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

THURSDAY

6:30am - 9:00am F Birding with a Camera  Morro Bay State Park Marina Self-Drive

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

7:30am - 4:30pm MC Master Class - Introduction to Bird Photography - Parts 1 & 2 $130  Baywood Inn Self-Drive

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

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

8:00am - 11:00am F Land and Sea Birds at Morro Rock  Morro Rock Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Bird Montana de Oro State Park Montana de Oro Self-Drive

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

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

8:00am - 12:00pm F Hummingbirds and Friends South Bay Community Center Self-Drive

8:00am - 12:00pm F Los Osos Hot Spots Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

8:00am - 1:00pm MC Master Class - The Magic of Bird Sounds - Part 1 of 2 $130  SLO Botanical Garden None

8:15am - 12:00pm F Birding Fiscalini Ranch Preserve - Tipton Street Fiscalini Ranch Tipton Street Self-Drive

8:15am - 12:00pm P/F Smart Phone Bird Recording  Hampton Inn Self-Drive

8:30am - 11:30am F Shark Inlet with Kenn Kaufman $40 Sea Pines Golf Resort Self-Drive

8:30am - 12:00pm F Birding Laguna Lake with David Lindo $90 Morro Bay Community Center Bus

8:30am - 12:00pm F Birding Oso Flaco Lake Oso Flaco Lake Self-Drive

8:30am - 2:00pm F Birding Las Cruzitas Ranch Las Cruzitas Ranch Self-Drive

9:00am - 10:45am F Bay Birding 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 Kern National Wildlife Refuge  Kern National Wildlife Refuge Self-Drive

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

9:00am - 12:00pm F Young Birders On Morro Strand Cloisters, Azure Street Self-Drive

9:00am - 1:00pm F Villa Creek Birding Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

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

10:00am - 11:30am F The Western Snowy Plover Cloisters, Azure Street Self-Drive

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

10:00am - 12:00pm F Visit the Atascadero Beavers with SLO Beaver Brigade De Anza Wastewater Facility Self-Drive

12:00pm - 2:00pm F Los Osos Oaks Reserve Habitat Walk Los Osos Oaks State Preserve Self-Drive

1:00pm - 2:00pm P How To Help The Birds Workshop  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 - 2:45pm F Bay Birding Cruise $40 Sub Sea Tours Boat

1:00pm - 3:00pm P Colombia: South America's Birding Mecca  Hampton Inn Self-Drive

1:00pm - 3:00pm F Land and Sea Birds at Morro Rock  Morro Rock Self-Drive

1:30pm - 4:00pm F Shorebirds of the Morro Bay Marina  Morro Bay State Park Marina Self-Drive

1:30pm - 4:00pm F Songbirds in the Pines for Young Birders Morro Bay Community Center Self-Drive

2:00pm - 4:00pm J/S A Naturalist's Journal with Sharon Lovejoy  SLO Botanical Garden None

2:00pm - 4:00pm P Bird Banding: Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship  Baywood Inn Self

2:00pm - 4:00pm F Birds of the Elfin Forest Elfin Forest Self-Drive

2:00pm - 5:00pm F Birding San Simeon Creek Washburn Creek Self-Drive

3:00pm - 4:45pm F Bay Birding Cruise with Jon Dunn & David Lindo $50 Sub Sea Tours Boat

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

Click Here for Registration

Date: January 16 - 20, 2025