What Types of Trips Do We Schedule?

Eastside Audubon Field Trip Leaders host several walks and trips throughout the year. Our trip leaders vary in expertise, interests, and areas they like to lead walks. Our birding activities are split between two types, local Bird Walks and Field Trips. Although both focus on IDing and viewing the many birds found locally and throughout the state, there are slight differences between a Bird Walk and Field Trip. Please read below to learn more about birding with Eastside Audubon and how you can join a walk or field trip. If you have any questions about birding with Eastside Audubon or are interested in becoming a Field Trip Leader, please reach out to the Birding Chair.

Currently we have 3 regular Bird Walks occurring each month.  During Spring and Summer, New Birder Walks, monthly and weekly Bird Walks, as well as Field Trip opportunities, tend to increase. All levels of birders are welcomed, from beginners to experts.  Trips include morning or evening only walks, half day or full day trips, overnight trips and sometimes weeklong trips.

What Are Bird Walks?

Local Bird Walks generally require minimal travel and are shorter walks, ranging from a couple of hours to half day walks. Many of these walks are at local eastside parks or local area national wildlife refuges and as such, usually do not require registration to participate. Local Bird Walks tend to be better for families with young birders and for those not wanting to do a lot of driving to various locations and wanting to remain close to city resources. Bird Walks are also great for novice birders wanting to expand their IDing skills of birds commonly found in our eastside backyards. Please visit the calendar to see when and where the next local Bird Walks are occurring.

What Are Birding Field Trips?

Birding Field Trips involve more extensive travel to multiple locations which are known for their numbers and diversity of birds, and are either half or full day, with some involving overnight stays. This allows trip participants to experience more diverse habitats which in turn allows for a great day of birdwatching. Because these trips can include carpooling, additional transportation (ferries), and overnight accommodations, registration is often required to participate. Field Trips are typically scheduled for the best time of year to maximize the number of birds seen and hopefully viewing some rarities. Field Trips are great for expanding one’s birding ID skills and a wonderful opportunity to spend the day with other birders of varying skill levels. Please visit the calendar to see when and where the next Field Trips are occurring.

What to Expect on a Bird Walk or Field Trip?

Both Bird Walks and Field Trips require binoculars for best viewing and IDing of birds. Some field trip leaders may bring extra binoculars for participants. Eastside Audubon also has some binoculars to lend, so please let your trip leader know as soon as possible if you will need binoculars. There is no guarantee that extra binoculars will be available. Some trips may require spotting scopes. Trip leaders should indicate if a spotting scope would be useful. Field Trip leaders will often have one spotting scope available for participants to view birds that are further out. Some trips will be done mainly from the road (viewing from cars), others may be all walking, and some may be a combination. Trips leaders should indicate the type of trip they are leading, terrain/ADA accessibility, age restrictions for participants (most local trips are appropriate for children who are accompanied by a parent/guardian), parking permit requirements, carpooling and ferry fees, restrooms, and what participants should bring to make their day comfortable. Some areas may be quite remote, so please reach out to the trip leader if there are any questions or concerns regarding a trip. All walks are open to all levels, but please keep in mind that some may be geared more towards novice birders or advanced birders, families with young children, or photographers.

Field Trip Accessibility Indicators

Each birding field trip description includes accessibility indicators (Pace, Terrain and Walking Distance) to help potential participants determine if the field trip is within their comfort level.

After the Trips

After each birding field trip, a list of the birds seen and/or heard is usually emailed to each of the people on the trip and/or is posted to eBird. The leader writes up a Field Trip Highlights report which is posted on the Eastside Audubon web site. This report may include two or more photos taken on the trip.

For more information on birding field trips, or to learn how to become a field trip leader, please contact the Birding Chair.

Leaders: Trip Sign-in/Report Form