Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, CA Videos

Na na na na na na na na Bat Ray. Na na na na na na na Bat Ray, Bat Ray, Bat Ray… Bat Rays, Myliobatis californica, are graceful fish that use their bat-like wings (pectoral fins) to hunt for food along sandy bottoms of bays and estuaries from Oregon to the Sea of Cortez. They feed on small bony fishes, snails, worms, clams, shrimp, crabs, and abalone. They explore the sandy bottom for prey by balancing on their pectoral fins and pumping their body up and down to create large depressions. Once food is found, they plow it out with their heads and crush it with their platelike teeth. Then, they spit out the entire animal and selectively pick out the flesh to eat. Females can grow up to six feet and weigh over 200 pounds. Females are larger and live longer. A bat ray can live up to 35 years of age. The bat ray has a long whip-like tail that has a small dorsal fin near its base and can have up to five venomous spines. While not aggressive, bat rays can inflict a painful wound with their venomous spine. When entering waters that have bat rays it is best to do the “Ray Shuffle”, shuffling your feet through the sand. This movement causes the buried rays to move away. [Video description: Bubbling water sounds while the camera is focused on the sandy ocean ground near Scorpion Cove on Santa Cruz Island. Bat rays swim off in multiple directions and blend well into the sand. Video/Joshua Smith.]

Of the over 500 species of birds that breed in North America, only one, the island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis), occurs on a single island—Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park. The population count in 2009, was estimated to be 1700-2300, which makes it one of the rarest songbird species in the United States. It is the only island-endemic bird species in North America. Compared to its mainland cousin, the California scrub-jay, the island scrub-jay is larger, vibrant blue, and has a distinctive call, making it the most differentiated of all the island endemic birds. The large bill of the island scrub-jay is related to its diet of thick-shelled acorns which they bury, or cache, in the fall and eat months later. They also eat insects, spiders, snakes, lizards, mice, and other birds’ eggs and nestlings. Since the island scrub-jay occurs only on one island that makes it susceptible to any major disaster, a disease outbreak, or widespread land-use changes, any of which could potentially extirpate the species or cause a severe population decline. The island scrub-jay is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. They are incapable of crossing to the mainland. [Video description: Island scrub jay near the ground on a tree branch, pecking at the ground and the tree branch. NPS Video.]

A curious giant black seabass (Stereolepis gigas) checks out some divers from the park's Kelp Forest Monitoring team during a video survey at Webster’s Arch off Santa Barbara Island. Measuring well over 7ft and 700 lbs when fully mature, the giant black seabass is the undisputed ruler of the kelp forest and an important apex predator in this ecosystem. It is the largest bony fish inhabiting the coastal waters of Southern California and was once fished to near extinction in the early 1900s. The species was listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1996 and has since begun to slowly recover. This species is relatively long-lived and slow to mature, with individuals reaching sexual maturity at around 11-13 years of age and living well past their 50s. The species’ long lifespan and mysterious nature make it difficult to get an exact estimate on their population and recovery rates but reports of increased sightings by recreational divers suggest that the species is doing well and will hopefully continue to recover. Getting to observe giant black seabass thriving in their native waters is always an encouraging sight to see and a thrill for many divers visiting the Channel Islands. Video description: Giant black seabass swimming in the ocean with small fish swimming past it. Different angles are shown, some with giant kelp and a scuba diver present. NPS Video/S. Gabara and L. McEligot.

Even the island foxes are happy it’s Friday! 🦊 Ever hear of the saying “sly as a (island) fox?” Don’t let their cuteness fool you. These foxes are adorable, but if you turn your back for a minute, they will get into your food. One way to prevent them from getting into human food is to put it into the free communal fox boxes (animal proof containers). Enjoy the rest of your Friday!

