Critter News

OCTOBER 10, 2010

A bountiful crop of krill and busy shipping lanes are to blame for a rash of dead whales that have surfaced around the Bay Area within a few short months, according to scientists. Last year's krill population was also large, but it did not bring the same cluster of whale deaths.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling San Francisco Marine Life 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2019

Before I moved north to Portland, I lived in San Francisco. Off the coast of northern California, Sooty Shearwater are common and are seen on virtually all pelagic birding trips. Bonus : A couple of years earlier, a blue whale washed up several miles south of Half Moon Bay, at Bean Hollow State Beach.

San Francisco 142

San Francisco Portland Whales Whaling 142

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

California is big. I only had a few days in California while visiting my brother at Berkeley, but we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to visit one of the most famous birding sites in the country: Point Reyes National Seashore. Migrating Gray Whales. Trips Birding California lighthouse point reyes'

Seals 206

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 206

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2017

Although some of the most popular Pacific pelagic trips depart from Monterey Bay in California, there are also regular trips out of Half Moon Bay, California; Newport, Oregon; and Westport, Washington. Channel Islands NP , also in California, supports most of the other 50%. The target birds tend to be similar.

Albatross 143

Albatross Hawaii Alaska Puerto Rico 143

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

But what I have long wanted to do is get out on a boat in California, the fabled land of albatrosses, murrelets, and auklets. California: if you can make it here well, that’s actually not that impressive because if you can’t make it as a birder in California you must really suck.

Whales 119

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 119