Wednesday/Thursday

Join Bird Festival staff and volunteers Wednesday evening for a free pre-registration mixer at the Festival headquarters.  Light snacks and drinks will be served.  No registration required.

This full-day trip will leave early and arrive in the desert as the sun rises. Likely birding locations include the sand dunes at Old Springs Road, Borrego Palm Canyon, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park visitor's center

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This trip into the Tijuana River Valley along the Mexican border will explore fabled birding hotspots like Dairy Mart Pond, Border Field State Park, Bird and Butterfly Garden, Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and the Imperial Beach Pier.

 

This popular trip is a whirlwind tour of San Diego County's hottest birding spots to list over 100 species.

On this trip you will visit several areas of Lake Hodges followed by a stop at a local winery.

Explore San Diego's scenic Pacific rocky cliffs, rock jetties, and breakwaters to find a wide variety of pelagic and shorebirds.

North San Diego County boasts several important coastal wetlands where you will find a wide range of species and Western specialties.

During the winter season a diverse variety of land and water birds can be observed at such places as South San Diego Bay NWR and the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. Sponsored by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Staff

This trip will visit several of the birdier coastal sites that host a wide variety of waterfowl, herons, shorebirds, gulls, and terns. While we will study all species found, there will be a special emphasis on gulls, including handouts and field discussions covering gull identification, aging, and status in the San Diego region.

Enjoy Southern California birding around Mission Bay by bicycle. The route will begin and end at Marina Village. The terrain is flat and the route is almost entirely on bike/pedestrian pathways.

Birds of prey, or raptors, are one of the most fascinating and mysterious bird groups. This workshop will cover raptor identificaton along with various conservation issues.

This workshop will discuss many aspects of bird and nature digital photography.  Topic include obtaining the images, the different uses of light, exposure and position, Auto Focus, Auto exposure, birds in flight and processing images to obtain the best results and various ways to present and display your images along with database management of your work.

This workshop will cover many facets of pelagic birding from species identification to bird behavior to preparation for the trip. In order to fully enjoy the pelagic trip itself, we'll discuss protocol on board as well as other ways to gain the most from your pelagic experience.

Digiscoping—the marriage of a spotting scope and a digital camera to document wildlife sightings—is the hottest topic in the birding world. Topics of this workshop will include choosing the best camera and scope combination for digiscoping, camera-mounting options, and shooting tips and techniques in the field.  Sponsored by Swarovski Optik.

This workshop will prepare you for a field trip with photography experts on Friday (see F3).This workshop is included as part of the trip but may be taken separately). 

Marcia Van Loy, a Master Garedener, will describe how to grow plants to attract birds and butterflies to your back yard.

Come meet birding expert James Currie, conservation advocate and host of Nikon’s Birding Adventures TV and National Geographic Wild's Aerial Assassins. Compare the day’s experiences with fellow birders explore the latest in optical gear, visit with birding travel specialists, and enjoy a refreshing beverage and finger foods, all while listening to relaxing live music.