THOSE LOOKING FOR a way to beat the winter blahs should tap into some winter birding activities offered by area chapters of the Audubon Society.
Bird walks, bird presentations and birding classes are available.
In Port Townsend today, Admiralty Audubon will host Live Raptors and Owls at 7 p.m. at the Port Townsend Community Center, corner of Lawrence and Tyler streets.
Cindy Daily of Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue in Port Townsend will bring live raptors and owls and discuss the birds’ natural history and the role of wildlife rehabilitators.
All Admiralty Audubon programs are free and open to the public.
For more information, or to donate to bird rehabilitation efforts, visit discoverybaywildbirdrescue.com.
In Sequim, the Dungeness River Audubon Center’s new Focus On series will attempt to unlock the secrets of different bird families. Each class will explore the unique adaptations, habitats and life-history of a variety of birds.
The series begins Saturday and will continue from 10 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday of each month through May at the center, in Railroad Bridge Park at 2151 W. Hendrickson Road.
The schedule:
• Saturday: Corvids
• Feb. 17: Woodpeckers
• March 17: Ducks
• April 21: Hummingbirds
• May 19: Swallows.
Each presentation is $10. Some classes include a field trip.
Registration is not required for the family-friendly series.
A four-part Beginning Birds and Birding class will meet from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Thursday in February at the center.
It is designed for those who want to learn and recognize local birds and anyone who wants to better understand birds.
Seminars cover basic bird identification, types of birds, bird behaviors and adaptations, bird sounds, field guides, nest boxes and birding optics.
The cost is $40 for members, $60 for nonmembers.
Registration is required. To register, call or email Jenna Ziogas at 360-681-4076 or rceducation @olympus.net.
Another class in the center’s Backyard Birds series Backyard Birds — Bird Nesting, will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 3.
The presentation will show attendees where and how local birds nest and how nesting is an integral part of pair bonding.
Ken Wiersema will lead the presentation offering examples of the nests of many different species. The program also has a “how to” walk through on how bird watchers of every age and skill can be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count set for Feb. 16-19.
The cost is $5 for adults, free for ages 18 and younger.
Those who attend five Backyard Birding sessions will receive a year’s membership in the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, which has weekly Wednesday Bird Walks in Railroad Bridge Park from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Anglers meeting
North Olympic Salmon Coalition program assistant Olivia Vito will speak at today’s meeting of the North Olympic Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers.
The meeting will be held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave. in Sequim.
Viewing of raffle prizes and fish stories runs begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by a short business meeting at 7 p.m. and Vito’s presentation.
Vito will discuss some coalition projects and how they have benefited both the community and salmon. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and forest ecology and has studied a wide range of ecosystems and how humans impact those environments.
The North Olympic Salmon Coalition has spent the last 26 years restoring degraded and compromised habitat through both small and large-scale restoration projects.
Refreshments will be served, a raffle of fishing gear will be held and a membership drawing for those present also will be held. The public is welcome to attend.
Kids Fishing fundraiser
Tickets for the Puget Sound Anglers’ annual fundraising dinner to support the Sequim Kids Fishing Day are on sale.
The spaghetti dinner will be held at SunLand Golf and Country Club on Saturday, Feb. 17. The cost is $20.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m., dinner follows at 5:30 p.m. and a live auction will be held at 7 p.m.
Tickets are not available at the door.
To purchase a ticket, phone 360-681-4768.
Boating clinic
The North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron will offer a free boater safety clinic “Boat Propane Systems and Safety” from 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Gather Place at Sunland Golf and Country Club, 135 Fairway Dr.
This clinic will be presented by squadron instructor Gordon Bilyard and is open to the public.
His presentation will familiarize participants with properties of propane, components of propane systems on boats, system operation and maintenance and safety considerations. Attendees will be provided with references to further inform and to help inspect and properly maintain a boat propane system.
For more information about this clinic or the North Olympic Sail and Power Squadron, visit www.northolympicboaters.com or contact the squadron at education.nosps@gmail.com.
