Black-capped Chickadee | Mick Thompson | Eastside Audubon
Birds are culturally, ecologically, and economically important to Seattle. That’s not just our opinion. It’s in the mayoral proclamation that sets October 2-8, 2022, as “Bird-Safe Seattle Week.”
We’re excited that our city government recognizes the importance of birds and the threats they face. To celebrate Bird-Safe Seattle Week, we invite you to experience, learn about, and protect birds by participating in the fun events planned during this week and beyond.
Each day between October 2 and October 8, 2022, we’re promoting events that celebrate and protect birds. Click the link below to see a full list of all Bird-Safe Seattle Week events:
Three ways to celebrate Bird-Safe Seattle Week
Wilson’s Warbler | Heather Roskelly | Audubon Photography Awards
1. Experience and connect with local birds; it just might improve your health.
The mental and physical health benefits of spending time in nature are well established. Thanks to birds, we can have meaningful experiences with nature nearly anywhere. For example, you might step outside your home then look around and listen. You’ll probably see or hear a bird soon. I’ve been testing this outside my apartment. The longest I’ve had to wait was 1 minute, 37 seconds.
For Bird-Safe Seattle Week, we invite you to experience your local birds and nature. Join us at a bird outing, an owl prowl, or a tree walk. We encourage you to enjoy birds and nature your way. Admire the birds out your window, notice the bird song on your walk around the block, or livestream a bird cam. There is no “right way” to enjoy birds and nature.
Varied Thrush | Deborah Regula | Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count
2. Learn about birds and conservation to increase feelings of connections to nature.
When I encounter a bird whose name I know, it feels like I’m running into a friend. The time I’ve spent learning about their characteristics and behaviors helps me understand and appreciate them more.
Research supports this observation. For example, one study found that people who could name the birds in their garden also reported feeling more connected to nature than other survey participants.
To celebrate Bird-Safe Seattle Week, we invite you to explore our nature and conservation classes and presentations. From our “10 Gateway Birds” and “The Natural History of Puget Sound” courses to a special “Understanding Cat Behavior” presentation, there’s something for everyone.
Pileated Woodpecker | Megumi Aita | Audubon Photography Awards
3. Protect birds for future generations
We love living in a city with diverse and abundant birds. Dedicated volunteers and staff work every day to protect them. But we can’t do it alone. We need your help to protect our urban wildlife.
Supporting our work to protect birds is one of the most important ways you can celebrate Bird-Safe Seattle Week. We suggest that you:
- make your windows bird safe,
- turn off outdoor lights during migration season, and
- keep your cat indoors.
You can also champion our conservation work by:
- emailing elected officials to tell them we need to protect trees,
- reporting bird-window collisions at dBird.org, and
- getting involved in community science that helps us better understand and protect birds.
Our birds are gifts, not guarantees
Our local birds make our city special. They bring the beauty and joy of nature close to home. We can’t take their gifts for granted. The threats birds face are immense, but we all have the power to make our city safer for birds.
To celebrate Bird-Safe Seattle Week, please join us in experiencing, learning about, and protecting birds.
Read the Bird-Safe Seattle Week Proclamation
