For Further Information
Contact:
Morro Coast Audubon
Society
PO Box
160,
Morro Bay, CA 93443-0160
Morro Coast Rare Bird Alert: 805-528-7182
North Cuesta Audubon Society
Atascadero
805-528-7182
Serving
the communities in southern Monterey and northeastern San Luis
Obispo Counties.
State Park
Campground Reservations:
1-800-444-7275
Atascadero Chamber of
Commerce
6550
El Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422
805-466-2044
Morro Bay
Visitor's Center and Chamber of
Commerce
880 Main Street
Morro Bay , CA
93442
805-772-4467 or 1-800-231-0592 Paso
Robles Chamber of Commerce
1225 Park Street
Paso Robles CA
93446
805-238-0506
San Luis
Obispo Chamber of Commerce
1039 Chorro Street
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401
805-781-2777
Audubon~California (National Audubon Society)
711 University Ave
Sacramento, CA
95825
916-649-7600
The mission of
Audubon~California is to conserve and restore California's
ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats for
the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological
diversity.
San Luis
Obispo County Sites
Be sure to click on any any
highlighted site link below to view a photo album. There will
be more soon!
1. OSO FLACO LAKE
NATURAL AREA See Photo
Album
[Parking, Restrooms, Handicapped
access, Fees] A freshwater lake
surrounded by willows, tules and cattails. A level path leads to a
boardwalk going over the lake and through the sand dunes, ending
short of the ocean's edge.
Location: From Hwy 101 in Santa Maria go west on Hwy.
166 to Hwy 1. Go north to Oso Flaco Rd. and west to Lake parking
lot.
Highlights: Spring/Summer: Least Tern and swallows.
Fall/Winter: scaup,
Gadwall, Ruddy Duck. Year round:
Sora and Green Heron.
Best season: All year, migrants in winter and
spring.
2. OCEANO CAMPGROUND
[Parking,
Restrooms, Handicapped access, Fees, Camping, Interpretive
Center] Large freshwater lagoon
surrounded by nature trail, pine and riparian habitats.
Location:
Exit Hwy 101 south on Halcyon Rd. Go west 2 miles to Cienega (Hwy
1). Turn right on Hwy 1 and bear right when the street name changes
to Front. Continue 1.9 miles and turn left on Pier Ave. to the
campground entrance.
Highlights: Fall & Spring: migrating and vagrant warblers, vireos,
tanagers, nuthatches. Year round: Nuttall's Woodpecker, Hutton's
Vireo and freshwater birds.
Best
season: All year, best early
morning until noon.
3. SWEET SPRINGS NATURE PRESERVE
[Parking,
Handicapped access] 24 acres
with freshwater ponds, cypress and eucalyptus trees, and back bay
viewing access. Owned by Morro Coast Audubon
Society.
Location: From Hwy 101 take the Los Osos Valley Rd.
exit west 12 miles through Los Osos. Turn north (right) on Pine to
Ramona Ave. Turn right. Preserve is on left.
Highlights:
Winter: Many duck and
shorebird species, Widgeon (look for Eurasian), American Avocet,
Greater Yellowlegs, and hundreds of Brant. Monarch butterflies in
eucalyptus. Spring/Summer: Nesting finches, Yellowthroats and
Bushtits, Red-shouldered Hawks and Anna's
Hummingbirds.
Best season: All year. Morning for passerines; mid-tide
for shorebirds and gulls; high tide for ducks.
4. MORRO COAST AUDUBON OVERLOOK
[Parking,
Handicapped access] Covered
viewing platform overlooking the Morro Bay estuary.
Location:
From Los Osos Valley Rd. take South Bay Blvd. to Santa Ysabel
traffic light, turn left to Third St. Turn right to end of street,
turn right onto dirt lane to parking area.
Highlights:
Snowy Egrets, Willets, Marbled Godwits, many duck and shorebird
species, Brant, American Avocet, Greater Yellowlegs, terns, White
Pelicans, gulls, Black Phoebes, Belted Kingfisher. Sora and Virginia
Rail are found in the reeds.
Best
season: August through April.
In winter, four hours after high tide best for duck and shorebird
species.
5. MONTANA DE ORO STATE PARK
[Parking,
Restrooms, Handicapped access, Camping, Interpretive Center,
Fees] Park has a rich diversity
of habitats, including ocean cliffs and shores, tidal pools,
eucalyptus groves, chaparral hillsides and riparian streams. Many
trails are shown on maps available at the Visitor's Center.
Checklists are available.
Location: From Hwy 101 take the Los Osos Valley Rd.
exit west 12 miles through Los Osos. Bear left and continue when
road name changes to Pecho Valley Rd. to park
entrance.
