Dear Attendees,

On behalf of the Morro Bay Bird Festival Planning Committee I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for your involvement in this years festival. Thanks to your participation, it was our most successful festival to date!

Thank you for sharing your festival photos via DropEvent. (see slide show below)

With gratitude,
Jeanette

Jeanette Stone
Morro Bay Bird Festival Chairperson

Join us for the 2025 Morro Bay Bird Festival!

Dates to be announced in July, 2024.

Morro Bay is a world-renowned destination for birding, and the Bird Festival is the perfect opportunity to experience all that this beautiful area has to offer. With over 200 events to choose from, there's something for everyone at the festival.

Here's just a sample of what you can do at the festival:

  • Go on guided birding walks and tours
  • Attend presentations by expert birders
  • Take part in workshops on bird identification, photography, and conservation
  • Visit the festival's exhibit hall and learn about local birding organizations
  • Enjoy a variety of social events and activities

The Morro Bay Bird Festival is a great way to learn more about birds, connect with other birders, and enjoy the beauty of the Central Coast.

 

 

Participants photos via DropEvent

REGISTRATIONCHECK-IN
Wednesday3 pm - 6 pm
Thursday7 am - 5 pm6 am - 5 pm
Friday6 am - 5 pm6 am - 5 pm
Saturday6 am - 10 am 12 pm - 5 pm6 am - 5 pm
Sunday6 am - 2 pm6 am - 2 pm
Monday6:45 am - 9:30 amSee Registration Desk

Saturday, January 13, 2024 is Community Family Day. Free fun for the whole family!!

Schedule of events:

TimeLocationActivity
10:00 am - 3:30 pmOutsidePick up Passport to Knowledge at the Welcome Table
10:00 am - 4:00 pmBazaarHi-Mountain Lookout Condor Paper Plane
10:00 am - 4:00 pmBazaarSLO Beaver Brigade
10:00 am - 4:00 pmMultipurpose RoomNature Journaling
10:00 am - 4:00 pmMultipurpose RoomLATO Oak Ambassadors
10:00 am - 4:00 pmMultipurpose RoomOngoing Bird Related Arts & Crafts
10:00 am - 4:00 pmBazaarSea Otter Savvy
10:00 am - 4:00 pmBazaarPiedras Blancas Lighthouse
10:00 am - 4:00 pmBazaarPacific Wildlife Care Animal Ambassador
12:00 pm - 12:45 pmLoungeCurious Critters
1:00 pm - 1:45 pmLoungeCurious Critters
1:00 pm - 3:00 pmMultipurpose RoomOwl Pellet Dissection
Thank You! Morro Coast Audubon for use of several taxidermy specimens (as well as feathers, bones, and Snowy Plover displays) and Miner's Hardware for popcorn bag donations!

2024 Bird Festival Bazaar

The following businesses and environmental groups are participating in the 2024 Bird Festival Bazaar.

Hours - The Bazaar is open to the public (except for the Friday opening reception):

Friday: 12 pm to 4:30 pm,
(reception 5 pm to 6:30 pm is closed to public)

Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm

Sunday: 10 am to 4 pm

Location - Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Ave, Morro Bay

VENDORS
Big Year Coffeehttps://www.bigyearcoffee.comBird-friendly coffee products
Birds by BIJShttps://birdsbybijs.com/Birding Tours
Dick Marshall Wildfowlhttps://www.etsy.com/shop/DickMarshallWildfowlOne of a kind hand carved wildfowl originals
Great Oaks StudioMetal sculptures
Hiromi Gibbs Fine Artwww.hiromigibbs.comOriginal watercolor paintings, prints, and cards
Julia Esdaile Arthttps://juliaesdaileart.com/Art, watercolor/greeting card
Linda NelsonPainting
Nikon Sports Opticshttps://www.nikonusa.comBinoculars and spotting scopes
Opticron LLCwww.opticronusa.comNature and sports optics
Out of this World Opticsoutofthisworldoptics.comBinoculars, spotting scopes
Rainey Day Studioraineydaystudio.comWildlife jewelry
René Reyeshttps://www.etsy.com/shop/reyespaintings/Original bird paintings, cards and prints
Rone Prinzroneprinz.comJewelry & art
Volumes of Pleasure BookshopBooks, clothing & gifts
Zeiss Opticshttps://www.zeiss.com Optics
ORGANIZATIONS
Bureau of Land Managementpiedras-blancas-light-stationLand conservation
Hi-Mountain Lookouthttps://www.condorlookout.org/Condor Lookout Project
Morro Bay Bird Festivalhttps://www.morrobaybirdfestival.orgClothing, hats, pins & books
Morro Coast Audubonhttps://www.morrocoastaudubon.orgBooks, clothing & hats
Pacific Wildlife Carehttps://www.pacificwildlifecare.orgWildlife rescue
Sea Otter Savvyhttps://www.seaottersavvy.orgProtecting sea otters and wildlife-viewing public
SLO Beaver Brigadehttp://www.slobeaverbrigade.com/

Opening Reception

Opening Reception

Opening Festival Reception

Friday, January 12, 2024
5:00 to 6:30pm
Morro Bay Community Center

Enjoy wine and cheese while mingling with fellow birders at the Bird Festival Bazaar. Browse the vendor booths featuring optics, books, music, nature art & photography, woodcarvings, jewelry, educational exhibits, and more! Takes place at the Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay!

