When walking the beach this spring or summer, you may see a person sitting quietly, staring intently through binoculars at the water, the bluff and then taking copious notes. If so, you’ve probably encountered a volunteer with the Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Bird program. The study, which is designed to assess the productivity of Pigeon Guillemots on Whidbey Island, is sponsored by Whidbey Audubon Society and the Marine Resources Committee.

Pigeon Guillemots are the only true seabird to breed on Whidbey Island. They’re charming, black pigeon-shaped birds, with white wing bars and bright red feet, which are visible when they dive to catch fish. Guillemots nest colonially in burrows in the bluffs where they lay 1 or 2 eggs.

Volunteers count the birds, record their behavior and locate their nesting burrows. Early in the season the birds reestablish their pair bond (they mate for life) by billing and singing. Later on we watch them apartment hunt. The established pairs go to their previous burrow if it was not destroyed by winter storms. Newly bonded pairs hunt for unoccupied burrows to establish a new nesting site. After incubating the eggs for about 30 days they begin to bring small fish to their chicks. They leave the bluffs in early September after the chicks have fledged.

Last year about 28 volunteers visited 18 colonies, counted 792 pigeon guillemots and identified 153 burrows. Each volunteer chose a site and visited the colony at least 6 times during the breeding season (June through August). We plan to continue this project for several years in order to track the Pigeon Guillemot population. Since these birds are near the top of the food chain, their vitality will be a good indication of the overall health of Island County’s Marine Stewardship Areas.