What is a bird festival?

A bird festival is a celebration of the wild birds, habitats, and people of a region. The San Diego Bird Festival, scheduled for February 26th to March 2nd, is all about the birds of San Diego and offers birding field trips to locations in Southern California. The hands-on educational and social activities at the festival include classes, workshops, and keynote presentations designed to inform and inspire participants about San Diego birds. 

What does it cost to go to the San Diego Bird Festival?

There is a base ticket price for entry. San Diego bird field trips and some other activities require additional fees to participate. Saturday and Sunday activities at the Marina Village Conference Center are FREE.

How do I sign up?

Registration begins November 1, 2024. Click the “register” link and fill your cart with all of the things you would like to do. If you encounter trouble with registration, please email info@sdbf.bobolinkapp.org

Where do the programs take place?

Many, but not all of the programs take place at Marina Village Conference Center, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109. Specific program locations will be noted in the program description.

Do I need to register or pay a fee to visit the bookstore or attend the festival on the weekend?

You do not need to register to visit the bookstore, the exhibit hall, or the festivities labeled as “drop in.”

Where do I stay?  

We have secured a special rate at several area hotels.

The Dana Resort Room rates start at $165 per night. Resort fees ($32 value per night) and overnight parking fees for 1 car per room ($25 value per night) are waived. Morning shuttle service will be provided by the resort, and afternoon shuttle service will be provided by the Festival. An advance deposit or credit card guarantee for the first night's room and tax is due by January 27, 2025. Individuals must identify themselves as part of "2025 San Diego Bird Festival" to be eligible for the special group rate. Click here for online booking or call 800-445-3339. Our block at the Dana is nearly sold out. A limited number of rooms are still available Thursday through Sunday.

Holiday Inn Express, Rooms available Wednesday Feb 26 through Sunday March 2. Room rates start at $164 plus tax per night. Rates include breakfast, wifi and parking. You must book before Feb 20, 2025. Cancellation 21 days prior to arrival, after 21 days 1 night will be non-refundable. Click here for online booking. Morning and afternoon shuttle service will be provided by the Festival.

Is there transportation from hotels to the Marina Village Conference Center?

Complimentary Hotel Transportation from the Dana Resort to Marina Village Conference Center 

• Wednesday, February 26 | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

• Thursday February 27 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Friday February 28 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Saturday March 1 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Sunday March 2 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

Complimentary Hotel Transportation from the Bahia to the Holiday Inn Express to Marina Village Conference Center

• Wednesday, February 26 | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

• Thursday February 27 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Friday February 28 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Saturday March 1 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Sunday March 2 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

Complimentary Hotel Transportation from the Dana to the Bahia to the Holiday Inn Express to Marina Village Conference Center. Call to request. (the number will be provided closer to festival opening)

• Thursday February 27 | 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM

• Friday February 28 | 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

• Saturday March 1 | 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

• Sunday March 2 | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Should I rent a car?

That depends. If you are staying at the Dana and using the shuttle service to get to Marina Village and only sign up for field trips that originate at MVCC, you probably won’t need to rent a car. If you sign up for Meet-You-There field trips, you will want to rent a car (or find a friend who has one).

What will I see on festival field trips?

You can view the trip report from last year’s festival to get an idea of the species seen at certain locations. (clicks to the trip report from last year’s festival)

Where should I eat?

If you sign up for bus field trips, your lunch is included in the cost of the field trip. You must specify your desired lunch choice at the time of registration. Join us for breakfast in the Marine Room!  The Festival provides a continental breakfast daily from 5:30 to 7:30 am. On Festival Saturday and Sunday, food trucks will be on Quivira Way from 11 am to 3 pm. San Diego is well-known for its culinary fare. Here are some restaurants near to the festival grounds.

What birds of San Diego might I see at the festival? 

Hundreds of bird species have been identified at past San Diego Bird Festivals. While nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to experiencing a coveted bird, here is a list of migratory, resident, and endemic birds that you may get to see at our festival. 

Waterfowl

Brant, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, American Coot, Ruddy Duck

Shorebirds

Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy Plover, Killdeer, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Surfbird, Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs

Grebes

Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe

Pelicans, Herons, + Ibis

American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, White-faced Ibis

Swifts + Hummingbirds

White-throated Swift, Anna's Hummingbird, Costa's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird

Gulls, Terns, Loons, + Skimmers

Bonaparte's Gull, Heermann's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Western Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Common Loon

Pelagics

Common Murre, Scripps's Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet, Sooty Shearwater, Black-vented Shearwater, Brown Booby, Brandt's Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger

Vultures, Hawks, Falcons, + Owls

Turkey Vulture, Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Golden Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Barn Owl, Western Screech-Owl, Great Horned Owl, Burrowing Owl, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon

Kingfishers + Woodpeckers

Belted Kingfisher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Lewis's Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker

Vireos + Chickadees

Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Verdin, Horned Lark

Swallows

Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow

Bushtits, Kinglets, Nuthatches, + Creepers to Kinglets

Bushtit, Wrentit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper

Gnatcatchers, Flycatchers + Wrens

Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Cassin's Kingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, California Gnatcatcher, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Bewick's Wren, Cactus Wren

Starlings, Thrushes, + Thrashers

European Starling, California Thrasher, Sage Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Phainopepla

Finches, Sparrows, + Pipits

Scaly-breasted Munia, House Sparrow, American Pipit, House Finch, Purple Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Lawrence's Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Bell's Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, California Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee

Blackbirds + Orioles

Western Meadowlark, Scott's Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle

Warblers

Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler

Other Birds

Mountain Quail, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Common Ground Dove, Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Common Poorwill, Ridgway's Rail, Virginia Rail, Common Gallinule