IBCP rings in 2026 with the Monterey Audubon Society!

The 2026 Monterey Audubon Society calendar cover features a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Photo by Dan Marks.

Happy 2026! IBCP is delighted to have helped produce our 4^th annual Monterey Audubon Society calendar, working together with Amanda Preece and talented photographer Dan Marks! With around 500 species, Monterey County is one of the most bird species-rich counties in California, with an incredible diversity of habitats and a Mediterranean climate. The dazzling Big Sur coast, with its sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, and rolling hills swathed with coastal sage and chaparral, the Santa Lucia Mountains and their deep, rushing creeks lined with redwoods, the Salinas River and Elkhorn Slough are some of the many amazing places that abound with resident and migratory birds. The cover photo features a Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), a “scarce but regular spring and fall wanderer around Elkhorn Slouth” according to Don Roberson in his book, Monterey Birds.

Sanderling in the Monterey Peninsula. Photo by Dan Marks.

The Sanderling (Calidris alba), the emblem of the Monterey Audubon Society, is a common winter resident that can be seen in small flocks on sandy beaches, racing back and forth with as the waves come in and recede to forage in the surf. Some of those that stop in Monterey County are just passing through on their way between the Arctic and South America; one seen at Moss Landing had been banded in Peru! Numbers of Sanderlings in Monterey County peak in September, when birds migrating south join those spending the winter. Around 2300 Sanderlings were counted together at one roosting area in the mouth of the Salinas River!

Grasshopper Sparrow. Photo by Dan Marks.

In contrast to winter visitors like the Sanderling and the Whimbrel, the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) is mainly a summer visitor that nests in Monterey County grasslands. Unfortunately, this species has declined by approximately 70% across its range in recent decades. They once nested at Carmel Point before this area was developed; now all the native grassland in this area is gone, having been converted into residential neighborhoods with tightly packed properties. Fortunately, the native grassland Grasshopper Sparrows need for nesting can still be found in Carmel Valley, Marina, and Fort Ord among other places.

Whimbrel. Photo by Dan Marks.

The Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), featured on the back cover of the calendar, is a fairly common winter visitor to Monterey County that can be found in tidal mudflats, coastal marshes, sandy beaches, rocky shorelines, and riparian grasslands. Wintering birds may arrive from their Arctic breeding grounds as early as July, and some stay as late as June – so although Whimbrels are considered visitors in Monterey County because they do not breed locally, in theory at least it is possible to see them year-round. That is good news because they are such a joy to see! Bird enthusiasts are encouraged to join Monterey Audubon Society in its monitoring and conservation efforts, including through the Snowy Plover Guardian Program, Black Oystercatcher Monitoring Project, Point Pinos Seawatch Project, and Seaside Heermann’s Gull Protection efforts. Let’s make 2026 one for the birds!

Vermillion Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubinus). Photo by Dan Marks.