Channel Islands National Park

National Park · United States

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Photo © cricketsblog

Photo © cricketsblog — CC BY 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

A chain of eight volcanic islands rises from the cold Pacific waters off the California coast, their rugged sea cliffs and windswept terrain shaped by millions of years of oceanic isolation. Channel Islands National Park protects this archipelago in the waters of Santa Barbara County, where a Mediterranean climate of warm, dry summers and mild, wetter winters supports a landscape of coastal sage scrub, island chaparral, and native grassland studded with endemic plants found nowhere else on Earth. The surrounding waters nurture kelp forests and rocky reefs that teem with marine life, while the islands themselves host breeding colonies of seabirds and seals, along with browsers and small predators adapted to the island's particular ecology. The endemic plant species, alongside migratory raptors and resident insectivorous passerines, make this park a sanctuary for species shaped by separation from the mainland—a living laboratory of evolution that unfolds across islands both large enough to explore on foot and small enough to survey in a single day.

Wildlife photographers and birders arrive in the warmer months when the dry season peaks and visibility across the water becomes exceptional, offering unobstructed views of the islands' dramatic formations and the seabirds that wheel and dive around the cliffs. The park's marine environment draws both underwater specialists and those seeking to observe birds of prey quartering the thermals above the bluffs, while the endemic terrestrial flora attracts botanists and nature lovers determined to witness plants that cling to existence only here. Access requires a boat from the mainland, a deliberate separation that preserves the islands' ecological integrity and rewards those willing to make the crossing with an experience of wildness and solitude increasingly rare along the California coast. Spring and early summer bring renewed activity across the islands as breeding seasons reach their peak, transforming the landscape into a stage for the seasonal dramas of courtship, nesting, and fledging that define island life.

Website nps.gov/chis

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Branta bernicla

Branta hutchinsii

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Mareca strepera

Anas platyrhynchos

Northern Pintail

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Melanitta perspicillata

White-winged Scoter

Melanitta deglandi

Long-tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

California Quail

Callipepla californica

Common Poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

White-throated Swift

Aeronautes saxatalis

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandri

Anna's Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Allen's Hummingbird

Selasphorus sasin

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Zenaida macroura

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Rallus limicola

Porzana carolina

Fulica americana

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Podiceps auritus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Aechmophorus occidentalis

Aechmophorus clarkii

Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

Pluvialis squatarola

Charadrius vociferus

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Gallinago delicata

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Wandering Tattler

Tringa semipalmata

Black Turnstone

Arenaria melanocephala

Calidris virgata

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Hydroprogne caspia

Sterna forsteri

Thalasseus maximus

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Heermann's Gull

Larus heermanni

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Larus occidentalis

California Gull

Larus californicus

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Glaucous-winged Gull

Larus glaucescens

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

Cassin's Auklet

Ptychoramphus aleuticus

Pigeon Guillemot

Cepphus columba

Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

Craveri's Murrelet

Synthliboramphus craveri

Red-throated Loon

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Sooty Shearwater

Pink-footed Shearwater

Ardenna creatopus

Black-vented Shearwater

Puffinus opisthomelas

Sula dactylatra

Blue-footed Booby

Brandt's Cormorant

Urile penicillatus

Pelagic Cormorant

Urile pelagicus

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Great Blue Heron

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Pelecanus occidentalis

Pandion haliaetus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

American Barn Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

Athene cunicularia

Short-eared Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Lewis's Woodpecker

Melanerpes lewis

Acorn Woodpecker

Melanerpes formicivorus

Red-naped Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus nuchalis

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Falco columbarius

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Sayornis phoebe

Sayornis nigricans

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Western Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Cassin's Kingbird

Tyrannus vociferans

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

Western Warbling Vireo

Vireo swainsoni

Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Island Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma insularis

