Pelagic (ocean) birding trips can seem daunting—a moving vessel with distant dots zooming past. Identifying anything seems nearly impossible. How does one go about pelagic birding? What should we look for and how can we improve our odds of successful identification? Fortunately, our May presenter will provide a simple primer on all we need to know about pelagic birding.

Noted San Diego County pelagic bird expert Stan Walens will talk us through a virtual pelagic birding trip, showing us the birds found off the coast of San Diego. He will teach us the sometimes subtle clues that lead to a positive identification, offering tips on what to wear, what to bring, and where to position ourselves on the boat.

Stan Walens has been birding since college, participating in many birding surveys and tracking bird migration. He became an avid seawatcher after moving to San Diego about 40 years ago. After his talk, if you are inspired to embark on a pelagic birding trip out of San Diego, see the schedule listed on page 3 or visit sandiegopelagics.com.

Wednesday, May 18 Social time: 6:45 p.m. Program begins: 7:00 p.m.

Please RSVP to Bob Crowell at kbcrowell1@att.net if you would like to join us. He will email you the Zoom link on the day of the lecture.

This is also our general meeting. We will be voting to accept the Board Directors.