What we’re about
South Sound Birders is a community of people that appreciate birds, nature, and enjoying the outdoors together. Activities will include field trips, wildlife-oriented classes, lectures, and other events. Many of these events will be sponsored by the Black Hills Audubon Society, but you do not need to be a member of BHAS to participate. Anyone can post impromptu bird walks, chase trips for rarities, carpooling, or other non-sponsored events.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Prairie Appreciation Day Bird WalkNeeds location
This is an opportunity to see prairie birds at Glacial Heritage, a preserve which is normally closed to the public. The prairie habitat hosts raptors, meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrows, bluebirds, and other migrant birds. The oak woodland should have flycatchers, House Wrens, and other colorful birds such as Black-headed Grosbeaks and Western Tanagers. We should also see other resident birds. Mid-May is the height of blooming for prairie plants, with camas turning the prairie blue.
We will meet at the parking area (see directions below) at 7:30 AM.
The walk runs to around 10 AM. The walk is 2-3 miles through prairie and oak riparian woodland on gravel roads and dirt trails. You don’t need to sign up in advance, though we will ask you to sign in when you get there.
Black Hills Audubon will have a bird booth with information and attractions for kids, as well as other details in honor of World Migratory Bird Day (also May 10th), that operates after 10 AM.Prairie Appreciation Day is celebrated by the Friends of Puget Prairies at the Glacial Heritage Preserve, a South Sound prairie managed by the Center for Natural Lands Management. Flyers about Prairie Appreciation Day will also be available onsite in Spanish this year. You can find more details at the following website: http://www.prairieappreciationday.org/
Directions to Glacial Heritage Preserve From I-5:
- Take I-5 to Exit 95 (Littlerock/Maytown) and head West on Maytown Road toward the town of Littlerock.
- Follow Maytown Road until you reach the stop sign at Littlerock Elementary. Continue straight onto 128th Ave. SW and continue straight until the ‘T’ at Mima/Waddel Creek rd.
- At the ‘T’ take a left and follow Mima Road SW for 2.7 miles.
- You will see a tractor precaution sign followed shortly by a gravel road and brown sign marking Glacial Heritage Preserve on the left.
- Take a left onto the unmarked gravel road.
- Follow the road around the corner, through the white gate, and to the parking area on the right.
Photo Credit: Western Bluebird over Camas by Rachel Hudson
- Prairie Appreciation Day at Glacial Heritage PreserveNeeds location
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Of the 150,000 acres of prairies originally in this area, there are less than 15,000 remaining, most in poor condition. As more and more people and warehouses move into the area there is continuing pressure to develop them. Come join us in celebrating this unique ecosystem and learn what you can do to help save it! Glacial Heritage is the best prairie off JBLM, so come out and enjoy it.
As always, we need lots of VOLUNTEERS to help pull this off. No special knowledge or skills are necessary. Please contact getrotter@comcast.net
Please leave your pets at home. This is not an appropriate event for them. Scatter Creek is a wonderful alternative prairie to take your dog for a great on-leash experience and some nice prairies.
Handicapped Accessibility: Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve includes a paved 1/2 mile ADA accessible interpretive trail. Discover passes are required.
You’re welcome to bring a picnic lunch to the event. Alternatively, we anticipate having the Hungarian Kitchen Food Truck available at Glacial Heritage again this year. Plan on bringing your own food and refreshments to any of the alternate locations.
We are accepting donations to the Thurston County Food Bank. No glass please.
- Next Book for BHAS Book ClubNeeds location
## The Birds That Audubon Missed, by Kenn Kaufman
After going on a journey through all of human history in Ten Birds That Changed the World, we will now settle in a single period of America’s recent history, in The Birds That Audubon Missed, where John James Audubon, Alexander Wilson, Charles Bonaparte, John Townsend, and other men competed against each other to find all the birds possible in this land in the early 1800’s.
From the publisher:
“Raging ambition. Towering egos. Competition under a veneer of courtesy. Heroic effort combined with plagiarism, theft, exaggeration, and fraud. This was the state of bird study in eastern North America during the early 1800s, as a handful of intrepid men raced to find the last few birds that were still unknown to science.
…Despite this intense competition, a few species—including some surprisingly common songbirds, hawks, sandpipers, and more—managed to evade discovery for years. Here, renowned bird expert and artist Kenn Kaufman explores this period in history from a new angle, by considering the birds these people discovered and, especially, the ones they missed. Kaufman has created portraits of the birds that Audubon never saw, attempting to paint them in that artist’s own stunning style, showing how our understanding of birds continues to gain clarity, even as some mysteries persist from Audubon’s time until ours.”
Our meeting will be Tuesday, May 13th at 6:00 PM via Zoom. The link to the meeting will be sent via email to participants, along with some discussion questions about the book, closer to that time. If you would like to be on the mailing list for the Book Club, please contact Rachel Hudson at lightningdash09@yahoo.com
