Fall Pelagic Birding in Orange County
I’ve become a big fan of boat rides that take me far enough offshore to look for birds I would never see from land. After my first pelagic trip around the Channel Islands, I signed up for a more local trip with Sea and Sage Audubon. That January 2020 outing was my last before the pandemic put adventures like these on hold.
Finally, in October 2021, the pelagic trips returned. I signed up quickly, grateful that vaccination had made it possible to safely spend a full day on a boat with other birders again.
The timing was nearly perfect. Bright sunshine warmed the deck, although I still found myself moving out of the shade whenever the air felt chilly. The clear sky and calm weather gave us excellent conditions for searching the water.
Our leader was Jon Dunn, coauthor of the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America and an exceptionally skilled birder. Several other leaders joined him, helping everyone locate and identify birds as they appeared.
A Change of Course
Our trip began at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, but we were delayed by news of an oil spill off the Orange County coast. It had been reported the previous day, leaving our leaders and the boat company scrambling to determine where we were allowed to travel and how to keep everyone safe.
With a modified route, we eventually boarded and headed south to avoid the affected area. We explored both sides of the Dana Point Harbor jetties before traveling offshore toward Lausen Sea Mount and Crespi Knoll. From there, we returned to the nearshore waters around Dana Point and entered the harbor late in the day.
The boat had hot coffee, cold water for refilling bottles, two restrooms, and interior seating. The enclosed cabin offered a welcome place to warm up during quiet stretches, although pandemic precautions required masks indoors and in the restrooms. We ate our lunches outside on the deck.
The Oil on the Water
Despite the change in route, we encountered a large oil slick toward the end of the day. A darker line of crude stretched farther across the water, and the sharp petroleum smell hung in the air.
Nearby, a large raft of birds rested on the ocean. Seeing so many of them close to something that could coat their feathers and destroy their ability to stay warm was deeply unsettling.
Oil slick on the surface of the ocean, with a thicker line of crude farther out.
In the days that followed, agencies, wildlife rehabilitation groups, and volunteers worked to contain the spill, clean beaches and waterways, and rescue affected wildlife. The damage was not as extensive as initially feared, but birds and other animals were still harmed by a disaster that never should have happened.
Two Red-billed Tropicbirds
The day also brought some wonderful sightings. It still surprises me how many birds spend most of their lives on or above the open ocean, almost entirely out of sight until we travel into their world.
My favorite bird of the trip was a Red-billed Tropicbird. Excitement spread across the boat as soon as it appeared, and it was a lifer for nearly everyone aboard.
The bird’s long white tail streamers and bright body stood out beautifully over the blue water. We were still celebrating when a second Red-billed Tropicbird appeared a little later. Finding one had felt extraordinary, so seeing two in the same day was difficult to believe.
Brown Pelicans in the Wake
Brown Pelicans are my personal favorite birds, and I’m always looking for them when I’m near the ocean. As the boat began its final run toward the harbor, I moved to the stern and waited.
Pelicans often appear behind the boat, gliding over the rolling wake with their broad wings held low above the water. Some rose with the waves while others dropped into the troughs, close enough for me to watch the small adjustments of their wings and feet.
After a day filled with unusual offshore birds, I was just as happy to spend the final stretch with these familiar pelicans following us home.
Here are some of the other birds we encountered during our day offshore:
The Fall 2021 Sea and Sage pelagic trip left Dana Point shortly after sunrise and returned just before sunset. Between the two passages through the harbor, we saw two Red-billed Tropicbirds, watched Brown Pelicans ride the wake, and confronted the painful sight and smell of oil on the ocean.
We even collected some runaway balloons from the water along the way.
