Exploring for wildlife is one the most popular activities on the central California coast, offering an abundance of animals to see from ocean life to forest creatures, humpback whales, dolphins, elephant seals, monarch butterflies, pelicans, peregrine falcons, and snowy plovers can all be seen regularly when exploring natural life in SLO County and Pismo Beach. Here are some of the interesting places to visit and see these amazing animals in their wild habitat:
Monarch Butterfly Grove, Pismo Beach: Located right in Pismo Beach, the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove generally has one of the largest overwintering western monarch populations. Monarchs seek places with ideal microclimates for their winter habitat. They require a sheltered area buffered from cold temperatures, storm, and wind. The coastal environment along Central California and specifically along the coast at Pismo Beach provides the perfect microclimate for the western monarch to rest during the winter months. At the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, the tall eucalyptus and Monterey cypress trees provide the shelter and canopy for thermal stability. Although cool temperatures are needed to slow the use of stored energy reserves, monarchs cannot survive long periods of freezing temperatures. Unusually warm temperatures trigger a search for food and mates. Adjacent to the grove of trees is a natural garden with native flowering plants that provide nectar for the adult butterflies. Unfortunately, the remarkable monarch butterfly and its annual migration is threatened. The loss of coastal overwintering sites, the loss of milkweed along the migration corridors, extreme weather events, drought and climate change are all factors that negatively impact the eastern and western monarch populations. University-based studies are helping scientists understand more about the behavior and life patterns of these fascinating creatures.
Avila Beach Whale Watching: Avila Beach Whale Watching has been providing safe, educational boating adventures on San Luis Bay since 2012, and in that time, they have taken over 26,000 guests out to see the whales and other animals that live in the Pacific waters off the central coast. Their small tours are unique in that they only take six passengers at a time, which ensures that everyone can enjoy an unobstructed view of the whales and other wildlife that they encounter on their adventure out to sea. They also have the advantage of being able to move quickly to a new location if they see something exciting going on, getting guests up close and personal to these majestic animals of the ocean. An abundance of wildlife with daily sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals and a variety of sea birds on their whale-watching trips is very common. San Luis Bay really is a hidden gem on the central coast of California and one of the premiere places to see whales on the west coast, year-round.
Bird Watching in the Pismo Preserve by The Land Conservancy, Pismo Beach: Pismo Beach and the Central Coast area are premier destinations for bird life, home to diverse coastal and migratory species. Prime local spots include Dinosaur Caves Park and Seabird Rock, perfect for spotting pelicans, cormorants, and gulls. For diverse birding trails, check out the Pismo Preserve. At 880 acres, the Pismo Preserve offers truly exceptional and diverse recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Visitors will enjoy over 11 miles of trail traversing serene oak woodlands and coastal ridgelines with stunning panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean stretching from the Irish Hills to Point Sal. Guests can hike, mountain bike, equestrian riding and trail run with the dogs on this impressive set of trails good for all levels of enthusiasts. The Land Conservancy has transformed an 880-acre private ranch above Pismo Beach into a public preserve for outdoor recreation and community enjoyment and now bird lovers can gather here spy some of the coastal species including peregrine falcons sweeping over the hills and perched in the rock that sits right between the north and south bound lanes of Highway 101 right by the SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel.
Pelican Migration at Pelican Point: While Pismo Beach lacks a nesting colony, it is a premier stopover along the Pacific Flyway for flocks of California Brown Pelicans. You can see large flocks of non-breeding and migrating pelicans year-round, often in colorful breeding plumage between January and October on the bluffs and rocks along Pismo Beach, Avila Beach and Morro Bay. Popular local spots to view them foraging and resting include the Pismo Beach Pier and the surrounding coastal bluffs, including the oceanfront gazebo at Inn at the Cove. The only breeding colonies for the California Brown Pelican in the entire western United States is on West Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands within the Channel Islands National Park. Island Packers tours offers boat excursions out of Ventura and Oxnard where you can not only view the pelican colonies, but you will also catch views of some other wildlife including seals, whales, dolphins and the island fox, only found on the Channel Islands. The boat captains are also educated tour guides offering excellent information throughout the day long tour.
Dunes Center, Guadalupe: The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex is comprised of 18 miles of coastline and is one of the most ecologically significant and largest intact coastal dune ecosystems on Earth. A significant portion of the nearly 22,000 acres is under public management and open for recreation. General information and directions to the local dune access points are available at our Interpretive Center and online. The Dunes Center offers private naturalist led group walks. A private walk with family, friends or co-workers is a perfect choice while on vacation, to celebrate your birthday or anniversary, or to reward your staff. The Dunes Center also provides educational programs for a variety of age ranges and grade levels. Programs can be created for an in-class presentation, community group, youth organization, scouts, day camps and service clubs.