This month’s community spotlight turns to the Palouse Audubon Society.

The Audubon Society is a national network of amateur and professional nature lovers who are interested in the observation and study of birds in North America. It is a venerable, highly active society with a long history in the annals of American science. Moreover, the Society continues to work with Cornell University to track bird species and population trends throughout the country.

The Society is named after the Haitian-born, French-educated John James Audubon, whose gorgeous work, “Birds of America” (London, 1827–38), is a milestone in the story of natural history in the Americas.
The Palouse Audubon Society dates from 1973 and at present it boasts about 85 official members and about 30 or so active enthusiasts.

Before discussing the Society, however, I must make clear just how passionate its members can be about birding. It is a true love and attracts aficionados in ways that are difficult to convey.

“We get together to see all sorts of birds, and especially to spot those rare ones,” says Terry Gray, a long-term member and the outgoing president of the Society. “That’s what birding is all about.”

The Society offers a number of activities for enthusiasts, bringing them out into the local ecosystem to observe and identify bird species.

In the summer, there are excursions every weekend. These can last just a few hours or can be day-long affairs. Enthusiasts can be treated to birding trips throughout Whitman county and eastern Latah county. Moreover, every Wednesday, there’s an evening session for interested birders.

In winter, when weather and migration changes the character of the bird population, these field trips are concentrated to the Lewiston valley or down river towards Walla Walla.

These field trips are open to the public, and can involved 1-3 carloads of people. The only charge, from time to time, is throwing in a couple of bucks to help offset the cost of gas. If you are interested, simply go to the Society’s website (listed below) and check out the monthly bulletin.

One of the highlights of the Audubon Society is the yearly Thanksgiving and Christmas Day “counts.” The Society members mark out a 15-mile radius and spot and count all the birds they can. These figures are then tabulated and forwarded to the national society, who tracks species trends and habitat conditions.

As Terry points out, these activities form part of a long history of citizen science, in which local enthusiasts and professional naturalists worked hand in hand to understand species populations and habitat.

Nevertheless — and this a a critical point, as Terry stresses — the Society is open to anyone and its members are drawn from a large cross-section of the Moscow community, representing different ages and background. However, all members are united by their common love of one thing: nature.

“In general,” says Terry, “most people in the society — or the people who participate in the field trips or evening walks — are out there because they want to have a good time with other people in nature.”

Some, he also points out, really love photography, and there’s great opportunity for picture-taking in these birding trips.

“You get such a background. Sometimes there’s people out there with great knowledge about insects or native plants, or whatever. You end up learning so much.”

“The Audubon Society is great for people who are new in the area,” he continues. “It’s a fantastic way to learn about the Palouse. We’re here to have a good time and see what he can find,” he chuckles. “It’s always a surprise. You never see the same thing twice.”

If you are interested in the Audubon Society, please direct your Internet browser to: www.palouseaudubon.org
 
Sean M. Quinlan is a historian of science and medicine at the University of Idaho.