The Morro Bay Bird Festival will be celebrating our 28th year in January, 2025. We have enjoyed a long and successful history, attracting birding enthusiasts from around the country (and a smattering of internationals) who come to see the more than 200 bird species spotted during the festival. We are considered one of the top five bird festivals in the nation.

The 2025 Festival schedule is the most extensive ever - over 250 events led by 141 expert leaders, appealing to all birders, nature lovers, photographers and artists. Hard Core birders as well as Beginners will find activities suited for their skill levels. Intense Big Days, walks geared to a relaxed pace, in-depth master classes, Nature Journaling, and Habitat walks and a variety of presentations round out the program.

With over 250 events to pick from, setting up your 2025 schedule can seem overwhelming. The page tabs above provide information to assist you with this task, as discussed below. The left-hand panel provides event categories that highlight the compliment of events on each topic. 

Schedule

SATURDAY

6:45am - 8:45am F Photo Walk with Lazy Birders Cloisters Park Self-Drive

7:00am - 12:00pm F Half Day Pelagic Trip $110 Morro Bay Landing Boat

7:00am - 2:00pm F Wildlife of Point Buchon Coon Creek Parking Lot Self-Drive

7:00am - 4:00pm F Big Day in South County $105 Morro Bay Community Center Bus

7:30am - 4:30pm MC Master Class - Introduction to Bird Photography - Parts 1 & 2 $130  Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

7:30am - 12:00pm F Bird Montana de Oro State Park Montana de Oro Self-Drive

7:30am - 12:00pm F Birding Estero Bluffs with Jon Dunn $50 Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

7:30am - 12:00pm F Santa Margarita Lake Pontoon Boat Birding $45 Santa Margarita Lake Ranger Station Boat

7:30am - 4:30pm F Big Day Birding by Bicycle Morro Bay Community Center Bicycle

8:00am - 10:00am P A Splash of Color: Expressive Bird Art in Watercolor  Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

8:00am - 11:00am F Birding by Kayak $55 MB State Park Kayak Launch Kayak

8:00am - 11:00am F Birding Morro Strand with David Lindo $20 Cloisters, Azure Street Self-Drive

8:00am - 11:00am P/F Peregrine Falcons of Morro Rock  St Timothys Self-Drive

8:00am - 11:30am F Birds of Atascadero Lake  Atascadero Lake Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Birds and Butterflies Sweet Springs Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Point Sierra Nevada Beach birding Elephant Seal Rookery Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Wintering Birds at Cal Poly Pier  Cal Poly Pier Self-Drive

8:15am - 12:00pm F Advanced Bird Photography Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

8:15am - 12:00pm F Songbirds in the Pines Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:00am F Meander Morro Bay Marina  Morro Bay State Park Marina Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:30am F A Snipe Hunt For Rails?  Oso Flaco Lake Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:30am F Birding Laguna Lake for Beginners Laguna Lake Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:30am F Land and Sea Birds at Morro Rock  Morro Rock Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:30am F Shark Inlet Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

8:30am - 12:00pm F Birding Elfin Forest & Sweet Springs Sweet Springs Self-Drive

8:30am - 12:00pm F Condors, Eagles and Hawks of San Simeon Creek Road Washburn Creek Self-Drive

8:30am - 12:30pm F Santa Rita Ranch Diverse Habitats Santa Rita Ranch Self-Drive

8:30am - 2:00pm F Los Osos Hot Spots by Bike Sea Pines Golf Resort Bicycle

8:30am - 3:15pm F Big Day at Santa Margarita Lake Santa Margarita Lake Ranger Station Self-Drive

9:00am - 10:45am F Bay Birding Photo Cruise $40 Sub Sea Tours Boat

9:00am - 12:00pm F Birding by Kayak $55 MB State Park Kayak Launch Kayak

9:00am - 12:00pm F Pasolivo Ranch Birding and Olive Oil Tasting $15 Pasolivo Ranch Self-Drive

