· Terry Wahl initiated trips offshore to Gray's Canyon in September of 1966 and began systematic censusing in September of 1971, which continues through the present.  Westport Seabirds trips have produced the longest running database of birds counted at sea in the world and have provided the foundation for several papers on seabirds of the northeast Pacific, including most recently:

Wahl, T.R. and B. Tweit. 2000. Seabird Abundances off Washington, 1972-1998. Western Birds 31: 69-88.

Our trips usually have at least two experienced and knowledgeable spotters/leaders onboard.  The leaders are there to spot the birds, and to answer questions about identification issues, seabird biology, marine mammals and oceanography, so don't be afraid to ask should a question come to mind!

Westport Seabirds Leader Group Photograph

Westport Seabirds Staff

Phil Anderson		Phil Anderson has been with Westport Seabirds since 1986.  Phil has operated charter boats along the Washington coast for 30 years.  His experience includes taking over 3,000 trips and providing service to over 40,000 people.  Phil’s number one priority is your safety followed closely by getting you to where the birds are located.
Chris Anderson		Chris is the friendly voice over the phone for Westport Seabirds, providing answers to a variety of birders questions. She is also the mate on most trips; when she is onboard you can count on ginger snaps and talking about other subjects than birds. She’ll still be the first to spot some of the good birds and mammals each trip, typically without a break in the conversation!
Bill Tweit		Bill has been going out of Westport since 1974, a leader since 1977, and has extensive experience with seabirds of the eastern North Pacific.  He has been a North American Birds Regional Editor for the Oregon/Washington region since the early 1980s.
Bruce LaBar		Bruce has been a leader with Westport Seabirds since 1991, and prior to this was a leader with Shearwater Journeys of California.
Gene Revelas		Gene Revelas has been spotting birds for Westport Seabirds since 1998. Gene started birding at age 12 in eastern Massachusetts.  He is a professional oceanographer and is currently a senior scientist at a marine environmental consulting firm in Olympia, WA.  His birding, academic, and career interests have provided him with at-sea birding experience on both sides of the North Atlantic, in the Gulf of Mexico, and along the Pacific coast from California to Alaska.
Ryan Shaw		A leader with Westport Seabirds since 2000.  Ryan has experience with west coast pelagics through numerous trips offshore from Washington to NW Mexico.  Ryan also serves as the Webmaster of westportseabirds.com.
Scott Mills		An ornithologist, with west coast seabird experience from pelagic trips and NOAA research vessels, has been a leader since 2000.
Michael Donahue		Mike is a Seattle native who started birding at the age of 7, and brings his lifelong interest in birds and natural history to Westport Seabirds.  He has birded over much of the United States, as well as in Central and South America, and finds the ecology of the seabirds and marine mammals of the North Pacific particularly fascinating. He has worked on a number of research projects, including assessing bird populations in Pacific Northwest old-growth forests and the social behavior of the Bullock's oriole. He recently completed a study of the molt cycle of the western tanager, which was published in The Auk.  When he's not birding, he's managing an Oncology research program at the Seattle Veteran's Hospital.
Bill Shelmerdine