Elfin Forest Activities

By Jean Wheeler

November 3: 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, avoiding driveways and mailboxes.

Third Saturday Walk
November 17:  9:30-11:30 a.m.  What's Underfoot? Soils!

Have you ever heard the term "Baywood Fine Sand?" It's the name of the predominant soil in Los Osos, as well as in the Elfin Forest. It's what you walk on when the pavement ends because all of Los Osos was once a series of sand dunes. Soil scientist Jim Brownell will describe local soils and talk about how important soils are in determining what plants will grow in them. We'll learn how sandy soil both benefits and stresses plants that grow in Los Osos and the Elfin Forest. This is an excellent walk for gardeners.  Only a heavy rain will cancel this walk.

Coming Up in the Elfin Forest

Rejoice, bird lovers — the fall migration season is upon us again! By the end of this month the estuary from Bush Lupine Point will seem nearly covered with shore and water birds. Dabbling ducks to look for include Mallards, Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, American Wigeons, Northern Shovelers, Teal (Blue-winged, Cinnamon, and Green-winged), and Scaup (Lesser and Greater). Diving ducks to enjoy include 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 or so Brant Geese usually arrive around the end of this month, some en route farther south and many to spend the winter feeding on the eel grass in the bay.  Shorebirds like Sandpipers, Dowitchers, and the American Avocet also reach peak populations in winter, with birds arriving from shorelines farther north that won't support them in winter.

Gnatcatcher

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, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets also settle in for the winter. American Robins and Hermit Thrushes replace our summer Swainson's Thrushes. Yellow-rumped Warblers peak in these months and Say's Phoebe joins its year-round relative, 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. Watch for small groups of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flitting through the bushes with Bushtits.

November can be minimal in colorful flowers, but heavy fogs and perhaps an early rain "green up" the Elfin Forest shrubs and trees for our autumn enjoyment.  It's a good season to admire some of the well over 50 types of lichens that have been identified in the Elfin Forest. The best known is the lace lichen. The yellow flower heads of mock heather shrubs in recent months have been replaced by fluffy white hairs attached to seeds. A few species which normally do continue to show some blossoms in November are California asters (pinkish lavender to white petals and yellow central disks), coyote brush (white male and yellow female flowers), and seaside golden yarrow.  If we have a decent rain or two in late October or very early in November, by the end of the month our spectacular winter blooming season could be presaged by early opening flowers on buck brush (aka California lilac). 

On Thanksgiving weekend, 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.

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