Highlights: 5a, b and c are favorite birding sites in
the Park.
5a.
WEST HAZARD CANYON
TRAIL
[Parking]
Location: Continue 1.7 miles from State Park sign
(entrance) to large unpaved parking area on
right.
Highlights: Wrentits, thrashers, woodpeckers, sparrows,
wrens, hawks, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers. Black and Ruddy Turnstones,
Wandering Tattlers, Whimbrels, Sanderlings, plovers and peeps.
American Pipit (winter).
Best season: All year. Fall, spring for
migrants.
5b. CAMPGROUND
LOOP See Photo
Album
[Parking]
Location: From State Park sign (entrance) travel 2.8
miles to Ranch House Visitor's Center. Bird campground loop and/or
take chaparral trails east of Ranch
House.
Highlights: Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds, Purple
Finches, goldfinches, towhees, sparrows, warblers, thrushes,
woodpeckers, hawks, kinglets, swallows, quail, Chestnut-Backed
Chickadees, Wrentits, California Thrasher, Hutton's Vireos,
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Pacific-Slope Flycatcher.
Best season: Mid-August through April.
5c. BLUFF
TRAIL See Photo
Album
[Parking] A 3-mile
trail along the ocean's edge.
Location:
Parking is .01 miles South of the Ranch
House.
Highlights: Western and Clark's Grebes, scoters,
Brandt's, Double-crested and Pelagic Cormorants, Black
Oystercatchers, Wandering Tattlers, loons and murres. Summer,
nesting Pigeon Guillemots, thousands of Sooty
Shearwaters.
Best season: All year.
6. MORRO BAY STATE PARK
[Parking,
Restrooms, Handicapped access, Fees, Camping, Interpretive
Center] Park includes Morro Bay
estuary, salt marsh, pine, riparian and chaparral habitat. Central
Coast Natural History Museum has checklists available. Heron rookery
a popular attraction.
Location: From Hwy 101 take Hwy 1 west to Los
Osos/South Bay Blvd. exit 0.7 of a mile south to State Park Rd.
(before bridge). Turn right 1 mile to campground entrance. Marina
and museum entrances are less than 0.5 of a mile
further.
Highlights: Year round: Sparrows, kinglets, thrushes,
chickadees, Bushtits, woodpeckers, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Great
Blue Herons, and California Thrasher on Black Mountain. Winter:
Brant, American White Pelican. Fall to Spring: Royal Tern. Fall:
Elegant Tern.
Best season: September through March.
7. MORRO ROCK
[Parking,
Restrooms, Handicapped access] This ancient volcanic plug rises 581 feet
above Morro Bay
harbor.
Location: From Hwy 1 take Main St. exit left (south)
to Beach St. Turn right down the hill to Embarcadero. Turn right to
Coleman Dr. and parking
areas.
Highlights: Breeding Peregrine Falcons; 3 species of
cormorants, 4 species of grebes, 3 species of loons; mergansers,
scoters, ducks, gulls, and Brown Pelicans.
Best
season: October through March,
mornings.
8. MORRO STRAND STATE BEACH
[Parking, Restrooms, Fees, Camping) A sandy ocean beach with low dunes and creek
mouths on both north and south
ends.
Location: Exit Hwy 1 north at Atascadero Rd. (Hwy
41). Turn west to end of road at Morro Creek mouth to walk the beach
north. Exit Hwy 1 north, left at Yerba Buena St. for campground.
Highlights:
Year round: Snowy Plovers, gulls. Fall/Winter: Sanderlings, peeps, Marbled Godwits,
curlews and Whimbrels.
Best season: Year round, best early morning or late
afternoon.
9. SAN SIMEON STATE
PARK See Photo
Album
[Parking, Restrooms, Fees, Camping] Sandy beaches, a freshwater creek, lagoon,
sea cliffs and rocky shores.
Location:
From Morro Bay take Hwy 1 north through Cambria to park entrance
(about 2.5 miles north of the Cambria Winsor stoplight).
Highlights:
Snowy Plovers, Green Heron, Black-Crowned Night Herons, egrets,
gulls (including Mew and Heerman's), teals, mergansers and
cormorants.
Best season: All year.
10. HWY
1 PARKING AREAS and TURNOUTS See Photo
Album
Ocean shoreline
and rocks along roadside.
Location: Continue on Hwy 1 north for 8.5 miles from
San Simeon State Park. After passing Hearst Castle, stop at parking
areas and turnouts along ocean shoreline.
