Saul Aviles Bernal, a service learning student at CSUMB, participated in the 2026 Heermann's Gulls Outreach project this year. Read his insights about Seaside's unique colony of seabirds.

Point Pinos Seawatch is one of Monterey Audubon's long-term conservation projects. As we enter our 11th year, we anticipate significant weather due to the forecasted Super El Niño, which could alter the patterns of the seabird migration. Read about our pre-season sightings.

A local photographer, Beth Hamel, had her amazing image of a Wilson's Warbler feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird published in the National Audubon Magazine. This demonstrates a "brood parasite.

This summer, Ava Gardner had the opportunity to work for the Monterey Audubon Society, participating in a dream internship. She had the unique opportunity to apply her knowledge of data analysis to support to the Black Oystercatcher Monitoring Project. She applied her skills in data organization and visualization while gaining unique insight into the impacts humans have on the lives and futures of shorebirds.

During Summer 2026 at Monterey Peninsula College, Braulio Beltran participated in the Black Oystercatcher Monitoring Project with Monterey Audubon Society. His experience influenced his perspective on bird wildlife.

Standing at the edge of Seaside State Beach, I watched Kyan Russell look through the spotting scope to check the little legs of the gulls. I was thrilled to learn he found a banded fledgling! Wow, a tiny success. This year’s new Heermann's Gulls of Seaside project included monitoring, outreach, fledging safety, and banding. This rare colony emphasizes collaboration with community science.

The Green Heron skulks in reeds and occasionally delights the dedicated birder. Although present in low densities, it is the most widespread of the breeding herons according to the 1993 Monterey County Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA). An unusual recent sighting included four chicks waiting hungrily in the reeds while a parent feeds them.

A shared passion for wildlife conservation untes CSUMB students Aidan Randall and Maxwell Frantz. They've teamed up to monitor the Seaside Heermann's Gulls. Their work blends rooftop observations, GoPro footage, and drone surveys to track nest locations, chick development, and interactions with neighboring Western Gull colonies.

Monterey County participation for the California Bird Atlas Big Weekend included four events led by Monterey Audubon Society

Black Oystercatchers are excellent indicator species of the rocky shoreline habitat. One thing that makes them a valuable indicator species is that they do not go across any other habitats. They nest on rocky shores, are territorial, and easy to spot (and hear) from shore. Join us to monitor these unique birds.

Did you know that a dedicated group of volunteered is continuing to count migrating seabirds at Point Pinos? You can still drop by for this informal Seawatch. The Red-throated Loons continue to stream past the Point. One of five species of loons, the Red-throated Loon, Gavia stellata, may undoubtedly win the title of “Most Adaptive” among this group of clumsy-footed birds. Translation of the scientific name describes a starry (stellata) Sea Mew (Gavia), a reflection of

Weather: It rained off and on at Seawatch today until early afternoon, when the wind--previously calm--picked up to a pretty brisk NW wind. Visibility was fairly limited during the biggest parts of the morning push: it was frustrating to have steady presence of dark shearwaters at a distance where the distortion was so bad the birds were impossible to identify. The swell was moderate. At the outer buoy, the wind was NE at 6 knots at dawn. It switched to NW at noon, building t

Black-legged kittiwakes Weather: The wind at Pt. Pinos this day had quite a bit of east in it at sunrise, and as the day went on it shifted to north and then built to a moderate NW for the last couple hours of light. It was dry and partly cloudy; visibility was quite good and the swell was moderate. At the outer buoy, at sunrise the winds were E at 8 knots, switching to N, 6 knots at 1100 and switching to W at 1400. At sunset the wind was 14 knots from the west. Pressure was

Weather: Today was the wettest I've ever had at Pt. Pinos. It rained from the time I arrived right up into the last hour of the count, when a little sliver of sunset appeared right in time for our last big scoter flocks of the day to look gorgeous against. The wind at Pt. Pinos felt far less than what was predicted--there was about twenty minutes of gusting sideways rain--but I expected about six hours of that. I am very glad those expectations were not met... Visibility was

Weather: Seawatch today was plagued by fog: from about 1000-dusk, there was perhaps one hour, cumulative, that the buoy was visible. This season has brought the most fog I've experienced at Seawatch, but so far that's my only qualm, weather or otherwise, for this season. We've already had so many great birds! The swell was minimal, and the wind was moderate SW at the point for most of the day. At the outer buoy, it was blowing from the NE at 6 knots at dawn and switched to 6

Weather: No fog today, which was much appreciated by all who have endured the fair amount of fog we'd had this week... winds weren't great: moderate NNE at the Point for most of the morning, dying off in late afternoon. Swell was moderate, skies were mostly clear, no precipitation. At the outer buoy, winds at dawn were NNE at 8 knots, switching to NNW at 0900. They built to 12 knots W at 1600. Pressure at dawn was 30.00, and it fell slightly to 29.94 at sunset. Birds: There w

Weather: At the Point, it was a calm day. The swell was substantial, though somewhat diminished from yesterday, and visibility was generally pretty good, except from about 1400-1545, when the fog was so thick we couldn't even see the end of Pt. Pinos. At the outer buoy at dawn, winds were NNE at 4 knots. They switched to W at 1100, building to 12 knots by the count's end. Pressure at dawn was 30.18 and it fell to 30.03 by the count's end. Birds: We had a modest loon flight th

Weather: In terms of wind, it was calm at Seawatch today, but in terms of the Pacific Ocean, it was some of the wildest surf I've seen here. During high tide, waves were crashing over the highest parts of Pt. Pinos, and surf was raging up to within a few feet of the bench. The waves flushed all the kelp flies from the rocks--they took refuge on the green concrete block. At one point, fifteen Black Oystercatchers were huddled on the same bit of Pt. Pinos and managed to not bic

Weather: In terms of wind, it was calm at Seawatch today, but in terms of the Pacific Ocean, it was some of the wildest surf I've seen here. During high tide, waves were crashing over the highest parts of Pt. Pinos, and surf was raging up to within a few feet of the bench. The waves flushed all the kelp flies from the rocks--they took refuge on the green concrete block. At one point, fifteen Black Oystercatchers were huddled on the same bit of Pt. Pinos and managed to not bic

Photo by Mark Chappell - March 2024 Weather: This morning started, again, with fog--we could not see to the buoy. The fog lingered for most of the morning, though by mid-morning we were consistently seeing to the buoy and by afternoon we were able to see Loma and the stacks at Moss Landing, and it even got sunny. It was fairly calm at Pt. Pinos itself; at the outer buoy at dawn, winds were WSW at 8 knots and remained westerly and <8 knots over the course of the day. Pressure