20-24 April 2026 on Holland America (Eurodam) from San Diego to Vancouver: This 4-Day cruise with Holland American Cruises departs from San Diego the afternoon of 20 April. Our only stop will be on day 2, with a half day in Avalon. Following this we’ll have two full days at sea before arriving in Vancouver on the morning of 24 April. No land excursions will be organized. WINGS price (guiding while on ship) is $850 plus the cost of your berth which should be booked directly with Holland America at the number below. Non-birders traveling with you are exempt from the WINGS charge. Berth prices for this cruise start at only about $439 per person (interior shared cabin) plus tax, gratuity, and port charges based on double occupancy (about $110 per person). Details on booking a berth with Holland America Cruises can be found here.

2-6 May 2026 on Princess Cruises (Grand Princess) from Los Angeles (San Pedro) to Vancouver: This 4-Day cruise with Princess Cruises departs from Los Angeles on the afternoon of 2 May. We’ll have two full days at sea, followed by port in Victoria the afternoon of 5 May, with final disembarkation in Vancouver the morning of 6 May. No land excursions will be organized. WINGS price (guiding while on ship) is $850 plus the cost of your berth which should be booked directly with Princess at the number below. Non-birders traveling with you are exempt from the WINGS charge. Berth prices for this cruise start at only about $309 per person (interior shared cabin) plus tax, gratuity, and port charges based on double occupancy (about $130 per person). Details on booking a berth with Princess Cruises can be found here.

28 April - 2 May 2027 on Holland America (Nieuw Amsterdam) from San Diego to Vancouver: This 4-Day cruise with Holland American Cruises departs from San Diego the afternoon of 28 April. Our only stop will be on day 4, in Victoria, British Columbia. Following this we’ll arrive the next morning in Vancouver on 2 May. No land excursions will be organized. WINGS price (guiding while on ship) to be determined plus the cost of your berth which should be booked directly with Holland America at the number below. Non-birders traveling with you are exempt from the WINGS charge. Berth prices for this cruise start at only about $514 per person (interior shared cabin) plus tax, gratuity, and port charges based on double occupancy (about $110 per person). Details on booking a berth with Holland America Cruises can be found here.

13-18 May 2027 on Princess Cruises (Emerald Princess) from Los Angeles to Vancouver: This 5-Day cruise with Holland American Cruises departs from Los Angeles the afternoon of 13 May. Our only stops will be on day 3, in San Francisco, California, and on day 5 in Victoria, British Columbia. Following this we’ll arrive the next morning in Vancouver on 18 May. No land excursions will be organized. WINGS price (guiding while on ship) to be determined plus the cost of your berth which should be booked directly with Princess Cruises at the number below. Non-birders traveling with you are exempt from the WINGS charge. Berth prices for this cruise start at only about $574 per person (interior shared cabin) plus tax, gratuity, and port charges based on double occupancy. Details on booking a berth with Holland America Cruises can be found here.

• May 2025 Narrative
• April 2025 Narrative
• April 2024 Narrative
• May 2024 Narrative

May 2025 Narrative

Day 1: With later boarding times and an earlier scheduled departure, the group met briefly at 2pm to go over the basics of the tour, then migrated to the forward Promenade to be in place as we left the dock around 3. Our passengers practiced their clock directions as we maneuvered out of the harbor. Elegant Terns winged past, while groups of Brandt’s Cormorants and Brown Pelicans dotted the piers and beaches. As we cleared the breakwall, we spotted a few rafts of Western Grebes, with at least a couple of the less common Clark’s Grebes in the mix. California Sea Lions relaxed on the ringing buoys while we made our way offshore. Before reaching the 9 Mile Bank, we spotted a Black-footed Albatross in a flock of Western Gulls. There were also a few Cassin’s Auklets flying around, as well as Scripps’s Murrelets, while our numbers of Black Storm-Petrels increased as we continued pushing into deeper waters. Several jaegers, including both Parasitic and Pomarine, attended the migrating Sabine’s Gulls as they headed north. As forecasted, the winds and seas picked up towards evening as we entered Los Angeles County waters.  We spotted a distant Laysan Albatross in the building waves before wrapping up for the night. 

Day 2: Around 230 in the morning, the entire ship was jolted back and forth several times. Passengers were rolled out of bed, while many of the dishes and glasses in the galley were broken. We later found out this was due to a rogue wave. Considering we were in 16-20’ seas when this was told to us, we could only imagine how large that wave must have been! When we awoke at first light, we found out that the promenade deck was off limits in the day’s conditions. Sustained 35-40 kt winds are no sweat to seabirds, but we humans still have some difficulty navigating slippery walkways, so it was up to the leaders to find a safe and accessible spot to hang out. After some 7am calls, we all made it to a quiet deck on the stern to spend our day. 

