Nature Beckoning at Morrow Bay : NATURE: Heron Story

“This is a treasure of Morro Bay,” says Sharon Lovejoy, not pointing to Morro Rock, the giant stone landmark on the central California coast.

Instead, she is gesturing toward a grove of eucalyptus trees that is home to the nests of great blue herons, a magnificent species of graceful wading bird. Until recently, it was the largest such rookery between San Francisco and Mexico.

“We’re in the middle of a change at our heronry, but no one knows for sure why it’s occuring,” Lovejoy told a herd of bird lovers following her on a walk along the Morro Bay estuary.

“There used to be 50 to 60 breeding pair that returned here every year, but this year we only have 15 pair,” she said. The mystery is, no one knows exactly where or why the big birds have gone.

Also peculiar, according to Lovejoy, is that double-crested cormorants, who have been forced by construction projects from their nearby nesting sites, have moved into the heron’s empty nests.

“Blue herons are very territorial, and we didn’t think they’d allow cormorants to share their nests,” said Lovejoy, who is a Morro Bay’s Museum of Natural History docent.

The nature walk with Lovejoy, which began at the museum, ended at the fenced-off perimeter of the Heron Rookery State Reserve, where other volunteers had set up spotting scopes.

There, we could sneak close-up views of the nesting birds. A pair of downy chicks peered over the edge of one nest, while in others the eggs were topped with plump, parent birds. It was a view that was worth the trip.

Now through the end of summer, it is possible to see the fledglings and their parents nesting in the tall trees.

In fact, the Morro Bay area is one of the best places in the state to observe these birds, which stand more than four feet tall and have a wing span of about six feet. Also, we could view other kinds of birds, plus sea and animal life.

Like Lovejoy, docents of the Natural History Assn. of the San Luis Obispo Coast lead a variety of nature walks. In addition, slide or film shows on such topics as the sea otter, Chumash Indians, astronomy and nature photography are offered at the Museum of Natural History in Morro Bay State Park.

At adjacent Montana de Oro State Park, there are outings to sketch or photograph the cliffs, beaches and ocean.

There are also guided walks over the Pismo sand dunes, around Oceano Lagoon, into the Morro Bay mudflats, through the ancient oaks at Los Osos Reserve.

Pick up the monthly list of activities, “Adventures with Nature,” at the 1,900-acre Morro Bay State Park museum and catch a glimpse of dioramas of animal and marine fossils from the area. For information, call (805) 772-2694.

The state park serves as a wildlife refuge and protects one of the most extensive coastal marshlands in California.

In addition to attracting bird-watchers, who have spotted more than 250 species of land, sea and shore birds, the park serves picnickers and campers.

Other attractions include a marina with rental boats for exploring the bay and an 18-hole public golf course.

Also in the park is the narrow Black Mountain Road that winds through the golf course to a lookout that includes Morro Rock, one of nine volcanic outcroppings extending in a row from San Luis Obispo to the ocean.

Ancient coastal landscape also is evident a few miles south in Montana de Oro state park, where 8,000 acres of rugged terrain are being maintained. The land was purchased for a park in 1965 after being used for about 100 years for cattle grazing.

Hiking and camping information is posted near the park office, which overlooks a protected cove, where bootleggers landed illicit liquor during Prohibition.

Not far from the park entrance is a cluster of eucalyptus trees that in the winter fills with migrating monarch butterflies. The trees are marked by a sign to Hazard Canyon, where a meandering half-a-mile trail leads down a creek to the rocky seashore peppered with tidepools, wading birds and wet-suited surfers.

A longer trail begins near the park office and follows the scenic coastal bluffs. In springtime, the hillsides and fields are bright with poppies, mustard and other orange and yellow wildflowers from which the park took its name: Mountain of Gold.

From Montano de Oro, a trail leads north along a finger of park crowned with 80-foot-high sand dunes that separate the bay from the ocean. Chumash Indians left a large shell mound on this natural barrier, which also is accessible from the Morro Bay embarcadero via a six-person launch called the Sand Spit Shuttle.

Morro Bay is home to a commercial fishing fleet, and it is interesting to watch the boats landing their catches along the embarcadero. A dozen or so restaurants line the waterfront and tempt visitors with fresh fish and other seafood.

You can drive out to the base of Morro Rock, which has had its dome shape altered by the blasting of more than 1 million tons of granite for breakwaters and jetties. Quarrying was discontinued in 1968 after the rock was designated a state historic landmark.

Morro Rock is off limits to climbers because it is home to the endangered peregrine falcon. But it is possible to drive along the base of its southern side.

In addition to seeing passing boats, the bay holds sea otters, who like to float on their backs in the kelp beds.

For more information about Morro Bay and a list of lodgings and restaurants, call the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce, toll-free (800) 231-0592.

To reach Morro Bay from Los Angeles, drive north on U.S. 901 to San Luis Obispo and then join California 1 toward the ocean. Take the South Bay Boulevard exit to Morro Bay State Park, or the next exit, Morro Bay Boulevard, and follow Harbor Street to the Embarcadero.

Round trip from Los Angeles to Morro Bay is 440 miles.