Birds are everywhere, which is one reason Darcy Thomas loves them.

Whether someone attracts them with a feeder or just sees them occasionally through a window, birds are a part of life on Earth, according to Thomas, the newly elected president of the Flathead Audubon Society.

“There’s endlessly something new to look at with birds,” Thomas said. “It’s incredible.”

In September of this year, Thomas was elected president of the Flathead Audubon Society, a local chapter of the National Audubon Society that works to conserve birds, wildlife habitat and ecosystem diversity.

“We love birds, but we are more than a birding organization. We are a group dedicated to conserving the places that birds and wildlife live,” she said.

Born in Seattle, Thomas grew up in numerous western states before her family settled down in Kalispell when she was 14 years old. While birds weren’t a main focus for Thomas at this point in her life, her love for the outdoors always stuck around.

After graduating from Flathead High School, Thomas moved to Boulder, to work as an attendant at the hospital. She lived and worked there for three years, living in a small cabin in the woods where she chopped her own firewood.

When the superintendent of the hospital told Thomas to go to college, she moved back to Kalispell and attended Flathead Valley Community College, looking to get her nursing degree.

Thomas ultimately did get that degree after finishing up at the University of Montana in Missoula but also gained something else valuable during her time at community college — a passion and interest in birds.

While at Flathead Valley Community College, Thomas met a falconer. He would talk to Thomas about birds, bird watching and more, igniting an interest in her that would last for the rest of her life.

“He just kind of got me enthusiastic about birds,” she said.

However, after college graduation, Thomas says she took a bit of a “hiatus” from the birding world, raising four children and working as a school nurse in Florence for 10 years before moving to Seattle.

Seattle reignited the passion Thomas had back in school — that birds are incredible creatures. She quickly joined a local Audubon; with retirement around the corner, Thomas didn’t want to hold herself back at all.

Thomas was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, a battle she won. This is another reason she felt inclined to get involved — be around people for a shared purpose.

“I wanted to get involved, make a difference, impact the world a little bit,” she said. “I have even heard a couple people say that they feel like they’ve found their home [at the Audubon].”

When Thomas moved back to the Flathead Valley in 2018, it was a no-brainer to join the Audubon Society. She served as vice president under president Cory Davis for two years as well as serving on both the field trip and newspaper committees before becoming the president of the organization herself.

The Flathead Audubon Society has some exciting things on the horizon, Thomas said. They are currently working alongside the Flathead Land Trust to purchase a conservation easement on Owen Sowerwine Natural Area, a riparian area home to a large variety of birds, just east of Kalispell.

The society also just hired a part-time operations coordinator to help with the workload and is hoping to begin a junior birding club in the future, possibly a coalition of high schoolers and college students, to inspire bird-watching in younger generations too.

“It is amazing how popular birding has become,” Thomas said. “But it is getting harder to attract young people.”

Thomas also looks forward to conservation efforts, like removing bailing twine from the landscape to ensure birds don’t get stuck on it. Thomas encourages other Flathead Valley residents to take steps to help as well when it comes to caring for habitat and conservation efforts.

The Flathead Audubon Society has meetings, field trips and events open to the public every month. There are two membership options as well, ranging from $25-$40.

In the near future, events such as the Jewel Basin hawk watch, sandhill crane viewing field trips, saw-whet owl surveying, and Owen Sowerwine work day are occurring. Learn more about upcoming events at https://flatheadaudubon.org/about-us/pileated-post/.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.