleak, with some encouraging surprises depending on the species and the region.

Click here to watch the video.