Week 2: June 8th-14th - We have prey deliveries!

Welcome to Week 2 of our PIGU breeding survey!  

What a difference a year makes! In 2024, we kicked things off with  torrential rain. This year, we set out for our surveys wearing our sunnies!  I’ve already gotten wind from a few of you that it feels like the PIGU are ahead of schedule, whereas last season, many perceived that breeding activity was slower than usual (although, the data didn’t necessarily support a significant departure from the norm). 
 
While I can’t say that this sunny spring has anything to do with the activity we’ve observed, it certainly does make one curious! It would be interesting to look back and see if there is any correlation between temperatures or sunlight and onset of prey deliveries. The big news is that we did get prey deliveries at three colonies in our first survey week of 2025!! Wahoo! And if you're wondering, last year, we saw prey deliveries begin in Week 2.  

For those colonies that saw fish deliveries right out of the gate, you may want to think about starting a week earlier next season or at least checking on your colonies in the weeks leading up to the official survey start. That way, you’re more likely to capture the full period of breeding activity. 

If your colony did not see much activity last week, just know, each colony is different. Every year we see some colonies with chicks in the burrow early on, while others are just getting around to mating on the beach, and some are quietly incubating eggs. If your colony is fairly quiet at the moment, it could very well fall into that last category. It’s fairly safe to say that within four weeks, most colonies will see the familiar sight of PGs floating in the water, fish dangling from their beaks!
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A brief order of business: I want to share a tool that we recently made available on the website. This is the Colony View Dashboard, and you can find it on the Data Systems Training page, about halfway down. This dashboard is viewable by everyone and allows you to view the colony photos and maps that have been uploaded to Survey123. This is useful if you’d like to compare how the bluff and its burrows have changed over time. Please note that not all regions have uploaded colony photos, so this only works for those that have.

Now for the fun stuff!

Fauna seen on the beach last week = magical mornings!
-A gray whale at Onamac (Camano)
-A washed up sturgeon at Limpet Lane (Whidbey)
-Elwood the elephant seal at Portage (Vashon)
-A coyote at Amsterdam Bay (South Sound)

Photo by Shannon Boldt

And of course, the PGs!
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Mating and courtship at Dungeness Spit (video Steve Koehler, Clallam County) (NSFW ;)):

Photo by Steve Koehler

​Love is in the Air at Port Williams (video by Linda Nakamura, Clallam County)

​The resident non-breeding bird is back at Amsterdam Bay!

Photo by Shannon Boldt

And I'll leave you with an important reminder: the beach and bluffs are very dynamic environments! Always stay aware of your surroundings and be safe out there! If you're surveying alone, make sure someone knows where you are and when you should be back. Here's a scary photo of the bluff sloughing as Mary Bond walked to her survey spot in E. Jefferson County last Thursday. We're so glad to hear that she is okay--although a bit startled!

​As always, have the most amazing time out on the beach with the PIGU and thank you all for your part in our survey!

​Shannon