SWEET SPRINGS: Circle of Friends Celebration

Jan Surbey MCing last year's Circle of Friends Celebration

Circle of Friends Donors unite to celebrate on June 2nd!

Everyone is invited to join the MCAS Board in welcoming the 2018 Sweet Springs Circle of Friends donors on Sunday, June 2nd.

The event will begin at 3PM with the groups gathering at the entrance to the Central part of the Preserve on Ramona (across from Morro Shores Mobile Home Park). Then the group will “bird” along the trails through the Preserve, including the East portion.

The recognition of Circle donors will begin about 4PM at the entrance to Central, where the donor kiosks are located. Wine, cider, and light refreshments will accompany the festivities.

Circle donors are those who have donated at least $500 designated to be used at Sweet Springs.  Circle donors are able to choose the wording they wish to appear on their plaque. The Circle of Friends option will continue during the 2019 fund drive.

Read More

FIELD TRIP: Birding By Ear, El Chorro Regional Park, 6/1

FIELD TRIP: Birding by Ear at El Chorro Regional Park
Saturday, June 1st

RSVP Required! Limited to 17 participants**

This will be the third, and final, Birding by Ear field trip this season.

Jessica Griffiths will again lead this field trip. This field trip will focus on bird songs and calls. Jessica will ID all of the bird songs heard, and present helpful tips and mnemonic devices for remembering who sings what.

Bring water, snacks, binoculars and field guides (if you have them) and dress in layers to accommodate changing weather.  Sturdy shoes are recommended as there will be 1-2 miles of slow walking.  Appropriate for ages 12 and up and all levels of birding expertise.

Although the field trip itself is being offered FREE of charge, there is a $5 per vehicle fee to enter the park on weekends this time of year.

**Those interested must reserve a spot by emailing Jan Surbey, MCAS field trip chair, at jan@morrocoastaudubon.org. Jan will send start time and directions to those with reservations.

Read More

FIELD TRIP: Birdwalk in the Watershed

Birdwalk in the Watershed

Friday, May 31, 7:30-9:30 am

or

Saturday, June 1, 7:30-9:30 am

Join Roger Zachary, local Audubon field trip leader, as we walk along the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail section of the Atascadero Mutual Water Company property. We will be birding in mixed oak woodland and riparian woodland along the Salinas River. We should be able to identify approximately 30 species. 

Space is limited. Directions will be sent following registration. 

RSVP HERE or call 805-464-5347. 

Read More

SPECIAL EVENT: Hi Mountain Picnic and Social Event

Milky Way Over Lookout
(photo by Randy Stevenson, July 2017)

Hi Mountain Condor Lookout Picnic & Social Event

Saturday May 4, 2019, 11am – 3pm    

Hi Mountain Lookout, Los Padres National Forest

in San Luis Obispo County.        

                     
The Hi Mountain Lookout Project is a collaboration between Morro Coast Audubon Society, U.S. Forest Service at Los Padres National Forest, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service California Condor Recovery Program, Cal Poly Biological Sciences Department, Ventana Wildlife Society, and Pinnacles National  Park.

Hi Mountain Lookout has been restored as a biological field research station and visitor center. Tour the interpretive visitor center with condor and other local wildlife displays and an extensive collection of local natural history references. Meet and socialize with our staff and community volunteers.  Cal Poly student interns, volunteers, and staff will discuss  ongoing field research projects in the Hi Mountain area, including radio tracking of California Condor movements, vegetation sampling, small mammal live trapping and bat research.

The event includes condor radio tracking demonstrations, native plant/wildflowers identification, birdwatching/bird vocalizations, geographical landmarks and local geology.

Bring a picnic lunch, snacks, and beverages. Families with children are welcome. Dogs must be on a leash at all times.

Note: High clearance vehicles are required – the road is driveable but rough in places with several deep ruts to be navigated over and around. For driving directions and other information go to  www.condorlookout.org.

Visit the Hi Mountain Lookout Facebook page at www.facebook.com/condorlookout/.   RSVP is not required but appreciated - please contact Steve Schubert by e-mail at s_schub1@msn.com.

Read More

EUREKA! THE BIRDS OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY - March 2019

To VIEW, PRINT, or DOWNLOAD Eureka! click READ MORE. Then move cursor over the Eureka! displayed below and click the "Pop-out" icon in the top-right corner.

From the now newly opened window, you can read Eureka! OR use the icons in the top-right corner to PRINT or DOWNLOAD Eureka!.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d2OCh6RP8B9nLJYLH8QzV7OIyfSKAL9d/view?usp=sharing

Read More

COMMUNITY PROGRAM: A Bird in the Hand--Adventures in Bird Banding

A Bird in the Hand: Adventures in Bird Banding

Monday, May 20th 7 pm

SLO Botanical Garden Oak Glen Pavilion in El Chorro Regional Park

Gouldian Finch (Australia)

Jessica Griffiths is an experienced bird bander who has handled nearly 10,000 birds over the course of her career. Join her for an evening of entertaining stories and colorful photos as she recounts her experiences banding birds in Australia, Hungary, and all across California. Learn why bird banding is an important research technique, how scientists safely catch and handle birds of all shapes and sizes, and why it’s not for the faint of heart!

Yellow Warbler (Los Osos)

Jessica Griffiths works as a biological consultant for Althouse and Meade, Inc. in Paso Robles. She has her Masters from Cal Poly, where she studied overwintering monarch habitat selection. She has worked with songbirds for over 20 years. She is also an avid birder and has led many bird walks for MCAS.

All MCAS Community Programs are free and open to the public. As always, all ages are welcome.

Read More

CUESTA COURSE: NEW California Naturalist Program

Cuesta College offers California Naturalist Certification Course. For more info see https://www.cuesta.edu/communityprograms/community-education/nature_science/naturalist.html.

Read More

FIELD TRIP: Birding at SLO Botanical Gardens - May 4th

Spring Audubon Bird Walk

Saturday, May 4, 2019
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
WITH MORRO COAST AUDUBON MEMBERS ERIC WIER & JAY CARROLL

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is pleased to welcome Eric Wier and Jay Carroll of the Morro Coast Audubon Society on Saturday, May 4th from 9 AM to 11 AM for a birding walk for all skill levels. This engaging walk through the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden and the surrounding environs will get you acquainted with the wide variety of feathered friends found in SLO County. We will look for spring birds, with likely sightings of: White-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, California Quail, and California Scrub-jay.

The walk will begin near the purple entrance to the SLO Botanical Garden.  If you have binoculars please bring them; if not, loaners will be available.

Walk is $5 for Garden and Audubon members / $10 non-members. Kids are FREE. Registration is preferred. To RSVP contact education@slobg.org.

A $3 fee is charged for parking by San Luis Obispo County Parks in El Chorro Regional Park April through September on weekends and holidays.

Eric has been birding since his teen years, and has enjoyed searching out birds from arctic Alaska to Costa Rica. Jay’s interest in birds began with shorebird censuses in Elkhorn Slough in the 1970s and later expanded during trips to southeast Alaska, the Galapagos Islands, and Australia.  He has lived on the Central Coast for over 35 years.

Read More