Species	MTY status & distribution	Documentation: if photo, usually a thumbnail; if specimen or details, so indicated	Credits or comments
Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis	Regular winter visitor well offshore but recent records span all seasons		photo © Don Roberson 26 Jan 1980 Monterey Bay
Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes	Fairly common pelagic visitor offshore from winter into mid-summer; numbers peak May-July; scarcest in fall		photo © Don Roberson 16 May 1999 Monterey Bay
Short-tailed Albatross Phoebastria albatrus	Very rare visitor offshore; records span the seasons. A century ago this was a common visitor to Monterey Bay but the species almost went extinct around World War II. Numbers slowly increasing and it may become more regular here again		photo © Robert L. Pitman 2 Dec 1983  ~60 nmi SW of Cape San Martin
Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis	Common winter visitor offshore but numbers vary widely year-to-year. In some years birds arrive early in fall and linger well into the following summer		photo © Don Roberson 10 Feb 1996 Monterey Bay
Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera	Exceptional vagrant; one record (Oct 1998)		photo © John Sorensen 18 Oct 1998 Monterey Bay
Murphy's Petrel Pterodroma ultima	Likely a regular spring visitor far offshore (over 50 nmi off) but rarely observed. At least 86 were seen in MTY waters on one research cruise in Apr 1991 but no observers have been far offshore in spring since then		photo © Don Roberson 11 Apr 1991 ~60 nmi W of Pt. Sur
Mottled Petrel Pterodroma inexpectata	Likely a rare visitor far offshore but few observations; two inshore records: one specimen (Nov 1996) & one sight record during gale (Dec 1984)		no photo for MTY but specimen at PGMNH, from 24 Nov 1996 Sand City, and also a field description
Hawaiian Petrel Pterodroma sandwichensis	Rare vagrant offshore; two records in late spring (May-June). Dark-rumped Petrel P. phaeopygia was recently split into two species: Galapagos & Hawaiian. All evidence to date suggests MTY birds are Hawaiian Petrels; see this i.d. page for more details		photo © Nancy Black 4 May 2003 Monterey Bay
Cook's Petrel Pterodroma cookii	Scarce but likely regular visitor in summer far offshore; records to date are from Apr, May, Aug, and Nov and it may be present throughout that date span		photo © Don Roberson 17 Nov 1979  ~60 nmi SW of Pt. Sur
Stejneger's Petrel Pterodroma longirostris	Very rare visitor far offshore. Only one record to date (Nov 1979) but might be regular far offshore (over 50 nmi off) in fall		no MTY photo but published descriptions & sketch in McCaskie & Roberson (1992) W. Birds 23:145-152
Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii	Very rare visitor offshore; one record (July 1998) was associated with warm waters due to an exceptional El Niño		photo © Tristan McKee 26 July 1998 Monterey Bay
Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas	Very rare fall visitor in shearwater flocks on Monterey Bay; 8 records to date (Aug-Oct)		photo © Don Roberson 9 Oct 1977 Monterey Bay
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea	Very rare fall visitor on Monterey Bay; one record (Aug 2003)		no MTY photos but several descriptions, incl. this one for 23 Aug 2003 Monterey Bay by S.F. Bailey
Pink-footed Shearwater Puffinus creatopus	Common fall visitor offshore with smaller numbers sometimes present at other seasons throughout the year		photo © Don Roberson 11 Oct 1998 Monterey Bay
Flesh-footed Shearwater Puffinus carneipes	Scarce visitor offshore, primarily in fall, but records for every month of the year		photo © Don Roberson 10 Feb 1996 Monterey Bay
Greater Shearwater Puffinus gravis	Very rare fall & winter vagrant; there are 2 fall and 2 winter records through 2003. Like Cory's Shearwater, this is an Atlantic species but a few vagrants are sometimes "trapped" in the Pacific after visiting Cape Horn in winter		photo © Ronald L. Branson 2 Oct 1994 Monterey Bay
Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus	Very rare summer & fall vagrant, associated with unusual warm waters. Three records through 2003; 2 light morph (Aug 1986, Sep 1999) and one dark morph (Oct 1998)		photo © Don Roberson 11 Oct 1998 Monterey Bay (dark morph)
Buller's Shearwater Puffinus bulleri	Rather common fall visitor offshore (Aug-Oct); very rare in winter or early summer. Numbers variable; some years many, some years few		photo © Don Roberson 9 Oct 1977 Monterey Bay
Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus	Common visitor offshore, can be abundant in dense flocks in spring & summer (May-July). Remains common in fall but becomes scarce in winter		photo © Don Roberson 22 Sep 1982 Monterey Bay
Short-tailed Shearwater Puffinus tenuirostris	Uncommon winter visitor offshore; can be fairly common some winters or be scarce in others; very rare in spring or summer		photo © W. Ed Harper Feb 1984 Monterey Bay
Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus	Rare spring & fall migrant offshore, usually in flocks of other shearwater; a few recorded in winter. This Atlantic species apparently has recently colonized the north Pacific but its nesting grounds have yet to be discovered		photo © Rod Norden 29 Aug 1993 Monterey Bay
Black-vented Shearwater Puffinus opisthomelas	Often a common fall & winter visitor to near-shore pelagic waters but can be almost absent some years; very rare in spring or summer		photo © Don Roberson  9 Feb 2003 Monterey Bay
Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis	Exceptional vagrant offshore; one record (Oct 2003)		photo © Debi Shearwater 29 Oct 2003 Monterey Bay see the  Shearwater Journeys website for more details
Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus	Rare fall visitor to Monterey Bay, usually in flocks of other storm-petrels; exceptional in spring		photo © Don Roberson 3 Oct 1982 Monterey Bay
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma furcata	Unpredictable visitor, usually far offshore; records span the seasons. An occasional strong storm will blow birds into Monterey Bay and nearshore. Recent inshore incursions were in Apr 1995, Oct 1997, May 1999		photo © Don Roberson 25 Aug 1983 Monterey harbor
