Young Adults Explore Volunteer Park

To cap off a successful Bird-Safe Seattle week, a small group of intrepid young adults set out on an Oct. 8 birding adventure at Volunteer Park in the heart of Seattle. Hannah Bleecker and Brett Eaton, representatives from the NextGen Advisory Council, led the way through trees, playgrounds, and even a pet costume parade.

NextGen Advisory Council

The NextGen Advisory Council is a group of young Seattle-area nature and bird enthusiasts, working to foster an environment where younger and more diverse audiences are engaged with the organization through events like this young adult bird outing. We are also committed to providing input to the organization that will allow it to continue to grow and change into the future, serving more diverse audiences than in the past.

A pair of walk attendees looks through binoculars at Volunteer Park. Photo by Clayton Dahm

On this particular morning, the motley crew of inquisitive explorers set off at 10:00 a.m., early enough to “get the worm” but late enough to get some sleep. We met at the Black Sun statue overlooking the reservoir, near a rather raucous murder of crows drinking, bathing, and generally making noise. From there the party headed North and East through the trees. On the way to the trees, we happened upon a pair of Bewick’s Wrens in a holly tree that was joined by an Anna’s Hummingbird. As we traveled under the trees we could hear Black-Capped and Chestnut-Backed Chickadees calling, and occasionally poking their heads out to welcome us to their leafy homes.

While we walked we exchanged fun bird facts. Speaking of which, NextGen recently hosted a Beers for Birds trivia event at Great Notion Georgetown on Thursday, October 20. Stay tuned for next time if you love trivia! It is “bird-themed,” so extensive knowledge of bird species is not required by any means. Instead, bring your sense of fun and a willingness to get a little silly.

A backlit Bewick’s Wren sits on a branch at Volunteer Park. Photo by Clayton Dahm

Eventually we came upon the playground and followed the fence that divides the park from the Lake View Cemetery. While we were not able to see Bruce Lee’s final resting place, we were able to spot a Pacific Wren that hopped out from hiding in a fern long enough for everyone to get a good look, and a whole family of Steller’s Jays flew overhead across the grass lawn making their raspy calls. It was a fun experience for everyone.

A pair of walk attendees looks through their binoculars at Volunteer Park. Photo by Clayton Dahm

As we continued through the pet parade grounds, the birds became slightly less obvious, but we were lucky enough to catch a low flyover from a Red-Tailed Hawk that offered good, but quick, looks at its tell-tale black belly band. We emerged from the joy of the parade at the southeast side of the park on the opposite side of the reservoir from where we started. Knowing that our adventure would soon come to a close, we pricked up our ears and dialed in our binoculars. Then, just as we were rounding the corner of the final stretch we heard Red-Breasted Nuthatches chattering in a small copse of trees. As we strained our eyes, desperate for just a glimpse of these little tree-clinging birds, we found, much to our amazement, not only a large group of Nuthatches, but also a male and female pair of Downy Woodpeckers. As we watched this small group bounce from tree to tree they were joined by Dark-Eyed Juncos and Anna’s Hummingbirds. With our hearts filled with joy we spent the last short leg of the walk chatting about what we saw and sharing facts about the different birds we had seen that day.

A Downy Woodpecker rests on the trunk of a bare tree in Volunteer Park. Photo by Clayton Dahm

Join the NextGen Advisory Council

If these sorts of events sound like fun to you, keep an eye on the NextGen page for updates on more events and information about the council itself. We are currently recruiting new members to join the council.

The application period is open through November 20, 2022; click here to apply. We will also host an optional information session on Thursday, November 17  from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Click here to register. We hope to see you around soon, whether at a future event or even a council meeting.