At Shoalwater Birders, we’re for the birds!

Published 11:27 am Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Are birds of interest to you? If so, the Shoalwater Birders is the club for you. The Shoalwater Birders group has been in existence since 1999, and was formed because there wasn’t a group for those interested in expanding and sharing their knowledge of birds along with an opportunity to be an advocate for birds within our community here on the Peninsula.

The Shoalwater Birders are active on the Peninsula. They created and maintain a birding corner in the Ocean Park Library along with an outdoor bird feeder so visitors to the library can watch the local birds in action. The latter part of the project was spearheaded by member, Robert Zimmerman who put up the feeder and keeps it filled with tasty seed for the birds. Robert has also built nesting boxes for birds, which he and other Shoalwater Birders installed at the Tarlatt Unit of the refuge. Another project of the Shoalwater Birders involves participation in the beach clean-ups that are held three times a year by the Garbage Gang. Some members help on the beach, while others cook and help in the kitchen to feed all of those who work to clean up our beaches.

Support for the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is realized through the blind project. Birders go out once a month to hike across the Tarlatt Unit to the photo blind. They record the birds and any other wildlife seen on the walk on field checklists that are tacked on the bulletin board inside the blind. Some visitors take photos of what they see from the blind. The sightings are ultimately sent to the eBird database at Cornell University for researchers and others to utilize in their research and to generally add to the general public’s knowledge of birds and their behavior. In addition, the Shoalwater Birders clean the blind so that others can enjoy the use of it. Keeping track of the birds that visit Tarlatt or nest there is a major contribution to our knowledge of the distribution of birds in this unit of the refuge.

The Shoalwater Birders meet four times a year at the Ocean Park Library and generally run field trips once a month. These field trips take birders all over the Peninsula and the Refuge to search for birds as well as to places further afield, including the Julia Butler Hansen Refuge, Ridgefield NWR, Canon Beach and Astoria. Interesting speakers on the subject of birds are featured at the indoor meetings.

For more information, be sure to visit the Shoalwater Birders website at www.shoalwaterbirders.com For more regarding outings and indoor meetings, you can write to info@shoalwaterbirders.com and/or watch the Chinook Observer for announcements. Membership is just $12 a year. Come join us, and be here for the birds of the Peninsula!