Highlights:
Surfbirds, Black Turnstones, Mew and Heerman's Gulls, Pelagic and
Brandt's Cormorants, Pacific Loon, basking Harbor Seals. Look for
colonies of Elephant Seals.
Best
season: All year.
11. CERRO ALTO
[Parking, Restrooms, Camping-Fees, Fees] Overnight campground with trailhead to Cerro
Alto Peak and its spectacular vista view. Riparian area of
cottonwoods, willows and sycamores surrounded by oak woodland and
chaparral hillsides.
Location: Off Hwy 41, halfway between Morro Bay and
Atascadero. Park at entrance or in parking lot.
Highlights:
Goldfinches, flycatchers, warblers, phoebes, wrens, Bushtit,
woodpeckers, jays, Oak Titmouse, hawks, Turkey Vulture.
Best season: All year; winter for migrating
warblers.
12. ATASCADERO LAKE
[Parking,
Restrooms] City park with zoo,
picnic area and large lake encircled by road and footpath. Birds
found in trees and reed patches around lake. North Cuesta Audubon
has display with pictures and descriptions of local bird species.
Location:
From Hwy 101 take Hwy 41 (Morro Rd.) west to Lago. Turn left into
parking lot.
Highlights: Species listed on display. Egrets, herons
Winter: American White Pelicans and other migratory waterfowl.
Best season: All year, winter and spring for
migrants.
13. WRANGLERETTE/ANZA TRAIL
[Parking]
Beautiful riparian trail from
road end meanders through Salinas River habitat of oak, cottonwood,
willow and sycamore trees. Various side trails lead to the River
(east) and Sewage Ponds (west). River bottom fills with water in winter and
quicksand areas can occur.
Location: From Hwy 101 take Curbaril Rd. east, past
signal light for about 1.5 miles to railroad tracks. Take immediate
right past railroad tracks onto Garbada Rd. Turn left on Tampico,
right on Aragon. Wranglerette area is on left. Park on road. Walk to
end of Aragon where trailhead opens in shrubbery.
Highlights:
Many of the same species seen at Cerro Alto
(11), but including
blackbirds, (Red-winged, Brewer's), kinglets, American Robins,
California Towhees, White-Breasted Nuthatches, House Finches, Purple
Martin, and maybe a Phainopepla.
Best
season: All year, winter for
migrants.
14. SALINAS RIVER AREA, PASO
ROBLES
[Parking] Riparian
habitat in the sandy, dry Salinas riverbed with cottonwood, sycamore
and willow trees, and large shrubs bordering the river bed.
River bed can fill with water in winter.
Location:
From Hwy 101 north take Spring St. exit to Niblick Rd. at signal.
Turn right on Niblick over river, turn left to South River Road.
Turn right and go to Riverbank Lane. Turn right and park at the
small park at end of road. Walk through the park and down into the
river area and hike north under the
bridge.
Highlights: Many of the same species as Cerro Alto
(11) and the
Wranglerette (13) area, also Western Bluebird, Killdeer,
Loggerhead Shrike, California Quail, Great Horned Owl,
White-throated Swift and more.
Best
season: All year, migrants in
winter and spring.
15. BIG SANDY WILDLIFE AREA
[Parking]
Wildlife area is in the sandy
Salinas riverbed. Habitat is the same as found in Paso Robles and
the Atascadero Wranglerette areas. Note: Hunters use the area from October through
March.
Location: From Hwy 101 take Mission St. exit in San
Miguel. Go north to 14th St. Turn right (east). Turn left (north) at
Cross Canyon Rd. after crossing the bridge. Go about 100 yards. Turn
left on Indian Valley Rd. and continue to the second dirt parking
area on the left. There is a trail leading down to the River area.
Drive further up Indian Valley Rd. for additional good birding.
Highlights:
Similar species as other Salinas River sites. Further up Indian
Valley Rd. it is possible to see flocks of Yellow-billed Magpies,
Western Bluebirds, Greater Roadrunner.
Best
season: Fall through
spring.
16. SAN ANTONIO LAKE
[Parking,
Restrooms, Camping, Fees] Large
inland lake, surrounded by rolling grassland hills and dotted with
oak woodland habitat. Camping and boating available. Guided
Eagle Watch Tours are conducted from January through early
March.
Location: From Hwy 101 take the Hwy 46 East/24th St.
exit in Paso Robles. Go west at the signal. (This road becomes
Nacimiento Lake Dr.) Turn left on Interlake Rd. Continue to San
Antonio Rd. Turn right and follow it to the Park entrance. A bird
list is at the visitor's center.
