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California’s Autumn Seas

10,000 Birds

For whatever reason, however, yesterday on my way to work my mind wasn’t with our upcoming spring, but with September’s in California. Visiting this area for the first time after seeing it for month was a crazy experience. I saw a wagtail there once, which was exceptionally cool for California (I’m told).

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An Amazing Boat Ride from Santa Cruz Island to Ventura Harbor

10,000 Birds

The one thing I really wanted to do on this most recent trip to southern California was visit Santa Cruz Island again. First off, Felonious Jive ‘s brother-in-ornithology, Seagull Steve , who you will remember from my trip to southern California back in December , came aboard the boat after a two-week stint doing field work.

Whales 150
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Shearwaters from Shore

10,000 Birds

The evening of September 7, 2012 was a truly memorable birding experience. Off the coast of northern California, Sooty Shearwater are common and are seen on virtually all pelagic birding trips. I just happened to be there to experience it. Of course, unexpected experiences such as this are one of the great appeals of birding.

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San Diego Pelagic

10,000 Birds

I’ve taken tours out of Monterey Bay (with pelagic legend Debi Shearwater , now retired) and Half Moon Bay, California ; Newport, Oregon ; and Hatteras, North Carolina. The boat is called the Legacy and it is an 80 foot whale watching vessel that generally seats 115, but takes about 70 for birding trips. This was much larger.

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Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

Sullivan, in collaboration with Todd McGrath and Tom Johnson, arrived at my door the day before I was leaving for southern California. Birds of California , the new volume in the ABA series, arrived the day I returned. Tail, fin, blow, and back for whales; fin, back, leaping whole body, and tail splashes for dolphins and porpoises.

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Birding by Volunteering

10,000 Birds

Volunteering provides a very different experience to tourism though. In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. And come the new year I’ll be telling you all about my experiences this time around. Places like Tern Island are not open to tourists, but you can go as a volunteer.

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My Top Ten Birds of 2016 (or, Let’s Remember the Good Things about 2016)

10,000 Birds

I started the year in Florida, traveled to India with the ABA in February, combined family and birding in an August trip to California, and in-between saw very good birds in New York and New Jersey. There is no experience comparable to birding a dump, and, I have to say, I have never experienced a dump like this one.

2016 108