Skagit Audubon Society

Welcome to Skagit Audubon Programs

General membership meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 pm.
In person meetings are typically presented at the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, 10441 Bayview-Edison Rd., Mt. Vernon. Other meetings may be available by Zoom only. Please check the specific program listing below for the time and location of the current meeting. Some programs offer “watch parties” - see newsletter for details.

SCAM ALERT! Our monthly programs on Zoom are always FREE! Any prompt during registration on Zoom to collect any financial or payment information is a scam (and out of our control).

MONTHLY PROGRAM

Please join us at the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, 10441 Bayview-Edison Rd., Mt. Vernon for our May monthly program. Also, a pre-meeting bird walk on the Upland Trail will take place prior to the program. Details and sign-up information for the bird walk here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040545ABAE28A6F58-63387428-padilla

Pollinating insects have a big job helping plants produce fruit not only in gardens and orchards, but also among many native species like wild strawberries, huckleberries, thimbleberries, wax currants, and others that require pollination to reproduce. Learn about the importance of pollinator diversity in PNW and beyond. Entomologist Dr. Bob Gillespie has spent his life keeping track of our native pollinators, making observations and assessing how well they are functioning. He will explain the roles that solitary and social wasps, solitary and social bees, sawflies, flies, beetles, moths and butterflies play in the pollination of plants, and the importance of conserving their seasonal nesting and overwintering habitats. Bob will also discuss the importance of providing pollen and nectar for pollinators over an extended period by planting a diversity of native and ornamental plants that flower from late winter until early autumn. You will also learn about how many insects some birds require to feed themselves and their young. One of the special treats for his in-person presentations are the pollinator displays of native bees, flies, beetles, butterflies and moths he brings with him. 

Bob is a retired entomologist who is using his retirement to introduce people to the diversity of pollinators, the environmental factors that are leading to their decline, and the important role they play in the web of life. Bob obtained his B.S. in Education from the University of Nebraska where he majored in History and Physical Education/Exercise Physiology. He holds an M.S. in Entomology from the University of Idaho, and a Ph.D. in Biology (with an emphasis in Insect and Plant Ecology) from Montana State University. He received research funding through the USDA/ARS Rangeland Insect Lab.

Bob's passion is to help people develop pollinator habitat around their homes. Our Program Chair said she looks forward to running into Bob on her annual trip to the Salal Native Plant Sale.

We hope to see you there!

Questions? Email: programs@skagitaudubon.org

 2026 UPCOMING PROGRAM
from Ann Kramer

June 9, 2026  Peter Cavanaugh IN-PERSON: How Birds Fly (POTLUCK)  Our year-end member program.  From take-off to landing, Peter unveils the complex evolution and physics of bird flight. Author: How Birds Fly

Skagit Audubon Legacy Program Recordings

“Know Your Native Trees”, presented by Kevin Zobrist https://youtu.be/nfPJk71cxsM

“A Birder’s Evolution-Beyond Your Spark Bird”, presented by George Armistead https://youtu.be/gaVeZDTQr-I

TNC’s Port Susan Bay Preserve Restoration Adaptive Management Presented by Amber Parmenter, Puget Sound Stewardship Manager
https://youtu.be/yeG1448QdX4

Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest by Julie Zickefoose
https://youtu.be/kppE71b3YjE

Woodpeckers of Western Washington by Jeff Kozma, Wildlife Biologist with Yakima National Fisheries
https://youtu.be/SR0cyxR35xY

How Birds are Responding, and Sometimes not Responding, to Climate Change by Steve Hampton
https://youtu.be/xcnhXwF3weM

American Dipper and Salmon Restoration: How Barriers to Salmon Migration Change Everything for a Songbird by Dr. Christopher Tonra
https://youtu.be/2bLNOH1vzQ8