MCAS Field Trip - MAR 29 - Shorebirds at Alva Paul and North Point

Semipalmated Plover [photo by Bob Revel]

Morro Coast Audubon Society Presents  

FIELD TRIP:       Shorebirds at Alva Paul and North Point  

DATE:                 Saturday, March 29, 2025  

TIME:                  9:00AM to 11:00AM  

LEADER:            The Revel Team  

Trip is limited to 12 participants - Signups will be taken for 24 hours. Participants will be randomly selected. The remainder will be put on standby status in case of cancellations. Only registered people may attend.

Description: Enjoy a leisurely stroll along Morro Strand to look for remaining shorebirds on the beach. Most Shorebirds will be leaving in April.  We will investigate the pond and outflow of Alva Paul Creek looking for birds that flock to this freshwater source - gulls, terns and others. Then we will continue to the North Point area to look for rock sandpipers. The walk will be on a flat beach with some areas of deep sand. Expect to walk 2 miles at a slow pace. Restrooms are available.

ADA Accessible: No

Experience Level: All Levels Welcome

Registration and RSVP to confirmation Required! 

Registration will open on the morning of MAR 19^th. On that date, MCAS members will automatically receive an ALERT with the LINK to the Field Trip’s Registration Form.

Non-members can also receive ALERTS from MCAS regarding Field Trips, Community Programs, and other MCAS activities. To do so you will need to fill out the MCAS ALERT EMAIL LIST sign up form in the footer of the MCAS website. You can also get MCAS Field Trip alerts, and other SLO county bird sightings, by joining SLOCOBIRDING.

Please consider becoming a member of MCAS to support MCAS’s mission and activities, including Field Trips.

Questions? Email Robbie Revel robbie@morrocoastaudubon.org

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MCAS Field Trip - MEMBERS ONLY - MAR 25 - Habitat: Marina Salt Marsh to Mud Flats

Morro Bay Salt Marsh and Estuary [photo by Faylla Chapman]

Morro Coast Audubon Society Presents                         **MEMBERS ONLY**  

FIELD TRIP:       Habitat: Marina Salt Marsh to Mud Flats  

DATE:                  Tuesday, March 25, 2025  

TIME:                   1:00pm-3:00 pm  

LEADER:            Faylla Chapman   

Trip is limited to 12 participants - Signups will be taken for 24 hours. Participants will be randomly selected. The remainder will be put on standby status in case of cancellations. Only registered people may attend.

Description:

You may have been on the Marina Boardwalk and wondered about all the specialized plants that you see in the estuary. This is your chance to find out more about this unique environment. Join biologist Faylla Chapman to take an in-depth look at the salt marsh and mudflat habitats. You will learn how our estuary was formed, how it is constantly changing and how the native plants here are a resource for our migratory birds as well as humans and marine mammals. We will walk the salt marsh flats and boardwalk trail (flat) for about 1 mile round trip. Restrooms are available.

ADA Accessible: Boardwalk-Yes, Salt Marsh-No (but accommodations made)

Experience Level: All Levels Welcome

Registration and RSVP to confirmation Required! 

Registration will open on the morning of MAR 15^th. On that date, only MCAS members will automatically receive an ALERT with the LINK to the Field Trip’s Registration Form.

Our Member-Only field trips are a bonus for members. So you don’t miss out, JOIN MCAS NOW!

Questions? Email freddy@morrocoastaudubon.org

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MCAS Zoom Community Program - MAR 17 - The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

Juvenile elephant seals on the beach for the annual "fall haul-out" [photo by David Johnson]

MCAS Zoom Community Program

 

DATE:              Monday, March 17th, 2025, 7:00 pm

 

TITLE:              The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

 

PRESENTER:  Dr. David Johnson, California State Park Elephant Seal Docent

 

Join Zoom Meeting Zoom Meeting ID: 930 5096 0736; Passcode: 952231

You can also find the link on the MCAS events calendar on our website https://www.morrocoastaudubon.org/. 

