Whether you’re a birder or not, you’ll be charmed by a lively and charismatic Pigeon Guillemot. These Pacific coast seabirds are common, easy to spot, and fun to watch close-up from shore, though they are often overlooked by birders seeking more elusive and rarer life-list birds (such as their more famous cousins, the puffins). Pigeon Guillemots have unique and fascinating stories to tell about being a seabird and about the workings of our shared environment. And, lucky for us, they tell them loud and clear. Since 2013, Maria has been watching and listening to the guillemots nesting on Puget Sound near Olympia as a volunteer community scientist with the Salish Sea Guillemot Network.  Q&A plus book sales and signing.

Join author Maria Mudd Ruth as she shares what she’s learned about the guillemots, about “one-bird birding,” and the community of “guillemoteers” devoted to this marvelous seabird.

How do science writers and illustrators collect the data, information, and stories that inform their art? Join three Pacific Northwest artists — two writers and one illustrator — to learn how they distill their research on our local seabirds into engaging stories and compelling illustrations. Science journalist Sarah DeWeerdt will moderation a conversation between . Madison Mayfield, a science illustrator, taxidermist, and Assistant Collections Manager of the Burke Museum’s ornithology collection. You’ll find out how author and community scientist, Maria Mudd Ruth, turned data — and a lack of data— into her new book on the Pigeon Guillemot, The Bird with Flaming Red Feet. Eric Wagner, author and professional scientist, will share secrets for collecting and interpreting data on nocturnal Rhinoceros Auklets for his new book, Seabirds as Sentinels. Guillemots, auklets, and other seabird specimens will be on display for a close-up look courtesy of the Burke Museum's ornithology collection. Q&A plus book sales and signing, too! For tickets to this special event, go here.

Join me to welcome The Bird With the Flaming Red Feet into the book world! I’ll be sharing stories about this lively seabird, reading a few excerpts, answering all your pressing guillemot questions, and signing books. Just in time to welcome the Pigeon Guillemots back to the shores of the Salish Sea—many on the water just 20 minutes from Lake Forest Park! Fun guillemot-themed prize drawing! This event is co-sponsored by the North Cascades Institute . Tickets are free, but RSVPS encouraged. Click here for more information from Third Place Books.