ARCHIVED: Seabird Colony Monitoring

Cape Perpetua & Cape Falcon | June through August

Get a chance to see fuzzy seabird chicks while monitoring seabird nesting colonies in two of Oregon’s five Marine Reserve/Marine Protected Area complexes! Oregon’s marine reserves are “underwater parks” that prohibit any extractive uses (e.g. fishing) in order to conserve marine habitats and biodiversity. Marine Protected Areas allow for some extractive uses.

This project is providing baseline information on Oregon’s seabird population adjacent to two of Oregon’s Marine Reserves at Cape Perpetua and Cape Falcon enabling a better understanding of how marine reserve protections may affect birds. In addition, this project promotes wider recognition of Oregon’s marine reserves and seabird conservation through local community participation, outreach and education.

Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State University, Friends of Cape Falcon, Haystack Rock Awareness Program, Sea Lion Caves

Common Murre, photo by Kimon Berlin

About the Survey

  • Survey instructions: Please read protocols (links below) for detailed instructions on how to conduct the surveys at each site.
  • When: Colony monitoring is conducted weekly at each site from early June through August. A regular monitoring day will be determined in early June for each site based on volunteer availability.
  • Where: Surveys are conducted by a team of volunteers with one project leader present.
  • Time Commitment: A typical monitoring visit takes 2-4 hours starting between 9-10 a.m.
  • Reporting: Project leader or appointed volunteer will record data for the monitoring group.

 

Volunteer Requirements

  • Trainings: We provide non-mandatory in-person trainings in both Yachats and Cannon Beach in early June. We will alert you to training dates after you sign up. One project leader will be on site for each survey to provide on-site training if needed.
  • Birding skills: No experience required but you must have good attention to detail and patience.
  • Equipment: Bird Alliance of Oregon will provide at least two spotting scopes at each survey. Please bring your own binoculars or spotting scope if you have one. Colony maps and data forms are provided.
  • Field conditions: Depending on the site you may have to walk a short distance on well-maintained trails to access the survey site. You must be OK looking through scopes for long durations from one location and deal with occasionally windy weather.  Must be OK interacting with the public.
  • Transportation to and from the survey site(s) is your responsibility.

 

Contact

For questions contact Joe Liebezeit at jliebezeit@birdallianceoregon.org or Allison Anholt at aanholt@birdallianceoregon.org.