“Pigeon Guillemots: Red-footed, Charming, and Well-Connected”

During their summer breeding season, Pigeon Guillemots seem so completely absorbed with each other that you’d never suspect their social circles might also include kingfisher, puffins, rhinoceros auklets, eagles, cormorants, mergansers, octopus, orcas, dozens of species of fish and invertebrates, and even sea lions. In this one-hour class, I will share personal observations, stories from fellow volunteer community scientists with the Salish Sea Guillemot Network, and documented-but-buried accounts of the guillemot’s fascinating and often unorthodox relationships with other animals in the natural world. These stories—and more!—are the subject of newest book, The Bird with Flaming Red Feet, coming from Mountaineers Books in April 2026.

Sound Waters University is an annual one-day community-centered educational event. (My class is from 10:50-11:50 a.m.). The goal of SWU is to inspire individual action by increasing awareness of our local waters, beaches, bluffs, and upland habitats to sustain a healthy Salish Sea. The event draws 350 attendees and features presentations by marine educators, scientists and naturalists from around the region. For more information and to order tickets, please click here.

Join me to learn all about the Pigeon Guillemot—not technically a shorebird, but a seabird that comes to shore during its breeding season each spring and summer. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you might try community-science birding. The presentation, “My Big Decade: One Seabird, One Place, One Community” will be at the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, 500 N Custer St, Aberdeen, WA 98520. Talk is 7:30-9 p.m. Dinner before starts at 5:30. Information and tickets to either/both dinner and talk can be found here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/grays-harbor-shorebird-festival--2025 (Photo of guillemots courtesy Hillary Smith)

Under a cloud? On Cloud 9? Love watching clouds? Ever wonder why there are so many kinds of clouds or why they have such long Latin names?

Join Olympia natural-history writer Maria Mudd Ruth for presentation on these shape-shifting natural wonders that dazzle and often befuddle us. Maria’s latest book, A Sideways Look at Clouds (Mountaineers Books, 2017) blends science and humor to give the lay reader new ways to better appreciate the clouds.

Maria is the author of more than a dozen books including Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet. 

Join me for the first installment of the High Desert Speaker Series in Bend! Come to the Tower Theatre to take a tour of clouds in Oregon’s high desert and the wide-open, wild landscapes that make for spectacular cloud viewing. Learn what makes the clouds so dynamic, so varied, and so universally appealing. What are clouds made of? Is there an easy way to learn their confusing Latin names? How can you enjoy the clouds in a new light on your next high desert adventure?

I’ll be joined by Jeremy Austin, ONDA’s Policy Manager, will illuminate why Oregon’s high desert provides unparalleled opportunities to view clouds, and how these clouds are part of a water system that supports life from the banks of desert rivers to the sagebrush steppe.

Doors open at 6 p.m.; event starts at 7 p.m.

Click here for tickets and information on this presentation and the Tower Theatre (835 NW Wall St. Bend, OR).

Join me at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham for my presentation to the North Cascades Audubon Society on the endangered marbled murrelet. What happens when you encounter a strange new bird? You ask a lot of questions of murrelet researchers, field biologists, forest ecologists, timber company executives, and yourself: Why does this bird matter? Why should anyone care about the murrelet? Do we have a moral obligation to save this bird or any other endangered species? Can we all move to the front line to protect earth’s beauty and biodiversity? 

In this slide-illustrated talk, I’ll talk about the natural history of the murrelet, current conservation efforts in Washington, and the important murrelet advocacy work of the Audubon community in the Pacific Northwest. This is event is free and open to the public. This a co-presentaiton by the North Cascades Audubon Society and the Whatcom Museum.  $5 suggested donation/Whatcom Museum members free.

Join for my talk “A Sideways Look at Clouds” part of the Naturally Inspired Fall Speakers Series presented by the Tahoma Audubon Society. This programs  will be at the beautiful Tacoma Nature Center, 7:00-8:00pm (with social gathering at 6:30).  It’s fee and open to the public!

The Seattle Audubon Society is holding its October program meeting at the Woodland Park Zoo’s Zoomazium (auditorium). I’ll be talking about now-or-never conservation issues of the marbled murrelet in Washington and explaining why your input on the state’s forest policy is so important right now. In less than an hour, you’ll be fluent in acronyms (BNR, DNR, EIS, ESA, HCP, et cetera), informed on the issues, and inspired to speak out for the protection of this endangered seabird. This will not be boring. Trust me.

Seating is limited, so please reserve your space through Seattle Audubon here.

Don't know much about the clouds but wish you did? After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2006, Olympia nature writer Maria Mudd Ruth realized she knew little to nothing about clouds. Rather than continuing to take them for granted, Maria began to study these shape-shifting natural wonders with curiosity and humor. In A Sideways Look Clouds (Mountaineers Books), Maria charts a unique course into the science and meaning of clouds and offers the non-scientist ways to look at, appreciate, and talk about the clouds.

