Buckbrush ceanothus shrubs
Rose Bowker Grove Along Lower Boardwalk
Song Sparrow
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Elfin Forest Activities
By Jean Wheeler
Saturday, February 6
The volunteer work party known as the "Weed Warriors" will meet from 9 a.m. to about noon. Anyone is welcome to join in and help pull obnoxious invading weeds and work on projects to reduce erosion. Wear comfortable sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos, avoiding driveways and mailboxes.
February 20, 9:30 a.m.
Fungus Foray: For our annual Fungus Foray in the Elfin Forest, intrepid leader and fungophile Dennis Sheridan will take us on an exploration of the Elfin Forest floor for wood bluetts, black elfin saddles, earthstars, golden caps, boletes, poisonous amanitas, and many other fascinating fungi. Bring a magnifying lens and, if you have a mystery mushroom in your yard, bring a sample for Dennis to identify. This is not a mushroom collecting walk, as all plants in the Elfin Forest are protected by law. Only a very heavy rain will cancel the walk.
Park at the north end of 15th Street (16th Street for wheelchairs) off Santa Ysabel in Los Osos. Walks begin on the boardwalk at the end of the 15th Street sand path. Wear comfortable shoes, long sleeves, and pants to avoid poison oak and mosquitoes. Please park carefully, avoiding driveways and mailboxes.
Besides docent-led events, visit the Elfin Forest any day: Experience the quiet natural beauty of this small wilderness area. Park at the north end of any street from 11th through 17th streets off Santa Ysabel in Los Osos and take a sand path to the boardwalk or use the wheel-chair accessible boardwalk entrance at 16th Street.
Coming Up in the Elfin Forest
With the early, copious, and well-spaced rains we've had already this season, we are off to a fine start on a wonderful wildflower display this winter and spring. The Elfin Forest is already ablaze everywhere with the white to light lavender spikes of buck brush ceanothus, and the morro manzanitas are covered with their pink and white bells. Red splashes of color are provided by low-growing California peonies with their lush green leaves and the taller fuchsia-flowering gooseberries with their smaller green leaves and sharp thorns.
With the unusually generous water supply and lushly responding vegetation, both our year-around resident birds and those here on winter vacation will be very busy gathering food for either the nesting they are about to engage in here, or for their long flight back to their summer nesting areas to the north.
Look for the spectacular dives of male Anna's hummingbirds nearing the end of their courtship season this month. Busy little birds like Bewick's wrens or bushtits will be flitting around the tops of the bushes. Larger full-time residents like California and Spotted towhees and California thrashers are a little harder to see, darting around mostly within shrubs, but sometimes perching on top of branches. California quail scurry around on the ground.
All of our winter water birds are still here by the thousands at least through February. This includes all ducks and geese, all wading birds, and all grebes listed in our Pocket Guide. American avocets and most sandpipers are also here through March. Enjoy the spring flowers and wonderful birding opportunities in February within the Elfin Forest and on the waters of beautiful Morro Bay National Estuary, as seen from Bush Lupine Point and Siena's View overlooks.
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