by Cindy Easterson

Seeking Elusive Wetland Bird Species – Puget Sound Bird Observatory’s Regional Wetland Secretive Bird Monitoring Project

After listening to wildlife professionals at a Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture meeting (https://pacificbirds.org/) in 2016 discuss how little was known about the status of secretive birds that inhabit local area wetlands, Puget Sound Bird Observatory (PSBO) initiated a wetland bird monitoring project. After reviewing available distribution and abundance data on several wetland obligate species PSBO identified a data gap between what was being recorded in species maps and anecdotal observations and launched a scoping project in 2016 to assess the presence of four wetland obligate species—American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), Sora (Porzana carolina), Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola), and Green Heron (Butorides virescens)—and two wetland associated species for which there are population concerns, Marsh Wren (Cistolothorus palustris) and Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii). A fifth wetland-obligate species, Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), was added in 2022 as a part of a collaborative effort with Birds Canada, who had initiated a similar marsh bird study in British Columbia. With the support of a large community of volunteer citizen scientists, this project has grown to roughly 160 habitat-specific wetland sites being surveyed across Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Kitsap, and Island Counties.

Birds are a major taxon that can serve as environmental indicators. They have high public appeal and are relatively efficient to sample. Marsh bird abundance and distribution over space and time indicate habitat quality and can be used as measures of restoration success. However, typical landscape-scale monitoring efforts such as the Breeding Bird Survey or Christmas Bird Count do not fully capture many of these elusive wetland species. While the seven species chosen for this monitoring are not considered species of high conservation concern (e.g., USFWS 2021), the lack of accurate population data can allow these species to be forgotten when assessing habitat quality and ecosystem health.

This presentation to Rainier Audubon Society will help to share the story of these birds and hopefully encourage some  members to join our efforts to better understand these elusive species.

Cindy Easterson, Bio

Cindy Easterson has a passion for birds and finds gratification in studying their behaviors, habits and needs. She delights in sharing this interest with others and mentoring volunteer field biologists to support the documentation and assessment of local bird populations and wildlife habitat. She manages PSBO’s Regional Wetland Secretive Bird Monitoring project in addition to providing oversight for a wide variety of other avian monitoring projects. She has supported bird banding efforts with PSBO’s Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) station at Morse Reserve and provided training assistance and skill development at workshops for bird identification, bander training, and a variety of bird survey methods.

Cindy has served on the Board of Puget Sound Bird Observatory (PSBO) since 2010 filling the roles of both Secretary and Treasurer. She holds an integrated Bachelor of Arts and Science Degree with a focus on Wetland Science from the University of Washington.