2023.07.27 | Bird Walk Planned on Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

Join Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve on Saturday, August 19, from 10 a.m. to noon, to explore the Bluff Trail on the Ranch with two docents from the Morro Coast Audubon Society. Mark Mushkat and Michael Mulroy will lead the walk.

     The emphasis will be on bird life in various habitats: coastal meadows, rocky shore, surf zone, and distant ocean.  Birders will be looking for migrating land and seabirds as well as locals like pelicans, scoters, terns, and with luck, shearwaters rafting in vast numbers.

     Of course, there is always the possibility of good views of marine mammals, especially sea otters.  Those participating will keep an eye out for whales and dolphins, too.  Michael is an expert in the field of lichenology, so participants will have the chance to see unusual coastal lichen species as well.

     This two-hour stroll along the Fiscalini Bluff Trail is approximately two miles long with minimal elevation.  There are no toilet facilities on the Ranch, so be prepared.  The walk is open and free to all by reservation only.  Children are welcome with adult supervision.  No dogs please.  Rain cancels the walk.

     The Saturday, August 5 offering of a bird walk is full, so make your reservation through fiscaliniranchpreserve.org/explore/docent-walks/ while there are spaces left for the August 19 program.

     An upcoming docent walk will explore life along the coast during fall.  This Sunday walk, on September 3, from 10 a.m. to noon, will be led by Gil Eastman and is entitled “September – Best of Times and the Worst of Times?”  While many people might expect plants and animals to slow down as fall approaches, on this walk Gil will share his knowledge of the year-round abundance of life on the Ranch.

Photo by Henery Showell

Article first published in https://cambriaca.org/