Highlights:
eagles, Osprey, grebes, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant,
mergansers and numerous species of ducks. Spotted Sandpiper, Canada
Goose, White Pelicans.
Best season: Winter and spring.
17. SANTA MARGARITA LAKE
[Parking,
Restrooms, Handicapped access, Fees, Camping] Large inland lake with camping and boating
facilities surrounded by oak woodland habitat.
Location:
From Hwy 101 take Hwy 58 to Santa Margarita. Turn right on Estrada
(Hwy 58), crossing railroad tracks. Estrada turns left, becoming
Pozo Rd. (Hwy 58). When Hwy 58 turns left continue straight on Pozo
Rd. to Lake Rd. and turn left. Lake Rd. Park entrance is at road
end.
Highlights: Many of the same species as Salinas River
and Atascadero Lake areas. Look for Green Herons, Western Bluebirds,
Golden Eagles, migratory waterfowl and wintering Bald Eagles.
Best season: All year, winter and spring for
migrants.
18. UPPER SALINAS RIVER
[Parking,
Restrooms, Fees] This is a nice
riparian habitat surrounded by oak woodland. Marshy wetland area at
river mouth. Dirt trail follows river until it empties into Santa
Margarita Lake. Fork on right follows north shoreline of lake.
Location:
Follow description to Santa Margarita Lake
(17), except
continue on Pozo Rd. to River Rd. and turn left. Go to the Upper
Salinas River Access parking lot on the left and park. Primitive
toilet at parking lot. Note: Parking lot and trail are muddy in wet
weather.
Highlights: Many of the same species listed in all the
above areas. Look for Lark Sparrows and Northern Harriers.
Best season: All year.
19. SHELL CREEK ROAD
[Parking]
This is a paved rural road
surrounded by oak/gray pine woodlands with open grasslands in
between, and a riparian river habitat on one side.
Location:
Follow directions to Santa Margarita Lake
(17) until the
intersection of Pozo Rd. and Hwy 58. Turn left onto Hwy 58 and drive
for about 40 minutes to Shell Creek Rd. and turn left. Drive up
Shell Creek Rd., park and walk along roadside at various locations.
Private property surrounds road.
Highlights:
Woodpeckers, vultures, hawks, sparrows, quail, towhee, finches. A
good area for Lewis' Woodpecker, Western Meadowlark, and Western and
Cassin's Kingbirds.
Best season: All year, winter and spring for
migrants.
20. MACHESNA WILDERNESS
[Parking,
Fees] This is a trail in a Los
Padres Wilderness area, through semi-desert scrub and chaparral
habitat, dotted with junipers, manzanita, oak and pine.
Location:
Follow directions to Shell Creek Rd. but continue on Hwy 58 to Red
Hill Rd. and turn right. Continue past the La Panza campground to
the Machesna Mountain Wilderness sign. Turn right and drive about
1.5 miles up to the Condor Lookout Area and/or continue up the hill
to the wilderness area and trailhead. There are no fees or services.
Four wheel drive is recommended on Machesna
Road.
Highlights: Hawks, jays, hummingbirds, towhees, quails,
woodpeckers, ravens and thrashers are common. Golden Eagles,
Peregrine Falcons and owl species are in the area. Condor lookout is
has an inspiring view of Castle Crags and, if you're lucky, you may
see a California Condor.
Best
season: Fall, winter and
spring.
21. CARRIZO PLAIN
[Parking,
Restrooms] Carrizo Plain is a
natural area open year round. It is semi-desert scrub habitat with
large fields of open grassland, and juniper and piņon pine groves in
the foothills. Soda Lake is in the middle of the preserve and is dry
in summer.
Location: Take Hwy 58 to Soda Lake Rd. and turn right
(south). The Carrizo Plains entrance is about 8 miles away and the
Visitor's Center is another 8 miles beyond that. About a mile past
the entrance is a lookout turnoff with a chemical toilet. Nice view
from the top with a plaque describing habitat and wildlife. Call the
Visitor's Center at 805-475-2131 for hours. Bathrooms at Center are
only open during Center hours. Primitive camping is allowed in
specific sites further on Soda Lake Rd. Note: Many roads are impassable in wet weather.
Highlights:
Year round: Shrikes, Ravens, Horned Larks, Brewer's Blackbirds,
Kestrels, Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks are common.
Occasionally seen are Prairie Falcons, White-tailed Kites, Golden
Eagles, Northern Harriers, owls (Burrowing, Long-eared and
Short-eared), and Mountain Plovers. Winter &
Spring: Sandhill Cranes,
Long-billed Curlews, American Avocets and other shorebirds,
Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks.
Best
season: October through
April.
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