Jean Wheeler
Elfin Forest 2012 Calendar
Available for purchase at the following locations:
Ace Hardware, 1080 LOVR, Los Osos
Los Osos Chamber, 781 LOVR
Los Osos Fitness, 1076 LOVR
Los Osos Flower Market, 1032 LOVR
Los Osos Rexall & Gifts, 989 LOVR
Sage Ecological Landscapes, 1188 LOVR
Volumes of Pleasure, 1016 LOVR
ASAP Reprographics (495 Morro Bay Blvd, MB
Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main Street
Morro Bay Chamber, 845 Embarcadero, Suite D,
Otter Bay Gifts, 875 Embarcadero Rd
Perry’s Parcel Service, 783 Quintana
Inn at Morro Bay, 60 State Park Rd
SLO Botanic Garden 3450 Dairy Creek Rd, SLO
The Photo Shop 1027 Marsh St.
Benefit of Small Wilderness Area Preservation (SWAP)
P.O. Box 6442, Los Osos, CA 93412-6442, 805-528-0392 |
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Elfin Forest Activities
By Jean Wheeler
When parking near the Elfin Forest while visiting, please avoid blocking driveways or mailboxes.
October 1: 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 reduce erosion. Wear comfortable shoes, long pants and sleeves, and park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.
October 8: 8:30 a.m. Pre-Big Sit! Bird Walk
Join Jim Royer at 8:30 a.m. in a quest to find and identify as many as 60 species of birds along the Elfin Forest boardwalk in a couple of hours. This walk is for those who just enjoy looking at birds as well as for more experienced birders. The following day, observe Jim and a group of dedicated birders with their spotting scopes all day at Bush Lupine Point, identifying bird species from a 17-foot circle as part of the international one-day Big Sit! birding event held every year on the 2nd Sunday in October. Park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.
October 15: 9:30-11:30 a.m. Archaeology Walk
Archaeologist Barry Price will help us to do some time traveling into the pre-Spanish past of Central Coast inhabitants, the Chumash and their ancestors. Walking along the boardwalk, he will tell us of the fascinating story of the ancient peoples who camped on Elfin Forest land 1,000 years or more ago. We will see shells on the sand signifying that long ago, shellfish were an important part of the local Chumash diet. We'll learn about Chumash money, economy and trade. This walk will reveal a complex world of the Elfin Forest's past inhabitants, one that we would never suspect today. Park at the north end of 15th Street in Los Osos.
Noon to 2:30 p.m. Annual Meeting
This year the annual meeting will be held in the demonstration garden at Sage Eco-Garden and Nursery, 1188 Los Osos Valley Road. Our theme is two-fold: (1) Why should we use native plants? and (2) What is the conservation news for Los Osos? Our featured speakers are Sam Bettien, Sage Nursery Manager, and Matt Bjerk, Sage Nursery Assistant Manager. They will talk about the use of native plants to attract birds and butterflies and the plants that are best suited for growing in the Baywood fine sand in Los Osos. Very generously, their nursery will donate 10% of all their sales for the weekend of October 15 and 16 to SWAP. We have also invited spokespeople from the Morro Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP), California Native Plant Society, and Morro Coast Audubon to give brief summaries of their activities in Los Osos. SWAP Chair Ron Rasmussen will join them and talk about SWAP's latest conservation projects in the Elfin Forest.
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 the wheel-chair accessible boardwalk entrance at 16th Street.
Coming Up in the Elfin Forest
Long-billed Curlew
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
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October is the biggest month for arrival of birds in their fall migration—either to remain on our central coast for the winter or to pass through on their way further south to escape winter altogether in tropical climates. Bush Lupine Point and Siena's View along the boardwalk are excellent vantage points to observe year-round waterbirds as well as migrating arrivals. My accompanying photo of many pelicans, egrets, gulls, and ducks was taken from Bush Lupine Point, and the photo of the Long-billed Curlew was taken near sunset from Siena's View. All five species of grebes, all four species of geese, all ten species of dabbling ducks, and at least seven of nine species of diving ducks known to occur in the waters near the Elfin Forest reach or near peak populations for the year by the end of October.
On land, the Elfin Forest itself plays host to brush or woodland birds either migrating through or wintering here. These include several species of sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, Say's Phoebe, Cedar Waxwings, Western Tanagers, and Pine Siskins. And, of course, our year-round resident birds are still flitting, diving, or scratching around among the shrubs, including the pictured Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
Coyote Brush
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For flowers in the Elfin Forest, this is also a major month of change. Summer-flowering shrubs such as mock heather and dune buckwheat are nearly finished for the year while ceanothus (California lilac) and manzanita are just beginning to open for their early winter season of bloom. Coyote brush usually continues to bloom throughout the autumn and California sagebrush is full of buds about to open as I write in late September.
Enjoy a pleasant stroll around the boardwalk. Bid a fond but temporary farewell to flowers closing and birds leaving for the winter. At the same time, joyously welcome the extravagance of wildflowers and extraordinary birding opportunities provided by the mild and sunny winters here on our Central California Coast.
Photo of Jean by Ron Ascher.
Unless otherwise attributed, all other photos, including the Spotted Towhee banner image, are taken by Jean. |
