It's that time of year again! Grab your scopes and binoculars, muck boots and field guides, and lets get ready for the *2026 Puget Sound Shorebird Count!* This event is made possible through a long-time partnership between Ecostudies Institute and Point Blue Conservation Science. The Puget Sound Shorebird Count (PSSC) is part of the Pacific Flyway Shorebird Survey (PFSS), a long-term wintering shorebird monitoring program led by Point Blue which spans 13 countries across the entire Pacific Flyway. The data collected during these counts contributes to our knowledge of shorebird population dynamics, status, and trends at a flyway scale. Last year, PSSC volunteers counted 29,230 shorebirds and 78 raptors across 23 sites!
This year, the PSSC is planned for *Saturday, November 21st from 8am - 12pm* (exact timing dependent on site). In the event that weather does not cooperate, our backup survey date will be *Saturday, December 5th*. If you are interested in participating this year, please register via the *2026 PSSC Interest Form (link below)* as soon as possible. See below for a list of helpful links to volunteer resources, site details, shorebird ID, etc.
Finally, we are once again putting out a *call for donations to support the 2026 PSSC (link below)*. While we are partially funded by Point Blue, we are still short of what we need to fully fund the coordination and data management for this project. Please contribute if you can or spread the word by sharing Ecostudies Institute's PSSC post on Instagram or Facebook.
Thank you for your support. Please stay tuned for updates and we hope to see you all at the count!