The huge seas were challenging but the birds were out there! Our first Cook’s Petrel showed up a little after 8 while still in the warm waters of Santa Barbara County. Shortly thereafter, our first Hawaiian Petrel was spotted, allowing for good comparisons between the two white-bellied petrels. Through the waves, we were able to see several peculiar but spectacular Northern Right Whale Dolphins, as well as a few deep-diving Northern Elephant Seals. Numbers of Red Phalaropes moved along with us in their gorgeous summer plumages. In the wash of the engines, large groups of By-the-wind Sailors, unique nomadic hydroids, stretched for miles. Our day ended in Monterey County, and our group wrapped up with our daily countdown before heading to bed.

Day 3: The forecast for Day 3 was for diminishing seas after lunch, so we found ourselves in the stern at first light, a little west of San Francisco. Before 730a, we had already seen 3 different Hawaiian Petrels. Crossing into Marin County and moving to the recently opened promenade deck, a worn darker shearwater created a good bit of excitement before we settled on the ID as a very worn Sooty (seabird ID is occasionally a group decision!). In the still-impressive waves of the morning, a Sei Whale gave us fantastic looks as it surfaced near the ship while it foraged with several nearby Fin Whales. Moving north, Mendocino County gave us our first looks at Murphy’s Petrels, just after 10am. We also saw several migrating Whimbrel, as well as more expected Leach’s Storm-Petrels and Northern Fulmar. Sabine’s Gull numbers increased, and we encountered flocks of 30-40 at times. 

Just after 2pm, Ben started excitedly pointing towards the stern: a pod of Transient Orca leaping in the waves! This group consisted of at least 3 females and a large male; we hope to get an ID on the male if we’re able to get more pictures to the experts. During the 3 o’clock hour, Ben spotted a smaller white-rumped storm-petrel moving along with the Leach’s: a rare-for-Spring Wilson’s! Even more surprising is that more than half of the participants were able to get on the bird!! A few hours later, while following a Laysan and Black-footed Albatross as they moved down starboard, several people photographed a different looking tan bird with the albatrosses: a pale-morph South Polar Skua. These are more expected later in the season, so getting one in early May was a welcome surprise. We ended the day in Humboldt County, wrapping up with a countdown and retreating to our cabins for some well-deserved rest!

Day 4: The seas and wind finally subsided as we awoke in southern Oregon, but our slowed pace had put us behind for our arrival into Vancouver. We wouldn’t be stopping in Victoria as planned, which meant another full day at sea! Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels joined our northerly route, zipping between the decreasing waves. Numbers of Murphy’s Petrels passed by, heading towards the Southern Hemisphere for their breeding season. Our first Dall’s Porpoise showed in the 11 o’clock hour. These small but fast cetaceans have a characteristic “rooster tail” spray, created by the shape of their dorsal fins. Passing over Astoria Canyon and out of Oregon waters, we were treated to fantastic looks at a Sperm Whale.

After lunch, we picked up our first Tufted Puffins, with nearby Rhinoceros Auklets for comparison. The group also had great looks at Northern Fur Seals relaxing in their “jug handle” poses, whereby they expose just the flippers in order to warm up. Because of dining room scheduling, we had our appreciation dinner around 530, and were back on deck for more scanning by 630 (talk about a dedicated group!!). The number of birds as we neared Cape Flattery was quite impressive, though it was easy to lose even large birds in the ground swells. Finally, we resigned inside to do our final wrap-up, each of us thankful for the experience, and everyone taking away that much more reverence and appreciation for marine ecosystems and the species which call them home!

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April 2025 Narrative

Day 1: Our group met at 3pm to go over introductions and birding expectations while cruising. Moving towards the port bow for our 4pm departure, we enjoyed seeing a wide variety of in-shore and nearshore species such as Western and Clark’s Grebe, Pacific Brant, and Royal and Elegant Tern! Moving further offshore, participants were able to see at least two Cocos Booby near the beautiful Coronado Islands. A highlight for the evening was a distant Laysan Albatross, though excitement was SLIGHTLY tempered when we realized that this bird was actually seen in Mexican waters! Our ship had taken a more southerly tack due to the winds, which led us into waters outside of the ABA coverage area, but we would just consider this practice for day 2!

