Wetland Secretive Bird Monitoring Advancing Bird Conservation Through Science, Collaboration, and Community Puget Sound Bird Observatory PHOTO JOURNAL In appreciation of our surveyors, photographers, landowners, and supporters throughout the years Photo by Mandy Wager
Land Owner and Land Manager Acknoledgement: Puget Sound Bird Observatory is deeply grateful to the private landowners and public land mana opened their wetlands to our survey teams. Their generosity and trust allow us to monitor secre American Bittern, Virginia Rail, Sora, Green Heron, and Pied‑billed Grebe—within the very habit depend on. By welcoming our work onto their properties, these partners play a vital role in filling gaps and strengthening conservation efforts across the region. Their stewardship truly makes Land Acknowledgement: Puget Sound Bird Observatory acknowledges that our lives—and our study and enjoyment of bir the traditional lands and waters of the Coast Salish Peoples, who have cared for these places s rial and who remain present today. We honor their enduring relationship with the land, waters, a we value our ongoing connections with Coast Salish communities. The birds we observe—both th and those who migrate through—remind us to recognize and respect Indigenous homelands and Indigenous Peoples across all the places we work. To Our Surveyors: My husband once said to me, “It really is amazing that you get so many people to go out and do project.” And I thought, YES(!), yes, it is… but it has nothing to do with me and everything to d at the core of this team. You have embraced this opportunity to help birds. You have enriched t your time, your skill, and your steady commitment—and you are deeply appreciated. We live in difficult times. Every day our hearts are stretched by global conflict, political division, w health and safety of our families, and the accelerating impacts of a warming planet. There are pause and wonder whether counting birds really matters. But then I take a breath and remember that birds do matter. They give us a sense of place a They ground us to this earth and help us understand how our choices ripple outward into the lar And if birds matter, then you, our beloved volunteer surveyors, matter even more. You are the o evidence, insight, and voice to the species we depend on for beauty, belonging, and connection. You American Bittern, Virginia Rail, Sora, Green Heron, and Pied billed Grebe—and the wetlands they overlooked. Thank you for supporting the 2026 season with such dedication, care, and spirit. Cindy Easterson, WSBM Project Manager
gers who have tive waterbirds— ats these species long‑standing data this project possible. ds—take place on ince time immemo‑ nd all beings, and ose who reside here the sovereignty of surveys for your o with the hearts his program with orries for the moments when I nd a sense of peace. rger world. nes bringing help ensure that call home—are not
An Overview of the Project PSBO began surveying wetlands in 2017 to understand why iconic marsh birds—such as American Bittern, Sora, and Virginia Rail—were so rarely detected in traditional surveys. What started with a few sites has grown into one of the largest volunteer‑driven monitoring efforts in the Pacific Northwest, now covering more than 200 wetlands across 11 counties. Powered by dedicated volunteer surveyors, this program is generating the data needed to understand abundance and population trends and to inform species management across Western Washington. Motivation for Engagement: This quote from Scott Weidensaul, in his new book, “The Return of the Oystercatcher, Saving Birds to Save the Planet” seems to capture the motivation behind our shared desire to monitor birds: “Whatever the bird, wherever the place, just watch. Listen. Breathe. Feel the clenched fingers around your heart and gut relax a little. Whatever we give back to birds - our passion, our voices, our resources, our righteous anger that motivates us to action - it is a small repayment for the gifts they unkowingly offer us, the chance to step out of ourselves for a time and inhabit their world, to slip inside the miracle of their extraordinay migrations, to see in their eyes more than 150 million years of avian evolution that makes this earth so much richer and lovelier and worth living in than would otherwise be the case.” - Scott Weidensaul Photo by Max Brock
it’s not just about identifying species, but about immersing yourself in the natural world, observing with patience, and discovering the intricate connections between birds and their environments. “Bird-watching is a way to lose yourself while finding the world.” Roger Tory Peterson Survey Training over the Years Site Alpha-Numeric: Site Name: Date: Visit: Window 1 Window 2 Window 3 Observers: Notes for distance sampling: Weather and Noise Information Point(s) Temp in C° Cloud % Precipitation Wind Noise Precipitation Choices: Drizzle, Fog, Mist, None, Rain, Snow Wind Choices: Calm, Light Air, Light Breeze, Gentle Breeze, Moderate Breeze, Too Windy to Survey Noise Choices: No noise, Moderate Noise, Too Much Noise to Survey SUMMARY INFORMATION Point(s) Start Time Detections Yes No Comments: Please summarize target species detections Detections Yes No Detections Yes No Detections Yes No Detections Yes No Detections Yes No REGIONAL WETLAND SECRETIVE BIRD MONITORING DATA SHEETRaw Data Photos by Cindy Easterson
The Team Across the Years (well some!)
“This type of volunteer experience is valuable because it reminds us of the wonders in our own backyard. I discovered many treasures!” Volunteer Feedback
“Something great was to see all the signs of community involvement such as stewardship and restoration efforts.” “Birding is one thing but birding with a purpose, using your observational skills as part of a larger scientific effort, gives purpose and meaning.” More volunteer feedback
Our Target Species Captured by the Talents of our Team Photographers “Birds remind us to look up and see the wonders of the world.” ‑ Unknown ... and sometimes to look through the cattails to see what might be hiding amongst the reeds!
“He prefers solitude, and leads the eccentric life of a recluse, forgetting the world, and by the world forgot.“ Doctor Elliot Coues (1874)
Surveying is like a box of chocolates... You never know what you’re going to get. ‑ Story by Scott Newton I think my most interesting event was at the Flynn Road Pond. I go there often even when I’m not surveying, and I always hear one Bittern, sometimes two. But I’ve never seen them. During the third window I actually saw four of them, all at close range. Two were stalking prey in the tall grass field next to the pond, very di‑ nosaur‑like. The other two jumped out of the pond itself. One if them was so close I could feel the wind from its wings. I about had a stroke for that one. On the same day I heard a big ruckus in the reeds near me, and figured it was just a couple of coots doing their thing. But when they burst out into the open water, they turned out to be a Pie Billed Grebe fighting with a Ruddy Duck hen. The grebe was biting at the back of the Ruddy’s neck. When the Ruddy finally broke free she ran/flew across the open water, and the grebe chased her all the way to the other side of the pond. Then an eagle came out of nowhere and tried to catch a coot for breakfast and the whole pond erupted with everyone running, swimming, diving, and flying for cover. It was a very noisy few moments!
Embracing the Unexpected “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” ‑ John Milton