Leach's Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa	Common summer visitor far offshore, usually well beyond the range of single-day boat trips. Only occasionally inshore, most often in fall; very rare in early winter		photo © Don Roberson 9 Apr 1991 ~50 nmi W of Pt. Sur
Ashy Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma homochroa	Breeds very locally at Castle Rock, Big Sur coast. Otherwise, a common fall visitor to Monterey Bay where it often forms dense roosting rafts over the north rim of the Monterey canyon. Scarce at other seasons offshore but records from every month		photo © Don Roberson 3 Oct 1982 Monterey Bay
Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma tethys	Very rare fall & winter visitor offshore; three records: an on-shore specimen (Jan 1969) and two in storm-petrel flocks on Monterey Bay (Sep-Oct 1977, Oct 1984)		no MTY photo but numerous detailed descriptions, incl. this one for 1 Oct 1977 Monterey Bay by D. Roberson
Black Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma melania	Usually common fall visitor to Monterey Bay, often rafting with flocks of Ashy Storm-Petrel, but in some years numbers can be small. When present, numbers peak in early fall (Aug-Oct); rare earlier or into late fall		photo © Don Roberson 9 Oct 1982 Monterey Bay
Least Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma microsoma	Irregular fall visitor to Monterey Bay, usually in rafts of other storm-petrels. Can be fairly common in some very warm water years, but may be entirely absent in other autumns		photo © Don Roberson 9 Oct 1982 Monterey Bay
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	Rare summer visitor far offshore		photo © Richard Ternullo 25 July 1993 Monterey Bay, west of Pt. Lobos
Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda	Very rare late summer or fall visitor far offshore; 3 records through 2003		photo © Michael Danzenbaker 9 Oct 1977 Monterey Bay
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra	Very rare vagrant in summer; presence linked to warm water incursions. Two records of adults (June 1992, Aug 1997)		photo © Don Roberson 18 June 1992 Salinas R. mouth
Nazca Booby Sula granti	Very rare vagrant in winter or spring; two records, both of juvenal birds (Apr 1990, Feb 1999; see a discussion on the tentative i.d. of the latter bird).  Nazca Booby was only recently split from Masked Booby and i.d. criteria in juvenal plumage is fragmentary but molt patterns help establish i.d.		photo © David Lemon 5 Apr 1990 ~2 nmi off Pt. Lobos
Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii	Very rare vagrant; one record (Oct 1971) during a major incursion of this booby to coastal California	description only	no MTY photo but several brief field descriptions
Brown Boob Sula leucogaster	Rare summer or fall vagrant offshore; four confirmed records through 2003 (June-Oct) included one roosting just offshore at Castle Rocks (July 1999)		photo © Jerry Wettle 23 Sep 1999 ~ 35 nmi WSW of Pt. Pinos [caught on fishing hook & released]
Red-footed Boob Sula sula	Very rare fall vagrant offshore; two records in fall 1987 coincided with a major incursion of this booby to California coastal waters, and included an on-shore bird		photo © Don Roberson 3 Dec 1987 Pt. Pinos
American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Uncommon but often very conspicuous non-breeding visitor, now occurring year-round at Elkhorn Slough and nearby river mouths; also regular in winter on Lake San Antonio		photo © Don Roberson 25 Aug 2001 Moss Landing
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis	Common non-breeding visitor along the coast; numbers highest in summer & fall, fewer in winter & spring. Formerly nested at Pt. Lobos (last nest 1966) but could nest again in future (breeding behaviors observed in some recent springs but no nesting yet)		photo © Don Roberson 21 Oct 1994 Monterey Bay
Brandt's Cormorant Phalacrocorax penicillatrus	Breeds widely: common resident along the rocky shoreline from Monterey (sometimes on Coast Guard pier) and south down the Big Sur coast. Large colony at Pt. Lobos. Forages widely inside Monterey Bay, often in large near-shore flocks		photo © Don Roberson July 1977 Pacific Grove
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus	Breeds locally: uncommon resident breeding in local colonies on Big Sur coast and at Elkhorn Slough reserve. Non-breeders or foragers are widespread and conspicuous on inland lakes, at Elkhorn Slough, and at some river mouths		photo © Don Roberson 4 Feb 1989 Pacific Grove
Pelagic Cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus	Breeds widely: common resident along the rocky shoreline from Monterey (e.g., nests under buildings at Cannery Row) and south down the Big Sur coast. Forages close to shore; does not feed in flocks		photo © Don Roberson 30 Aug 1997 Moss Landing
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens	Very rare summer visitor offshore and sometimes along the coast; very rare at other seasons		photo © Daniel H. Varoujean & L.J.V. Compagno (from Auk 90:192) 4 Sep 1971 Moss Landing
Great Frigatebird Fregata minor	Exceptional vagrant: one record of an adult male (Oct 1979)		photo © Larry Balch 9 Oct 1977 Monterey Bay

Use these links to reach other portions of the Monterey County list:

Part 1: Waterfowl through Grebes
Part 2: Albatrosses through Frigatebirds
Part 3: Herons through Cranes
Part 4: Plovers through Sandpipers
Part 5: Jaegers through Alcids
Part 6: Doves through Woodpeckers
Part 7: Flycatchers through Larks
Part 8: Swallows through Pipits
Part 9: Waxwings through Warblers
Part 10: Tanagers through Sparrows
Part 11: Grosbeaks through Finches
or just the plain Checklist (no annotations)

for more information on the status & distribution of birds in Monterey County, see Monterey Birds 2d ed. by Don Roberson click on cover (right) for ordering information and more details about the book