Other Festivals

California Swan Festival

November 10–12, 2023

As part of the Pacific Flyaway, the Central Valley alone supports nearly 8 million wintering waterfowl!  Just before winter sets in, more than 100,000 tundra swans migrate from their remote breeding grounds in the Arctic, along the Pacific Flyway, to spend winter in California. Our rural region contains vitally important habitat that supports a variety of birds and other wildlife that are under constant threat from habitat loss.

The good news is that the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust, along with many public and private partners, are actively working to protect, restore and enhance habitat areas that support wildlife. The festival serves to advance awareness and conservation of wintering waterfowl and other diverse wildlife that migrate through (and live in) the Pacific Flyway in the Yuba, Sutter, and Colusa region. Our region’s role in sustaining wildlife is additionally showcased. The festival will bring people together on the land and connect attendees and conservation partners, creating a larger, more impactful, and meaningful event.

Highlights

Swan Festival Hub

  • Guided tours for birders and families 
  • Live animal presentations from West Coast Falconry, Wild Things, and NorCal Bats
  • Unique and interesting presenters, film showing of Yuba Water Agency’s “The Tricky Yuba”
  • Vendors & Exhibitors

Swan Festival Kid’s Zone 

  • Family Movie Night
  • Children’s wildlife themed activities
  • Nature Scavenger Hunt
  • Bird Exploration
  • Birds in the Garden

Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust
P.O. Box 3359, Yuba City, CA 95992
(530) 755-3568
info@sutterbutteslandtrust.org

Locations

Swan Festival Hub

Yuba County Government Center
915 8th Street
Marysville, CA 95901

Swan Festival Kid’s Zone

Sutter County Museum
1333 Butte House Road
Yuba City, CA 95993

Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival

January 11-15, 2024
The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival is a yearly event promoting an understanding and appreciation of birds and other wildlife and an awareness of environmental and conservation issues of the Central Coast, while contributing to the well-being of the Morro Bay community. Each year the festival has grown to include more events and to attract more participants.

Located on the Pacific Flyway, Morro Bay is a Globally Important Bird Area and a designated State and National Estuary. Morro Coast Audubon Society ranks in the top five for the yearly Audubon Christmas Bird Count.  In most years, over 200 different bird species are spotted during the festival.

The 2024 the festival will have over 160 events including field trips, workshops, presentations, master classes, and special events. All-day and half-day trips 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 cover a vast array of topics ranging from beginner birding classes to gull identification and a new workshop on bats.
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 headquarters for the festival is located at the Morro Bay Community Center at 1001 Kennedy Way. Maps to venues and meeting places will be provided on our website.

Morro Bay is a world-renowned destination for birding, and the Bird Festival is the perfect opportunity to experience all that this beautiful area has to offer. With over 200 events to choose from, there's something for everyone at the festival.

Here's just a sample of what you can do at the festival:

  • Go on guided birding walks and tours
  • Attend presentations by expert birders
  • Take part in workshops on bird identification, photography, and conservation
  • Visit the festival's exhibit hall and learn about local birding organizations
  • Enjoy a variety of social events and activities

The Morro Bay Bird Festival is a great way to learn more about birds, connect with other birders, and enjoy the beauty of the Central Coast.

Location

Morro Bay Community Center
1001 Kennedy Way
Morro Bay, CA 93442
Website

Contact

Morro Bay Winter Bird Fest
805-234-1170
Website
winterbirdfestival@gmail.com
support@morrobaybirdfestival.org

Galt Annual Winter Bird Festival

February 3 - 4, 2024
The Annual Galt Winter Bird Festival advances public awareness of the conservation of the region’s wildlife. This area is a critical stop for many important species of birds commuting on a diverse chain of habitats called the Pacific Flyway. In addition to these magnificent migrating birds, hundreds of bird species call Galt and its surrounding cities home. The festival brings tours, vendors, programs, and presentations for guests to enjoy. There will be wildlife entertainment for all ages, art, food, and more! Over 1,200 attendees attended our festival in pre-COVID years.

Location

City Of Galt, CA
600 Chabolla Ave
Galt, CA 95632
Get Directions from Google Maps
209-366-7180

Contact

City Of Galt, CA
209-366-7130
Website
galtpandr@ci.galt.ca.us
jgarcia@cityofgalt.org
Call 209-366-7115

29th San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival

February 9-12, 2024
Birds and people will flock to Mare Island in Vallejo, California, to celebrate what has become a special annual ritual each winter: the San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival. The three-day event celebrates the return of over one million shorebirds and hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese, hawks, and songbirds that migrate through or winter in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our Flyway Festival is held at the peak of migration and that means the dead of winter in San Francisco Bay. So, rest assured, our festival will take place rain or shine!

