One Bird, One Beach, One Community

Why bother learning about this common species, this “accessible alcid,” this seabird with an off-putting name that makes it sound like French pigeon? Pigeon Guillemots have unique and fascinating stories to tell about being a seabird and about theworkings of our shared environment. To hear those stories, we have to slow down and listen. For more than a decade, Maria has been studying the guillemots as a volunteer community scientist, a curious naturalist, and a writer with “attention surplus disorder.” Through the Pigeon Guillemot, she has discovered the joys of getting to know the guillemots on one stretch of Puget Sound beach deeply across the seasons and years. Through a long-running community science program, she has contributed to scientific research and has become part of a community of hundreds of fellow “guillemoteers” devoted to this marvelous seabird across Puget Sound. Maria’s presentation is an invitation to reconnect with the natural world in new ways, to help the birds outside your door, and have fun along the way.

The Olympic BirdFest is the major birding event on the Olympic Peninsula. It’s a three-day event with many speakers and field trips. Stay tuned for info on date/time of my talk. Registration opens January 7th 2026. Click here to register.