 

All MCAS Zoom Community Programs are free and open to the public. All ages are welcome. No signup/registration required to attend. If you are not already an MCAS member, please consider joining to support our mission and activities, including Community Programs.

  

Description: 

Join David Johnson, California State Park Elephant Seal Docent, to learn all about the elephant seals at Hearst San Simeon State Park. Discover the fascinating life cycle, adaptations, and natural history of these marine mammals and why they come to local beaches.

 

Bio: Dr. David Johnson spent 30 years as an owner and physician at Chiropractic Health Care of Rancho Santa Margarita.  His practice served the community of Rancho Santa Margarita and surrounding areas.  The practice was a family practice diagnosing and treating sports injuries, back and neck pain, sciatica and other musculoskeletal disorders.

 

David has a bachelor of science in Biology, a doctorate of Chiropractic from the Southern California University of Health Sciences and post doctorate education in the treatment of automobile injuries and sports injuries.

 

He has a love for the ocean that has continued since he was a child growing up in Orange County, CA body surfing and snorkeling.  As an adult he became a certified PADI Open Water Diver and continued his education with Advanced Open Water certification and as a certified Rescue Diver. He and his wife travel all over the world scuba diving. He estimates that he has spent greater than 30 full days underwater!  

 

David Johnson has volunteered at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA  as a professional diver for 10 years where he engaged in activities such as hand feeding the animals (yes even a few sharks), keeping the exhibits clean and educating the public by speaking from underwater during the diver shows.  When he retired and moved up to San Luis Obispo in 2022, he found the Friends of the Elephant Seals and decided that would be a great way to spend his volunteer time as an extension of his love for the ocean.

 

If you have questions, email Wendy McKeown, Community Programs Chair: CommPrograms@morrocoastaudubon.org

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MCAS Field Trip - MEMBERS ONLY - MAR 20 - Snowy Plovers on the Strand

Snowy and Semi-palmated Plovers rest in the stone and wrack deposit,
blending into their surroundings. [photo by Sharon Iranpour]

Morro Coast Audubon Society Presents                          **MEMBERS ONLY**  

FIELD TRIP:       Snowy Plovers on the Strand 

DATE:                  Thursday, March 20, 2025  

TIME:                   10:00am to 12:00 noon  

LEADER:            Sharon Iranpour  

Trip is limited to 12 participants - Signups will be taken for 24 hours. Participants will be randomly selected. The remainder will be put on standby status in case of cancellations. Only registered people may attend.

Description: After a presentation about the life of this endangered bird and its regular flock mates, the semi-palmated plovers and sanderlings, we’ll walk onto the beach. We’ll look at where they forage and what they eat, both at the water's edge and in dry wrack. We’ll walk to where they are expected to be, nearly invisible in stones and drift, and examine their resting and nesting sites. Shorebirds and gulls will most likely be encountered. Approximately ¾ mile round trip on both hard packed and soft drifted sand. Restrooms are available.

ADA Accessible: No

Experience Level: All Levels Welcome

Registration and RSVP to confirmation Required! 

Registration will open on the morning of Mar 10^th. On that date, MCAS members will automatically receive an ALERT with the LINK to the Field Trip’s Registration Form.

Our Member-Only field trips are a bonus for members. So you don’t miss out, JOIN MCAS NOW!

Questions? Email Robbie Revel robbie@morrocoastaudubon.org

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MCAS Field Trip - MAR 16 - Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

Ocean View from Fiscalini Ranch Trail [photo by Joanne Aasen]

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

Morro Coast Audubon Society Presents  

FIELD TRIP:              Fiscalini Ranch Preserve 

DATE:                        Sunday, March 16, 2025  

TIME:                         9:00am to 12:00 noon  

LEADER:                   Mark Mushkat  

CO-LEADER:            Michael Mulroy  

FFRP DOCENTS:     Joanne Dean Freemire, Duffy Burns 

Trip is limited to 15 participants - Signups will be taken for 24 hours. Participants will be randomly selected. The remainder will be put on standby status in case of cancellations. Only registered people may attend.