Join us for the 28th annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival!

http://www.sfbayflywayfestival.com/

Location

Mare Island
167 O’Hara Ct. at Azuar Ave.
Vallejo, CA 94592
Get Directions from Google Maps

Contact

Mare Island Heritage Trust
707-249-9633
Website
myrnahayes@mac.com (Myrna Hayes)

San Diego Bird Festival

February 21-24, 2024
San Diego Bird Festival is a celebration of the wild birds and habitats of San Diego County. Come celebrate with us! Enjoy field trips to every corner of the county, lectures, skill enhancing workshops, and social events.

Location

Marina Village Conference Center
1936 Quivira Way
San Diego, CA 92109
Get Directions from Google Maps

Contact

San Diego Audubon Society
801-671-9505
Website
hajj@sandiegoaudubon.org (Jen Hajj)

Winter Wings Festival NO FESTIVAL IN 2024

The Winter Wings brings together birders and photographers to learn and explore with top-notch professionals and enthusiastic local guides. The Klamath Basin is renowned for its massive wintering population of Bald Eagles, but is prime habitat for many other raptors including owls, as well as a diversity of waterfowl. The 2023 Festival will feature singer/songwriter and raptor specialist Jen Hajj and award-winning photographer Ray Hennessy. Join us for an extensive array of field trips, workshops, presentations, and receptions that highlight the wonders of the Klamath Basin in winter. 
Winter Wings is the oldest birding festival in the West managed by Klamath Basin Audubon Society volunteers with support from sponsors, grants, and participant registration fees. Festival proceeds support local grants to teachers and other entities for outdoor education and community nature-related projects. 

Registration opens around mid-December 2022. Visit our website or our Facebook page for more details

Location

Oregon Institute Of Technology (Oregon Tech)
3201 Campus Drive
Klamath Falls, OR
Get Directions from Google Maps

Contact

Klamath Basin Audubon Society
877-541-BIRD (2473)
Website
info@WinterWingsFest.org

Olympic BirdFest 2024

Come Bird With Us
April 11-14, 2024
Sequim, Washington

Grab your binoculars and join the Olympic Peninsula BirdFest, at the newly expanded Dungeness River Nature Center (formerly the Dungeness River Audubon Center), Thurs.-Sun., April 11-14, 2024.

Online registration opens January 1, 2024, at www.olympicbirdfest.org

Discover the spectacular landscapes of the Olympic Peninsula. Enjoy guided birding trips with local experts in varied habitats, from bays and estuaries along the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the forests of the Dungeness Recreation Area.

Join a boat tour around a protected island bird sanctuary or for a longer trip to the San Juan Islands or join a car caravan to the Makah Reservation for extraordinary bird-watching and the Makah Cultural & Research Center Museum.

You just might go home with a new bird for your life list!

For more information contact the River Center at 360-681-5636 or Info@OlympicBirdFest.org
Calendar Listing:
Olympic BirdFest, Sequim, WA. April 11-14. Explore the shoreline, woodlands and prairie adjacent to Olympic National Park. Add on 3-day San Juan Island expedition, daytrip around Protection Island Nation Sanctuary, and 3 days to Makah Indian Reservation at Neah Bay, WA. Registration opens online Jan. 1, 2024 and fills up fast! See olympicbirdfest.org or call 360-681-5636

Godwit Days

April 18-21, 2024
Arcata, CA

Come celebrate the Marbled Godwit and other avian species during spring migration while exploring the lush Redwood Coast. Tour the expansive mudflats, the wild river valleys, and the rocky ocean coast of this sector of the Klamath bioregion in northwest California.

Observe many bird species and wildlife through our selection of 70+ field trips, lectures, and workshops led by experienced local guides during this annual festival. Peruse the vendor hall filled with a lunch café, informational booths, art, decoy carvings, books, and optics. A silent auction, banquet, and presentations by Sequoia Park Zoo and Alvaro Jaramillo (internationally known ornithologist, bird guide, and author) will also be featured.

Online registration opens in January.

Location

The Arcata Community Center (Festival Hub)
321 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Arcata, CA 95521

Contact

www.godwitdays.org
godwitdaysreg@yahoo.com
(707) 826-7050 (message line)

26th Annual Great Salt Lake Bird Festival

May 16-19, 2024

"The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival is one of the most unique bird festivals in the U.S. The field trips are held at some of the most amazing wildlife areas in the world and are abundant with bird life!" -- Jerry Liguori, author and birder
Registration opens March 2024