Every month Elkhorn Slough Reserve volunteers have the opportunity to go kayaking with an experienced docent. So for the first time ever I went kayaking! It took me a while to get used to the paddling and learning how to steer the kayak. I even accidentally drifted to Read more…
This past Sunday we had our IMBD celebration at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve. This day consisted of crafts, games, and we had the benthic invertebrate microscope lab open for the public. Since our IMBD event coincided with Mother’s Day, our craft of choice was personalizing nature-themed Mother’s Day cards. We Read more…
This past Saturday we had our International Migratory Bird Day Event at the Watsonville Nature Center in Watsonville, CA. We had a few different activities for our guests, including a bird walk led by one of the Watsonville Nature Center staff members. The activity that I was leading was a Read more…
This past weekend was the annual Dia De Los Niños and Earth Day Celebration in Watsonville, CA at Ramsay Park. Daniel and I went along with Elkhorn Slough Reserve staff member (and former EFTA intern) Hugo Ceja to do some outreach at the event. This event is Read more…
Something great has happened at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve recently: Great Horned Owl chicks have arrived! Although it is not typical for Great Horned Owls to use nest boxes, they have broken this tradition at the reserve. These owl nest boxes are typically put up for Barn Owls. Coincidentally, both Read more…
After several weeks of monitoring my nest boxes I finally got to see some chick action. It definitely made hiking through the poison oak and spiney milk thistles worth it. As I approached my nest box I knew there was a possibility that the chicks had hatched so I Read more…
Aside from doing shorebird surveys at the Elkhorn Slough I have also been volunteering with their long-term nest box monitoring! I was able to get a couple of really cool woodlots to monitor this season. My favorite part about these woodlots is that I’m able to go off trail—this Read more…
The Black Oystercatcher is such an interesting and unique bird that it is no surprise that several members from the community have asked to join volunteer monitoring efforts along the coast! A lot of volunteers from the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History have stepped up to the plate Read more…