Discover the birds of the Tijuana River Valley! Join us as we explore some of the most renowned birding hotspots in the southern part of the county, guided by expert birders. We’ll visit key areas known for their rich variety of species, offering a mix of waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, and passerines. Some exciting sightings from previous trips include Brant, Heermann's Gull, Tri-colored Blackbird and Black-throated Magpie Jay.

This field trip is a bus tour, starting and ending at Marina Village Conference Center. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. Lunch is included with this trip. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

Join us for an overnighter in the Desert! We'll board the bus at Marina Village Conference Center and head for the Salton Sea and Anza-Borrego. Our guides are familiar with the area and can help us get the most out of it, from Burrowing Owls to Sandhill Cranes. Meals and lodging are included.  The trip will conclude in San Diego at Marina Village Conference Center. Includes lodging, meals, transportation and guides. This rate is based on double occupancy. Register for this if you are part of a couple or if you wish to be assigned a roommate.

This trip begins Saturday February 28 at 6 am and returns to Marina Village at approximately 4:00 pm on Sunday March 1. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

Join us for an overnighter in the Desert! We'll board the bus at Marina Village Conference Center and head for the Salton Sea and Anza-Borrego. Our guides are familiar with the area and can help us get the most out of it, from Burrowing Owls to Sandhill Cranes. Meals and lodging are included.  The trip will conclude in San Diego at Marina Village Conference Center. Register for this if you are attending this event alone and do not want to be assigned a roommate.

Includes lodging, meals, transportation and guides. This trip begins Saturday February 28 at 6 am and returns to Marina Village at approximately 4:00 pm on Sunday March 1. Look for Van B in the Parking Lot. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us.

Join us for an action-packed birding adventure across one of the nation's birdiest places—San Diego County! With the goal to spot 100 species (or more) in a single day, this fast-paced field trip is designed to give you the thrill of high-volume birding. From shorebirds to raptors, you’ll be immersed in the excitement of spotting some of the region's most common species, while keeping an eye out for rare surprises. Don’t miss this ultimate birding challenge! This trip is all about volume, pushing you to have your biggest birding day ever.

The adventure begins and ends at Marina Village Conference Center. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. Lunch is included with this trip. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

The adventure begins and ends at Marina Village Conference Center. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. Lunch is included with this trip. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

Join Alex Eisengart at Mission Trails Regional Park for bird photography. The Mission Trails Regional Park includes a series of mountains that lie within the city limits of San Diego. Although they are not as tall as the mountains to their east, Cowles Mountain is the highest point in San Diego. It towers 1,592 feet over the ocean, where it is noticeably cooler than the rest of the city. Out in Mission Trails, you truly feel as if you’re out in the wilderness. Cool convections slide down the mountain slopes, shrub-scrub habitat covers the mountain sides, and birds chirp beside the trail.  Mountains provide amazing backdrops for photography, and shrubs look great as framing in photographs. This is going to be an active workshop. We will be doing a lot of hiking along the trail deep into the thicket, grassland, and canyons. Be ready to take lots of steps! This is a photography workshop! Be prepared to get "down and dirty" when photographing birds. A lot of our subjects are on the ground, so Alex will encourage you to put your camera as close to birds'-eye-level as possible. Alex will help you get the best shot and work with your camera settings.

This is a Meet-you-there field trip. Participants must provide their own transportation.

Join Professional Photographer Krisztina Scheeff / KS Nature Photography for a look at the amazing courtship behaviors of Western and Clark's Grebes...and other species that live on the lakes of North County San Diego. 

What to bring: binoculars, water, snack if you like, camera if you like, and your happy self. Other gear: hat, sunscreen, bug spray (some days there are little tiny flies like to visit the water’s edge). Please wear comfortable shoes, hiking boots are ideal. Walk is on flat paved road with a short walk on sand to the shore, about 2 mile round trip. We will walk slow, birding and taking photos as we go. 

