Two ways to tour a birder’s
paradise
Elkhorn Slough
Neil Wiley
I’ve visited Elkhorn Slough several times, kayaking up the slough
from Moss Landing, and hiking the reserve on the ocean side of
Elkhorn Road. And while I enjoyed my previous trips, I never saw so
many birds, or learned so much about the slough’s wildlife as I did
on my February tour with Bruce Elliott and Yohn Gideon.
Bruce is a retired senior biologist supervisor for the California
Department of Fish and Game. One of the country’s leading birders,
he identified the species, sex, and age of birds that I saw only as
fuzzy dots. He then proceeded to explain their evolutionary
development, habits, and preferred environment. He did the same for
seals, sea lions, and otters. Biology is interesting; he made it
fascinating. Watch for his trips available through Cabrillo College
Extension.
The first half of our Elkhorn safari was via a 27-foot pontoon boat
captained by Yohn Gideon, another naturalist with long experience
and expertise with slough wildlife. The boat ride provided close
range viewing of animal life on the water and along the banks of the
estuary. We saw sleepy seals, raucous sea lions, playful otters, and
27 species of waterfowl and migratory shorebirds in the lower
slough.
Then after a morning of motoring through the slough, we drove up to
the visitor’s center on Elkhorn Road. After a tour of the small but
excellent museum and a picnic lunch, we hiked a little over two
miles on the South Marsh Loop Trail. Our hike took us to a fine
viewpoint, down to a barn where we compared the eating habits of
hawks and owls, across a bridge for closer views of waterfowl, then
past a rookery pond and cattail swale. Along the way we spotted many
birds, from tiny kinglets and chickadees to giant egrets and herons.
We saw a lot, but only sampled a fraction of the 2,500 acres of
marsh and tidal flats that host over 400 species of invertebrates,
80 species of fish, and 200 species of birds identified to date.
You should see even more than we did if you visit the slough this
month. April is the best month to see migrating waterfowl and
shorebirds. Be sure to bring your binoculars, a camera, and a bird
guide.
The reserve and visitor center are open Wednesday through Sunday
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call 831-728-2822, or visit
www.elkhornslough.org. For more information about Elkhorn Slough
Safari cruises, call 831-633-5555.
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