Ruth Ann Angus
A group of bird festival participants tour the grounds of Wolff Vineyards with owner Jean Paul Wolff.
Flock of Brant geese fly over the estuary.
At a festival workshop Cheryl Lish demonstrates the proper way for a bird box to be made.
Great Blue Heron seen on Bay Birding Cruise
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Time for Birding
by Ruth Ann Angus
It's nearly upon us – the 14th Annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival is taking place January 15th through the 18th, 2010. This is the most popular winter event in Morro Bay and more than 500 participants enjoy viewing the more than 200 species of birds that migrate through this Central Coast location. Located on the Pacific Flyway, approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Morro Bay is recognized as a globally important birding area and typically ranks in the top five nationally during the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.
This year a new four-color festival brochure featuring all the festival events was designed and mailed to former participants. It can be downloaded from the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival web site. The brochure is also available from the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce (805) 772-4467 or (800) 231-0592.
The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival makes it a point to offer a variety of events for all levels of birders. Both local and state-wide birding experts will lead over 35 land, ocean, and bay field trips. There will be discussions and presentations, social events and workshops focusing on everything from warblers to elephant seals. Field trips will include pelagic trips, birding by kayak, trips to see Sandhill Cranes and Bald Eagles, shorebird field trips, and the popular "Big Day" — a marathon field trip to see as many species as possible.
Renowned nature photographer, author, and environmentalist, Rosalie Winard is the featured speaker on Saturday, January 16th. Winard will present her program, "An Itinerant Photographer of the Wetlands," which will take participants on a photographic tour of avian adaptations to habitat encroachment. Her talk will be accompanied by photos from her personal archives and her book, "Wild Birds of the American Wetlands." Winard is passionate about birds and illustrates their beauty and the emotions they evoke through her photographs.
Sunday's program will feature Dr. Lars Tomanek, biologist from California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. Tomanek will share with us the latest findings about the effects of global climate change on birds, people, and the planet. He will also offer possible solutions for how birds and people should adapt to climate change. Tomanek's program is entitled, "Weathering the Challenges of Climate Change: From Birds to Gaia."
The weekend vendor show at the Morro Bay Community Center is open to festival attendees and the general public at no charge. Participating vendors will be offering the latest in bird-related optical and photography equipment, books, clothing, artwork, backyard bird feeding supplies, etc. The vendor show runs on Friday from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. In addition, there will be a series of special events on Saturday featuring live raptors from Pacific Wildlife Care.
Full registration for the four-day Festival costs $70, and one-day registration options -- $35 for Friday through Sunday and $25 for Monday -- are also available. The registration includes: most field trips and workshops; a Festival T-shirt; bird checklist; and free admission to the Museum of Natural History in Morro Bay State Park. Van and boat trips have an extra fee. Youngsters 12 and under are free (except for the van and boat trips). For more information, visit the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival web site.
A Marbled Godwit probes deeply for
its
dinner.
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The Bay Birding Cruise on the Dos Osos
Catamaran run by Sub-Sea Tours
Photo by: Central Coast Outdoors
The kayaking field trip hosted by trip
leaders from Central Coast Outdoors.
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