Day 2: Our second day, and the first full day at sea, began in Ventura County, with a few distant Laysan Albatross (in US waters this time) and several Cook’s Petrels! We had more of these small Cookilaria petrels throughout the morning, as we passed into Santa Barbara County, where we picked up a resting Red-billed Tropicbird! Ending the day in San Luis Obispo waters, we were able to spot our first Murphy’s Petrel of the trip, with attending Sooty Shearwaters letting us compare this dark medium-sized Pterodroma with the more heavy-bodied and straighter-winged Sooties. We wrapped up our day with our usual countdown, everyone retiring in anticipation of what we’d see the next day!

Day 3: Sunrise on our third day aboard the Eurodam found us southeast of San Francisco, in the rich waters of San Mateo County. We were on deck early, to take advantage of the open bow access granted in the protected nearshore waters. Common Murres and Surf Scoters flew past in loose flocks, while the Western Gulls began to pile in towards the ship. Much to the delight of the passengers, the trademark San Francisco fog lifted just in time for us to pass under the glorious span of the Golden Gate Bridge. As we neared port, we spotted some distant, low whale blows: Gray Whales! These gentle giants migrate from the warm waters off of Baja California in the Winter to the rich, productive seas of the Arctic in the Summer. Once docked for the day, we made our plans for our next full day before everyone departed for their respective day ashore!

Day 4: Rested and rejuvenated after our time in San Francisco, we were all raring to go on the morning of Day 4. At sunrise, we were well within Mendocino County and immediately began seeing numbers of Murphy’s Petrels! These “chocolate rockets”, so nicknamed for their propensity to reach towering heights during their spectacular arcs, spend austral winter in the northern Pacific, migrating back to the southern Hemisphere from April to June to breed. A little after 9am, the call went out for a larger, white-bellied petrel with a dark back: Hawaiian Petrel! Unlike the smaller Cook’s, these birds present as longer winged and tailed, giving them a more stretched appearance. We also began to pick up a few more northward migrants, such as Sabine’s Gull and Arctic Tern, the species which holds the record for the longest migration of any animal, more than 55,000 miles from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic! Winding through Humboldt County in the afternoon, the sun set for us in Del Norte, the last county before Oregon. We met afterwards to go through our lists, everyone still quite pleased with a busy day in northern California!

Day 5: Our 5th day began in southern Oregon, with an uptick in overall diversity. We began seeing more alcids, including great looks at Rhinoceros Auklets. Sabine’s Gulls were nearly constant on the horizon, while the small and furtive Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels were a fun challenge to spot before zipping around the bow. A little before noon, we started picking up Tufted Puffins on the water and in flight. These puffins look all black in flight, as compared to the grayish, white-bellied appearance of the Rhinos. Of the non-avian highlights were multiple Sperm Whales seen along the route. True denizens of the deep, these largest of the toothed whales were identified by their left-facing blows; the right nostril is completely sealed, to act as a resonance chamber for their impressively boisterous echolocations! As we entered into Washington waters, we picked out multiple Dall’s Porpoise, as well as Northern Elephant Seal and several Northern Fur Seals. As the light waned, we did our daily review and each headed to rest for our final day of the tour.

Day 6: Having gained some speed overnight, the captain and crew had deftly steered us into the Strait of Juan de Fuca by first light. Here we picked up more of our inshore species, such as Pigeon Guillemot and the first Short-billed Gulls of the trip. The passengers enjoyed teasing out Pelagic Cormorants from the flocks of Brandt’s Cormorants, the thin necks and white flank patches becoming more obvious with each passing skein. Keen eyes picked out a few small, brownish Marbled Murrelets along the way as well. As we neared Victoria and the end of our birding tour, the group scanned each rock outcrop, and were rewarded with looks at Harlequin Duck, Black Oystercatcher, and Surfbird! The ship docked a little after 11:30am, when everyone adjourned to make their own day on shore. That evening, we had a fantastic dinner and final wrap-up, with each person recounting their favorite moments or animals. We all said our goodbyes, ending a fantastic time at sea!

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April 2024 Narrative

Day 1: Our home for the tour, the Nieuw Amsterdam, left the dock at 415, and our group was on deck, excited to see what we could find on our way out to cruising depth! Passing out of the port, we steamed to the West, with the distant Coronado Islands in view to our south. As we made our way into the deep waters, we started seeing our first tubenoses of the trip. Several Black-vented Shearwaters made their way among the waves while Black Storm-Petrels funneled by. Between the distant islands, a feeding flock had convened with several Cocos Brown Boobies feeding over them. One of the leaders spotted an Ashy Storm-Petrel in the fray and the ship flushed a pair of Scripp’s Murrelets. The most unusual bird of the afternoon was a Black Tern on a piece of flotsam. We remained on deck until almost 8pm, then retired indoors for our nightly countdown; we’d repeat this routine pretty much every evening, further stoking the excitement for what the next day might bring! 

