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The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival is a yearly eco-tourism event promoting awareness of the environmental and conservation issues surrounding Morro Bay's natural resources while providing an economic benefit to the Morro Bay community. The event is sponsored by the Morro Coast Audubon Society in collaboration with California State Parks, Central Coast Natural History Association, the City of Morro Bay, and the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce.
The 2011 Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival will be the 15th anniversary of the event. Each year the Festival has grown to include more events and to attract more participants ... 518 people attended in 2010 from as far away as New York State.
Morro Bay and the surrounding area is an idea spot for avid birders. Located on the Pacific Flyway, Morro Bay is a Globally Important Bird Area and a designated State and National Estuary. Morro Coast Audubon Society always ranks in the top five for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count and over 200 species are usually sighted during the Festival weekend. Check out the list of birds seen during the 2010 Festival, which included a number of species rarely seen here in the winter.
Planning is already underway for the 2011 Festival, which will feature over 100 individual events, including pelagic cruises, boat rides and kayaking in the Bay, van trips throughout the county, as well as many informative workshops. All-day and half-day tours take participants to a wide variety of habitats, including deep water pelagic, oak woodland and riparian, wetland and estuary, and the unique grassland habitat of the Carrizo Plain. Workshops will cover a vast array of topics ranging from beginner birding classes to gull identification.
A variety of vendors will be present with nature-related artwork, books, field equipment and attire, and local merchant wares. A number of the events are geared toward birders who are also photographers. Birders of all levels are welcome, and the schedule identifies programs especially appropriate for beginners or children, as well as programs that are wheelchair accessible.
The Winter Bird Festival headquarters are at the Morro Bay Community Center at 1001 Kennedy Way. All field trips originate from this location unless otherwise noted in the brochure. You will be provided a map showing all venues when you pick up your registration packet.
