How do you get the most out of your San Diego Bird Festival? This session will set you up for success.
We'll give a nice overview of what's going on in the 2026 San Diego Bird Festival, how to change or add things your schedule if you need to, and what happens in which spaces during the festival. We'll go for a little walk around the grounds so you can find all of the places that you'll be using, and we'll end in the courtyard in time to check in and attend the walk to the San Diego River for shorebird watching at low tide.
Drop in to see our exhibitors from Birding Business! We have two exhibit halls open: The Bayview room and the Dockside room.
The hours are Feb 25 from 3-6, Feb 26 from 1-6, Feb 27 fro 1-6, Feb 28 from 10-6 and March 1 from 10-3.
Bayview exhibitors
| Swarovski Optik |
| Hawke Optics |
| Vortex |
| Kowa |
| Zeiss |
| Land Sea & Sky |
| Opticron |
| Magview Digiscoping |
| KS Nature Photography |
| Holbrook Travel |
| Sabrewing Nature Tours |
| Birds & Nature Tours Portugal |
| Wild Birds Unlimited |
| Sony |
| Hunt's Photo and Video/OM |
| Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge |
| Icaro Birding |
| Rockjumper Worldwide Excursions |
| Neblina Forest |
| Kite Optics |
| Bushnell |
| Canopy Family |
| Valley Nature Center |
| Red Hill Birding |
| Aggressor Adventures LLC |
| Victor Emannuel Nature Tours |
Dockside exhibitors:
| Avian Behavior Conservancy |
| F.M. Roberts Publications |
| Hadco |
| Trogon Tours |
| Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival |
| Beakwings |
| Sigma |
| Beaumont and Port Arthur CVB's |
| Wing and Perch |
| Jackpots Pottery |
| Canyonlands |
| Wild Delight |
| Canon |
| Birdfy |
| PhoneScope |
| Naturalist Journeys |
Belly up to the bar for a selection of wines and beers on tap. The SoCal Bird Nerds will present Bird Trivia. Join us for some fun!
Drop in and witness the birth of a new art work by David Lozeau.
Embark on an easy walk to the San Diego River Mouth, a prime spot for observing coastal and migratory birds. This walk follows sidewalks to the street, crosses Quivira Way and proceeds on dirt paths along the river, stopping for views of shorebirds on the sand bars. The walk, approximately 1 mile round trip, takes you along the water's edge, offering a close-up view of diverse bird species, particularly on the sandbars exposed by the changing tide.
And it's not just birders who can join in the fun. Stop by the Sony booth to participate in their loaner program. Borrow a lens and then see how it works on distant shorebirds. Sony staff will be on hand to join this trip and give expert advice to photographers.
If you have mobility challenges, you can drive over separately and join us at the viewing site at approximately 4:00 pm. The viewing point is in a large dirt parking lot across from the Aquarius Grill on Quivira Way. Look for the big group of people with spotting scopes!
Enjoy some yummy appetizers and finger foods, browse the exhibit halls, and chat with other birders until the keynote program begins.
San Diego Bird Festival Opening Keynote with Jason Hall
Join us as we kick off the 2026 San Diego Bird Festival with Jason Hall, host of the Bird Joy podcast and founder of the In Color Birding Club.
Program
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM Keynote Presentation
Ticket Types:
About the Keynote speaker:
Over the years, Jason Hall has transformed his love of birding into a movement for community and inclusion. He is a son of SoCal (Pasadena) and the adoptedson of Philly. He is the founder of the In Color Birding Club (ICBC), a nonprofit that creates safe, joyful, and welcoming entry points into birding for historically marginalized communities. Through ICBC, Jason and his board work to expand access to nature across the Philadelphia region—partnering with local organizations to host bird outings, sponsor buses for public school field trips, provide classroom supply scholarships for teachers, and organize community food drives. In 2024, Jason teamed up with Dexter Patterson to launch the Bird Joy Podcast, a vibrant space where birders of all backgrounds and experience levels can explore the diverse stories, ideas, and joy that make birding such a powerful connector in our lives. Brought to you by San Diego Bird Alliance.
Parking & Transportation
A display of quilts by local and visiting quilters.