The first of the late-year meteor showers, the Draconids, a small shower of about 10 per hour, may be seen between Oct. 6 and 10 very high in the northern sky. There will be a meteor shower every month until the end of the year, plus a lunar eclipse in early November.
Signs of the changing season continue with the arrival of golden-crowned sparrows. They will spend the winter with us before heading north to Canada and Alaska in spring. The passionflowers are blooming at the thrift store corner and hosting orange Gulf fritillary butterflies. Packrat “cone of sticks” nests are emerging into view near waterways at White House Pool and along Limantour. They are often camouflaged by leaves and shrubs but become visible in winter as leaves drop.
The beaches are shifting. During winter, sand is carried offshore into berms, exposing rock formations and shipwrecks such as the Pomo. Then, during summer, sand is redeposited onshore, making wider beaches and covering formations. This transition is easier to note on Drakes Beach as numerous rock shelves begin to appear.
On the federal Columbus Day holiday of Monday, Oct. 10, park roads and trails and the Bear Valley Visitor Center and lighthouse will be open.