West Seattle Residents Challenged to Spot 9 Local Birds During Great Backyard Bird Count

Author Lori Kothe asks community to use Merlin Bird ID app to report sightings of birds featured in her book

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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West Seattle writer Lori Kothe is challenging residents to participate in the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count from February 13-16, 2026, with a goal of spotting all nine birds featured in her book "Birds Near My Home in the City by the Sea." Kothe is encouraging people to download the Merlin Bird ID app to easily identify and report the birds they see, with the data contributing to the real-time global citizen science event.

Why it matters

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual event that provides important data on bird populations and movements. Kothe hopes that West Seattle residents participating and reporting the nine specific birds from her book will showcase the diverse avian life in the local community and contribute to the global understanding of urban bird habitats.

The details

Kothe's book "Birds Near My Home in the City by the Sea" features illustrations and information about nine bird species commonly found in the West Seattle area. For the Great Backyard Bird Count, she is challenging residents to use the Merlin Bird ID app to identify and report sightings of these nine birds. The app allows users to easily log their observations, which will then be added to the real-time data map on the GBBC website. Kothe will also be hosting a special event on February 14th at the Burien Community Center, where she will have her book set up as a story walk, offer bird-themed activities, and have live raptors on display.

  • The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place from February 13-16, 2026.
  • Kothe's special event at the Burien Community Center will be held on February 14, 2026 from now until 2 pm.

The players

Lori Kothe

A West Seattle writer and the author/illustrator of the book "Birds Near My Home in the City by the Sea".

Merlin Bird ID

A mobile app that helps users identify and log bird sightings, which can then be contributed to citizen science projects like the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Great Backyard Bird Count

An annual global citizen science event where people report the birds they see, providing important data on bird populations and movements.

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What they’re saying

“Download the Merlin Bird ID app and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (birdcount.org) for at least 15 minutes. See if you can find all nine birds featured in my picture book!”

— Lori Kothe, Author/Illustrator (westseattleblog.com)

“It is super easy to use the app and honestly has opened my eyes and ears to all the birds around us. When I wrote the book, I pretty much only knew nine birds. Now I have 27 on my lifer list.”

— Lori Kothe, Author/Illustrator (westseattleblog.com)

What’s next

Kothe encourages West Seattle residents to download the Merlin Bird ID app and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count from February 13-16, 2026 to help spot and report the nine birds featured in her book.

The takeaway

This community-driven effort to spotlight local birds during the Great Backyard Bird Count demonstrates how citizen science can raise awareness of urban wildlife and contribute to a greater understanding of the natural world right in our own neighborhoods.