Bird School Project’s fantastic Sailor Cook, looked through the eBird data from the 2024 Monterey Bay Festival of Birds. Sailor led Sunday’s Raptor trip and assisted the John Muir Laws workshops at the Birders Night Market, and is a wonderful instructor with BSP’s school programs.

Note: the eBird data below is from the data reported and doesn’t include every trip of the festival.

eBird Highlights

Total Species Observed: 151 * = non-resident

Stars of the Show: Top 10 Most Sighted

2784 Brown Pelican*
701 Heermann’s Gull*
673 Brandt’s Cormorant
511 Western Gull
341 House Finch
326 Canada Goose*
323 Mallard
308 Elegant Tern*
278 Red-winged Blackbird
273 Double-crested Cormorant

Photo from the Big Sur Land Trust x MAS trip to Mitteldorf Preserve.

Photo thanks to Seraphina from her birding photography trip.

One-of-a-kind: Only 1 Sighted

Bufflehead* [Elkhorn Slough 10/12]
Common Gallinule [Watsonville Slough 10/12]
Short-billed Dowitcher* [Moss Landing 10/11]
Spotted sandpiper [Moonglow Dairy 10/11]
Wandering Tattler* [Asilomar 10/12]
Ruddy Turnstone* [Asilomar 10/12]
Dunlin* [Younger Lagoon 10/11]
Western Sandpiper* [Moss Landing 10/11]
Glaucous-winged Gull* [Davenport Bluffs 10/11]
Red-throated Loon* [Moss Landing 10/11]
American Bittern [Watsonville Slough 10/12]
California Condor [Gloria Road 10/11]
Sharp-shinned Hawk [Glenwood Preserve 10/13]
Bald eagle [Airline Highway 10/11]
American Barn Owl [Rana Creek Preserve 10/12]
Cedar Waxwing* [Watsonville Slough 10/12]
Tree Swallow* [Elkhorn Slough 10/11]
Barn Swallow* [Younger Lagoon 10/11]

Notable Species Spotted on Festival Trips:

Arctic Visitors: Parasitic Jaegers, Wandering Tattlers, Ruddy Turnstones, Black Turnstones, Surfbirds, and Pacific Loons are among some of the exciting migrators spotted during the festival. All of these species were seen either wintering in or passing through Monterey before breeding in the Arctic.

Wonderful Waterfowl: Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, Buffleheads, Cinnamon Teals, Blue-Winged Teals, and Green-Winged Teals, Wood Ducks, oh my! Migrating and resident ducks alike delighted during the festival, early harbingers of another Weird-Duck-Winter.

Regal Raptors: Eagles, owls, hawks, falcons, and vultures all showed out for the festival! Everyones’ favorite eponymous Merlins were spotted multiple times on their way through the bay. One lucky group was even treated to a California Condor, one of our state’s most iconic birds and a perfect species showcase of what the festival is all about.

See the full eBird report here