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Bombycilla cedrorum

Phainopepla nitens

Eremophila alpestris

Tachycineta bicolor

Hirundo rustica

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

American Bushtit

Psaltriparus minimus

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Corthylio calendula

Salpinctes obsoletus

Catherpes mexicanus

Cistothorus stellaris

Cistothorus palustris

Thryomanes bewickii

Troglodytes pacificus

Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Oreoscoptes montanus

Toxostoma rufum

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Ixoreus naevius

Hylocichla mustelina

Catharus guttatus

Turdus migratorius

Passer domesticus

Scaly-breasted Munia

Lonchura punctulata

Anthus rubescens

Haemorhous purpureus

Haemorhous mexicanus

Lawrence's Goldfinch

Spinus lawrencei

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

Thick-billed Longspur

Rhynchophanes mccownii

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Calcarius ornatus

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Chondestes grammacus

Clay-colored Sparrow

Spizella pallida

Brewer's Sparrow

Spizella breweri

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Pooecetes gramineus

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Melospiza melodia

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

California Towhee

Melozone crissalis

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Aimophila ruficeps

Green-tailed Towhee

Pipilo chlorurus

Pipilo maculatus

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Icterus cucullatus

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Brown-headed Cowbird

Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Seiurus aurocapilla

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

Leiothlypis luciae

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Setophaga caerulescens

Setophaga palmarum

Setophaga coronata

Black-throated Grey Warbler

Setophaga nigrescens

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Setophaga occidentalis

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Spiza americana

Passerina caerulea

Passerina cyanea

Passerina amoena

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Branta canadensis

Spatula cyanoptera

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Histrionicus histrionicus

Melanitta americana

Bucephala albeola

Oxyura jamaicensis

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

American Black Swift

Cypseloides niger

Chaetura pelagica

Costa's Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbird

Selasphorus calliope

Band-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas fasciata

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Phalaropus fulicarius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Calidris canutus

Calidris alpina

Chlidonias niger

Sterna paradisaea

Thalasseus elegans

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Short-billed Gull

Larus brachyrhynchus

Larus hyperboreus

Larus glaucoides

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

South Polar Skua

Stercorarius maccormicki

Fratercula cirrhata

Scripps's Murrelet

Synthliboramphus scrippsi

Ashy Storm Petrel

Hydrobates homochroa

Black Storm Petrel

Hydrobates melania

Least Storm Petrel

Hydrobates microsoma

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

Red-footed Booby

White-faced Ibis

Butorides virescens

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

Falco mexicanus

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Hammond's Flycatcher

Empidonax hammondii

American Dusky Flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

American Grey Flycatcher

Empidonax wrightii

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Vireo olivaceus

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo solitarius

Plumbeous Vireo

Black-billed Magpie

Riparia riparia

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Swinhoe's White-eye

Zosterops simplex

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Troglodytes hiemalis

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Certhia americana

Dumetella carolinensis

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Western Bluebird

Sialia mexicana

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Red-throated Pipit

Anthus cervinus

Loxia curvirostra

American Goldfinch

Grasshopper Sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

Calamospiza melanocorys

Black-chinned Sparrow

Spizella atrogularis

American Tree Sparrow

Spizelloides arborea

Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querula

Artemisiospiza belli

Nelson's Sparrow

Ammospiza nelsoni

Melospiza georgiana

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Icterus parisorum

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Icterus spurius

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Virginia's Warbler

Leiothlypis virginiae

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

Cape May Warbler

Setophaga tigrina

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Blackpoll Warbler

Setophaga striata

Yellow-throated Warbler

Setophaga dominica

Prairie Warbler

Setophaga discolor

Black-throated Green Warbler

Setophaga virens

Cardellina canadensis

Painted Whitestart

Myioborus pictus

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

Leach's Storm Petrel

Hydrobates leucorhous

Jouanin's Petrel

Bulweria fallax

Eastern Warbling Vireo

California Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma californica

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Common Killer Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

Gambel's Deermouse

Peromyscus gambelii

Western Spotted Skunk

Spilogale gracilis

Steller Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

California Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

Northern Elephant Seal

Mirounga angustirostris

Urocyon littoralis

Eschrichtius robustus

Panglobal Common Dolphin

Delphinus delphis

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Risso's Dolphin

Grampus griseus

Eurasian Wild Pig

Balaenoptera musculus

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