Seattle's green spaces are losing their soundtrack, according to a new analysis showing bird counts dropping by 21% in our parks over 19 years.

Driving the news: The Birds Connect Seattle report mirrors broader bird losses across North America.

Yes, but: Bird counts track trends — not exact populations — and can be thought of as "uncalibrated thermometers" showing direction, not precise totals, lead researcher Joshua Morris told Axios.

By the numbers: Standardized bird counts from 2005 to 2023 showed widespread losses across six of eight Seattle-area parks, per the analysis.

• Total bird counts dropped 21%.
• 58% of species are declining, and species diversity is down 18%.

Zoom in: Washington Park Arboretum saw bird counts fall about 41%, Golden Gardens is down 36% and Discovery Park lost roughly a quarter of its feathered friends, per the report.

• Shorebirds and seabirds — like sanderlings, dunlins and brant — have almost completely disappeared from the surveys, Morris said.
• Common species like American robins, swallows and sparrows are also declining.

The big picture: The report says pressures from urban life are creating a "death by a thousand cuts" situation for local birds, such as:

• Habitat loss, including tree canopy and shoreline changes — Carkeek Park and the Washington Park Arboretum lost 16 acres of tree canopy in five years, Morris said.
• Heavy use of parks, especially meadows, and declining insect populations.

Case in point: A large cliff swallow colony at Magnuson Park collapsed after nesting sites on a building were removed — showing how even small design changes can ripple through ecosystems, Morris told Axios.

• Elsewhere, well-intentioned wetland restoration reduced open shoreline habitat that some birds rely on, he said.

Between the lines: Seattle's reputation as a "green" city doesn't fully match what's happening on the ground, Morris said.

• "There's that reputation… but it's a veneer," Morris said. "The birds are clearly sending us a warning."

Simple steps can help our avian neighbors, Morris said:

• Keep cats indoors.
• Reduce pesticide use.
• Make windows safer for birds.
• Turn off lights at night.

Plus: "Go on a bird walk," Morris advised. "Learn their names and their songs… those connections build empathy."

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The Seattle Sounders extended their unbeaten streak at home to 20 with a 2–1 win over FC Dallas on Saturday.

State of play: Jesús Ferreira, who led the club with 48 all-competition appearances in his first year with the Sounders in 2025, scored his first goal of the season 15 minutes into the match.

What's next: The Sounders return home May 9 to host San Diego, kicking off a three-game homestand at Lumen Field where they'll also face San Jose on May 13 and the LA Galaxy on May 16.

☀️ Warm and mostly sunny weather is expected through most of the week, with highs climbing from the upper 50s into the upper 60s to low 70s by Thursday and Friday. (FOX 13)

🎾 A Seattle parks plan to separate pickleball and tennis courts is drawing backlash from players who say it would eliminate dozens of shared courts. (KING 5)

🎤 It was last call for Seattle's Best Karaoke on Sunday, marking the end of 30-year nightlife staple for singers. (Seattle Times)

🧢 The Mariners swept the Cardinals, capped by Rob Refsnyder's pinch-hit, go-ahead homer in the ninth inning of yesterday's 3-2 win. (MyNorthwest)

📚 Seattle's independent bookstores are adapting to the digital era by leaning into community events and curated experiences to compete with online retail. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

The country's 10 fastest-growing last names between 2010 and 2020 were all predominantly Asian, according to new census data.

• One such name, Lee, now ranks among the 20 most popular surnames overall.

Meanwhile, six predominantly Hispanic last names have joined the top-15 list since 2000: Garcia, Gonzalez, Hernandez, Lopez, Martinez and Rodriguez.

📝 The data reflects cases where most people with a particular last name self-identified with a single race or origin on their census forms.

The big picture: Name data like this illustrates the constantly changing makeup of the American melting pot, fueled in part by immigration trends.

There are some constants, though.

• Eight last names landed in the top 15 both in 2020 and in the very first census, way back in 1790: Brown, Davis, Johnson, Jones, Miller, Smith, Williams and Wilson.

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A recent redesign at Seattle's Saint James Cathedral is drawing international recognition for reimaging how people enter the First Hill church.

State of play: The cathedral's redesigned portico was named a winner of the 2026 Faith & Form International Awards, a program that recognizes standout religious architecture and design.

• The project, by Seattle-based Gerrick Office, turns what had been a secondary entrance into a clear front door.
• The Seattle project was one of 75 submissions from nine countries.

Go deeper: The update is less about spectacle than function, according to Partners for Sacred Places.

• The entry redesign features a light monitor that brings in daylight and glows at night.
• New brass doors reference the scallop shell associated with Saint James, and an expanded holy water stoup allows multiple visitors to participate at once.
• It also restores elements of the building's historic design, rather than replacing them.

What they said: It's "an example of a small intervention that makes a profound impact on an existing religious structure," jurors wrote.