The adventure begins and ends at Marina Village Conference Center. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. Lunch is included with this trip. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

Discover the birds of the Tijuana River Valley! Join us as we explore some of the most renowned birding hotspots in the southern part of the county, guided by expert birders. We’ll visit key areas known for their rich variety of species, offering a mix of waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, and passerines. Some exciting sightings from previous trips include Brant, Heermann's Gull, Tri-colored Blackbird and Black-throated Magpie Jay.

This field trip is a bus tour, starting and ending at Marina Village Conference Center. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. Lunch is included with this trip. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

Join us for an action-packed birding adventure across one of the nation's birdiest places—San Diego County! With the goal to spot 100 species (or more) in a single day, this fast-paced field trip is designed to give you the thrill of high-volume birding. From shorebirds to raptors, you’ll be immersed in the excitement of spotting some of the region's most common species, while keeping an eye out for rare surprises. Don’t miss this ultimate birding challenge! This trip is all about volume, pushing you to have your biggest birding day ever!

The adventure begins and ends at Marina Village Conference Center, with breakfast served before our early morning departure. If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. Lunch is included with this trip. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

San Diego is famous for its pelagic birding, where you can see species not usually visible from land with some of the most knowledgeable pelagic birders around! This trip is great for folks who want to add to their life list, learn more about identifying birds on the open water.

The group will meet in the Starboard room for some important information sharing prior to the trip. The group will then walk approximately 0.25 mile to the Marina, on flat sidewalk, to board the boat.

A behind-the gates look at Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve, operated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in southwestern San Diego County. It sports large, open grasslands provide foraging habitat for abundant and diverse raptor species, coastal sage scrub habitat valuable for numerous sensitive species, and willow-sycamore riparian areas providing nesting habitat and water sources for wildlife.

The adventure begins and ends at Marina Village Conference Center! If you are staying at the Dana, a free shuttle will be available to take you from the hotel to Marina Village from 5:30 am until 7:30 am. Breakfast is available in the Marine Room from 5:30 to 7:30. Please drop by and enjoy some breakfast with us. Lunch is included with this trip. The start time of this trip indicates the time the bus intends to leave. Please plan accordingly.

A Big Sit is a bird monitoring activity where you stay within a circle (marked out on the ground) and try to see the largest number of species of birds possible, without straying from the circle. Sit with us by the San Diego River and try to break last year's record. Drop in as you like! 

All program fees for this event will be donated to the Youth Programs Scholarship.

You must provide your own transportation to and from the meeting place for this trip.

Tecolote Canyon is one of several protected urban canyons in the San Diego area. It was once home to the Kumeyaay people, who named it for the small owls found there. Now managed by the City of San Diego, it features several miles of trails, native plants and wildlife. 

Birds that are here for the entire year include hawks, Anna’s Hummingbird, California Thrasher, House Wren, Wrentit, and both California and Spotted Towhees. 

Expect a moderate walk with some uneven ground, as well as slight uphills. Restrooms are available in the Nature Center.

We will meet in the parking lot for the Tecolote Canyon Nature Center. You must provide your own transportation to and from the meeting place for this trip. 

A discussion and comparison of the major brands of optics that are available, follwed by a slow birding walk where you can try them out. 

Join us for Birding & Biking at Mission Bay, one of San Diego’s most popular and scenic birding locations.
This unique event combines the joy of birdwatching with the fun of cycling, as we explore the lush coastal habitat of Mission Bay on two wheels. Starting at Marina Village, we’ll bike along the network of paths that wind through the bay's diverse ecosystems, from saltwater marshes to mudflats, and open water. Mission Bay is home to a wide variety of bird species, making it a birdwatcher's paradise. Along the ride, you’ll have the opportunity to spot Black-Necked Stilts wading along the shoreline, Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers foraging in the mudflats, and the graceful Snowy Egret and Great Egret hunting for fish in the shallows. As we cycle through the area, look out for large flocks of Californa Gulls and Ring-Billed Gulls that often gather in the open spaces. During migratory seasons, you may also spot Elegant Terns and Forester's Terns skimming across the water or resting on the sandbars. Cormorants and pelicans are frequent visitors to the bay, so keep your eyes peeled for them!  Additionally, Osprey are often seen soaring above, scouting the waters for prey, while Red Tailed Hawks may be spotted perched high on nearby trees or gliding over the bay.
Whether you’re an avid cyclist or a beginner, this event offers a perfect blend of birdwatching and outdoor adventure. So, bring your binoculars, and your enthusiasm for nature as we enjoy the beauty of Mission Bay and the incredible variety of birdlife it supports.