As a fellow conservationist, Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” At Channel Islands National Park (CHIS), this is what we strive to do for every young person who crosses our path or… trail? Today we are celebrating Youth Engagement Day at Channel Islands National Park! CHIS is a place where we encourage students to seek more and where we create the next generation of environmental stewards. We do this in an in-fin-ite number of ways, through education programming that spans from in-classroom visits, virtual distance learning, in person visitor center programs, and island field trips, to answering education letters that come in from all over the country. With every student interaction, we aim to provide knowledge, excitement, inspiration, and lots of fun! Life isn’t always smooth-sailing, so we at Channel Islands National Park take pride in empowering our youth with an awareness and appreciation of the peace, freedom, and unconditional acceptance that can be found in our natural spaces and national parks.�And as we remind all students at the end of a program, “National Parks belong to all.” Today we encourage you to channel your inner child and tell us about your favorite childhood memory in nature. How has nature inspired you to be who you are today? [Video description: A video collage of many students participating in multiple types of education programs including in-classroom visits, virtual distance learning, in person visitor center programs, and island field trips. There are also short video clips of dolphins and orcas swimming in the ocean next to an Island Packers boat]

“I would like to see the baby.” One of the two eggs at the Fraser Point bald eagle nest on Santa Cruz Island has hatched! This video clip is baby’s first meal, freshly caught fish. About the parents: The eagle in the video is adult Female A-49 (Cruz) hatched at the Pelican Harbor nest in 2006 and was the first known chick to naturally hatch on the islands since 1950. Adult Male A-14 (Andor) hatched at the Baby’s Harbor nest in 2017. You can follow this nest on Explore.org or by coming into the visitor center from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Video description: Female bald eagle feeding a freshly born eaglet with a wobbly head. Video credit: Institute for Wildlife Studies and Explore.org.

Love is still in the air at Channel Islands National Park! 🦊💕🦊 Island foxes are generally monogamous (mate for life) and breed only once a year. Pairs are seen together frequently beginning in January, and mating takes place in late February to early March. The gestation period is thought to be similar to the gray fox, which is around 52 days, and pups are born from late April through early May. [Video description: Two island foxes in grass as tall as they are, sitting and grooming each other. NPS video / A. Goeres]

When Ranger Merrill was patrolling the waters around San Miguel Island, he expected to see the usual concentration of elephant seals and sea lions at Point Bennett, an area known for pinniped viewing. However, he was surprised to find still water and silence, which was unusual. Moments later, he discovered the reason when he spotted a huge male orca with a black 5-foot-tall dorsal fin breaking the surface, just off the bow of his ranger boat! Six other orcas, including a calf, also surfaced behind him. No wonder the pinnipeds were nowhere in sight with these apex predators around! Although sightings of orcas around the Channel Islands are rare, they can happen at any time of the year. Fortunately, Ranger Merrill sighted this orca pod off of San Miguel Island and captured it on video. Killer whales, or orcas, live in social groups called pods and tend to stay with the pod they were born in. These pods can range in size from 3 to 20 killer whales. Have you seen orcas in the Santa Barbara channel? [Video description - Orca dorsal fins bobbing in and out of the water with San Miguel Island in the background. Taken on February 17, 2024. Video/NPS-M. McCauley.]

Since time immemorial, the Channel Islands have been treasured by people. For the last 44 years, park employees have had the honor of sharing in the protection and care of the Channel Islands with the partnership of the Chumash tribes and other stakeholders. Join visitors, park rangers, and volunteers in celebrating our 44th birthday! President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation, Public Law 96-199, on March 5, 1980. In order to protect the nationally significant natural, scenic, wildlife, marine, ecological, archeological, cultural, and scientific values of the Channel Islands in the State of California……there is hereby established the Channel Islands National Park. -Public Law 96-199. [NPS Video: Visitors standing in a line on the pier at Scorpion Anchorage, Santa Cruz Island sing in groups and then in unison the “Happy Birthday” song.] [Caption: Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Channel Islands. Happy birthday to you!]

Sway with the kelp - Anacapa Island, California

Rangers and game wardens conducted a joint operation this past weekend aimed at detecting illegal spiny lobster traps placed within the park waters. As one of the game wardens was freediving on one particular illegal trap that they had discovered, he was pleasantly surprised when a green sea turtle swam right by him! You can submit U.S. West Coast turtle sightings to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Information (such as the sea turtle’s location, behavior, and physical features) helps researchers learn more about the occurrence and distribution of sea turtles along the U.S. West Coast. If you find a dead or stranded sea turtle, please get in touch with the West Coast Stranding Hotline at (562) 506-4315. Video description: Green sea turtle swimming near the ocean floor with kelp swaying in the background. Video taken by: Warden Joe Johnson