Pre-order Shirt Prices

Women's Scoop-necked Short Sleeved Tee$25
Unisex Short Sleeved Tee$25
Unisex Long-sleeved Tee$30
Unisex Hoodie$40

 

Jennifer Ackerman

Jennifer Ackerman

Jennifer Ackerman has been a birdwatcher since the age of seven and has been writing about science and nature for more than three decades.

Her previous book, The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think, was selected as a Best Science Book by NPR’s "Science Friday" and was a finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Her New York Times bestselling book, The Genius of Birds, has been translated into 25 languages and was named one of the best nonfiction books of 2016 by the Wall Street Journal and a Nature Book of the Year by the London Sunday Times.

Ackerman's articles and essays have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and many other publications. She is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in Nonfiction, a Bunting Fellowship, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

John Muir Law

John Muir Laws

John (Jack) Muir Laws is a scientist, educator, and author, who helps people forge a deeper and more personal connection with nature through keeping illustrated nature journals and understanding science. His work intersects science, art, and mindfulness.

Trained as a wildlife biologist and an associate of the California Academy of Sciences, he observes the world with rigorous attention. He looks for mysteries, plays with ideas, and seeks connections in all he sees. Attention, observation, curiosity, and creative thinking are not gifts, but skills that grow with training and deliberate practice. As an educator and author, Jack teaches techniques and supports routines that develop these skills to make them a part of everyday life.

Jon Dunn

Jon Dunn

Jon's interest in birds developed from the age of eight when he became absorbed with the Hooded Orioles in his yard in the L.A. area in 1962.

He has written extensively about birds since the 1970's, often with his colleague, Kimball Garrett. Together they wrote Birds of Southern California, Status and Distribution (1981) and Warblers (1997). Jon also worked extensively with Jonathan Alderfer and together co-authored the Birds of North America by the National Geographic Society up through the 7th edition (2017) and Birding Essentials (2007) and co-edited the three editions of the Complete Birds of North America by National Geographic.

Jon has served on various committees, notably the California Bird Records Committee (30 years), the ABA Checklist Committee and the Committee on Taxonomy and Nomenclature of the AOS (2000 to present). Beyond birds Jon has an interest in history and the music and poetry of Leonard Cohen.

Check out our 2024 Pre-festival Zoom Cast Presentation:

Join Dave Keeling on a journey - Discovering the birds of the Morro Bay Bird Festival

Birding Adventure in the Himalayan Kingdoms of Nepal, Sikkim & Bhutan with Jim Bland

Dying Trees as a Natural Resource with Gillian Martin

Past Presentations:

2022 (Flying by the seat of our pants) 

PresenterTitle of PresentationVideo Link
Mark MushkatBecoming a Better Birder - 45 tips in 45 minutes 45 tips in 45 minutes
Jessica GriffithsWhy Birds Flock Why Birds Flock
Kelly VandenhevelPWC Meet the RaptorsPWC and Meet the Raptor
Sarah KillingsworthAdvanced Bird Photography 1 & 2Advanced Photography
Steve BeissingerConserving the Black Rail Black Rail
Steve SchubertPeregrine Falcons of Morro Rock Peregrine Falcon
Brian SullivanCornell on the Cutting Edge of Bird Science Cutting Edge of Bird Science
John Muir LawsThe 7 Habits of Successful Happy Birders 1 & 27 Habits - Successful Happy Birders
Chris CameronHuman/Raptor Interactions through the Centuries Human and Raptor Interactions
John Muir LawsKeeping a Birders' Field Journal Bird Journal
Norm PillsburyBird Recording Bird Recordings
Tom & Peggy BurhennOwl Boxes - Why and How? Building and Info Owl Boxes
Benjamin Jacobs-SchwartzSea to Summit and Feathers to Flight - The Marvelous Hummingbird Part 1: Sea to Summit & World Tropics - Part 2: Feathers to Flight
Bob RevelBobolink - the New Way to Run a Bird Festival Bobolink
Kara HagedornSunshine's Story (red-tailed hawk) Sunshine's Story
Jessica GriffithsBirding by EarBirding by Ear
Steve SchubertCondor Recovery Program Condor Recovery Program
Mary WhitfieldMOTUS - Science is tracking birds and bats The Science of Tracking Birds and Bats
John Muir LawsBird Drawing Basics - Fast Sketching Bird Sketching, Parts 1 & 2
Heather HayesTracking the Long Billed Curlew Tracking the Long-billed Curlew
Claudia FreitasShorebirds Shorebirds