FORTY YEARS of CALIFORNIA SEABIRDING

with

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS

Shearwater Journeys will celebrate its 40th year of seabirding this fall! 

And, we'd love to invite you to celebrate with us. 

From Crescent City in far northern California to San Diego — and places in between — Morro Bay, Santa Barbara, Monterey Bay, Half Moon Bay, Sausalito, Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg — Shearwater Journeys has offered more pelagic seabirding trips along the California coast for the past forty years than anyone. In our hey day, more than sixty trips per year departed for offshore destinations such as the Davidson Seamount, Cordell Bank, Bodega Canyon, Noyo Canyon Tanner & Cortez Banks, Arguello Canyon, Rodriguez Dome, and the Farallon Islands.

 Some 60,000+ birders and marine life enthusiasts have participated in thousands of Shearwater Journeys' pelagic trips over these past four decades. Participants, along with more than a hundred leaders over the years, have contributed an immense amount of data, advanced the progression of seabird field guides, fought for National Marine Sanctuaries collecting thousands of signatures, advocated for conservation laws, witnessed the return of the great whales from near decimation, seen the "return" of some seabirds such as Short-tailed Albatross and the decline of others, such as Sooty Shearwater and Ashy Storm-Petrel. 

We've discovered a long, long list "first" North American seabird records and found many rare-for-California seabirds. We've battled gill netting which killed thousands of Sooty Shearwaters and Common Murres, and won. We remember when Laysan Albatrosses did not nest on islands off Mexico! Marine mammals have not been neglected on our trips. We set the wheels in motion to rescue an entangled humpback whale only for the rescuers to be thwarted by the appearance of killer whales! We launched the first-ever in the world, blue whale tagging program with EarthWatch in mid-1980's. Beginning in the late 1970's, we collected the first of hundreds of killer whale images that would be used in ID catalogues. And, we're still at it today. 

And, we've been out there in the blue, at sea, during the biggest El Nino events of our lifetime, 1982-83 and 1998, during La Nina events and everything in between. The 1982-83 El Nino impacted every continent on Earth, and we saw events transpire in Monterey Bay that have never repeated. OH, wait a minute. I hear the red crabs are back, at least in SoCal: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/06/17/red-crabs-swarm-southern-california-linked-to-warm-blob-in-pacific/

There's so much more. Indeed, I could write a book about the changes I've seen. Our roots are deep and vast much like a giant kelp forest moving with the currents. It  has been a long and winding journey — and, we could not have done it without you! I am, personally, grateful and thankful for every one of you, many of whom continue to ride the seas with us, four decades later! THANK YOU!

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS 2015 SCHEDULE OF TRIPS

CELEBRATE WITH US 40 YEARS!

MONTEREY BAY TRIPS:

JULY 31; AUGUST 7, 21; SEPTEMBER 5, 8, 0, 1O, 11, 13, 16, 25, 26, 27; OCTOBER 3, 10.

ALBACORE: OFFSHORE MONTEREY: SEPTEMBER 

HALF MOON BAY TRIPS: 

AUGUST 2, 8, 16; SEPTEMBER 6, 15; OCTOBER 4, 11.

FARALLON ISLANDS:

AUGUST 9: TUFTED PUFFINS

& BREEDING SEABIRDS - limited spaces available

OCTOBER 18: GREAT WHITE SHARKS & SEABIRDS

BODEGA BAY: 

SEPTEMBER 18: CORDELL BANK & BODEGA CANYON

DISCOUNTS: To celebrate our 40th year, we are offering a $40 discount on all Monterey Bay trips, except the Albacore trip, September 12th. We offer a $20 discount on our Half Moon Bay, Bodega Bay and Farallon Islands trips. All discounted trips are non-refundable, unless weathered out (unlikely) and must be postmarked by July 1. Act now!

LEADERS: Three to five friendly leaders, sometimes more, will accompany each trip to assist in searching for and pointing out seabirds. Most of our leaders have worldwide experience with seabirds. Some leaders have been leading for with us four decades! All leaders are volunteers. 

TRIP REPORTS: We track county lines and write eBird checklists for all of our trips. Most of our trips cover more than one county. For past trip reports including images and complete checklists, click here.

August 2nd has proved to be an auspicious date for HAWAIIAN PETREL: August 2, 2014 at Half Moon Bay, this petrel flew right up our wake only a few miles out of the harbor. August 2, 2013 at Monterey Bay, I spotted this petrel without bins, flying alongside our vessel with a load of Sooty Shearwaters only 8 miles off Point Pinos! Most of the Hawaiian Petrels that I've seen in central California have been less than 10 miles offshore, including three in one day out of Fort Bragg. Where will you be on August 2, 2015?

For me, there has never, ever been a dull moment. Never. If you sense a deep and abiding love of seabirds and marine mammals — 

Shearwaters Forever,

Debi Shearwater

debi@shearwaterjourneys.com