Steller’s jay, Dark-eyed junco, and House finch. photos by Jay Wiggs
Dark-eyed junco and House finch. photos by Jay Wiggs
Managing Editor: John F. Williams
(Table of Contents is below this intro)
After the cold, dark, and relative quiet of winter, I enjoy the springtime growth of bird sounds. All of the hopping in my yard isn’t just bunnies, birds are hopping here and there too.
Backyards are becoming a larger part of our environment, and Backyard Birds is the theme for this spring’s issue of Salish Magazine. We’ll be treated to stories and poetry about hummingbirds, red-winged blackbirds, wrens, eagles, nuthatches, crows, juncos, and much more. And, of course, we’ll have some discussion of the backyard habitats in which we see them.
And where do those birds go when they’re not in your yard? Like other highly mobile animals, these birds help spread nutrients and seeds throughout the ecosystem. Some of them are important pollinators, while others build homes which get used by other species.
So I hope that you enjoy and learn from this issue — and Happy Spring!
Issue 31 — Backyard Birds: Table of Contents
More content will be added to this issue through the Spring. You can subscribe using the SUBSCRIBE menu above. It’s free, and we will send you newsletters when new content is posted online.
Birds on an Urban Lake
by Dave Galvin
Spring 2026
The Salish Sea is defined by water: the sea itself, the freshwater lakes and rivers, and rain that is the hallmark of the region. It is no surprise, then, to see waterbirds.
Poetry 31
by assorted poets
Spring 2026
A collection of poems portraying birds that often appear in our backyards. They are discussed in a wide variety of relationships with humans and nature.
Salish Magazine
Publisher: John F. Williams
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www.salishmagazine.org
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Extra special thanks to:
Sara & Tom Noland, Grant Blackinton, Nancy Taylor, Ren Alea, Kathy Haskin, Andrea Benson, Brianna Clark, Heather Hesslink, Allison Richard, Katrina Simmons, Michele LaMaistre, Susan Merrill, Mary Johnson, Greg Jensen, Andy Lamb, Sue Ellen White, Payton Smith, Gene Bullock, Kevin Eyer, and all of the credited authors and image contributors.
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Wayde Watters
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Copyright SEA-Media
All rights reserved. Reproduction or distribution, in whole or in part. without consent of copyright owner is strictly prohibited — except for brief quotations in critical reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright laws.
SEA-Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation
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