This field trip includes use of a bicycle and a helmet. If you have your own bike, please sign up for the Birding by Bike (BYOBike)

Join us for Birding & Biking at Mission Bay, one of San Diego’s most popular and scenic birding locations.
This unique event combines the joy of birdwatching with the fun of cycling, as we explore the lush coastal habitat of Mission Bay on two wheels. Starting at Marina Village, we’ll bike along the network of paths that wind through the bay's diverse ecosystems, from saltwater marshes to mudflats, and open water. Mission Bay is home to a wide variety of bird species, making it a birdwatcher's paradise. Along the ride, you’ll have the opportunity to spot Black-Necked Stilts wading along the shoreline, Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers foraging in the mudflats, and the graceful Snowy Egret and Great Egret hunting for fish in the shallows. As we cycle through the area, look out for large flocks of Californa Gulls and Ring-Billed Gulls that often gather in the open spaces. During migratory seasons, you may also spot Elegant Terns and Forester's Terns skimming across the water or resting on the sandbars. Cormorants and pelicans are frequent visitors to the bay, so keep your eyes peeled for them!  Additionally, Osprey are often seen soaring above, scouting the waters for prey, while Red Tailed Hawks may be spotted perched high on nearby trees or gliding over the bay.
Whether you’re an avid cyclist or a beginner, this event offers a perfect blend of birdwatching and outdoor adventure. So, bring your binoculars, and your enthusiasm for nature as we enjoy the beauty of Mission Bay and the incredible variety of birdlife it supports.

If you sign up for this version of the field trip, you must bring your own bike and helmet.

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A walk with Opticron's Chip Clouse and the Friends of Famosa Slough for birding and to learn about the extraordinary continuing effort of the local community to save this urban oasis for birds. Famosa Slough is located in the heart of urban San Diego between Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and Ocean Beach. This marine protected area sits within a remnant 30-acre wetland. Famosa Slough, a narrow 12-acre natural channel connecting the San Diego River estuary and the Pacific Ocean, allows tidal salt water to mix with fresh water from the local watershed to form a unique estuarine environment. During high tides, larval marine fish and invertebrates are able to enter the wetland. Calm, protected, brackish water provides habitat for fish, crustaceans, and plants. Because it is a significant feeding and resting site for ducks, herons, terns, and a multitude of shorebirds, birdwatching is popular here. Participants will want to bring binoculars, a hat, sunscreen, water and snacks if you want them. Much of the area is viewable from a flat dirt, accessible area. The dirt paths around parts of the slough are not all easily accessed using wheel chairs or other mobility assisting devices. There are no restroom facilities at the Famosa Slough.

The Slough is located at 4275-4283 West Point Loma Blvd. San Diego 92107. To use GPS, put in just one address (eg. 4275). We will meet on the side walk in front of the viewing area on the south side of West Point Loma BLVD. Park on the street. It is a busy street so cross carefully.

Learn more about Famosa Slough and Friends of Famosa Slough in this KPBS news story.

