The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a long-running community science program established by Seattle Audubon in 2007 and coordinated by Puget Sound Bird Observatory since 2022. The program trains and supports volunteer birdwatchers in collecting valuable data on wintering seabirds throughout the southern Salish Sea.
Each winter, community science teams conduct synchronized monthly surveys that provide important snapshots of seabird abundance and distribution across sheltered bays, open water, and shoreline habitats throughout the southern Salish Sea. As the region’s only long-term, land-based, multi-month seabird monitoring program, PSSS generates critical information for researchers and conservationists, including baseline population estimates, long-term trends, and insights into the changing dynamics of seabird communities in our coastal waters.
Who Can Volunteer?
Anyone with an interest in birds and marine conservation is welcome to participate. Whether you are a beginning birder eager to learn seabird identification or an experienced observer confident in your skills, there is an important role for you on a survey team. Volunteers of all experience levels contribute valuable data while building their birding knowledge alongside a supportive community of fellow participants.
If you are interested in joining the program, please click here to indicate your interest in participating in future surveys.
What Do We Survey?
Volunteers record all species of seabirds observed during surveys, including geese, swans, diving and dabbling ducks, loons, grebes, cormorants, gulls, terns, murres, murrelets, guillemots, auklets, and puffins. Because birds of prey can influence seabird behavior and distribution, raptors such as hawks, eagles, and falcons are also documented.
Where Do Surveys Take Place?
Surveys are conducted at more than 190 beaches and shoreline sites throughout the southern Salish Sea. Nearly all survey locations are situated along publicly accessible saltwater shorelines, offering volunteers the opportunity to explore a wide variety of coastal habitats.
When Are Surveys Conducted?
Surveys take place once a month from October through April. To ensure data consistency across the region, all surveys are synchronized within a four-hour survey window determined by the PSSS project team based on tidal conditions. Individual surveys typically last between 15 and 30 minutes.
PSSS in the Media
The Puget Sound Seabird Survey has been featured in a variety of media outlets highlighting its community science impact and contributions to seabird conservation. Follow the link below to explore some of these stories and features.