Rhinoceros Auklet—Photo: John Gatchet

PUGET SOUND SEABIRD SURVEY

Volunteer Birders Needed – Make a Difference for Seabirds

by Toby Ross, PSSS Program Manager

May 26, 2026

The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is seeking volunteers to join this long-running community science program.

Volunteers take part in seven coordinated surveys at coastal sites, conducted once per month on the first Saturday from October through April. Surveys are completed in small teams, and training is provided. While seabird identification skills are helpful, birders of all experience levels are welcome.

Now entering its 18th season, PSSS generates critical data on wintering seabirds across the Salish Sea—informing research, conservation, and management decisions. Recent analysis indicates scoters, grebes and Long-tailed Ducks are in decline across our region. Help us monitor these and other key ecosystem indicator species. At a time when many wildlife monitoring programs are facing cuts, your participation is more important than ever.

By joining the program, you’ll contribute to meaningful science, collaborate with fellow birders, and support partnerships with organizations such as the University of Washington and Birds Canada to better understand seabird populations across the region.

Get involved:
Visit: www.pugetsoundbirds.org/about-psss

Contact the PSSS Program Manager: Toby Ross at t_ross@pugetsoundbirds.org

The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a long-running community science program established in 2007 and coordinated by the Puget Sound Bird Observatory. The program trains and supports volunteer birdwatchers in collecting valuable data on wintering seabirds throughout the southern Salish Sea.

Seabirds are excellent indicators of marine ecosystem health. Because they rely on healthy marine food webs, changes in seabird populations can provide an early warning that environmental conditions are shifting. The Salish Sea—including Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Strait of Georgia - supports millions of people and an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. Monitoring the seabirds that depend on these waters helps us better understand the health of the ecosystem as a whole. The data collected through the PSSS contributes directly to conservation planning, research, and management decisions across the region.

Over the years OPAS has recruited many volunteers for this community science effort. The surveys take place on the first Saturday of each month from October until April at or near high tide from Clallam County locations at Diamond Point in the east to Cape Flattery in the west. All data from this survey will be available online along with more information on the Puget Sound Bird Observatory.