Seabirds and Seawatching at Point Pinos

Description: This birding trip will travel along the hard-backed DG coastal trail running parallel to Ocean View Blvd, totaling a distance of 0.8 miles out-and-back. We'll primarily be birding along the rocky coastline, finding Black Oystercatchers, Black Turnstones, and other shore and coastal birds, but will spend at least one hour at the Point Pinos Seawatch site. At this spot we’ll have scopes to share with trip participants as we join our MAS staff bird counter, Alison Vilag, for a stretch of land-based seabirding. Although difficult to predict on any given day, we should see a selection of loons, scoters, sea ducks, and murres. If we’re lucky, a truly pelagic bird might make an appearance, like a shearwater, jaeger, phalarope or fulmar.

Every winter Monterey Audubon sponsors a dedicated seawatch to count seabirds migrating past Point Pinos at the tip of the Monterey Peninsula. Due to its unique geography, Point Pinos is the premier location on the west coast to see and identify seabirds from shore. In late fall, thousands of loons, Surf Scoters and other seabirds migrate past “The Point,” flying close to shore as they try to stay over water rather than fly over land to cross the peninsula on their southward journey.

All birders are welcome on this trip, whether you have seen a jaeger or whether you don't know what one is yet! If you'd like to borrow binoculars, make a note during the registration process, as we have nice ones to lend out. If you have any additional questions about the activity level or accessibility, email Kai Russell at kai.russell@montereyaudubon.org to discuss options.

Trip Leaders: Monterey Audubon Society Board Member Kai Russell will lead the trip, meeting up with fellow Board Member Fred Hochstaedter, at the Seawatch site. He'll be manning the spotting scopes!

Trip Difficulty: We’ll travel at a slow pace on flat or slightly inclined sidewalks, smooth DG or lightly traveled roads. This is a beginner trip open to all who want to learn more about seabirds and the rocky coastline of Pacific Grove. Total distance will be 0.8 miles out and back to the cars.

What to wear: The weather at Pt Pinos is more like being out in the open ocean than on land in sunny Monterey. Be prepared for very cold winds, even if it is warm at your house. If the winds are up, it could be colder than you expect. Dress accordingly in layers. Heavy rain will cancel, but light mist will not!

Facilities: Bathrooms are available at the halfway point of the walk at Crespi Pond.

Meet: At the gravel parking lot at the corner of Ocean View Blvd and Asilomar Ave, located HERE. The lot is labelled with a green sign that say's "5 Crespi Lot". Parking is free all day.