Citizen scientists have been monitoring seabirds in Puget Sound for the past seven years, and they have some good news to report.
In fact, of 18 species the volunteers surveyed, 14 show improvement over the past seven years.
The study did find declines in four species: the white-winged scoter, brant, western grebe and red-necked grebe.
But overall, the numbers are heartening. Many seabird species are thought to have declined around Puget Sound since the 1960s and '70s, but the new results suggest that the trend may be changing.
"Seeing positive trends here is good news,” said Scott Pearson, a seabird research scientist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and a coauthor of the research. “What we may be seeing is that a number of species may be turning the corner.”
The study was based on data collected by citizen-scientists and was published in PeerJ, an online peer-reviewed journal.
“The beauty of working with birds is that there are so many people who love birding and who are very skilled at it,” said Toby Ross, Science Manager at Seattle Audubon and a coauthor of the study. “You could never do this with staff people. You’d never have the budget to send out this many people so consistently for so many years, but volunteers make it possible.”
The Seattle Audubon Society has organized and overseen the Puget Sound Seabird Survey since it began in 2007.
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Volunteers from Seattle Audubon Society spot birds as part of the Puget Sound Seabird Survey, which has shown positive trends for several species.
