The Washington Ornithological Society was chartered in 1988 to increase knowledge of the birds of Washington State and to enhance communication among all persons interested in those birds.
Start Planning for an Unforgettable Birding Experience in Yakima Valley!
Western Field Ornithologists and Washington Ornithological Society are teaming up for the
2025 Annual Conference
5–8 June
Yakima Convention & Event Center
Yakima, Washington
REGISTRATION OPENS TUESDAY MARCH 11 at 8 AM.
To register go to the main conference page and scroll down to the black oval button labeled “Register Here.”Nestled between the majestic Cascade Mountains and the serene Columbia River, Yakima Valley offers an unparalleled diversity of habitats perfect for birding enthusiasts. From alpine tundra and evergreen forests to desert canyons, grasslands, and riparian woodlands, this region is a haven for avian species and their admirers. Whether you’re drawn to the open pine forest or marsh wetlands, Yakima and its neighboring counties provide ideal conditions for seeing a wide range of birdlife in action.
The 2025 program will combine the best of both organizations including:
- Stump the Experts: Bird Quiz Night with Dennis Paulson and Shep Thorp
- Sound Identification Team Challenge with Nathan Pieplow
- Educational workshops and presentations of original scientific research
- Full-day and half-day birding field trips will cover a diverse range of habitats from the wetlands and shrubsteppe of lower elevations to the open forests on the eastern slopes of the Cascades.
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- Over 190 species of breeding birds and migrants are possible through various trips.
- Woodpeckers are a particular highlight, with 11 of 12 of Washington’s breeding woodpeckers possible on field trips.
- Yakima and Kittitas Counties have a high diversity of owls; up to nine owl species could be possible on various field trips.
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Registration will open March 11, 2025 at 8 AM, but you can secure your hotel room today! Visit the WOS Annual Conference Page for information about hotels, field trips, schedule and more.
Seattle Parks and Recreation has Teen Life Centers that offer a wide array of programming to Seattle area youth including: special events, Late Night Programs, computer labs, recording studios, cooking classes, social recreation and much more.
Meadowbrook Teen Life Center in northeast Seattle holds a weekly bird walk for participating students, led by J’Anna Chilcoat, Recreation Leader with Seattle Parks. Students use eBird and Merlin regularly to document their sightings. We can support young birders with your donations of gently used optics. For more information and to donate optics, please email jody@wos.org.
The Washington Bird Records Committee added three species to the State Checklist after accepting state first records for a Great Knot and a Lesser Nighthawk seen in May and a Marsh Sandpiper reported in October. Decisions by the American Ornithological Society and the American Birding Association Checklist Committee this year also brought changes to the state checklist. The Lesser Nighthawk was seen by Dave Swayne and others between May 23 and May 27 at Getty’s Cove near Vantage in Kittitas County. Cameron Cox reported a Great Knot on the Smith Creek mudflats of Willapa Bay in Pacific County on May 15. Liam Hutcheson and Jayson Zolle saw the Marsh Sandpiper in Neah Bay’s Wa’atch Valley on October 19. The Washington State Checklist now stands at 528 species. The committee accepted 35 reports as valid new records; 19 reports were not accepted. Check out the full Fall 2024 meeting results report.
The Sound to Sage website was originally launched in 2006 by Birds Connect Seattle (BCS), back when it was known as the Seattle Audubon Society. It has been resurrected in a new form and is now available on the WOS website. The project, which provides accurate data about which bird species are breeding in specific locations within four contiguous counties, was hosted on a website for many years by BCS. But the proprietary software used to display the data became outdated and was no longer functional. Hal Opperman, one of the leaders of the intensive data-gathering effort, worked with WOS volunteer Randy Robinson to produce a new web version with current, non-proprietary software. BCS made the data available and cooperated in the effort. The new site, which displays the breeding bird data on maps for Island, Kitsap, King and Kittitas counties, is best viewed on a tablet, laptop or desktop computer. It also provides the data in downloadable spreadsheets and .pdfs. The website is available at https://wos.org/documents/soundtosage.
