Dr. Eric Wagner
Research Scientist
ORCID: 0000-0002-1681-4151
Eric Wagner has an M.A. in English and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington. He is generally interested in seabirds, and at Punta Tombo has studied the penguins’ behavioral ecology, as well as the effects that tourism can have on penguins more broadly. Closer to home, he collaborates with a team of researchers who work on rhinoceros auklets at two of their colonies off the Washington coast, looking at how a changing climate affects the birds in different marine systems.
Eric is also an award-winning science writer and author. His essays and journalism have appeared in The Atlantic, Audubon, High Country News, Orion, Smithsonian, and elsewhere, and he has written three books, including Penguins in the Desert and After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of Mount St. Helens. He is a regular contributor to The Last Word On Nothing, and Book Reviews editor for Marine Ornithology.
Recent publications
Books
The View from Destruction: One Island, Twelve Thousand Birds, and the Futures of the North Pacific (Forthcoming). University of Washington Press.
Watch the webinar hosted by NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Feiro Marine Life Center
After the Blast: The Ecological Recovery of Mount St. Helens. 2020. University of Washington Press.
Named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2020
Purchase through bookshop.org
Penguins in the Desert. 2018. Oregon State University Press.
Purchase through bookshop.org
Once and Future River: Reclaiming the Duwamish. 2016. University of Washington Press.
Purchase through bookshop.org
Latest news
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Dr. Wagner’s latest entry in the Last Word on Nothing: Saint Rock
Be sure to check out Eric Wagner’s newest essay for The Last Word On Nothing called Saint Rock! Featured photo credit: Eric Wagner
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Field updates: Argentina, October-November 2025
Written by Dr. Eric Wagner Starting the season – stake survey and tag hunting In late October, Dr. Eric Wagner and Abrahms graduate student Meredith Honig traveled to Argentina to start the 2025-2026 field season. After getting a provisional permit from the provincial authorities, they arrived at Punta Tombo on October 29. They then spent…
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Dr. Wagner’s latest essay featured in Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Dr. Wagner‘s newest essay, Coming into the colony, was published in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound on July 17 2025. Here’s a snippet of the introduction: Gulls are perhaps our most familiar seabird. Pick a seashore or even an occasional landfill, and you are likely to see at least a few. But casual sightings don’t…