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.
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FIELD TRIP: Birding by Ear at San Simeon - May 4th



FIELD TRIP: Birding by Ear at San Simeon
Saturday, May 4th

RSVP Required! Limited to 17 participants**

Jessica Griffiths will again lead this Birding by Ear 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 with some ups and downs along the trail.  Appropriate for ages 12 and up and all levels of birding expertise.

This is a FREE trip; no fees charged.

**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.
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FIELD TRIP: Cerro Alto Campground - April 6th

FIELD TRIP: Cerro Alto Campground
Saturday, April 6th

RSVP Required! Limited to 10 participants**

Join leader Will Knowlton for this morning walk along the road at Cerro Alto Campground. Expected birds would be: Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Cassin's Vireo, Western Wood-Pewee, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Brown Creeper, Purple Finch, and Olive-sided Flycatcher. All ages and experience levels are welcome.

There is a $10 day-use fee. Due to an agreement with the concessionaire, neither National Forest Adventure passes nor National Park public lands passes are accepted in lieu of paying the day-use fees.

**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.



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Charles Paddock Zoo: PARTY FOR THE PLANET - April 13th


Photo Courtesy Charles Paddock Zoo

April 13th, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Join us for a fun filled day to celebrate our wonderful, Planet Earth! The zoo staff will be hosting several conservation partners from around the county, including MCAS, to share their work with our visitors. There will be activities for the kids, a craft station, temporary tattoo's, a meet-and-greet with ambassador animals and more! All included with general admission.
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EUREKA! THE BIRDS OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY - February 2019

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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!.
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MCAS Sends Letter to CA State Parks re: Oso Flaco Plan


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

From the now newly opened window, you can read letter OR use the icons in the top-right corner to PRINT or DOWNLOAD.
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FIELD TRIP: Birding by Ear at Oso Flaco Lake - April 13th


FIELD TRIP: Birding by Ear at Oso Flaco Lake
Saturday, April 13th

 RSVP Required! Limited to 17 participants** 

"Birding by Ear" is back again by popular demand! Join Jessica Griffiths for a bird walk focusing on bird songs and calls. She 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.

This is a FREE trip; no fees charged.

**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.
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MCAS Community Program - APR 15th - Who's Who in the Tidepools - April 15th

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Who's Who in the Tidepools
Presented by Marlin Harms

Monday, April 15th, 7:00 pm
at SLO Botanical Garden Oak Glen Pavilion in El Chorro Regional Park

Join Marlin Harms in a virtual tour of central coast tidepool communities. With intimate photos of many tidepool creatures, he will show who lives at the edge of the ocean and what hides in the nooks and under ledges in local rocky intertidal areas. Emphasizing Montana de Oro and Estero Bluffs State Parks, but also including Cayucos and Morro Strand State Beaches, he will reveal lifestyles of the wet and squishy and some of the hazards that make their lives precarious. From chitons to crabs, and octopus to Okenia, go tidepooling without getting wet, plus tips on how and where to explore it yourself firsthand.

Marlin's attraction to nature began with birds over four decades ago and has spread widely, but especially to wildflowers and tidepool organisms. And for the past 25 years he has used photography and his education in biology to explore much of that nature. While a few of his photos have had a wider distribution, many have been used locally, including by MCAS at Sweet Springs, by the California Native Plant Society for their wildflower guides, and by the Morro Bay National Estuary Program, as well as earlier for numerous local land conservation projects with The Trust for Public Land, the Morro Estuary Greenbelt Alliance, and the American Land Conservancy.

A brief annual membership meeting will precede the program. Agenda includes voting 1) to amend the MCAS by-laws to create a Hi Mountain Lookout standing committee and 2) on the slate of nominees to fulfill the next term as Board members.

Nominees are:

  • President: Judy Neuhauser
  • Past President: Dave Tyra
  • Treasurer: Bart Beckman
  • Membership: Rosalie Valvo
  • Education and Outreach: Kaaren Perry
  • Communications: Joanne Aasen
  • Fund Development: Nancy Foley
  • Hi Mountain Lookout: Steve Schubert
  • Director at Large: Wendy McKeown

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

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FIELD TRIP: Atascadero Lake - April 20th

From: Visit Atascadero
Saturday, April 20th

RSVP Required! Limited to 15 participants**

Join leader Jeanette Stone for this bird walk around Atascadero Lake which will be approximately one mile long and 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, but all experience levels welcome.

Expect to see dozens of species in a variety of habitats, with likely sightings of: Red-shouldered Hawk, California Quail, California Scrub-Jay, woodpecker sp., Western Bluebird, and a variety of waterfowl.

Bring hat, sunscreen, and binoculars if you have them. Jeanette will have some binoculars to loan for participants not having their own.

**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.

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Oso Flaco Lake Needs Your voice!


All Hands On Deck: Oso Flaco Lake Needs Your voice!
Deadline for Public Comments Extended to March 19, 2019

Oso Flaco Lake is one of the premier birding hotspots in San Luis Obispo County. Nearly 300 species of birds use the Oso Flaco Lake Natural Area (OFLNA): as a critical resting and feeding area for migrants stopping over, breeding habitat, or wintering ground.

The Federally Endangered Least Terns nest on the ocean side of the dunes and feed their young along the boardwalk (photo above) that was built by the Nature Conservancy as an environmentally sensitive way to provide public access to this unique area without compromising critical bird habitat.

This peaceful, quiet environment is threatened by a proposed major development by the California State Parks State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA). This project, on 120 acres of prime agricultural land immediately adjacent to the present parking and lake entry, would add:

1) a 225-site campground for both RVs and tents;
2) a staging area for 100-250 off-road-vehicles;
3) a flat race track;
4) a kids' practice track and riding area;
5) a new southern entrance to the SVRA.

An overview of the plan and detailed maps of Oso Flaco Lake
(pgs 11-12) can be found in: INFORMATION PACKET (by State Parks)

Oso Flaco Plan - Concept 2 of 2 (see INFORMATION PACKET for legend)

What YOU can do!
  1. FILL out a COMMENT form at https://oceanodunespwp.com/en/comment-card (This comment form forces you to choose between 2 bad options, but you may make clear in the write-in boxes that you support "No Project" or words of your choice.) 
  2. In addition to the comment card, also email your comments directly to State Parks at  info@OceanoDunesPWP.com. 
  3. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper.
  4. Sign up to receive project updates: https://oceanodunespwp.com/en.
  5. Coastal Commission Contact: Kevin.Kahn@coastal.ca.gov.


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