Yakima Valley Audubon Society

05/14/2026

UPCOMING PROGRAM - ICE CREAM SOCIAL - EVERYONE WELCOME! Thursday May 28, 7 PM, Yakima Arboretum for a presentation by Megan Weeber:

From Soil to Songbirds: Building Life in Your Yard

Healthy gardens start underground: in a living soil food web of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other organisms that feed plants and, ultimately, the insects and birds that visit our yards. In this talk, soil health consultant and microbe farmer Megan will share how simple changes—like using inoculum‑grade compost, disturbing soil less, and planting more natives—can transform compacted, chemical‑dependent yards into resilient habitat.

04/23/2026

BONUS! Live hawk viewing with tonight's program!

Licensed falconers Clifford and Janna Kellogg will bring a Harris's Hawk and an American Kestrel for side-by-side comparison.

04/02/2026

Join us April 26, 2026 at 7 PM at the Yakima Arboretum for
"Tricks to Identifying and Understanding Yakima County Raptors" with Deb Essman.

Yakima County is home to 18 species of diurnal raptors--
some are common year-round residents, some are reliable
migrants, and a couple are rare but not impossible to find
here!

These birds of prey are fascinating, and each has its own
special way of hunting, flying and nesting. This program
shares several intriguing facts about each species along
with field identification tips that will make distinguishing
each species a lot easier.

Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk? Golden Eagle or
immature Bald Eagle? Learn some simple tips to tell them
apart and gain new appreciation for all their amazing skills
and beauty (yes, even the Turkey Vulture is beautiful). This will be interactive as members will be able
to share their expertise and experiences.

Deb has worn many hats working in the
conservation world as a raptor rehabilitator for
almost a decade in California, an ornithology
teacher at a community college, a veterinary
technician and eagle release coordinator at
Seattle’s Woodland Park, and a Game Warden
for the Washington State Department of Fish &
Wildlife (WDFW), including a couple years as a
Detective in the Special Investigative Unit.

She has lived in Kittitas County for 36 years,
and diligently birds locally, with a Kittitas County
Life List at 268 species. She has traveled
extensively to bird and hunt. She cares deeply
about getting kids into the outdoors and
inspiring them to learn about our natural world.

Photos courtesy of Deb Essman.

03/19/2026

If you missed the Feb. 26 RaptorQuest presentation by Scott Harris, you can now watch the video!

03/11/2026

Thursday March 26, 7 PM. March Program and meeting. Jeff Kozma, wildlife biologist with the Yakama Nation, presents
"A 2-for-1 Research Presentation: Can Signs Conserve Snags? and Banded Golden-crowned Sparrow return rates to the Yakima Area Arboretum Sparrow Patch."

Everyone is welcome! In-person only at the Yakima Area Arboretum.

03/11/2026

Free presentation of "For the Birds" with jazz duo Cliff and Nelda Swigett from Seattle, featuring original music! Everyone is welcome.

01/26/2026

Program Announcement: Everyone is welcome!
Scott Harris will present on his raptor quest, tracking 53 raptors across 34 states in 17 months. (Scroll down for more info.)

Thursday, Feb 26 ,2026 at 7:00pm, Zoom only

To view the live presentation on your laptop, tablet, or smart phone, simply click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85751241932?pwd=K0lseGlvbng4WGlKN3NaeEdaL2VTQT09 about five minutes for before the program is scheduled to begin (6:55 PM).

RaptorQuest is about his adventures, misadventures, successes and failures. From -36 degree days, to ones over 100 degrees, to just getting on the bird just in time, to the frustrations of missing one by minutes. It’s about the birds—of course—but it’s also about the people he met, the things he learned and why he’s already working on his next adventure.

01/08/2026

Program Announcement:
Thursday, Jan. 22, 7 PM, Zoom only.
To view the live presentation on your laptop, tablet, or smart phone, simply click on this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85751241932?pwd=K0lseGlvbng4WGlKN3NaeEdaL2VTQT09 about five minutes for before the program is scheduled to begin (6:55 PM)

Understanding Bird Songs

Since the dawn of time, humans have been fascinated and inspired by bird songs. But how do we study bird songs today, and what have these studies taught us about the world of bird song? In this talk, we will explore how and why birds sing, and how we study bird songs as a way of understanding what they are saying to each other. This talk will open a new world for you because bird songs and vocalizations are a huge part of how birds interact with each other, and they are one of the most important ways we appreciate birds.

David Lukas is a well-known speaker, writer, and naturalist who has led thousands of walks, talks, classes, workshops, and tours, including more than ten years working as a hiking guide and educator in Yosemite National Park. David has written seven books and contributed chapters to another forty books on a wide range of bird and nature topics, including Sierra Nevada Birds, Sierra Nevada Natural History, and Language Making Nature (www.languagemakingnature.com). David’s most recent project is producing the Lukas Guides Newsletter, a weekly nature newsletter at www.lukasguides.com.

11/15/2025

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT
Everyone is welcome! December 4, 2025
7:00pm at Yakima Area Arboretum

Yakima Valley Audubon is pleased to have Paul Bannick present his new book: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers with more than 200 never-before-published photographs. Paul is an award-winning author and photographer and the author of two best-selling bird books.

Photos credit: Paul Bannick

Please see the link below to our program page for more information.
https://yakimaaudubon.org/programs/

10/13/2025

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT - All are welcome!

Yakima Valley Audubon is pleased to have Andy Stepniewski present Cascade Ridges - A Southbound Highway for Birds in the Fall on Thursday Oct 23, 7:00pm at the Yakima Area Arboretum. Andy will share the remarkable migration of the large number of migrating songbirds and raptors that use the Cascades to the west of Yakima as their path on their fall journey southward.

Andy has lived for four decades in the Yakima Valley and is a life-long naturalist.

Please visit our website at yakimaaudubon.org/programs/ for more information.

Programs   Yakima Valley Audubon Society provides programs for the benefit of members and the public at the Yakima Area Arboretum. Program topics, dates and times are announced in the newsletter, Calliope Crier, and on our website. Upcoming Programs   Thursday, Oct 23, 7:00 PM. Yakima Area Arboret...