Day 2: Within twelve minutes of arriving on deck at first light, our first bird of the day made a pass on the port side: a Laysan Albatross! Several of the participants were able to get on the smallest albatross to regularly occur on our Pacific coast. In the next half hour, we’d also see two distant Goose-beaked Whales (formerly known as Cuvier’s Beaked Whales). These incredible cetaceans hold the record for the longest and deepest dives of any vertebrate at over 3 hours and to almost 10,000 feet! The 7am hour would bring a few more Laysan Albatross and our first Hawaiian Petrel! These rangy petrels are one of our big targets for Spring trips and it was great to see one so early on our first full day at sea. Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwater numbers increased over the course of the day, and we also spotted a few Northern Fulmars in the mix. Along our route, we routinely saw other more “expected” seabirds, such as Rhinoceros and Cassin’s Auklet, Common Murre, and Black-footed Albatross. As our day ended on the southern edge of San Francisco County waters, we were treated to the spectacle of several dozen Northern Right Whale Dolphins porpoising to the north! These unique dolphins lack a dorsal fin and can be mistaken for seals! Afterwards, our group did our daily wrap-up and parted ways until the morning.  

Day 3: “BAIRD’S BEAKED WHALES!” Having started the day in Humboldt County waters after motoring north overnight, our day was rather similar to our first day at sea, with many of the routine cast of characters until 730, when both leaders looked along the ship and saw a pod of 10 large brown cetaceans logging at the surface. We knew immediately that these were the secretive Baird’s, a much sought-after species of the West Coast. These incredible beakers stayed at the surface for several minutes, allowing all on deck to study and photograph them. As if attracted to the commotion, we were joined by several Murphy’s Petrels, another of our Spring Repo targets, and one we’d see throughout the entire day. These high-arcing petrels superficially resemble Sooty Shearwaters, but are rather a cold gray instead of brown, and have a shorter, blockier head and longer tail proportionally. Both Leach’s and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels began to join the show, giving the occasional close pass as they headed north past the ship.

Around 9am, we noticed several all-black “footballs” flying away, the telltale description of Tufted Puffin! We saw 4 during this period, though never too close to the ship. By this point, we’d been seeing decent numbers of Murphy’s Petrels, and could almost identify them at a distance by which direction they were going; Murphy’s were heading South to their breeding grounds, while Sooty Shearwaters were heading North for their feeding grounds!

After lunch, a few of us noticed a small “white-bellied” petrel off the port side. Getting a few people on this bird, we noticed it had shorter wings and tail, with a “ratty” looking upperwing: Cook’s Petrel!! We’d get another shot at this species before the afternoon was over, but never with great looks. As our day ended in Oregon waters, all of the passengers were still buzzing with the electricity of the day, as well as from having seen over 240 Murphy’s! 

Day 4: Much of day 4 was spent ashore for many of the participants, as we enjoyed a quiet day anchored off Astoria, OR. Our group gathered around 4pm near the ship’s thrusters, to enjoy a primer on gull ID. Gathered in the turbid waters were Short-billed, Ring-billed, California, Herring, Western, and Glaucous-winged Gulls! We discussed the various field marks, and everyone got to enjoy different ages of these challenging birds as well. As we got underway, we enjoyed good looks at several near-shore species, such as Pigeon Guillemot, Northern Sea Lion, and Harbor Seal. We cleared the breakwall about an hour before dark and were on our way north.  

Day 5: In order to make up for delays in port, the Captain had decided to pick up speed overnight, so while we had hoped to enjoy the views of Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island, we instead found ourselves in the Strait of Juan De Fuca at first light. As the fog cleared around us, we enjoyed the beauty of the Washington coastline and were even treated to a glimpse at a few of the resident Orca along the way! We docked around 9am, and our group dispersed to enjoy Victoria, BC. Our farewell dinner that evening was phenomenal, and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy their meals! We had our final countdown of the trip, talked about everyone’s favorite moments, then said our goodbyes, another successful Spring Repositioning Cruise concluded! 

-          Ed Corey

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May 2024 Narrative

Day 1: A late departure for a deep cleaning of the berths had our ship, the Sapphire Princess, underway around 530pm. Our group was on the open bow, excited to see what we could find on our way out to cruising depth! Leaving port, we picked up quite a few inshore birds, including Black Oystercatcher and Black-crowned Night Heron. As we exited the breakwall towards the Channel Islands, our group saw our first Sooty Shearwaters and Red-necked Phalaropes of the trip, as well as a few Black and Ashy Storm-Petrels. Feeding Humpback Whales could be seen in all directions. Much to our collective surprise, two Fin Whales decided to dive under the bow! It was incredible to see these massive mammals, the second largest species of whale in the world at upwards of 70 feet, so close.  

