Date: 3/26/26 8:29 am From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Noyo Pelagics April 4 and 19
Greetings Bay Area -
We still have some space available for our full day pelagic trips on April 4th and 26th out of Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg. We are already seeing up to 135 Black-footed Albatrosses at once over Noyo Canyon and I had a Parakeet Auklet just 2-2.5 miles from shore on March 15th. Our most recent trip reports are here:
Last year in April we had over 600 albatrosses on one trip including several Laysans and a Short-tailed, and throughout May we had dozens of Pterodroma petrels of three species plus two more Short-tailed Albatrosses.
We have also just set up a half-day trip on April 19th. Half the boat will be filled with college students so if you are interested in this one I wouldn't wait too long.
You can sign up for these and other trips this year at
Hope you'll join us for one or more trips. Happy spring birding!
Peter
On 3/10/2026 12:23 PM, Peter Pyle wrote: > Greetings Bay Area on this nice spring day (for upwelling and the > ocean, at least...). > > Our buttons for full-day Noyo Pelagics trips are now ready for > sign-ups for the previously mentioned dates: > > https://noyopelagics.com/ > > We had a fine half-day trip on March 1st including an unexpected > Scripps's Murrelet and early Humpback Whales (see report at the link > above). We will be offering more half-day trips on a short-notice > (7-10 day) basis as good-weather windows approach; if you may be > interested in these you can monitor Mendobirds or sign up for the > Mendo-Pelagics io group serve > (<https://groups.io/g/Mendocino-Pelagics>). See > https://noyopelagics.com/about-our-trips/ for more on our half-day, > full-day, and educational trips. > > We have attempted this year to organize some back-to-back trips along > the NorCal coast, or with a day or two in between. Unfortunately at > this time there are no trips planned to Cordell Bank since the Bodega > Bay skipper sold his boat this winter. Hopefully something will work > out there soon. For now, we have some back-to-back or even week-long > opportunities for multiple trips from Sausalito, Fort Bragg, and > Eureka. I have listed these below (with sign-up information below the > dates); if you know of ABA folks or others around the country that may > be interested, please pass this along. Logan has also set up a Google > calendar which he will finalize tonight at: > > https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/month/2026/10/1?cid=bG9nYW5rYWhsZWJpcmRAZ21haWwuY29t > > > Hope to see you up here for a trip, or two, or more! > > Good birding, Peter > > Northern California Pelagic Trip dates: > > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - April 4th (Saturday) > Sausalito - SF waters trip April 18th (Saturday) - currently full but > see below* > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - April 26th (Sunday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - May 2nd (Saturday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - May 9th (Saturday) - > Eureka RRAS - May 10th (Sunday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - May 30th (Saturday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - June 13th (Saturday) > Sausalito Al's Adventures - Farallon Islands trips weekly June 13 - > August 8 > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - June 14th (Sunday) > Eureka RRAS - June 20th (Saturday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - June 26th (Friday) > Eureka RRAS - July 18th (Saturday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - July 20th (Monday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - July 25th (Saturday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - August 3rd (Monday) > Eureka RRAS - August 15th (Saturday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - August 29th (Saturday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - August 30th (Sunday) > Eureka RRAS - September 5th (Saturday) > Sausalito Al's Adventures - SF trip September 13th (Sunday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - September 19th (Saturday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - October 3rd (Saturday) > Eureka RRAS - October 10th (Saturday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - October 17th (Saturday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - October 24th (Saturday) > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics) - November 1st (Sunday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - November 14th (Saturday) > Eureka RRAS - November 21st (Saturday) > Eureka Rob Fowler - December 5th (Saturday) > > *The 4/18 trip from Sausalito is full but there are still spaces left > on the back-up date (4/21). Contact Logan Kahle <logan...> if > interested in this back-up trip. > > Contacts and to sign up: > > Fort Bragg (Noyo Pelagics): https://noyopelagics.com/ > Eureka Rob Fowler: contact Rob at <migratoriusfwlr...> > Eureka RROS: contact Sean McAllister at <whiteouters...> > Sausalito Al's Adventures: > https://www.alvarosadventures.com/pelagic-dates-2026.html > > On 12/19/2025 7:36 AM, Peter Pyle wrote: >> Greetings Bay Area birders - >> >> We have finalized our dates for full-day Noyo Pelagics trips (below). >> >> We are running 2-3 more trips in April-July due to great success last >> year with albatrosses (up to 1000 Black-foots, many Laysans, and >> three separate Short-taileds) and Pterodroma petrels (6+ Hawaiians, >> 90+ Murphys, 15 Cook's, and one likely Herald) during these months. I >> am also working with the organizers of pelagic trips from Bodega Bay >> and Eureka to try and schedule some "runs" of back-to-back-to-back >> trips over 3-5 days moving up or down the coast. I have suggested the >> four dates below for these but they may occur at other times. >> >> Our payment system for these trips at https://noyopelagics.com/ is >> not yet set up. I'll send an announcement when it is, hopefully by >> mid January. We wanted to get the dates out now so birders can start >> thinking about joining us on one or more trips. Hope to see you at >> Noyo in '26! >> >> Peter >> >> April 4th (Saturday) (Easter weekend) >> April 26th (Sunday) >> May 9th (Saturday) - coordinate with Humboldt and Bodega? >> May 30th (Saturday) >> June 14th (Sunday) - coordinate with Humboldt and Bodega? >> June 26th (Friday) >> July 20th (Monday) - coordinate with Humboldt and Bodega? >> August 3rd (Monday) >> August 30th (Sunday) - coordinate with Humboldt and Bodega? >> October 17th (Saturday) >> November 1st (Sunday) >> >
Date: 3/18/26 1:48 pm From: Courtney Buechert via groups.io <courtney...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Alternate Plumage Marbled Murrelets (2) Off of Stinson Beach Yesterday 3/17/2026
While on an ocean rescue training exercise off of Stinson Beach yesterday, we saw two alternate plumaged Marbled Murrelets 500 yards offshore from the lifeguard tower. The birds were on the water and dove when we got within 10 yards.
