The passage of an unusually intense late May cold front will result in strong northwest winds along the Pacific Coast through the weekend. This persistent onshore flow could result in interesting seawatching opportunities from central California northward. The timing of this system coincides with the peak window of occurrence for three rare Pterodroma species in deep water off the Pacific Coast: Cook’s Petrel, Murphy’s Petrel, and Hawaiian Petrel. While seeing any of these from shore is a longshot, systems like this have produced observations in the past. Also look for Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Sabine’s Gull, Long-tailed Jaeger, Arctic Tern, and Red Phalarope.
Sullivan