Mark is asking that everyone who wishes to go on a field trip with him to have an eBird account. It is free, easy, and serves a highly important role in global citizen science. EBird data is critical for countless research projects that impact conservation and funding policies around the world. The website also has amazing resources that can help you become a better and more responsible birder. 

 

Your registration requires your eBird user name on the form. Go to ebird.org/home to create your account. 

Description: Join us to explore the Bluff Trail on the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve with docents from both MCAS and FFRP. The emphasis will be on bird life in various habitats: coastal meadows, rocky shore, surf zone and distant ocean. We’ll be looking for migrating land and seabirds as well as local residents like pelicans, scoters, terns, and, if lucky, shearwaters rafting in huge numbers!

Of course there’s always the possibility of good views of marine mammals, especially sea otters. We’ll keep an eye out for whales and dolphins too. Michael is an expert in the field of lichenology, so we’ll likely have the chance to see unusual coastal lichen species as well.

This 3-hour stroll along the Fiscalini Bluff Trail is approximately 2 miles with no elevation. Restrooms are NOT available. 

ADA Accessible: No

Experience Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Registration and RSVP to confirmation Required! 

Registration will open on the morning of MAR 6^th. On that date, MCAS members will automatically receive an ALERT with the LINK to the Field Trip’s Registration Form.

Non-members can also receive ALERTS from MCAS regarding Field Trips, Community Programs, and other MCAS activities. To do so you will need to fill out the MCAS ALERT EMAIL LIST sign up form in the footer of the MCAS website. You can also get MCAS Field Trip alerts, and other SLO county bird sightings, by joining SLOCOBIRDING.

 

Please consider becoming a member of MCAS to support MCAS’s mission and activities, including Field Trips.

Questions? Email Freddy Howell freddy@morrocoastaudubon.org

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MCAS Field Trip - MEMBERS ONLY - MAR 15 - Bay Birding Cruise

Bay Birding Cruise Aboard the Dos Osos [Photo by Robbie Revel]

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

Morro Coast Audubon Society Presents              **MEMBERS ONLY**  

FIELD TRIP:       Bay Birding Cruise  

DATE:                  Saturday, March 15, 2025 

TIME:                   9:00 am - 11:00 am 

LEADERS:          The Revel Team  

Trip is limited to 18 participants - Signups will be taken for 24 hours or until the trip fills. Participants will be randomly selected. Those 18 participants must remit payment ($35) within 6 days of registration to be completely confirmed for the trip. The remainder will be put on standby status in case of cancellations. Details will be provided to the 18 participants selected. Only registered people may attend.

Description: Join the leaders to enjoy a leisurely boating tour of the bay and estuary in the Dos Osos. Cruise the length of the bay to identify a variety of shorebirds, sea ducks, grebes and loons often at close range. Birds will be beginning to show their breeding plumage. The boat will move slowly enough for you to see details of many species that you normally see only through a scope from shore. Good photo opportunities, but no tripods.

Restrooms are available at the landing. Weather conditions may cancel.

ADA Accessible: No

Experience Level: All Levels Welcome

Registration and RSVP to confirmation Required! 

Registration will open on the morning of MAR 5^th. On that date, MCAS members will automatically receive an ALERT with the LINK to the Field Trip’s Registration Form.

Non-members can also receive ALERTS from MCAS regarding Field Trips, Community Programs, and other MCAS activities. To do so you will need to fill out the MCAS ALERT EMAIL LIST sign up form in the footer of the MCAS website. You can also get MCAS Field Trip alerts, and other SLO county bird sightings, by joining SLOCOBIRDING.

Please consider becoming a member of MCAS to support MCAS’s mission and activities, including Field Trips.