Experience birds from a completely different point of view: in a tandem kayak! Learn about the ReWilding efforts in Mission Bay. Paddle through calm, serene waters as we explore this beautiful coastal ecosystem. This field trip offers a great opportunity to observe birds from the water, with views into Kendall-Frost Marsh (we are unable to paddle into the marsh) and Fiesta Island. In late February, Mission Bay is a prime spot for birdwatching as it serves as an important stopover for migratory species. Keep an eye out for Pacific Loons and Eared Grebes. You'll see Willets and Long-billed Curlews foraging along the shores. Black-crowned Night Herons and Great Blue Herons perch in trees along the shore, while Osprey hunt from the air above. As we paddle through the tranquil waters, the chances to observe bird behaviors up close are abundant. This field trip is an unforgettable way to connect with nature for beginners and seasoned birders.

You must provide your own transportation to and from the meeting place for this trip.

Join representatives from Swarovski Optik for a walk around Marina Village Conference Center, looking for native birds. They know the birds and will have optics for you to try.

Do you like painting miniatures? Joing Off The Shelf games to paint a miniature bird of your very own. They'll bring all of the materials. You bring your imagination. 

Join fellow bird and board game enthusiasts for a day-long Wingspan tournament at the San Diego Bird Festival! Wingspan is the award-winning board game where players attract birds to their wildlife preserves, each one bringing unique powers and possibilities. From 10 AM to 4 PM, test your strategy skills, enjoy friendly competition, and celebrate the beauty of birds through this award-winning game. All experience levels are welcome—come play, learn, and connect.

Light pollution is threatening wildlife and ecosystems, impacting human health, and blocking our view of the stars. Learn how birds are negatively impacted by artificial light at night, and what you can do to help protect birds migrating on the Pacific Flyway. DarkSky San Diego County and the San Diego Bird Alliance work together to protect the natural night sky for both birds and people.

Discover how Uganda is empowering women in conservation while promoting sustainable tourism in this captivating presentation. Herbert Byaruhanga, Founder and CEO of Bird Uganda Safaris, will highlight Uganda's rich biodiversity, featuring an array of birds, mammals, and breathtaking landscapes. Herbert will also delve into Uganda’s cultural heritage, scenic mountains, and modern infrastructure that make it a premier destination for eco-tourism. 

João Jara will introduce you to the vivid mosaic of Iberian habitats—from the saline flats and reed beds of the Tagus and Sado estuaries, to dry, rolling steppes of Extremadura, and the rocky cliffs of the Mediterranean coast. With nearly forty years of field experience, he describes how each habitat supports its own suite of specialist birds—glossy ibis and flamingos in wetlands, Spanish imperial eagle and Bonelli’s eagle in open woodlands and mountains, sandgrouse and bustards in the grasslands. He weaves in the rhythms of migration, the pressures of conservation, and the importance of protected areas in preserving this rich diversity. Throughout, Jara emphasizes how Portugal and Spain, despite shared bird species, offer striking contrasts in landscape, climate, and conservation challenges, making the Iberian birding experience both rewarding and complex.

It's the festival version of our popular Birding for Beginners class. In this class, we'll explore how birds vary within their species, and how birds and habitat are linked.

Argentina’s vast and varied landscapes are home to an impressive array of ecosystems, that support an extraordinary level of biodiversity. Covering approximately 1.07 million square miles, the country stretches from subtropical rainforests in the north to subpolar regions in the south, encompassing a wide range of habitats and climate zones. This geographic and ecological diversity enables Argentina to host some of the most distinctive wildlife assemblages in the world. A central highlight of Argentina's natural heritage is its bird diversity, with close to 1,000 species recorded within its borders. This lecture offers an imaginary journey through Argentina's main natural habitats to learn about its birds and other wildlife.

Raptor migration, monarch butterflies, endemic birds!  Explore a few of Mexico’s natural treasures and crucial preservation strategies in Veracruz, Michoacán, Oaxaca and beyond.    

With Wayne Klochner

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Belly up to the bar for a selection of wines and beers on tap.

An easy walk to the San Diego River Mouth at low tide. 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. Embark on a scenic birding walk from the Marina Village Conference Center to the San Diego River Mouth, a prime spot for observing coastal and migratory birds, especially during low tide. 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 receding tide. 

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!  

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