Birding The Santa Barbara Channel and Beyond

My name is Joel Barrett. I have been working in the Santa Barbara Channel and in the Channel Islands National Park since 2004. I became interested in birds after meeting so many birders coming out to see the Island Scrub-Jay on Santa Cruz Island. I dabbled in birding starting back in 2011 and by 2013 set out to do a big year in my home County of Ventura. I managed to see 333 species and learned a lot about our local birds and habitat. In recent years I have also joined forces with local birders and Island Packers to develop a more robust pelagic birding scene.