Courtney Buechert
CEO
San Francisco, California, United States |
mekanism.com
Date: 3/17/26 4:36 am From: Alvaro Jaramillo via groups.io <chucao...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Half Moon Bay pelagic this coming weekend.
Hello all
Our 2026 pelagic season is coming together. We are needing to shift some dates due to salmon season and confirm others still. Early trips are available for booking and are live right now, others will come online soon:
We have a winter trip this Saturday March 21 from Half Moon Bay, and so far weather looks stable. While March, we consider this a winter trip as it has a great chance for wintering species such as kittiwakes, winter alcids, and albatross numbers are higher at this time of year than later on in late summer/fall. Surprises can happen at this time of year. Currently water is warm offshore for this time of year. That is unusual, and unusual conditions sometimes turn up surprises. We shall see. You can book the trip using the above web page.
Date: 3/9/26 9:24 am From: Zane Pickus via groups.io <zanep987...> Subject: [northbaybirds] [CALBIRDS] California Bird Atlas Update + March 19 Town Hall
Hi Birders,
Check out the update below from the California Bird Atlas! This important
statewide project continues to grow rapidly and all birders are encouraged
to join. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about the
project or how to get involved.
As for birds, my FOS Swainson's Hawk at Putah Creek on Saturday felt a tad
early, and while there it was enjoyable to watch Yellow-billed Magpies
building nests in the crowns of large Valley Oaks. With the warm weather it
has felt more and more like spring, and the first neotropical migrants are
only weeks away!
Good birding,
Zane Pickus
California Bird Atlas Regional Coordinator - Yolo, Solano, and Napa counties
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Van Pierszalowski via groups.io <van...>
>
Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2026 at 9:11 AM
Subject: [CALBIRDS] California Bird Atlas Update + March 19 Town Hall
To: <CALBIRDS...>
Birders,
As many of you know, California’s first statewide Breeding Bird Atlas
launched on January 1, 2026. In just over two months, the level of
participation across the state has been remarkable. Breeding code use in
January and February was up a staggering *+545%* over last year.
As of March 9:
-
42,885 checklists have been submitted to the Atlas
-
2,538 atlasers have joined the project and submitted at least one
checklist
-
Participating is very similar to how you already use eBird, but opting into
the Atlas ensures your observations become part of the permanent statewide
dataset being built to guide conservation and land management decisions for
decades to come.
We have been deeply encouraged by the number of individual donors stepping
up to support the project. If you are able, please consider making a
tax-deductible contribution *here
<https://donorbox.org/california-bird-atlas>*. Your support helps fund the
infrastructure and coordination needed to sustain this statewide effort.
Thank you all for joining the project. It has been inspiring to see the
California birding community come together around this effort, and we are
only just getting started.
Happy Atlasing,
Van Pierszalowski
Executive Director, California Bird Atlas
<van...>
Date: 3/3/26 4:45 pm From: Parker Kaye via groups.io <parkerk...> Subject: [northbaybirds] Point Reyes Snowy Plover Nesting Season 2026
Hi birders,
It's that time of year again and the Point Reyes National Seashore snowy
plover nesting season is upon us! Although it's early, our team has been
observing pairs and plenty of scrapes at all the usual sites, including
Abbotts Lagoon.
This year, like last, we are keeping part of the southwest lower lagoon
shoreline open to birders and visitors all season long (please see attached
photo; encircled red area is the annual plover closure). However, this area
will only be accessible going off-trail along the east side of the lower
lagoon and around the south end (light green path). *This area will not be
accessible via walking around the lagoon mouth and walking south along the
western lower lagoon shoreline or by crossing over dunes south of the
lagoon mouth; *most of the southwest lagoon shoreline will still be closed
during the nesting season (March-end of August) to reduce disturbance on
incubating adults and broods. Please expect to see (and respect) symbolic
fencing set up in this area over the next few weeks.
In 2025, we had a good number of plovers nesting close to the lower lagoon
shoreline and the area was also used by several broods (i.e., males with
chicks). Because of their success in that area, we expect them to return
again this year.
Last year we continued our Snowy Plover Volunteer Monitoring Program and
will be continuing this year! If you have prior experience with data
collection and/or field work with shorebirds and are interested in
contributing your time to conservation efforts, please let me know by
contacting me at <parker_kaye...> Training will be required.
If there’s any questions regarding the annual closure at Abbotts Lagoon or
anything snowy plover related, feel free to reach out.
Thanks everyone and happy spring birding,
Parker
--
Parker Kaye
Biological Science Technician – Snowy Plovers
Point Reyes National Seashore Association
(916) 835-8614