9:00am - 12:00pm J/S Riparian Rhythms: Streamside Nature Journaling Adventures  El Chorro Park Self-Drive

9:00am - 12:00pm J/S Watercolor Windowscapes  SLO Botanical Garden Self-Drive

9:00am - 2:00pm F Morro Rock Owls & Falcons - Stop & Scope  Morro Rock Self-Drive

9:00am - 11:30am P How to shoot high quality and engaging wildlife videos  Baywood Inn Self-Drive

9:30am - 12:00pm F Long-billed Curlew and Shorebird Search on Morro Strand Cloisters, Azure Street Self-Drive

9:30am - 12:00pm F Young Birders & the Marina Boardwalk  Morro Bay State Park Marina Self-Drive

10:00am - 11:30am P Avian Respiratory System Adaptations  St Timothys Self-Drive

11:00am - 12:30pm F The Western Snowy Plover Cloisters, Azure Street Self-Drive

1:00pm - 2:30pm F Exploring Otter Space  T Pier at Great American Fish Company Self-Drive

1:00pm - 2:30pm F Listening and Calling Birds as an Art Del Mar Park Self-Drive

1:00pm - 2:45pm F Bay Birding Photo Cruise $40 Sub Sea Tours Boat

1:00pm - 3:00pm J/S Gardening Like the Perfect Host  SLO Botanical Garden None

1:00pm - 3:00pm F Marina Boardwalk & Trail Habitat Walk Morro Bay State Park Marina Self-Drive

1:00pm - 3:00pm P Principles and Pitfalls of Bird Identification by Kenn Kaufman  Inn at Morro Bay Self-Drive

1:00pm - 4:00pm J/S Better Birding with Nature Journaling Sweet Springs Self-Drive

1:00pm - 4:00pm P Birding By Ear Workshop Baywood Inn None

1:00pm - 4:00pm J/S Nature Journaling with the Monarch Butterflies Monarch Butterfly Grove Pismo Beach Self-Drive

1:00pm - 4:30pm F Montana de Oro Nature Walk Montana de Oro Self-Drive

1:00pm - 5:00pm MC Master Class - Bird Biology Basics Part 1 $90  Sea Pines Golf Resort None

1:00pm - 5:00pm P Shorebird Carving Class $35  Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

1:30pm - 2:30pm P Meet the Raptors - Pacific Wildlife Care  Veterans Hall None

1:30pm - 3:00pm F Elephant Seal Rookery at Piedras Blancas  Elephant Seal Rookery Self-Drive

1:30pm - 3:30pm P Sister Species: A Conservation Story  St Timothys None

1:30pm - 4:00pm F Birding Estero Bluffs Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

1:30pm - 4:00pm F Birding Laguna Lake Laguna Lake Self-Drive

2:00pm - 3:45pm F Bay Birding Cruise $40 Morro Bay Landing Boat

2:00pm - 4:00pm F El Choro Birding Stroll  El Chorro Park Self-Drive

2:00pm - 4:00pm F Long-billed Curlew and Shorebird Search on Morro Strand Cloisters, Azure Street Self-Drive

2:00pm - 4:00pm F The Elfin Forest Wonderland Elfin Forest Self-Drive

3:00pm - 4:00pm P Meet the Raptors - Pacific Wildlife Care  Veterans Hall None

3:00pm - 4:45pm F Bay Birding Cruise $40 Sub Sea Tours Boat

3:00pm - 5:00pm P Wild Stories from the History of Bird Migration Research  Inn at Morro Bay Self-Drive

3:30pm - 9:30pm F Owling Field Trip $90 Morro Bay Community Center Bus

4:00pm - 5:30pm SE Saturday Welcome Reception  Morro Bay Community Center None

7:00pm - 9:00pm SE Keynote Address with David Lindo - A World of Urban Birds  Cuesta College Performing Arts Center Self-Drive

Click Here for Registration

Date: January 16 - 20, 2025