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

SUNDAY

6:15am - 5:00pm F Birding the Carrizo Plain $130 Morro Bay Community Center Bus

7:00am - 11:30am MC Master Class - The Magic of Bird Sounds - Part 2B Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

7:00am - 12:00pm F Piedras Blanca Light Station - Pelagic Birding for Landlubbers Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

7:00am - 12:00pm F Wildlife of Point Buchon Montana de Oro Self-Drive

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

7:00am - 4:00pm F Big Pelagic: Birds & Whales $160 Morro Bay Landing Boat

7:30am - 12:00pm F Oak Woodland and Wetland Birds Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

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

7:45am - 12:00pm F Birding Laguna Lake Laguna Lake Self-Drive

7:45am - 12:00pm F Birding Montana de Oro State Park Montana de Oro Self-Drive

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

8:00am - 12:00pm F Birding Fiscalini Ranch Preserve Fiscalini Ranch Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Explore the Mushroom World Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Harmony Headlands Harmony Headlands Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Hummingbirds and Friends  SLO Botanical Garden Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Oceano Lagoon Bird Walk Oceano Lagoon Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Villa Creek Birding Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

8:00am - 1:00pm F Wings Over Wine Wolff Vineyards Self-Drive

8:15am - 2:30pm F Searching for Raptors on the Central Coast Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:00am F Birding for Beginners at El Chorro Park  El Chorro Park Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:00am F Montana de Oro Habitat Walk Montana de Oro Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:30am F Birding By Ear Field Trip Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:30am F Birding Oso Flaco Lake  Oso Flaco Lake Self-Drive

8:30am - 12:00pm F Back Bay Birding Sweet Springs Self-Drive

8:30am - 12:00pm F Birding Morro Bay State Park Morro Bay State Park Marina Self-Drive

8:30am - 12:00pm F Birds of San Simeon with Jon Dunn $50 Washburn Creek Self-Drive

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

8:30am - 12:00pm F Santa Margarita Trail Stroll Santa Margarita Lake Ranger Station Self-Drive

8:30am - 1:30pm F Casual Little Big Day with David Lindo $95 Morro Bay Community Center Bus

8:45am - 12:00pm F Birding Hot Spots for Beginners Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

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

9:00am - 11:00am P California Condors - Back from the Brink  Inn at Morro Bay None

9:00am - 12:00pm F Birding Azure Street & Morro Strand Cloisters, Azure Street Self-Drive

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

9:00am - 12:00pm J/S Nature Journaling with the Monarch Butterflies Monarch Butterfly Grove Pismo Beach Self-Drive

9:00am - 12:00pm F New Birders Go Birding With Erik & Hannah  Morro Rock Self-Drive

9:00am - 12:00pm P/F Shorebirds Made Easy  Baywood Inn Self-Drive

9:00am - 12:00pm P The Topography of Bird Sounds  Morro Bay Community Center None

9:00am - 1:00pm P Shorebird Carving Class $35  Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

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

9:00am - 4:00pm MC Intro to Nature Journaling: Focus on Birds! $50  SLO Botanical Garden Self-Drive

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

10:00am - 11:45am F Bay Birding Cruise with Kenn Kaufman & Rebecca Heisman $50 Morro Bay Landing Boat

10:00am - 12:00pm J/S A Naturalist's Journal with Sharon Lovejoy  Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

10:00am - 12:00pm F Easy Birding  Cloisters Park Self-Drive

10:00am - 12:00pm P Grebes walk on Water to find a Mate  Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

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

1:00pm - 2:30pm P From Anatomy to Function/Flight  Sea Pines Golf Resort None

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

1:00pm - 3:00pm F Technology On The Trail Cloisters Park Self-Drive

1:00pm - 3:00pm F The Elfin Forest Wonderland Elfin Forest Self-Drive

1:00pm - 4:00pm J/S Drawn into Bird Song  SLO Botanical Garden Self-Drive

8:00am - 5:00pm MC Master Class: Soar to a new level: Wildlife Photography tips and tricks $100  Baywood Inn None

1:30pm - 5:00pm MC Master Class - Bird Biology Basics Part 2  Sea Pines Golf Resort None

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

2:00pm - 4:00pm P An Identification Study of Birds of Prey  Morro Bay Community Center None

2:00pm - 4:00pm F Birds of Morro Rock  Morro Rock Self-Drive

2:00pm - 4:00pm P/F Gulls of SLO Identified  Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

2:00pm - 4:00pm P Surprising Secrets of Bird Biology  Inn at Morro Bay Self-Drive

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

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

7:00pm - 9:00pm SE Keynote Address - Kenn Kaufman - Hidden History of American Shorebirds  Cuesta College Performing Arts Center Self-Drive

Click Here for Registration

Date: January 16 - 20, 2025