Tern, Tern, Tern

The official start of Monterey Audubon’s Point Pinos Seawatch is a few weeks off, where its focus will be Pacific Loon and Surf Scoter migration. However, Seawatchers have been at Pt. Pinos since July to pique the interest of the passing public and seabird aficionados. With the guidance of our dedicated experts, visitors have used our scopes and educational materials to learn about this important science project.

The shearwaters, jaegers, and terns are already migrating southward. Strong winds from any direction tend to keep the birds aloft; northwest winds tend to push the migrating seabirds closer to shore, delighting the birders.

Currently, the most common terns at Point Pinos are Elegant and Caspian Terns. Sharp-eyed birders have spotted Common and Arctic Terns in the last weeks; both are expected migrants per the BirdCast Migration Dashboard (Monterey).

The steady stream of Sooty Shearwaters is a delight of nature. As an added bonus, Seawatchers have mentioned seeing more Black-vented Shearwaters than in many other years. The warmer waters of the projected El Niño may be contributing to the shearwater irruption. Both Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers are migrating, with more of the latter being spotted from shore. The Surf Scoter flocks should begin streaming overhead in greater numbers in the second week of October and continuing through the winter. During Seawatch, a close examination of a scoter flock may reveal a Black or White-winged Scoter, as well as other migrating ducks.

Join Monterey Audubon for informal Wednesday Seawatch events from 5:00 to 6:30 PM at Point Pinos. Look for the birders (and spotting scopes) by the Foghorn Parking lot on Ocean View Blvd in Pacific Grove. Learn about Seawatch and the special place of Point Pinos in seabird migration. Lucky Seawatchers in 2025 estimated 12,000 Surf Scoters in a single day. Learn where the Common Loons might approach the Point; the experts call it the "COLO Line". Try to spot the small murres and auklets who skim just above the surface, barely visible between the waves. Bundle up with a hat, scarf, and gloves for the winter storms favored by storm-petrels and boobies.

Meet and chat with other birders, view common, uncommon, and fabulous birds, and enjoy the incredible coast. Sign up on the MAS Events page.

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Photos by Kyan Russell and Bill Hubick

*Like many hobbies and professions, birders developed their own language for notes and communication. Examples include nicknames: the Yellow-rumped Warbler becomes “Butter-butt”. In the U.S., each bird is assigned a 4-character abbreviation, usually the first 2 characters of the first name and the first 2 of the last name. This useful shorthand probably originated during the archaic method of pencil and paper. The 4-character code is quite helpful in eBird, as a quick way to find and record a species. The abbreviation might be pronounced: the Common Loon becomes COLO, a Mourning Dove is MODO, and a Wilson’s Warbler is a Wee Waa. To be more confusing, the Wilson’s Warbler is also called a Willie!