Among Giants

The seabirds must’ve seen what I was seeing and were reveling in the explosion of late season winter rains and consistent fog drip on Channel Islands National Park. I was enjoying the best giant coreopsis bloom I could remember on the southeast end of Santa Cruz Island, mostly from the seat of my kayak.

It was surprising, really. With no rain to speak of last November and December 2024, or January 2025, most wild places experienced drought-like weather conditions. If it were a wet winter, if there was enough moisture, giant coreopsis was typically one of the first wildflowers to bloom, especially out on the islands.

However, nature sometimes works in mysterious ways. In February 2025 there was some rain, and by March there was some more rain. But no way did I think it would be enough for giant coreopsis to begin blooming on Scorpion Rock or anywhere else across the Northern Chain.

Weathered Crags

Scorpion Rock is an important seabird nesting site half a mile east of Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island. California brown pelicans used to nest there but haven’t since the late 1990s. Still, they love roosting there, with many, if not all of them being young pelicans. Once the coreopsis began blooming, the gawky seabirds seemed to gravitate toward the vibrant, yellow blooms, huddling within the high concentration of flowers. Some pelicans even roosted on top of the coreopsis.

Western gulls reacted to the coreopsis the same way. Being a smaller species of seabirds, they could vanish within a “forest” of coreopsis, or just like the pelicans, some gulls enjoyed roosting atop the coreopsis. The combination of the brilliant coreopsis and the staggering seabird numbers was something I’d never witnessed before on Scorpion Rock.

While paddling around the islands for 30 years, the perspective from the water has always been something I’ve appreciated. There were beautiful moments with mating pairs of black oystercatchers on the crumbly crags, colorful coreopsis in background – another first for me. 

I also wanted to be level with the intoxicating blooms and squadrons of seabirds flocking to the fleeting wildflowers. Recently, after leading a kayaking tour, I paddled to a little pocket beach just inside and to the southwest of Scorpion Rock. I brought my trail shoes along and then scrambled up the steep cliffs opposite Scorpion Rock. From there another unique perspective unfolded before me.

Just behind the apex of Scorpion Rock, the mass congregation of seabirds, and the teeming East Santa Barbara Channel were the daunting, striated cliffs of the Topatopa Mountains. Part of the Transverse Ranges, these are mountains that extend in an east-west direction. The proximity of such diverse biomes to one another, with only the 20-mile-wide channel separating them, is a striking juxtaposition.

North Bluff Trail

While on a recent early morning trail run, I happily kept pace with a playful island fox just ahead of me on the North Bluff Trail between Scorpion Anchorage and Potato Harbor. As I trotted along with the largest land predator across the northern Channel Islands, I stopped when it did to forage, mice and invertebrates always on their minds.

Just before the sun rose due east of the Santa Monica Mountains on the coastal mainland, the edge of the sheer cliffs of Santa Cruz burst into a stunning display of island flora. It was the best coreopsis flowering I’ve ever seen along the 250-foot-tall cliffs. 

After the cheeky island fox gave me the slip, I continued my trail run toward Cavern Point to the east. As I followed the narrow, rocky, serpentine-like trail, the diversity of island flora expanded. Flourishing among the giant coreopsis were the creamy colors of island
paintbrush, bushels of golden yarrow, and hardy seaside daisies. 

Once reaching the overlook of Cavern Point, a peregrine falcon called out from the windswept cliffs. Somewhere nearby it lurked, easily concealing itself in the weathered crags. The overlook at Cavern Point almost always looks like a moonscape, but every spring it’s amazing seeing seaside daisies in full bloom sprouting right out of the rock.

While running toward Scorpion Anchorage, Scorpion Rock came into view. From afar, I could already see the tops of the offshore rock outcroppings cloaked in coreopsis, glowing in another epic island sunrise. 

A trail run has always been a great jumpstart to another day on the islands. Despite the lack of moisture, the surprise of an island floral display induced more pace in my stride, but also more pace in my paddling stroke on the water.