The Avian Conservation Program at Ecostudies Institute leads population monitoring efforts around the Puget Sound and greater Pacific Northwest region across a variety of habitats and focal species. Our approach to avian conservation allows us to establish frameworks for habitat restoration that benefit birds across their full annual lifecycle, understand the threats influencing bird populations, and inform reintroduction efforts of extirpated species.
We work collaboratively with our partners and local communities to facilitate effective research and the recovery of threatened species in need of special conservation measures as identified by state and federal wildlife agencies. Our work spans a range of taxa from songbirds to shorebirds, secretive marsh birds to waterfowl. We are anchored by prairie oak, coastal, and estuary habitats, and embrace the interconnectivity between these and other ecosystem types across the Pacific Northwest region. Together with the Science, Fire, Restoration, and Partnerships programs at Ecostudies, we seek to build relationships with our community to respond to the challenges faced by our feathered neighbors.
Streaked Horned Lark Recovery
Ecostudies works with partners in the northwest region to monitor streaked horned lark populations across their range, contributing to conservation efforts for this federally threatened species in association with prairie and coastal dune habitats.
Estuary Bird Monitoring
Ecostudies Institute is working with partners throughout Puget Sound to establish a regional estuary bird monitoring network with a shared set of standardized protocols.
Western Bluebird in the Pacific Northwest
Ecostudies Institute is working to reestablish breeding populations of the migratory Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) in the Pacific Northwest using a combined program of reintroduction, population monitoring, and outreach.
Puget Sound Shorebird Count
Join a vast network of volunteers and biologists along the Pacific Flyway that captures a snapshot of wintering shorebird abundance each year.
Slender-Billed White Breasted Nuthatch Occupancy
Ecostudies Institute has been conducting an occupancy study of this oak woodland-obligate species since 2023.
Snowy Plover Monitoring on the Washington Coast
Ecostudies Institute is supporting the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Efforts to monitor, band, and protect this state-endangered species.