10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2019

Before I moved north to Portland, I lived in San Francisco. According to eBird, there have been approximately 270 species seen at the hotspot that includes the harbor. 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 126

San Francisco Portland Whales Whaling 126

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

We rented a car and drove to Point Reyes from San Francisco early on a Saturday morning, stopping for a quick detour at Muir Woods (because who wouldn’t stop there?). Migrating Gray Whales. The road was lined with scrub and short trees, and I spotted not one but two new sparrow species. White-crowned Sparrow.

Seals 181

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 181

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

Eighteen-hour trips are the rule and only about four or five hours are spent in the prime area to see the species most birders are hoping to see. I’ve been on a whale-watching trip in Orange County , twice gone out to Santa Cruz Island , and even visited Protection Island off the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

Whales 108

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 108