Day 2: Leaders arrived on deck by 6am to see what the seas had to offer. Because of the strong 30-kt head wind and 12-14 foot seas, the Captain had decided to head further offshore than the usual tack, so we powered offshore of Santa Barbara County. Over the course of the day, we would maintain a route from 80-110 nautical miles from shore, putting us in waters that are not often covered by repositioning cruises! Our first Hawaiian Petrel made a distant pass just after 7am. At roughly 730, someone yelled out “TROPICBIRD!”. Two Red-billed Tropicbirds were spotted on the water, then proceeded to fly ahead of the ship. We would later pick up 2 more of these large white birds throughout the day, only the second time they’ve been seen on a West Coast repositioning cruise! Before the hour was up, we’d also see our first Cook’s Petrels of the trip, as well as a second Hawaiian, providing great identification lessons on the “expected” white-bellied petrels of these trips.  The marine mammals kept us entertained, with both Short-beaked and Long-beaked Common, as well as Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Goose-beaked Whale, Northern Fur Seal and California Sea Lion being seen. We also so large aggregations of Velella (also known as By-the-wind Sailors), as well as several Ocean Sunfish or Mola, which feed on these small hydrozoans. Around 130p, still in Santa Barbara County due to our tach, our first Laysan Albatross of the trip showed up in association with the more common Black-footed Albatrosses we’d seen throughout the day. These smallest of our 3 North Pacific albatross species are one of our key targets on the Spring trips, so we were glad to have great looks on the first full day at sea! We’d spend the rest of the day in San Luis Obispo County, before arriving in Monterey County for the evening. 

Day 3: Traveling through the night, we arrived on deck in San Francisco County to a respectable push of Red Phalaropes, with a smaller proportion of Red-necked birds in the mix. Looking over the bow, one of our leaders spotted a dark gray bird with strongly bent wings; our first Murphy’s Petrel for the cruise! These birds are often confused with the much more common Sooty Shearwater, but again are gray instead of chocolate brown. They also have a much shorter, blockier head and a longer tail proportionally. We’d see two individuals during this hour, both at reasonably close range. We also began picking up a decent movement of both Leach’s and Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, with many passing within close range of the bow for everyone to see. Sabine’s Gulls and both Common and Arctic Terns would slowly trickle North ahead of us throughout the day.
 The Marine Mammal kept us on our toes as well, adding Sperm and Sei Whales and a female Northern Elephant Seal under the bow! In the 2pm hour, offshore of Humboldt County, we were joined by “rooster-tailing” Dall’s Porpoise. These speedy black-and-white cetaceans throw a tell-tale forward spray when their dorsal fins break the water, so they can be identified at quite a distance! We would end the day exiting Del Norte County and entering Curry County, Oregon. 

Day 4: Our third full day at sea would find us traveling steadily closer to shore, from Lincoln County, Oregon to Clallam County, Washington. The nearer proximity to shore, coupled with strong winds from the East overnight, meant more migrating landbirds for our participants. A group of 3 Hudsonian Whimbrels kept pace with the ship for almost 3 hours before finally heading off to the North. We’d also see Wandering Tattler, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper and several swallows during this part of the transit. Getting into the cooler water off Washington meant increased chances at Tufted Puffin, and we were able to eke out a few good looks at this large, dark alcids!  Around 5pm, we were notified of a pod of Orca being seen distantly from the starboard side. After a bit of initial struggle, we finally got all those in attendance on these amazing predators that were roughly 2-3 miles away.  We were not able to confirm if they were the local Resident, fish-eating pods or the Transient/Bigg’s mammal-eaters, but numbers seen suggest the latter. We wrapped up our tour that evening with a delightful dinner and final countdown. We reminded those who joined that there was supposed to be a large geomagnetic storm that evening, with the Aurora Borealis being seen as far south as Alabama! Several of us were able to take in this once-in-a-lifetime event, truly the most outstanding highlight one could wish for on a trip into northern waters. Around 1030pm, the captain came over the speakers and informed us that the ship was down to one thruster, and we would have to limp into port in Vancouver, arriving at 11am instead of our anticipated arrival time of 7am. The evening ended in the Strait of Juan De Fuca. 

Day 5: Our final day aboard the Sapphire Princess was spent slowly heading towards Vancouver. We arrived around 11am and passed a few of our participants as we disembarked. While not the way we’d have preferred to end such a great cruise, we can say that this little disruption could never erase all the highlights we enjoyed along the journey!

-          Ed Corey

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