By Lori Danielson
May is my favorite month of the year because as trees show their fresh green leaves, flowers bloom, and birds sing their utmost each morning, everything seems new, bright and hopeful.
One of this month’s bright events for me is welcoming three new people to the board, strengthening our capabilities. I’m happy to introduce Chris Lonowski as our treasurer, and at-large members Megan Rutherford and Linda Shen. Chris will be keeping track of our chapter’s finances, while Linda and Megan will assist the board and committees. I look forward to their ideas and support in the work of running the chapter. See more about them in another article in this newsletter.
May is also a great month for getting outside and looking for birds. I hope you’re planning to take part in Birdathon, perhaps by joining one of our special field trips. Or by making a pledge to one of our Big Day teams, the Karismatic Kestrels or Whidbey Wing-Dings, for each bird they see. Or maybe by doing a Big Day of your own, which is what I’ll be doing for the first time. I’ll be at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in early May and intend to make the most of the trip by discovering a new destination (for me), enjoying the companionship of my birding buddies, seeing as many birds as I can, and raising money for Birdathon by taking pledges for the number of species I’m able to spot. If you want to take part in Birdathon, get more information at www.eastsideaudubon.org/birdathon.
Finally, a piece on National Public Radio caught my attention last month. It highlighted a recently published scientific study which found that up to 1 billion birds die from building collisions each year. It’s such a huge number and I felt so sad after reading it. But I learned there are steps being taken to address the problem. National Audubon has initiated the Lights Out project to encourage building owners, managers, and individuals to take action to reduce the number of bird strikes. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology also has information that individuals can use to make their homes safer for birds. I encourage you to learn more about these programs and take action to make your home and our communities more bird-friendly.