Enjoy the 2024 Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival
Slated for January 11-15, 2024, the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival promotes an understanding and appreciation of the birds and wildlife along the Central California Coast. And the good news is, many of the offerings at this annual event are wheelchair-accessible
The Main Events
The opening reception of the 2024 Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival is scheduled for Friday January 12, 2024. It will be held in the Morro Bay Community Center, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM. During that time attendees can enjoy a wine and cheese reception, chat with fellow birders and browse through the Bird Festival Bazaar. The bazaar, which will be open throughout the weekend, will include vendor booths and educational exhibits of interest to birders. A detailed list of the vendors can be found at morrobaybirdfestival.org/bazaar/.
The first keynote address will be given by Jennifer Ackerman on Saturday January 13, 2024, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, in the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center. Her address is titled “What an Owl Knows”, which is also the subject of her most recent book. Jennifer pulls back the curtain on the nature of the world’s most enigmatic birds as she explores the rich biology and natural history of owls and examines remarkable new scientific discoveries about their brains and behavior. Jennifer will also be available to sign her books at this event.
The final celebration dinner and keynote speech will take place on Sunday January 14. 2024 from 6:30-9:00 PM at the Madonna Inn. After dinner, John Muir Laws will deliver the keynote presentation, “How to be a Better Birder”. John will address how to get the most out of every observation, and elaborate on how to notice details, sounds and behavior with the help of a notebook.
Field Trips, Presentations & Master Classes
There will also be a number of field trips, presentations and Master Classes at the 2024 Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival. The presentations and the master classes take place at the Morro Bay Community Center, the Inn at Morro Bay and Veterans Hall. Here’s a sampling of some of the accessible choices.
Field Trips
- Meander Morro Bay Marina
- Birding Las Cruzitas Ranch
- Peregrine Falcons of Morro Rock
- Wintering Birds at Cal Poly Pier
- Easy Birding
- Birding By Ear
- Owl Box Building and Wine Tasting
Presentations
- Finding Those Elusive Owls
- From Sea to Summit; The Marvelous Hummingbird
- An Identification Study of Birds of Prey
- How to Look at Shorebirds And Why Fewer is Better
- Condor Recovery
- Birding for Beginners Workshop
- Bats – California’s Amazing Flying Mammals
- The Bird Way
- Snowy Plovers in the Field
- Feathers
- Optics Demystified
- Birding by Ear
- Meet the Raptors
- Transitioning from Birding to Ornithology
- From Anatomy to Function
- The Genius of Birds
- An Identification Study of Birds of Prey
- The Topography of Bird Sounds
- Feathers and Flight
Master Classes
- Pro Gull ID
- Nature Journaling
- Plugging Into Bird Song Magic
- Feathers in Focus
- Introduction to Bird Photography
So make plans to attend this fun and educational event, and learn a bit more about our feathered friends. For more information about the 2024 Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, visit morrobaybirdfestival.org/ or e-mail support@morrobaybirdfestival.org.
