Oregon Pelagic Tours

10/07/2026

09/27/2026

We are having a good fall here at Oregon Pelagic Tours, although our streak of five successful tours in a row ends tomorrow, with our pelagic to Lane Couty being canceled due to worsening wind forecasts.
Here is a picture of one of my favorite pelagic birds, Sabine's Gull.
(Not everyone is aware that Sabine is pronounced to rhyme with "cabin".) The upperwing pattern of adults is distinctive and can be seen at a considerable distance. Sabine's Gull breeds in the Arctic tundra, and is most often detected in Oregon in the Pacific Ocean as it migrates north in the spring and south in the fall.
If you look closely at the upper bird, you can see the yellow tip on the bill.

09/22/2026

Always nice to be graced by the largest mammal on the planet…and actually see the fin!

Blue Whale
Lincoln County, OR
Sept 2026

09/21/2026

Marine mammals are always a highlight on any pelagic. On an OPT "scouting trip" aboard the Island Princess cruise ship, this autumn repositioning cruise was in deep water (sometimes as deep as 12,000 ft) most of the time. The weather was mild, but the birds were mostly distant on this trip.
This pod of Northern Right Whale Dolphins were spotted off of Newport, OR in Lincoln County. Sept 2026

07/15/2026

As the summer/fall pelagic season gets underway, I just wanted to highlight the “bread & butter” species of Black-footed Albatross, a species that we have not “missed” in over 20 years.

06/21/2026

OPT Updates!
We at Oregon Pelagic Tours are excited to start our 2026 pelagic season! This year, we are not only offering our normal 8-hour pelagics ot of Newport (8/29, 9/20. 10/11, 12/5) and Garibaldi (9/13, 10/4), but have several special tours planned. All OPT trips have spaces available.

The first of these is a short, 6-hour tour out of Newport on July19th. This tour is ideal for those who still hope to see albatross and other typical seabird species, but don't want to spend a full day on the ocean. We would love to see a few more birders on this trip.

Next up is the All-Women's Pelagic out of Garibaldi on August 16th. This trip is currently full, but we are accepting names for the waitlist, as not all participants have paid, and therefore one or two spots may still open up.

The third special trip is a 10-hour Newport trip on September 27th, which will offer county listers the opportunity to visit Lane County. This trip is a little over half-full and needs more sign-up to be sure to go.

More more information, please visit he Schedule and Reservations pages of the Oregon Pelagic Tours website.

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05/06/2026

Holland America repositioning cruise 🚢 - April 2026 Tim Shelmerdine Ed Corey Leisyka Namitz Russ Namitz

05/05/2026

Some photos from our “birds, w**e and cheese” tour. We started in Corsica, and are in the mountains now. Today was amazing, as we got very good looks at all our Corsican endemics: Corsican Nuthatch, Corsican Finch, Marmora Warbler, Moltoni’s Warbler and while not an endemic, great views of Lammergeier (Bearded Vulture). Amazing food and w**e at lunches and dinners. Sorry, birding friends, no great bird photos.

04/28/2026

Marine mammals as well as pelagic birds are always a highlight on a Holland America "repositioning" cruise off the West Coast (San Diego to Vancouver, BC, April 2026).

Featured below is an adult Pomarine Jaeger and a pod of Dall's Porpoises.