Our area’s seabirds – and the people who track them – could use your help. This year’s Puget Sound Seabird Survey includes five West Seattle locations and Seattle Audubon is now recruiting volunteers to be part of it. The announcement:

Are seabirds in the southern Salish Sea increasing or decreasing in numbers? Which species are changing their range? Help us find out. The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a community science project managed by Seattle Audubon that trains volunteer birdwatchers to gather valuable data on wintering seabird populations across our region.

You can contribute to this vital seabird science by joining the 13th season of this exciting project. We are now recruiting enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. Training on survey methodology will be provided on September 18th in Lincoln Park and at other locations throughout Puget Sound after that date until the first week of October. Volunteers should ideally be able to identify Puget Sound’s seabird species and be available on the first Saturday of each month, October through April. But, if determining between Barrow’s and Common Goldeneye is a challenge, we’ll team you up with more knowledgeable surveyors. To help us determine each volunteer’s seabird identification skills, take our quick, fun Seabird ID Quiz.

Learn more, including training dates, at www.seabirdsurvey.org and email Toby Ross, Senior Science Manager tobyr@seattleaudubon.org, if you would like more information, or to take part.