Whidbey Audubon Society

WAS members are encouraged to participate in at least one of three public involvement Open Houses (below) to provide input on the protection and conservation of important bird & wildlife habits on Whidbey Island such as Deer Lagoon Preserve, Crockett Lake and Swan Lake.

OPEN HOUSES: Element 7 Parks & Recreation - 2025 Comprehensive Plan

• Freeland Hall: 1515 Shoreview Dr, Freeland, WA 98249 Date: Monday, December 2, 2024 -Time: 5:30 pm – Hybrid Virtual/In-Person

• Coupeville Library Meeting Room - 788 Alexander St, Coupeville, WA 98239 Date: Monday, December 9, 2024 Time: 5:30 pm – Hybrid Virtual/In-Person

• Oak Harbor Library, Skagit Valley College Campus: 1000 Regatta Dr, Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2024 Time: 5:00 pm – Hybrid Virtual/In-Person

• Find more information on Open House events and virtually attendance here

A few Suggested Talking Points for Parks & Recreation Open House events:

1. Deer Lagoon Preserve requires a detailed site-specific management plan, with a focus on habitat conservation and enhancement with some passive recreation that does not conflict with conservation values –passive recreation activities such as walking, birding, and photography.

2. Kite surfing is very disruptive to feeding, resting and nesting birds at Deer Lagoon, Crockett Lake, and Swan Lake and should be prohibited at all IBA sites on Whidbey Island. Research data indicates kite surfing activity drives away roosting or feeding birds and greatly impacts resting migratory birds.

3. The existing No-Fireworks codes should be strictly enforced at Deer Lagoon Preserve, Crockett Lake and Swan Lake, as well as at Double Bluff County Park which abuts Deer Lagoon. A plethora of scientific research concludes that the discharge of fireworks is detrimental to the feeding, resting and nesting of birds and other wildlife in marine and estuarine ecosystems.

Go Fish! a Four Session Class with Connie Sidles — Register now!

This four-week, online course is Tuesday evenings on January 7, 14, 21 and 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $100. Each session will be recorded, so that those registered may review it. Please register here.

Fish have been a rich source of food for birds for millions of years — certainly long enough for avians to have evolved many styles of fishing. In this series of four classes, master birder Constance Sidles will show you the strategies different species of birds use to go fishing. They are by turns ingenious, persistent, patient, aggressive, cooperative and altogether wondrous. Come to the sea, the rivers, ponds and lakes with Connie as she tells you about the plungers and the pickers; the snatchers and the stalkers; the chasers and the scoopers— including her favorites, the pelicans.

Constance Sidles is the founder and president of Constancy Press, LLC. Before beginning Constancy Press, Sidles was a production consultant with more than 30 years of experience in print production. She is a master birder with more than 600 North American birds on her life list. She has led several trips for Seattle Audubon Society and currently serves as chair of Seattle Audubon’s Publications Committee. While serving on this committee, she helped produce revised and/or reprinted versions of Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest, Reptiles of Washington & Oregon, Butterflies of Cascadia, A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Washington and NW Oregon and Dragonflies of Washington.

Preserving Deer Lagoon

To help shape the future of Deer Lagoon Preserve please participate in the development of the Comprehensive Plan. Visit our page Deer Lagoon Preserve Advocacy. You’ll find everything you need to add your voice.

Deer Lagoon is a state recognized Important Bird Area (IBA) with at least 211 different bird species having been documented at the lagoon. Washington State Fish and Wildlife has concluded Deer Lagoon is the single most important site on Whidbey Island for use by waterfowl, year around. The lagoon is a critical resting and feeding site for migrating shorebirds in the spring and fall. It has been labeled the most important wetlands in Island County and for this reason alone deserves the highest levels of protection.

Go to our constantly updated page of interesting, unusual, or rare sightings of birds on Whidbey Island and surrounding waters.