Seawatch Report - Nov 8, 2026

The wind continued to come out of the north today: at the outer buoy, it was blowing 15.5 knots N at sunrise; it gained a little speed and a little west by 7 (17.5, NNW), and stayed within that range and direction for the rest of the day. Pressure was 30.10 at sunrise and rose to 30.13 at 9:30 AM. It dropped then, and at sunset was at 30.02. Visibility was frustrating today but not exactly limiting. The swell (at times today, the buoy was completely swallowed, despite it being a low wind day) just continually launched salt spray everywhere, making field of view fuzzy, both because of the salt in the air, and the salt coating our optics. It was partly cloudy. The water was 67.8 degrees.

Yesterday, Saturday, was my day off. If it's weird for you that I'm taking Saturdays off this year instead of Sundays, take consolation in the fact that it's also weird for me. I went to Big Basin and hiked for 8 hours. It was phenomenal. Over the years I've done this, it's become increasingly important I step completely out of the Seawatch world on those days off. No salt spray, no standing stationary behind a spotting scope, no binoculars around my neck, and no cell service to taunt me with what could be happening at Seawatch. So thank you to the cohort of spotters who take such wonderful care of the count on my days off. It is in good hands--yesterday literally: Paul, Seawatch's own first responder, brought a Western Gull in trouble to safety until it could be passed off to the SPCA. We love Paul, whether he's spotting rarities at the seawatch OR making sure our more familiar birds are well looked after, too.

Anyway, because I'm counting on Sundays this year, it meant the half marathon was happening behind me. Though the outhouses obstruct our sightline over the golf course, I appreciate the half marathon: the physicality and the cheering are reminiscent of migration and the way we observers gather to watch it. While runners were streaming down Ocean View behind us, we huddled around our spotting scopes in a little corner of the parking lot. The race we watched was speeding through the sky or willed up from the waves, and we cheered with "scoter flock!" and "LOOK at that POM!" (Yeah, the many Poms a day thing continues, to our delight.) And I know that some of us wish those birds we see leaving the bay a safe journey to wintering grounds where food, we hope, is abundant. It is important to me that we recognize and celebrate migration and the birds that do it - not just enumerate and label it, though that is important too.

Sooo, for that labeling and enumerating:

-29 Brant

-Our first-of-season Gadwall, 2 together and not in a scoter flock

-435 Surf Scoters, a fairly low count

-2 Red and 1 Red-necked Phalarope

-Our first-of-season Dunlin, on the beach with a few Sanderling

-4 Parasitic and 9 Pomarine Jaegers (!!!)

-6 Rhinoceros Auklets, 3 Cassin's Auklets, 2 Marbled Murrelets, 1 Pigeon Guillemot, 289 Common Murres

-12 Elegant Terns and 5 Royal Terns

-31 Red-throated Loons, 354 Pacific Loons (we had 80 during the 9-10 hour, and are starting to see more flocks), 6 Common Loons

-2 Northern Fulmars, 1 Short-tailed Shearwater, 1 Sooty/Short-tail, and 104 Black-vented Shearwaters

-A good falcon day! A female American Kestrel that flew north towards Santa Cruz and several Merlin experiences, including one that involved a Peregrine Falcon

-Our Tropical Kingbird who continues to join us in the parking lot for sunrise

-A fun little finch flight - 73 Pine Siskins that have me hoping that sometime, I look up to see Evening Grosbeaks milling over the Point trying to figure out the next move...

-Alison Vilag

See the full trip report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/593441