Join Dave Berry, Mark Mushkat & Chris Henry for a half day big day on closing day. Starting at 7:30am, you will be visiting local birding hot spots to hopefully add new birds to your Festival life list. Birding hotspots will depend on weekend birding reports and also inputs from the group consensus, with a goal of a variety of habitats. Meets at Morro Bay Comm. Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay.
Join a guided kayak tour of Morro Bay for an up-close look at birds in their natural habitat. Possible sightings include White Pelicans, Brant, Common Loons, and a variety of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Along the way, you’ll paddle past the Heron Rookery, Grassy Island oyster farm, expansive mudflats, and winding Back Bay channels.
The tour uses stable double kayaks, and no prior kayaking experience is required. Please dress in layers and follow these guidelines: wear synthetic or wool clothing (avoid cotton), bring a windbreaker jacket, a hat for sun and wind protection, and shoes that can get wet. Note: trips may be canceled due to weather conditions.
Meets at the Morro Bay State Park Marina Kayak Shop. 10 State Park Road, Morro Bay.
Join Bettina Eastman for in-depth bird observation and ID skills enhancement with a walk through El Chorro Regional Park. She will share observations of bird behaviors and characteristics to enhance your ID skills. Field guides will be checked to verify. This trip is aimed at all levels of birders including those who want to teach others how to learn bird ID most effectively. Bring binoculars and a favorite field guide. El Chorro Park is located at State Hwy 1 @ Dairy Creek Rd. Meets in the SLO Botanical Gardens parking lot.
Join Evan Weissman and Phylene Wiggins for a long walk (4 miles round trip), to bird various habitats beginning at a riparian zone, moving through grasslands, past vernal pools, and to the cliffs above the rocky coast. Meets at the Harmony Headlands trailhead parking lot, Hwy 1, 5 miles north of Cayucos, across from the Linn's Pies billboard.
Join Jon Dunn & Reef Comer to explore the hot spots in Los Osos. Expect to find birds in a variety of habitats including coastal scrub, beach, tidal marsh, mudflats, open bay, and willow thickets. Explore 6-8 birding hotspots including Elfin Forest, Audubon Overlook, Back Bay, Sweet Springs, Doris Ave Marsh, and Pecho Willows. Meets at Sweet Springs, 660 Ramona Avenue, Baywood-Los Osos.
Join Rouvaishyana for a walk through the riparian habitat in Montana de Oro State Park to identify and discuss how birds interact with the surrounding plants they are utilizing. 2-3 mile walk. Meets at the Coon Creek Parking Lot in Montana de Oro. From Los Osos, west on Los Osos Valley Road, the road becomes Pecho Valley Road. The Parking Lot is 5.9 miles from Los Osos.
Join Dorian Anderson, Bob Keally & Todd Easterla to bird San Simeon Creek Road. Search for raptors, songbirds and a chance to see one or more of the California Condors released in the area. Meets at Washburn Day Use parking lot, on Hwy 1, 1.8 miles north of last traffic light in Cambria. Right turn into the parking lot with public bathrooms available. Carpools will be arranged.
Join local expert photographer Ben Kolstad & Bob Revel to enjoy a leisurely photography focused boating tour of the bay and estuary in an open-deck 34-foot power catamaran. View a variety of shorebirds and waterfowl, often at close range. The boat will move slowly enough for you to see details of many species that you normally see only through a scope from shore. Good photo opportunities, but no tripods. Dress warmly. Meets at Sub Sea Tours, 699 Embarcadero, #9, Morro Bay.
Join leaders Dale & Jamie Ball for this bird walk around Atascadero Lake which will be approximately one mile long, at a slow to moderate pace, depending on where and how often we are seeing birds. The terrain is gentle, over flat surfaces. Expect to see numerous species in a variety of habitats, with likely sightings of: Red-shouldered Hawk, California Quail, California Scrub-Jay, Woodpeckers and a variety of Waterfowl. Meets at 9100 Morro Road (CA-41) in the parking lot next to the Central Coast Zoo.
Join a guided kayak tour of Morro Bay for an up-close look at birds in their natural habitat. Possible sightings include White Pelicans, Brant, Common Loons, and a variety of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Along the way, you’ll paddle past the Heron Rookery, Grassy Island oyster farm, expansive mudflats, and winding Back Bay channels.
The tour uses stable double kayaks, and no prior kayaking experience is required. Please dress in layers and follow these guidelines: wear synthetic or wool clothing (avoid cotton), bring a windbreaker jacket, a hat for sun and wind protection, and shoes that can get wet. Note: trips may be canceled due to weather conditions.
Meets at the Morro Bay State Park Marina Kayak Shop. 10 State Park Road, Morro Bay.
Jim May Park is an urban park featuring a large fresh water lake. Join Linda Signal & Tony Gayfield for this easy, .65 mile walk around the lake taken at a slow to moderate pace, depending on bird activity and sightings along the way. The route follows gentle terrain over flat surfaces, making it accessible for most participants. Winter brings a number of gulls and geese to the area. A few different species of both have been found on the lake, along with a variety of other waterfowl. American White Pelicans may be present. The White-faced Ibis is an occasional visitor. Likely species would include the Great-tailed Grackle. Jim May Park has one of the largest Great-tailed Grackle colonies in the county. Bathrooms are available, and the trip is open to all levels of experience. This trip is intended for Southern California birders traveling southbound from the festival. Meet at Jim May Park, 809 Stanford Drive, Santa Maria, CA 93454.