Whidbey Audubon Society and the Island County Marine Resources Committee sponsor our on-going study of breeding Pigeon Guillemots. We also receive funding from National Audubon. The research project assesses the productivity of the approximately 1,000 guillemots that join breeding colonies around the island.

Whidbey Island , a long snake-like island in north Puget Sound , stretches from about 30 miles north of Seattle nearly to Canadian waters. Tall bluffs, particularly along the island’s west side, offer safe burrow sites that are relatively near rich feeding areas. In all but two of the 25 regularly surveyed colonies, the guillemots burrow into nearly vertical sandy cliffs termed “erosional bluff.” (One colony breeds on a deserted offshore wooden structure; the other in rocky cliffs at the far northern end of the island.)

Each spring and summer about 30 trained volunteers visit assigned colonies at least once every two weeks during late May, June, July and August. The volunteers sit quietly for 30 minutes, count the birds, record their behavior, locate nesting burrows and documents adults visiting and carrying food to the burrows.

During late July and August we also seek out and count recently fledged guillemots in the waters off shore. Volunteers donate their boats and time for this research. At the first sign of fledging we begin searching for juveniles in the nearby waters and continue until the birds disperse from the colonies.

The project will continue for several years in order to track the Pigeon Guillemot population, gage the rate of reproduction and determine their feeding needs. Since this species of birds is near the top of the food chain, its vitality is a good indication of the overall health of Island County ’s Marine Stewardship Areas, which include the waters around Whidbey Island .