In a world under lockdown, nature soars

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 30, 2020

Armchair and expert birders need not go any farther than their computers to feast their eyes and ears on many of the island’s birds and their songs.

From bald eagles to Savannah sparrows, a multitude of birds take center stage in the nearly 14-minute video islander Sarah Driggs recently created for Vashon-Maury Island Audubon. She paired each photo — submitted by youth and adult local photographers — with its song or call, compliments of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The birds, their songs and colorful plumage are the main feature, but the beauty of the Vashon’s natural world shows itself in abundance: A mourning dove coos from a blackberry branch; a common yellowthroat sings among the leaves at Mukai Pond; a rufous hummingbird sips from a hanging Fuschia at the water’s edge; an osprey plucks a fish from the water at Fern Cove.

“I thought it would be perfect to share while people are cooped up at home,” Driggs said.

Indeed, in its first week as part of the online newsletter, the video drew more than 500 views, a response Driggs considers amazing.

Most of the photos were submitted for the calendar the local Audubon chapter produces each year; this compilation, along with the birds’ songs and calls, is another way to showcase the photographs and the wonder of birds.

Driggs is the editor of the Audubon newsletter. The video was showcased there, along with some other suggestions for enjoying birds while people are staying home, including birding in the backyard, following a webcam, reading up about birds, and learning about the work of George Divoky. For 45 years, Divoky has been studying black guillemots in the Arctic Sea, observing the impacts of climate change. He had been scheduled to speak at the Vashon Theatre in April, but the presentation was canceled for now.

To watch the video and learn more about birding while hunkering down, see vashonaudubon.org and click on the “Newsletter” tab.