Elfin Forest Activities

By Jean Wheeler

When parking near the Elfin Forest while visiting, please avoid blocking driveways or mailboxes.

November 5: Weed Warriors

The volunteer work party will meet from 9 am to about noon.  Anyone is welcome to join in and work on projects to restore vegetation and reduce erosion. Wear comfortable shoes, long pants and sleeves, and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.

November 19:  9:30-11:30 a.m.  Third Saturday Walk

Stewarding the Land:  We've saved a piece of land. Now what do we do with it?  Join Robert Hill, Executive Director of The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, for a walk and talk about acquiring land and then repairing broken landscapes that have suffered years of abuse.  He'll point out several conservation properties that can be seen from the Elfin Forest. Almost all were planned for development in the past.  We'll learn about methods and costs of restoring land once it has been bought and gain a greater appreciation of the work of conservation organizations and individuals who work to save land for future generations. Park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.

Besides docent-led events, visit the Elfin Forest any day to 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

The fall bird migration season is in full swing! A great many birds arrived in August or September and thousands more will appear during November, the peak month for birds migrating through or arriving for their winter vacation here. By the end of the month, the waters of the estuary will seem covered with fleets of ducks, geese, and other water birds as you gaze out from Bush Lupine Point or Siena's View.  

Dabbling Ducks to look for include Mallards, Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, American and Eurasian Wigeons, Northern Shovelers, Teal (Blue-winged, Cinnamon, and Green-winged), and Scaup (Lesser and Greater).  Also try to spot divers, such as Ring-Necked, Canvasback, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, and Ruddy Ducks. Horned, Eared, Pied-billed, Western, and Clark's Grebes will remain until March or April.  About three thousand Brant Geese should arrive this month, some en route farther south and many to spend the winter feeding on eel grass in the bay.  Shorebirds like Sandpipers, Dowitchers, and American Avocets also reach peak populations in winter, with birds arriving from shorelines farther north that won't support them in winter.

The Elfin Forest also plays host to brush or woodland birds migrating through or wintering. Fox, Lincoln's, and Golden-crowned Sparrows join our year-round White-crowned Sparrows until March or April. Ruby-crowned Kinglets also settle in for the winter. American Robins and Hermit Thrushes replace our summer Swainson's Thrushes after those depart southward. Yellow-rumped Warblers peak in winter and Say's Phoebes join their year-round relatives, the Black Phoebe, for a winter visit.

A dawn or dusk walker in the Elfin Forest may be lucky enough to see or more likely hear a wintering Short-eared Owl.  Passing through in small flocks are Cedar Waxwings, Western Tanagers, and Pine Siskins.  And, of course, our year-round birds are still active.  I've seen small groups of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flitting through the bushes with Bushtits in several areas around the boardwalk during each walk I've taken late this October.

Wildflowers are at a minimum at the end of our dry season, but the heavy fogs and misty rains of this October have already greened up the Elfin Forest shrubs and trees for our autumn enjoyment.  Some spots of color remaining from the summer are yellow California poppies and white to lavender wild asters.  The yellow flower heads of mock heather shrubs are mostly replaced by fluffy white hairs attached to the seeds replacing the flowers.  The spectacular winter blooming season is already presaged by early opening flowers on the buck brush (aka California lilac).  And look for buds soon to open on such winter beauties as Morro manzanita and California  peony.

As the holiday season approaches, we can be thankful that dedicated nature lovers have acquired and continually work to protect such valuable and beautiful habitats as the Elfin Forest and Morro Bay National Estuary.

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Photo of Jean by Ron Ascher.
Unless otherwise attributed, all other photos, including the Spotted Towhee banner image, are taken by Jean.