Registration  Meetings  Field Trips  Spring Trip  Service & Volunteering  Science  Program Highlights
"I love BirdWatch because it's so welcoming to everyone. It doesn't matter what your relationship to birds is—expert, beginner or anything in between—everyone is willing to help others and learn as much as they can."     -Former BirdWatch member
BirdWatch -- High school students enjoying and protecting the natural world through science, service, exploration and experience.
BirdWatch brings together high school students with an interest in birds for a fun series of field trips, meetings, outreach activities, and scientific monitoring efforts. Experienced volunteers and naturalists help members learn about Washington's birds and their place in the environment. BirdWatch is a great way for teenagers to explore Northwest ecology, gain naturalist skills, and make a positive contribution to the natural world. Join BirdWatch! Photo by Marissa Jones You're in 9th - 12th grade Enjoy amazing places in the natural world Make new friends who share your interests Gain skills and experience that could help launch an environmental career Build leadership experience Earn service-learning credits Get ideas and support for bird- or conservation-oriented senior projects Learn how you can make a difference And most of all, it's a blast! Testing Download a REGISTRATION FORM and email, fax, or mail it in. BirdWatch accepts new members throughout the year. There is no fee, but we ask that you become a member of  Seattle Audubon. For more information, contact the Education Director, at 206-523-8243 ext. 11 or education@seattleaudubon.org.    Back to top
Meetings SAS Stock Photo Meetings take place every 2nd Tuesday, from October through June, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. The Burke Museum is located on the University of Washington campus at 17th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street. Each meeting begins with short bird quiz... members work on small group projects ranging from assembling an owl skeleton to adopting a park to planning future field trips. BirdWatch also periodically hosts guest speakers who talk to the group on different conservation or bird-related topics. Attendance at meetings is not mandatory, however BirdWatchers interested in partaking in the Spring Trip are required to attend at least four throughout the year. Active members T-shirt and other resource materials. No experience or equipment is required.   Back to top
Field Trips Field Trips around Washington state occur the 3rd weekend of most months from October thru June, alternating between Saturday and Sunday. Field trips allow students to develop and hone their bird identification skills and to engage with other young birders. Imagine sighting and identifying more than 75 bird species in one day! Field trip destinations include: Marymoor Park, Montlake (UBNA), Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Discovery Park, Ocean Shores, and Carnation Back to top
Spring Trip Each spring, BirdWatch travels to an exciting, location in the United States to explore new habitats and birds. Students help with fundraising to keep trip costs reasonable, and scholarship aid is sometimes available. The annual Spring Trip has been deemed the highlight of the year and pinnacle of their birding experiences by many BirdWatchers. Destinations in past years have included Malhuer Wildlife Refuge in Oregon (2012),  Arizona (2010), and Texas (2009), and California (2008). To see more photos of past years' Spring Trips, check out BirdWatch on Facebook!   Back to top			Photo by Eric Harlow
Service Projects & Volunteering Earn Service-Learning hours by participating in our Service Activities. We participate in regular habitat restoration projects, and as a member, you'll have the opportunity to help with other important Seattle Audubon projects, including developing educational materials, presenting at events, and working directly on conservation issues. Interested members may also help lead nature walks for the public and younger students.The Bird Banding Program, in addition to being a science project, is also considered community service (Citizen Science), and students may earn service-learning hours through participation.   Back to top
Science Projects Real Life, Hands-On Science Projects Take part in an ongoing bird-monitoring project managed by other BirdWatch members. Learn about scientific collections, with behind-the-scenes looks at museum specimens. Find out about local research, from the scientists themselves, and get hands-on experience with different techniques like bird banding, urban habitat monitoring, and radio telemetry. Bird Banding project In the summer of 2003, BirdWatch launched a bird banding training program. The program developed over four years and partnered with the color-banding project and demonstration in Seward Park in partnership with Puget Sound Bird Observatory (PSBO) with funding from a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) ALEA grant. By color-banding the birds, we can learn more about their age and how they are using the urban area. We can also learn whether individual birds stay at the site year-round or travel to other sites.This site was one of four winter banding stations in the Seattle area, however, we are not longer banding there. You can observe trained BirdWatch teens currently assisting at other PSBO banding station around Puget Sound. For more information about banding and the summer Cascades Teen Banding Camp, please visit Puget Sound Bird Observatory's website. Back to top
Highlights of BirdWatch
	“I originally joined BirdWatch to learn more about birds and to meet other people with the same interests as myself.  So far, I have met both of those goals and much more.  I really enjoy the programs that are offered… The field trips have greatly increased my skills as a bird watcher because it is somewhat hard and bothersome to teach yourself.  With more experienced birders around me, I can learn how to identify birds in a fun and accurate way without fumbling through a field guide.” “Because of the skills I’d gained in BirdWatch, I spent my summer thriving on science: analyzing fish samples under microscopes, compiling data in Excel, and assisting in field work...This, in turn, propelled me to admission with highest honors to my first-choice school, Western Washington University, where I will be spending the next four years pursuing a degree in biology.”  “ BirdWatch is an incredible program. It has changed my life; given me birding friends my own age, a community, experiences that I will remember until I die, opportunities that will help me later in life, and the support I needed to become an avid birder. Thank you Seattle Audubon!”
These are some recent quotes from students and parents describing what the BirdWatch program means to them.  This year we had about 10 active teens participating regularly in BirdWatch activities, from monthly meetings, to field trips, to monthly bird banding stations in conjunction with Puget Sound Bird Observatory.  Last spring, teens and volunteers visited Malhuer Wildlife Refuge Station in Oregon for 5 days, during the annual spring break trip!
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SAS Stock Photos