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OLYMPIC PENINSULA AUDUBON SOCIETY

Home
About
What We Do
Contact Us
President's Notes
Harlequin Award
OPAS By-Laws
Birds
Dungeness Data
Birdathon Report
Birdathon Count Results
Birding Locations
Bird Sightings
Birding and Organizational Resources
Christmas Bird Count Results
Clallam County Birding
Checklist
Photo Gallery 1
Photo Gallery 2
Bird-Friendly Communities
Overview
North Olympic Wildlife Habitat Project
Project BirdSafe
Conservation
Take Action
Conservation Awards
Conservation Committee
Conservation Matters
Community Science Projects
Conservation Stewardship
Donate
Donate to Birdathon
Donate to Support Our Mission
Education
Backyard Birding
Events
Events Calendar
Field Trips
Virtual Field Trip Videos
Wednesday Bird Walk
Olympic BirdFest
Non-OPAS Events
Membership
News
News/Blog
Newsletter
Volunteer Data Collectors by Bob Boekelheide sig 1600 x 1198.png

Dungeness Data

Mary Porter-Solberg
April 27, 2025

“Time to Wake Up,” said the Robin

Mary Porter-Solberg
April 27, 2025
“Time to Wake Up,” said the Robin

It’s robin season, time when American Robins belt out their dawn chorus outside our bedroom windows. Wow – they sure are loud! Robins are “Big-eyed Birds,” able to perceive low light levels and start singing …

Mary Porter-Solberg
February 25, 2025

The Ever-Present Song Sparrow

Mary Porter-Solberg
February 25, 2025
The Ever-Present Song Sparrow

One hundred years ago, there was no such thing as “citizen science.” Despite that, from 1929 to 1936 a brilliant woman named Margaret Morse Nice carried out one of the most detailed and insightful studies into the breeding biology …

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2024

Dunlin of Dungeness Bay

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2024
Dunlin of Dungeness Bay

October and November are times of change in Dungeness. If you watch birds, you can’t help but notice the goose flocks cackling overhead and the Golden-crowned Sparrows returning once again to your bird feeders. Change also comes …

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2024

The Surprising House Finch

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2024
The Surprising House Finch

The other day, Rebecca Atherton asked me a question that made me think twice. Her question:  is the House Finch native to Washington state? It turns out that House Finches are considered native to WA, probably arriving …

Mary Porter-Solberg
March 1, 2024

Flocking Madness: The Story of Bushtits

Mary Porter-Solberg
March 1, 2024
Flocking Madness: The Story of Bushtits

Bushtits are spritely little birds, usually seen flying in loose, bouncy flocks from bush to bush. They are the antithesis of long-distance migratory birds, staying in the same general area year-round and typically flying only far enough …

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2023

Those Flashy Flickers

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2023
Those Flashy Flickers

This month we give tribute to the amazing Northern Flicker, likely the most abundant woodpecker species in Clallam County. Without exception, on every Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird Count (SDCBC) since the …

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2023

Something to Crow About

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2023
Something to Crow About

We all know crows, right?  We see crows every day in the lowlands of the north Olympic Peninsula, walking on beaches, flying about towns, and cawing on the rooftops.  Their reputations range from noisy pests to cunning thieves to smart …

Mary Porter-Solberg
May 1, 2023

Getting to Know BirdCast

Mary Porter-Solberg
May 1, 2023
Getting to Know BirdCast

Attention OPAS members!  Do you know about BirdCast?  Researchers from many different institutions, particularly Cornell University, Colorado State University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst, have developed a phenomenal tool …

Mary Porter-Solberg
March 1, 2023

The Great Blue Herons of Dungeness Bay

Mary Porter-Solberg
March 1, 2023
The Great Blue Herons of Dungeness Bay

While birding recently at Three Crabs, it surprised me to see only one Great Blue Heron foraging on the giant mudflats. Where are the herons? There were thousands of Dunlins and hundreds of gulls, but only one heron. Are the herons …

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2022

The Crowned Sparrows

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2022
The Crowned Sparrows

The genus of sparrows known as Zonotrichia is well-represented on the north Olympic Peninsula. The “Zonos,” as they are affectionately called, are the “crowned” sparrows, including five species: White-crowned Sparrow …

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2022

Killdeer in Our Midst

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2022
Killdeer in Our Midst

On the official Clallam County bird list, the group of birds with the highest number of species is the shorebirds, also known as “waders” in Britain. Shorebirds include plovers, sandpipers, and their myriad relatives, such as oystercatchers …

Mary Porter-Solberg
May 1, 2022

Herring Spawn in Outer Dungeness Bay

Mary Porter-Solberg
May 1, 2022
Herring Spawn in Outer Dungeness Bay

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) is a classic “forage fish.” What’s a forage fish? Throughout the world, forage fish are super-abundant schooling fish that hold a critical place in the middle of marine food webs. They concentrate lots of …

Mary Porter-Solberg
March 1, 2022

Homage to Black-bellied Plovers

Mary Porter-Solberg
March 1, 2022
Homage to Black-bellied Plovers

The “Big Three” shorebird species found in Dungeness Bay during winter are Black-bellied Plovers, Sanderlings, and Dunlins. Without fail, these three species comprise the highest shorebird numbers during our Sequim-Dungeness …

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2021

Tribute to the American Wigeon

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2021
Tribute to the American Wigeon

This month we give tribute to the humble American Wigeon, typically the most abundant species on the Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird Count (SDCBC, coming up on Dec. 20, 2021). For 37 of the 45 SDCBCs since the count …

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2021

Wish they all could be California Gulls

Mary Porter-Solberg
September 1, 2021
Wish they all could be California Gulls

One of the most overlooked bird migrations in the Pacific Northwest is happening right now, right on our doorstep. Hundreds of thousands of birds participate in this migration, but most people don't even notice. The birds aren't songbirds …

Mary Porter-Solberg
May 1, 2021

Anna's vs Rufous Hummingbirds

Mary Porter-Solberg
May 1, 2021
Anna's vs Rufous Hummingbirds

One of the biggest changes to the avifauna of the Pacific Northwest during the last 50 years is the phenomenal increase of Anna's Hummingbirds. In a tiny eye-blink of time, these pugnacious little birds have skyrocketed from …

Mary Porter-Solberg
February 1, 2021

The Story of Brant

Mary Porter-Solberg
February 1, 2021
The Story of Brant

Late winter is a critical time during the annual cycles of many birds. After surviving difficult conditions through a long winter, at some point birds must transition over to their need to prepare for the next nesting season. As winter turns to …

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2020

Bufflehead

Mary Porter-Solberg
November 1, 2020
Bufflehead

Do you know which species consistently ranks as the most abundant "diving duck" on the Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird Count (SDCBC)? Is it Surf Scoter? Common Goldeneye? Red-breasted Merganser? Nope. The most abundant …

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Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, 1943 W Hendrickson Road, Box 2, Sequim, Washington 98382, U.S.A.

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