Fall Pelagic Trips

Pelagic birding off the California coast can be very rewarding for a number of west coast specialties including shearwaters, jaegers, albatross, murrelets and auklets. Los Angeles Audubon Society offers fall pelagic trips that depart from Santa Barbara Harbor and Ventura Harbor for birding around the Channel Islands and beyond. Check their 2008 Pelagic Birding schedule for upcoming dates and to reserve a spot.

: : LINK

On April 25, 2008 a new Santa Barbara County "Big Day" record was achieved when Peter Gaede, Wes Fritz and Mark Billings completed nearly 24 hours of birding to tally a new record high count. Peter's report can be found on the  Contests page- click on the "County Big Day" link to read all the details and information on previous "Big Day" attempts.

Channel Islands Live EagleCam

The Channel Islands Bald Eagle nest-cam is now online for the 2008 breeding season. Watch live nesting activities from the video-stream link below and read observation reports on the discussion forum.

: : LINK

eBird and Science

eBird is not just a warehouse of observational data, it's an online tool that allows you to record, retrieve and archive your data, all while making your efforts available to scientists. New features include a more comprehensive listing capability found on the "My eBird" page, which includes automated listing capabilities down to the county level. It's simple; you enter your observations into the database and eBird keeps all your lists for you. To learn more visit California eBird at the link below.

: : LINK

County Statistics:

Coordinates: 34.54, -120.03

Mainland: 2738 square miles

Water: 1,052 square miles

Highest peak: Big Pine Mountain (6828')

Vandenberg AFB: 98,000 acres

Channel Islands (4): 195 square miles

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: 1,252 square miles

Los Padres National Forest: Includes San Rafael Wilderness (197,380 acres); Dick Smith Wilderness (64,700 acres)

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Tides

(map) Pt. Arguello

(map) Gaviota

(map) Santa Barbara

(map) Santa Cruz Is.

(map) San Miguel Is.