Intro
Osprey are a fish-eating bird. So, what are they doing at Mono Lake, a naturally fishless hyper-saline lakelocated on the east side of the Sierra Nevada in California? And what is the connection to the Morro Coast Audubon Society? Find out as Lisa Fields shares her passion for Osprey, and this population in particular. She will speak about general Osprey ecology, describe the Mono Lake ecosystem, share details about the Osprey nesting at Mono Lake, and what research and citizen science has revealed about unexpected movements.
Bio
Lisa Fields worked for California State Parks for over 20 years, including 11 years in the Sierra Nevada. She initiated the Osprey nest monitoring program at Mono Lake in 2004 as part of her work and has continued to be involved as a volunteer as her career took her elsewhere. Lisa’s passion is raptor management, particularly the Osprey at Mono Lake. She currently works for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in the North Central Region, based out of Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Enjoy a morning stroll along the Boardwalk with MCAS Field Trip leaders Robbie and Bob Revel to identify wintering shorebirds and migrants, sea ducks and grebes, and the land birds occupying the coastal sage scrub habitat. We are likely to see 30 - 40 species within our short walk of about one mile on level terrain. All levels of birders are welcome.
RSVP and Full COVID Vaccination Required! Trip is limited to 12 participants.
To participate: you must email Robbie Revel, Field trip committee, at Robbie@morrocoastaudubon.org to request and receive a confirmed reservation for this field trip. Exact meeting time and location will be given to those with confirmed reservations.
Bring binoculars and field guide; Hats and sunscreen are suggested along with dressing for cool and windy conditions. Restrooms are available. Rain cancels.
FT Contact: robbie@morrocoastaudubon.org
MCAS Field Trip – Atascadero Lake
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Join leaders Jeanette Stone and Freddy Howell for this bird walk around Atascadero Lake which will be approximately one mile long, at a slow to moderate pace, depending on where and how often we’re seeing birds. The terrain is gentle, over flat surfaces. Best suited for beginners and families are welcome, but all experience levels welcome. Expect to see numerous species in a variety of habitats, with likely sightings of: Red-shouldered Hawk, California Quail, California Scrub-Jay, Woodpeckers and a variety of Waterfowl.
RSVP and Full COVID Vaccination Required! Trip is limited to 12 participants.
To participate: you must email Freddy Howell, MCAS field trips coordinator, at Freddy@morrocoastaudubon.org to request and receive a confirmed reservation for this field trip. Exact meeting time and location will be given to those with confirmed reservations.
Bring hat, sunscreen, water and binoculars if you have them. Jeanette and Freddy will have some binoculars to lend to participants not having their own. Restrooms are available. Rain cancels.
FT Contact: freddy@morrocoastaudubon.org
[photo courtesy of https://www.visitatascadero.com/things-to-do/atascadero-parks/]
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| Feeding Frenzy - Morro Bay Estuary - Photo by Steve Schubert |
Saturday, November 13th, 9:00-10:30am
Register online here: Cuesta.
Instructor: Steve Schubert
Identify many of the migratory, over-wintering, nesting, and year-long resident bird species that occupy the many diverse habitats here on the Central Coast. Practice bird watching skills that rely on observing characteristic field marks, bird behavior, and the acquired skill of ‘birding by ear’.
Participants will observe and identify passerine (perching) birds, shorebirds such as sandpipers and plovers, waterbirds such as ducks, geese, loons, grebes, gulls, pelicans and cormorants, long-legged waders such as herons and egrets, and birds of prey, including the famous locally nesting peregrine falcons at Morro Rock and sightings of fish-hunting osprey over the bay. The annual Morro Bay Christmas Bird Count ranks among the highest counts in North America for the numbers of bird species found within a 15-mile diameter count circle, and the annual Big Sit birding survey overlooking Morro Bay from the Elfin Forest is also nationally renowned.
Take a virtual field trip to Morro Bay estuary and its 48,000 acre watershed. Morro Bay's coastal salt marsh, mudflats, estuary, beach, dunes, and associated upland watershed are recognized as vital feeding and resting habitats for thousands of birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, arriving and departing from as far away as the arctic tundra to the north and the Neotropical rainforests to the south. Make stops at several of the publically accessible and popular birding locations along the perimeter of the bay, including Morro Rock, the Heron Rookery, State Park Marina, the Elfin Forest boardwalk and Audubon Overlook in Baywood Park, and the Sweet Springs Nature Preserve in Los Osos.
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| Photos by Herb Elliot |
A “celebrity bird,” called a Golden-winged Warbler, has recently visited Meadow Park in San Luis Obispo. What makes a mega rarity is usually the fact that it occurs in an area where it is completely unexpected. Such is the case with this beautiful male Golden-winged Warbler. This bird breeds in eastern United States and winters in Central America and northern South America (range map below). Local birders, and some visiting from throughout California, were delighted to see this beautiful bird at Meadow Park.
UPDATED: The two prior county records were at Arroyo Grande in 1994 and at the Islay Creek Campground, Montana de Oro State Park, in 2006.
And, here's the happy group on October 6th, 2021.
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| Photo by Joanne Aasen The range map below for the Golden-winged Warbler was taken from birdsoftheworld.org (a subscription website of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology). Non-subscription website is https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-winged_Warbler/maps-range. |
