Skip to main content

Planting and Maintaining a Bird Friendly Garden
9:30  - 10:30 am 

What's the best way to help birds every day? Plant natives! Native plants are made of bird food! Dianne and Miranda Kennedy will tell you all about what you can do to make your garden beautiful and Bird Friendly. 
Free

Meet the Birds from Free Flight
10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Meet the parrots from Free Flight Sanctuary in Del Mar. Their mission is to maintain a sanctuary that shelters, nurtures and re-socializes parrots, while educating the public to inspire a lasting concern for the well-being of exotic birds.
Free


Milkweed and Monarch Butterflies with Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County
10:00 -11:00 am

Learn about monarch butterflies and their needs, and how you can provide habitat for them.
Free


Author Talk: Keep Looking Up: An interview with Tammah Watts
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Nora Ives interviews author Tammah Watts about her book "Keep Looking Up: Your Guide to the Powerful Healing of Birdwatching" newly published by Hay House. Copies of the book will be available, and there will be a book signing after the event. The official release date of the book is March 7, so this will be the first chance to have access to a copy of the book, and signed by the author! See the New York Times article about the book!  The first 10 people in the room will receive a free copy of the book.
Free


Light Pollution and its Harmful Impact on Birds  with Cathy Handzel
11:30 am - 12:30 pm

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. The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and the National Audubon Society work together to protect the natural night sky for both birds and people.
Free


Conservation of Burrowing Owls in San Diego
12:30 - 1:30 pm

The main focus of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) Burrowing Owl Recovery Program is the ecology and conservation of burrowing owls in Southern California, particularly of the breeding population in San Diego County. SDZWA has been working with the San Diego population of burrowing owls since 2011 and the regional population since 2017.  The SDZWA team uses a variety of techniques, including direct observations, remote cameras, GPS transmitters, color banding, translocation, and conservation breeding to monitor population dynamics and to help bolster the burrowing owl population. They use their expertise and data they gather to make recommendations about management of the species to local land and wildlife managers. In this presentation, they will share an overview of the SDZWA Burrowing Owl Recovery Program and what has been learned over the years.

Free

Live Raptor Program with Agua Hedionda
1:00 - 2:00 pm

Meet the education raptors from Agua Hedionda and learn about what makes them so special.

Free

San Diego Bird Festival

Bird-Friendly Home and Garden Expo

Sunday Feb 26, 2023
10 am - 2 pm

Marina Village Conference Center
1936 Quivira Way

What can we do to help birds?

Birds face so many challenges in our changing world. There are some things that you can do to make a difference for them!

Organizations like the American Bird Conservancy and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology have determined that the top threats to birds include habitat loss and degradation, climate change, invasive species, collisions with glass, collisions with other man-made structures, and pesticides and other toxins. 

Good news! If we do some of these things in our home environments, we can make a difference for birds:

  • Protect birds from glass collisions
  • Say “no” to pesticides
  • Be a responsible pet owner
  • Take action for birds by commenting in public processes and voting
  • Create habitat on your property
  • Reduce, re-use, re-purpose, recycle
  • Buy shade grown coffees and chocolate
  • Stay informed
  • Donate to organizations that do these things.

The expo will feature several organizations and businesses that can help you help birds.  The inaugural expo will take place on Sunday, February 26, 2023 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at the Marina Village Conference Center - 1936 Quivira Way. The event will consist of a total of 22 booths (both indoor and outdoor) and two classrooms where educational presentations will occur. The event is free, no registration required.  Sponsored by SDG&E and Vortex Optics.

Come learn what you can do to help birds in our changing world!

Program Schedule

2023 Sponsors and Exhibitors will include:

SDG&E- Title Sponsor
Vortex Sport Optics- Presenting Sponsor
bwd Magazine
Free Flight Bird Sanctuary
Living Coast Discovery Center
Agua Hedionda
Solobee Bee Shelters
Elor Energy
Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County
San Diego Audubon Society - Native Seed Libraries
Sol Bird Coffee Roasters
Queering the Path
SDZWA Burrowing Owl Recovery Program
City of San Diego Environmental Services Department Green Bins program
Rose Creek Friends
California Native Plant Society

Schedule of Programs:

9:30 -10:30 am  Planting and Maintaining a Bird-Friendly Garden
10:00 - 11:00 am Monarch Butterflies and Milkweed
11:00 am - 12:00 pm  Keep Looking Up: an interview with author Tammah Watts
11:30 - 12:30 pm Light Pollution and its Harmful Impact on Birds  with Cathy Handzel
12:30 - 1:30 pm Conservation Research of Western Burrowing Owls in San Diego County 
1:00 - 2:00 pm Live bird program with Agua Hedionda, featuring birds of prey

Bird-Friendly Home and Garden Expo Sponsors

OUR PARTNERS

  • USFWS logo

  • City of San Diego

  • County of San Diego
    County of San Diego
  • State Coastal Conservancy
  • SANDAg transnet logo
    SANDAg transnet logo
  • Malk Nature Fund
  • Coastkeeper
    Coastkeeper
  • UCNRS logo
  • San Diego Regional Fire Foundation logo
  • Americorps
  • Room & Board
    Room & Board
  • San Diego River Conservancy
  • National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Close