If you answered the question on our last post with the word "spyhopping" you are correct! Spyhopping is when a whale positions itself vertically or at an angle, with its head and even its eyes rising out of the water. Usually, the whale's eyes will be slightly above or below the water, letting it see whatever is nearby on the surface. This usually happens during a situation, also called a "mugging," where the whale has its attention focused on a boat. Sometimes they will approach and interact with the boat out of what seems like curiosity. Spyhopping is used for many other reasons as well, such as predation or to get closer to the surface to listen for waves breaking. NPS Video/Tim Lopez

Fox vs. Snake Showdown! The Santa Cruz Island gopher snake is found only on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands. Compared to its mainland counterpart, the Pacific gopher snake, which can grow up to 7 feet long, the Santa Cruz Island gopher snake is much smaller, rarely exceeding 3 feet long. When provoked or threatened, the Island gopher snake will elevate and inflate itself to look bigger and sometimes shake its tail back and forth, making a buzzing noise like a rattlesnake. Island gopher snakes might look intimidating, but they are harmless to humans and nonvenomous. [Video description: An island Gopher Snake coils and twists away in response to an antagonizing island fox. NPS Video / K. Bott.]

This #NationalFossilDay, we're doing a deep dive on one of the Channel Islands' most famous extinct animals: the pygmy mammoth! The Channel Islands have never been connected to the mainland. However, during multiple glacial periods over the last several hundred thousand years, sea level was significantly lower than today, and the four northern islands were connected as one large island called Santarosae. Pygmy mammoths likely evolved from 14-foot tall, 20,000-pound Columbian mammoths that swam from the mainland to Santarosae. Once on the island, the population of mammoths increased, and eventually, the food supply became scarce as the island decreased in size due to climatic changes. Those mammoths that were smaller and could survive with less food and water were at an advantage, while large size was no longer needed for predator avoidance and defense. Because mammoth size on the islands does not decrease smoothly over time, multiple researchers have suggested there could have been several immigrations of larger mainland mammoths to the islands, and possibly multiple dwarfing events. The mammoth fossil in this video, named the Larramendy Mammoth after the biologist who discovered it, illustrates this point. Dating to around 13,250 years ago , "Larry" lived close to the mammoth extinction on Santa Rosa Island. However, the Larramendy mammoth is larger than the pygmy mammoth, but smaller than Columbian mammoths. Research led by mammoth expert Dr. Jim Mead of Mammoth Site, Inc. indicates "Larry" was fully-grown at the time of fossilization, around 49 years old. Further research into the fossil record of mammoths on the Channel Islands will hope to shed more light on the timeline of how these unique animals evolved. #NationalFossilDay #Paleontology #ChannelIslands #Mammoths [Video: The camera pans around the fossilized skull of the 'Larramendy mammoth,' resting in a plaster jacket at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History NPS / Reuven Bank]

Sound on 🔊 Today on World Listening Day, let’s take a moment to listen and reflect on the variety of sounds around us, including here at Channel Islands National Park. From crashing waves to sea lions barking, the natural and cultural sounds of the five park islands are protected under the Organic Act. Sounds are an integral part of the park ecosystem, impacting wildlife behavior and visitor experience. Also consider the sounds absent at Channel Islands National Park, including car traffic, construction, and sirens. Want to learn more about soundscapes? Become a Junior Ranger Sounds Explorer! A free booklet is available for download on the National Park Service website or in the Ventura Harbor visitor center. What is your favorite sound at Channel Islands National Park? Clip/NPS #channelislands #nationalpark #findyourpark #discover