Questions? Email Robbie Revel robbie@morrocoastaudubon.org

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MCAS Field Trip - MEMBERS ONLY - MAR 12 - Habitat: Magical Habitats in the Elfin Forest Natural Area

Elfin Forest Trails [courtesy of https://www.elfin-forest.org/index.htm]

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

Morro Coast Audubon Society Presents              **MEMBERS ONLY**  

FIELD TRIP:        Habitat: Magical Habitats in the Elfin Forest Natural Area  

DATE:                  Wednesday, March 12, 2025  

TIME:                   9:30AM-12:00 Noon  

LEADER:            Vicky Johnsen  

CO-LEADER:      Freddy Howell  

Trip is limited to 10 participants - Signups will be taken for 24 hours. Participants will be randomly selected. The remainder will be put on standby status in case of cancellations. Only registered people may attend.

Description: The Elfin Forest Natural Area encompasses multiple habitats: Dune-Scrub, Maritime Chaparral, Manzanita/Oak woodland complex and Riparian + Marsh. Vicky weaves together all of the plants, insects, animals and birds into a tapestry of this unique wild-land area. Along the way there are opportunities to see many different species of land birds. We will also look for shorebirds, ducks, grebes and other wintering migrants from the viewing platforms. Our walk is a loop of about 1 mile on boardwalk with a short sandy access trail. Restrooms are not available.

ADA Accessible: Yes

Experience Level: All Levels Welcome

Registration and RSVP to confirmation Required! 

Registration will open on the morning of MAR 2^nd.On that date, MCAS members will automatically receive an ALERT with the LINK to the Field Trip’s Registration Form.

Non-members can also receive ALERTS from MCAS regarding Field Trips, Community Programs, and other MCAS activities. To do so you will need to fill out the MCAS ALERT EMAIL LIST sign up form in the footer of the MCAS website. You can also get MCAS Field Trip alerts, and other SLO county bird sightings, by joining SLOCOBIRDING.

Please consider becoming a member of MCAS to support MCAS’s mission and activities, including Field Trips.

Questions? Email Freddy Howell freddy@morrocoastaudubon.org

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MCAS Field Trip - MAR 11 - Montaña de Oro, Bluff Trail and Campground

Terrain Along MDO Coast [photo by Bob Revel]

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

Morro Coast Audubon Society Presents  

FIELD TRIP:        Montaña de Oro, Bluff Trail and Campground  

DATE:                  Tuesday, March 11, 2025  

TIME:                   9:00 am - 11:30 am  

LEADERS:           Claudia Freitas and Karen Watts  

Trip is limited to 12 participants - Signups will be taken for 24 hours. Participants will be randomly selected. The remainder will be put on standby status in case of cancellations. Only registered people may attend.

Description: Join Claudia and Karen to explore the multiple habitats of the rugged coastal part of Montana De Oro. The walk will follow the sea-bluffs along the south shore of Spooner’s Cove, through coastal sage scrub and south along the rocky coast looking for rock loving shorebirds, sea ducks and raptors. The walk continues along Islay Creek’s riparian habitat into the pine-studded campgrounds to observe passerines, woodpeckers and birds that call our coastal scrublands home. This is a gentle walk of about 1-2 miles along flat trails and paved road.

ADA Accessible: Yes

Experience Level: All Levels Welcome

Registration and RSVP to confirmation Required!

Registration will open on the morning of MAR 1^st. On that date, MCAS members will automatically receive an ALERT with the LINK to the Field Trip’s Registration Form.

Non-members can also receive ALERTS from MCAS regarding Field Trips, Community Programs, and other MCAS activities. To do so you will need to fill out the MCAS ALERT EMAIL LIST sign up form in the footer of the MCAS website. You can also get MCAS Field Trip alerts, and other SLO county bird sightings, by joining SLOCOBIRDING.

Please consider becoming a member of MCAS to support MCAS’s mission and activities, including Field Trips.

Questions? Email Robbie Revel robbie@morrocoastaudubon.org

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