It’s been a tough spring for birds – and for birders.

Unusually cold temperatures and record-setting rains have put the brakes on what is typically one of the finest, if not the very best, birding seasons in the San Juans.

But don’t despair. Birding in the San Juans is about to gets its due, in a big way. Here’s why.

The Washington State Audubon Society is publishing, early this fall, the last in a series of seven “loop” maps that together make up the Great Washington State Birding Map. They will be both in print and online.

That final installment, tentatively titled “The Puget Sound Loop,” will include as many as half-dozen of the better and the more accessible birding sites on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan.

Colorfully decorated and packed with information, each map offers detailed descriptions of 50 or so hot spots, instructions of how to get there, what type of species to expect, where to look for them, and which birds to keep an eye out for depending on the season.

More than 165,000 printed copies have been distributed so far and, with Puget Sound being the state’s most populous region, that number is bound to soar.

Whether birding can ever match some of the San Juans’ more prominent outdoor activities in popularity, such as whale watching, bicycling or kayaking, remains to be seen. But sharing the bill on the Puget Sound Loop map should certainly give it – and our tourist numbers – a boost.

Way to go, Audubon.

Check out the loop maps at: www.wa.audubon.org; San Juan chapter: www.sjiaudubon.org.