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March
Upwelling season begins with persistent northwest winds pushing surface
waters offshore and drawing in cold, deep, nutrient-rich waters to the Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
During early spring, island wildflowers such as the Giant Coreopsis
(Coreopsis gigantea) are in full bloom (March through early April).
Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) migrate north through
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary from calving grounds in Baja California,
Mexico to Alaskan feeding grounds (Mid-February through May).
Pacific Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) pupping season on San
Miguel Island (February through May).
Peak egg-laying season for California Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus
occidentalis californicus) on Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands (March
and April).
Brant Geese (Branta bernicla) stop to rest and feed in the
Channel Islands region on their annual migration between Mexico and Alaska
(March through May).
Western Gulls (Larus occidentalis) begin nesting on the Channel
Islands.
Xantus’s Murrelets (Synthiboramphus hypoleucus) breed
and nest on the Channel Islands (March through July).
Peak spawning season for Grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) on southern
California beaches. Grunion leave the water at night to spawn on the beach
in the spring and summer months two to six nights after the full and new
moons. Spawning begins after high tide and continues for several hours (late
March through early June).
Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) pups are born in early spring
on the Channel Islands (March and April).
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