WELCOME

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.

 
Get ready for the 2024 WOS Annual Conference in Long Beach, Washington!

Check out the fabulous ocean beach headquarters, field trips, keynote speaker, meals and lodging for the 2024 WOS Annual Conference April 25 – April 28, 2024. Registration opens at 8 a.m. PDT, Sunday, March 17, 2024. (Beginning at 8 a.m. on Sunday March 17, here is the link to register.) Keynote speaker will be Gerrit Vyn, acclaimed photographer and conservationist. He will speak on the Global Life of Shorebirds. For complete conference information, go to the conference main page.

WOS election results are in!

The voting for candidates for director and officer positions for the 2023-2024 year took place from January 28, 2024 through February 10, 2024. Check out the results on our elections page. Some 120 WOS members voted and all nominated candidates were resoundingly elected. There were three write-in votes for the vacant vice president position. The elections page also features candidate statements and pictures. This election was later than usual, but the next election will occur at the regular time in September of this year.

 WOS’s February Monthly Meeting presentation is now available online!

Martha Jordan’s presentation entitled “Washington’s White Birds of Winter: Swans and Snow Geese” is now viewable online.  The presentation has been added to WOS’s YouTube channel. Here is the link to that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvxDpNmZ_3s Also, this link will always take you to the full set of WOS recorded presentations.

The Winter 2024 issue of WOS News is published!

headshot of Sophia KrupshaThe WOS Newsletter has a new editor: Sophia Krupsha. Sophia, who is also running for the WOS secretary position, moved to Washington only a year and a half ago but says she has “taken every opportunity to expand my knowledge of our beautiful state’s biological diversity through extensive trips to all corners of Washington.” Her first newsletter reports on a 35th reunion of some of WOS’s founders, news of two new WOS social media accounts, an update from WOS President Dave Kreft, an enviable Yakima County field trip led by Scott Downes last May, and a check-in from Pullman from Jacob Miller, the 2020 Patrick Sullivan Young Birder awardee from Mason County. He’s now a a freshman at WSU. Read the Current Newsletter here.

WBRC accepts 25 valid new records, but official state checklist remains at 523 species

The Washington Bird Records Committee met October 26, 2023 by Zoom for its fall meeting. The committee voted on more than 40 submitted reports, accepting 25, including Costa’s Hummingbird, Upland Sandpiper, and Philadelphia Vireo. See the Fall 2023 results here.

Mark your calendars for 2024 WOS annual conference!

The WOS Board has announced that next year’s annual conference will be held April 25-28 in Long Beach, Washington. The board is busy recruiting trip leaders and arranging for hotels, meals, and evening programs. It plans to offer plenty of half- and full day field trips, including pelagic trips if possible. Reserve these days on your calendar and plan to attend! More information will be forthcoming as it is available. The board was forced to cancel the 2023 conference planned for Astoria, Oregon because of logistical problems that could not be surmounted.

Young Birder’s fund seeks undergraduates to apply for grants

Patrick Sullivan

Undergraduate students with ties to Washington State are encouraged to apply for grants from the Patrick Sullivan Young Birder’s Fund (PSYBF) to support research related to wild birds or related topics in Washington state. Applicants should propose research to take place during the 2022 calendar year that is done under the coordination or supervision of their undergraduate faculty. Grants will range from $1,000 to $1,500. The new approach is part of the board’s effort to strengthen the Young Birder’s Fund and also WOS’s diversity and inclusion efforts. For more information, go to the PSYBF page.

Great New Benefit for WOS Members Is Now Here!

Thanks to a partnership with Cornell Lab of Ornithology, we now have a terrific new benefit for WOS members: FREE online access to “Birds of the World,” the world’s largest online encyclopedia of birds. Inside its 10,700+ scholarly, in-depth species accounts you’ll find expertly curated media galleries with photos, videos, and sound recordings, dynamic range maps, breeding calendars, and other life history details. Soak up detailed accounts of every species and every family and use the Taxonomy Explorer to explore the birds in your own county. Learn more about this benefit and how to get access to it on our Birds of the World page.

Go to WOS’s Monthly Meetings page for information on our fabulous monthly meeting programs. WOS members who live outside the Seattle area (or are on the road) can still attend using a computer, tablet or phone. It’s easy!

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