World Oceans Day
“Yeah, I’m on a seafood diet. I see food and I eat it.” – This harbor seal, probably Happy World Ocean Day! Did you know that nearly half of Channel Islands National Park is located beneath the surface of the ocean, extending out one nautical mile around each island? Giant kelp forests, seagrass beds, rocky reefs, and submarine canyons in the park are populated with more than 1,000 species of fish, invertebrates, and algae. The islands also provide vital nesting and feeding grounds for more than 90% of the sea birds in Southern California, while dozens of species of marine mammals (including the curious harbor seal depicted in this video) feed, transit, or raise their young in the park. To provide a better understanding of the state of our marine resources and inform management decisions, our park’s Kelp Forest Monitoring Program collects information on the status of the marine life in the park and the marine reserves, while our Rocky Intertidal Monitoring Program collects data on additional marine species found in rocky intertidal habitats. Both programs began in the early 1980s and represent some of the oldest and largest datasets in the National Park Service and the world. What’s your favorite species that calls the waters of Channel Islands National Park home? Let us know in the comments below! #WorldOceanDay #MarineConservation #ChannelIslandsNationalPark #SantaBarbaraChannel #Whales #Seals #FindYourPark [Video Description: A curious harbor seal navigates between strands of giant kelp. NPS / Joshua Smith.]

The Giant Black Sea Bass is a unique species if not for any other reason than its extraordinary size. Its presence in the waters off of California and Baja California has played an important role in the health of the ecosystem in which it lives. With a position at or near the top of the food chain, it provides the balance required for an optimum marine environment. Prior to the 1950’s, this species of bony fish was very common to the near shore waters of Southern California. Due to over-fishing, their population was reduced to critically low levels. Back as far as the late 1970’s, the California Department of Fish and Game made it illegal to spearfish these giants. In 1982, both commercial and sport fishing of Giant Black Sea Bass was banned in California waters. NPS Video/Merrill McCauley and Joshua Smith A Giant Black Sea Bass swims in the clear waters off Anacapa Island landing cove #ChannelIslandsNPS #BlackSeaBass #MPA

#ChannelIslandsNPS is an excellent location to view the Perseids, which peak during mid-August and are considered by many to be the best meteor shower of the year. With very fast and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long "wakes" of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth's atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers (50-100 meteors seen per hour) and occur with warm, summer nighttime weather. The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Perseids originate from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them. Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky. To view this celestial event, look up at the night sky during the pre-dawn hours, though at times it is possible to view meteors from this shower as early as 10 p.m. Photo Dustin Harris. Night sky time lapse at Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. #Perseids#HalfTheParkIsAfterDark

Santa Rosa Island, Black Mountain Trees in Fog
How do you capture the clouds to rebuild a forest? Scientists are doing this very thing on Santa Rosa Island. Today for #FloraFriday, we want your minds to get stuck in the clouds! Prior to European settlement, the high upland ridge of Santa Rosa Island was home to #cloudforests, lush groves of pines and oaks and shrubs, covered in moss and lichens. The larger trees captured fog, funneling this precipitation to the shorter chaparral plants below. In turn, the chaparral plants acted as a nursery, providing shade and shelter to tree seedlings. Cloud forests are unusual habitats, supporting a unique mix of species, some of which are found nowhere else. For example, the island oak (Quercus tomentella) which is found only on the islands off the coast of California, and Baja California, Mexico. These oaks support a host of mosses and lichens and provide habitat for moisture-loving salamanders and insects, as well as many other species that rely on the water they harvest from the fog. Beginning in the 1800s, introduced livestock eventually eliminated 75% of the island’s native vegetation through grazing. Today grazing animals no longer inhabit the island, and in many areas, vegetation has rebounded. However, the cloud forests are still largely barren. Today, #ChannelIslandsNationalPark collaborates with the #USGeologicalSurvey and a team of researchers and volunteers to restore the cloud forests. USGS ecologist Kathryn McEachern leads the effort aiming to rebuild three key components of the cloud forest system: soil, water, and plants. So far, studies have shown early success in retaining soil, capturing water, and growing the shrubby vegetation that helps hold the soil together. To learn about the restoration efforts and view videos about the cloud forest visit: https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/nature/cloud-forest.htm Cloud forest information: Kathryn McEachern, USGS Video: Fog blowing through moss covered Oak trees. Trey Demmond Video sound: strong wind blowing

Whale, hello there!
This Blue Whale was sighted by @islandpackerstours in the Santa Barbara Channel. Did you know that a blue whale heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle and pumps 10 tons of blood through the massive blue whale body? A blue whale aorta (the main blood vessel) alone is large enough for a human to crawl through. To learn more about blue whales visit https://www.nps.gov/chis/learn/nature/blue-whale.htm. Video: Holly Lohuis #channelislandsnationalpark #bluewhale #MarineMonday