Join Maria for a lively presentation, short reading, gorgeous clouds, Q&A, and book sales/signing.

In the tradition of Parisian salons of old, the Washington Center presents an intimate evening of music, theater, literature, and art. Local and regional masters of visual art, the written word, and music come together to share their experiences as artists and interact with you—the audience. Featuring Amy Shephard, Maria Mudd Ruth, John Dodge, Jim Lynch, Bryan Willis, and more in the Black Box Theater.

Tickets: $12. Click here to order.

Why do clouds get a bad rap? Why is "cloudy" synonymous with "gloomy"? Did you know that an officially "sunny" day in eastern Oregon can include up to 15% cloud cover? Join me in Redmond, Oregon, for a talk, Q&A, and signing of my book from Mountaineers Books, A Sideways Look at Clouds. I'll be sharing some science, humor, and thoughts on following your curiosity.

During the 186 days every year Bend, Oregon, is officially "sunny," the sky can be covered by 15% or less by clouds. If the clouds had better PR, this would be a "partly cloudy" day. Learn about the clouds, our fascination with them, and why we don't talk about them more at my talk, Q&A, and book signing. I'll be sharing some science, humor, and thoughts on following your curiosity.

On Cloud Nine? Under a Cloud? Curious about these shape-shifting natural wonders we too often take for granted? Join me for talk, Q&A, and book signing. I'll be sharing some science, humor, and thoughts on following your curiosity.

Don't know much about the clouds but wish you did? After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2006, Olympia nature writer Maria Mudd Ruth realized she knew little to nothing about these shape-shifting natural wonders. Rather than continuing to take them for granted, Maria began to study these shape-shifting natural wonders with curiosity and humor. In A Sideways Look Clouds (Mountaineers Books), Maria charts a unique course into the science and meaning of clouds and offers the non-scientist ways to look at, appreciate, and talk about the clouds.

Join Maria for a slide presentation, Q&A, and book sales/signing.

Birders and cloud watchers have much in common: they spend a lot of time in the field, their gaze is often skyward, and they have a good grasp of taxonomy. Yes! The clouds come in genera, species, and varieties, too! Join me and the Skagit Audubon Society in "big sky country" (Skagit County) for a program on my new non-fiction title, A Sideways Look at Clouds (Mountaineers Books, 2017). My presentation will include a talk, slides, Q&A, book sales and signing.

 This is part of the monthly program of Skagit Audubon and is free and open to the public.

7:00 Social; 7:30 Program, Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, 10441 Bayview Edison Rd, Mount Vernon, Washington

Don't know much about the clouds but wish you did? After moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2006, Olympia nature writer Maria Mudd Ruth realized she knew little to nothing about clouds. Rather than continuing to take them for granted, Maria began to study these shape-shifting natural wonders with curiosity and humor. In A Sideways Look Clouds (Mountaineers Books), Maria charts a unique course into the science and meaning of clouds and offers the non-scientist ways to look at, appreciate, and talk about the clouds.

Join Maria for a lively presentation, short reading, gorgeous clouds, Q&A, and book sales/signing.

Join me at the Olympia branch of the Timberland Regional Library for a presentation on my new book, A Sideways Look at Clouds (Mountaineers Books, Fall 2017). Much of my research on clouds came from this library:  field guides, science text books, children's books explaining (badly) what air pressure is, books on do-at-home weather-related experiments, novels involving clouds and cloud fanatics, books on painting). This library  and inter-library loan saved me thousands of dollars in research materials!  

Books will be available for sale and signing. 

Curious about clouds? Mystified by Marbled Murrelets? How do you begin to learn about something you know nothing about? Join Olympia author Maria Mudd Ruth for her presentation on the her latest books, A Sideways Look at Clouds (2017) and Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet (2013). Maria will explore the role of curiosity, honesty, humor, and personal "sideways" perspective in appreciating and understanding the natural wonders around us.

The program will feature a selection of slides featuring stunning Pacific Northwest clouds, marbled murrelets followed by Q&A, and sales/signing of her two books.

Join Maria at the Peninsula Wilderness Club meeting for a presentation on her newest book A Sideways Look at Clouds (Mountaineers Books, September 2017). For more information:  Here is their website.

Browsers Books in Olympia is celebrating Indies First this Saturday from 2-3:30 p.m. Six of your favorite local authors--Jim Lynch, Nikki McClure, Lauren Danner, Corinna Luykens, Chris Maynard, and Maria Ruth-- will be there to sign our books, chat, sip, and support this marvelous independent bookstore in downtown Olympia.