Calif. Bird Festivals

Bird festivals are fun. You meet other birders, visit new places, see their regular birds plus whatever rarities have dropped in, hear interesting presentations and discussions, admire – possibly buy – beautiful bird paintings and carvings, eat lunch and dinner with others, support their local economy and much more, not far from home. Make reservations in advance.  Events with dates marked with an asterisk (*) are probable, but not finalized.         [Last updated 7/9-19]

Most of these trips are listed on Nature Ali’s website (still under construction 7/9/19).
Bird Watcher’s Digest’s USA-wide Bird Festival Finder.
National Wildlife Refuge System’s USA-wide Super Bird Fest page.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s world-wide Bird Festivals & Events page includes a map; most events are in the USA.
Please email us updates about your festival.

July 2019
27       Saturday      Sea & Sage Annual Evening Barbecue & Book Sale 5-10pm     http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/SpecialEvents/BBQ/SummerBBQ.html
31-Aug 3 Wed-Sat 28th Southwest Wings Fling, Sierra Vista AZ  https://www.swwings.org/

August 2019
7-11 Wed-Sun  Southeast AZ Bird Festival, Tuscon AZ  http://tucsonaudubon.org/news-events/southeast-arizona-birding-festival/
8      Thursday      20th Annual Kern River Valley Hummingbird Celebration 8am-2pm     http://www.kernvalley.com/news/events.htm#August
No festival 2019, returning in 2020    Grebe Festival, Chester, CA  http://www.plumasaudubon.org/

September 2019
20-22 Fri-Sun Monterey Bay Birding Festival  http://www.montereybaybirding.org/

October 2019
9-15       Sun – Sat   National Wildlife Refuge Week Celebration    http://www.fws.gov/refuges/visitors/RefugeWeek2017.html
14-15    Sat-Sun   CNPS Native Plant Sale   http://lasmmcnps.org/index.php/horticulture/annual-plant-sale
24-28  Thu-Mon Hawai’i Island Festival of Birds, Kona HI https://birdfesthawaii.org/
29   Saturday    Orange County Sea & Sage Book Sale & Pancake Breakfast 7:30-10am      http://www.seaandsageaudubon.org/SpecialEvents/PancakeBreakfast/PancakeBreakfast.html

November 2019
1-3        Fri – Sun      22nd Annual Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival  http://www.cranefestival.com/
8-9   Fri-Sat     5th Annual San Quintin Bird Festival  San Quintin Baja MX   https://mailchi.mp/terrapeninsular.org/birdfestival2019
8-10     Fri – Sun     California Swan Festival – Marysville  http://www.caswanfestival.com/
*9        Sat   9-3pm  5th Annual Bird Fest of the Santa Monica Mountains – King Gillette Ranch, Mulholland Drive, just east of Las Virgenes Rd.   Bird walks start at 8am. 805-370-2301   http://www.facebook.com/events/142098366409697/
21-24    Thur – Sun   22th Annual Central Valley Birding Symp. Stockton CA   http://www.cvbirds.org/events/symposium/info/

January 2020
11-14     Thur – Sun    Wings over Willcox, AZ     http://www.wingsoverwillcox.com/
17-20     Fri – Mon      22nd Annual Morro Bay Bird Festival         http://www.morrobaybirdfestival.org/
22-26    Wed – Sun   22nd Annual Chico Snow Goose Festival        http://www.snowgoosefestival.org/

February 2020
*1  Saturday  13th Annual Galt Winter Bird Festival  http://www.ci.galt.ca.us/about-galt/special-events/11th-annual-winter-bird-festival
*26-Mar 1  Wed – Sun  24th Annual San Diego Bay Bird Festival
http://www.sandiegoaudubon.org/events/bird-festival

DATES NOW PAST
[This stuff gets checked, changed and recycled, in case you’re wondering.]
February 2018
9-11 Fri – Sun 22nd Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival http://www.sfbayflywayfestival.com/
15-18 Thur – Sun 39th Annual Klamath Falls Winter Wings Festival http://www.winterwingsfest.org/
16-19 Fri-Mon Great Backyard Bird Count http://gbbc.birdcount.org/
*23-24 Fri – Sat 23rd Davis California Duck Days
http://www.yolobasin.org/event_duckdays.htm

March 2018
14-16 Wed-Fri Borrego Springs Desert Birding Festival http://www.abdnha.org/desertbirdingfestival/
*24-25 Sat-Sun Wind Wolves Conservancy Spring Nature Festival – Maricopa
http://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_windwolves.html

April 2018
18-24      Wed – Tues   22nd Annual Arcata Godwit Days Bird Festival    http://www.godwitdays.org/
*21    Saturday     24th Annual Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival                       https://www.facebook.com/Audubon.KRP
27-29  Fri – Sun     Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival                  http://www.pointreyesbirdingfestival.org/

May 2018
*12-13     Sat-Sun    International Migratory Bird Day                                    http://www.migratorybirdday.org/
*18-19   Fri – Sat   20th Stillwater Spring Wings Bird Festival – Fallon, NV
http://www.springwings.org/

June 2018
*24       Sunday    10th Annual Tahoe  Bird Festival          http://www.tinsweb.org/lake-tahoe-bird-festival
15-17    Fri – Sun    17th Annual Mono Lake Bird Chautaqua                                   http://www.birdchautauqua.org/
*23-25   Fri-Sun      5th Annual San Francisco Bay Osprey Days                            http://www.mareislandpreserve.org

[Chuck Almdale]