Summer PSA: Slow for Seagulls!

Image above: A Heermann's Gull pair watches over their downy chicks in Seaside, CA. Photo from Byron Chin.

I know there are technically no "seagulls", but you all know who I'm talking about. There are primarily three locally nesting gull species: the Western Gull is the main species that nests on rooftops around the Monterey Peninsula, Moss Landing, and nearly any bluff or building within a mile of the coast. If you're in Seaside, you'll have the opportunity to see the Heermann's Gull and California Gull colonies that nest on the buildings along Broadway Avenue and Del Monte Avenue. And while many gull species are a challenge to tell apart, these three species have a similar life history. And many of the chicks are at the stage where they are testing out their wings. Late summer means it's time to fly!

Image: Gull chick exercising its wings. They have to practice and build up their muscles. GIF from Permuted.

But sometimes there are misfires, and instead of soaring effortlessly like their parents, they plop down onto the ground with a thud. If that doesn't cause any damage (baby birds are pretty bouncy and resilient) they end up wandering in traffic, since many of the nest sites are on buildings surrounded by a sea of cars and pavement. A rooftop nest is nice and safe from terrestrial predators, but if the chicks end up in the road, they are at risk of being run over by cars. Please drive extra cautiously when you are in urban areas with tall buildings, and when gulls are flying low over the road or are in the road. Don't assume they will deftly fly out of your way - many of these young birds simply can't. I've seen quite a few flattened chicks on my walks in downtown Monterey, and it's a tragedy that can be prevented if we all drive cautiously, pay attention, and don't assume the bird will fly. Give these little guys a chance at being a gull! Gulls will be fledging from mid-July through mid-August. Drive safe.

If you see an injured gull, you can of course call the SPCA for Monterey County Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at (831) 264-5427.

Scruffy Scoters and a Brown Pelican "event"

If you've been out to a beach recently, you may have seen numerous bird carcasses. While I've written about this topic in the past and how to best report dead birds, it's a different thing entirely if you find a bird on the beach and it's alive!

I've been noticing and getting email inquires about these particular birds that are coming ashore on sandy beaches in Monterey Bay right now. These are Surf Scoters, a type of seaduck, and while they are commonly seen in Monterey Bay in the fall and winter, they should be migrating north to breed up in the arctic. What cool guys (see range map below). But if you've got crummy feather quality, it's going to be hard to fly, dive in 50°F water to forage, or get a mate once you get up to the breeding grounds. The process of molting, or replacing feathers (either specific tracts or whole sections) on a bird's body, is an energetically demanding process, and if you're not finding the right type or amount of quality food, you just might look scruffy all spring or not even be able to migrate at all!

These two Surf Scoters initially caught my eye at Del Monte Beach in Monterey on a busy, sunny afternoon, where seeing a waterbird sitting on land within 20 feet of playing children first made me concerned. But watching these birds actively preen, ambulate (get up and walk out of the water, stretch and flap their wings), and looking closely at the feathers, I felt confident that they weren't injured, oiled or entangled, just trying to get a little warm and attempting to preen the brown and frayed feathers into compliance. I observed them then left them alone.

On the flip-side, poor Brown Pelicans are having a rough time! A recent article in Lookout Santa Cruz quotes a wildlife rehabilitator from Native Animal Rescue in Santa Cruz saying that while it's not Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), starvation and possibly domoic acid poisoning is causing a big influx of Brown Pelicans into rehabilitation facilities along the California coast. The SPCA for Monterey County has received over 80 Brown Pelicans just since mid-April, many of which have since been transferred to International Bird Rescue. If you see a Brown Pelican in an odd location or see one on the beach who is not moving for beach walkers, give the SPCA a call. If you live in Santa Cruz County, call Native Animal Rescue. And even if you don't find any birds yourself, please send some funds to your local wildlife rehabilitation facility - they are nonprofits, not run by Fish & Wildlife or your city like some people think. They are trying to save lives on shoestring budgets!

If you are able to walk up to a seabird on the beach and it's doesn't notice you or it is afraid and trying to get away but can't move, then you should definitely call the SPCA Wildlife Center at 831-264-5427. Thanks for looking out for the local birds!

Point Pinos Seawatch program gets a logo!

Most of our conservation projects have a neat logo associated with them. We use these in written reports, graphics, and to make stickers and swag. We're excited to reveal the new Point Pinos Seawatch logo, created by local artist, naturalist, and birder Morgan Lewis of Ripple in the Wild.

The logo features our two main target species that are monitored through this conservation project: the Surf Scoter and Pacific Loon. Although 223 species have been identified by our counters during the fall seawatch sessions, these are the two main birds that fly by in large numbers. The logo also depicts the offshore red buoy, a key visual marker on a featureless ocean.

The birds are facing to the left, since in the fall when the Seawatch is occurring, we are witnessing these species heading south for winter and are generally flying west, out of the bay. These birds are heading back south after breeding up in the arctic and boreal forests of Canada. But if you go out to Point Pinos right now (early May), you'll see some of these same species headed the other way - northeast into the bay! And even more stunning, you'll see them in their finest breeding plumage as they travel north to find a partner and build a nest. The loons are particularly beautiful this time of year - see Mark Chappell's picture below. We are used to seeing them in the fall when they are in their drab, basic plumage, but right now they are glammed up.

Any opportunity you have to hang out along the coast and look out to sea with your binoculars or a spotting scope, you should take it. Monterey Bay is one of the most ecologically rich places on the planet and for marine life it is unrivaled. 223 bird species have been seen just by standing at that one bench at Point Pinos... read more about the Seawatch Program on our website. See you in the field!