*1 IMPORTANT BIRD AREA – CARRIZO PLAIN
6:30am-4:30pm .Community Center..$45
Discover why the Carrizo Plain National Monument is listed
as a California Important Bird Area with leader Dan Cooper,
who wrote the book! Dan is the Director of Bird Conservation
for Audubon California. With three globally important species:
Mountain Plover, Long-billed Curlew, San Joaquin Le Conte’s
Thrasher, and a significant population of Sandhill Cranes, Carrizo Plain is one of the most carefully managed areas of California. Assisted by George Butterworth. Bring lunch. Travel with leaders in one van. Time includes 4 hours roundtrip travel. Limited

*2 BIG DAY
7:00am-4:00pm ...Community Center... $45
From loons to sparrows, join Mike Stiles and Alan Schmierer on
this fast-paced day to record as many species as possible. Expect
over 100 species, including specialties and rarities. Bring lunch.
Travel with leaders in vans. Limited

*3 OSO FLACO LAKE - OCEANO AREA
7:30am-3:00pm ...Community Center..$35
Bird with Dave Lawrence, Maggie Smith, and Jamie Chavez at
Oso Flaco Lake - Oceano area. Enjoy close views of waterfowl,
often including bitterns and rails, from the boardwalk over the
lake and marsh. Bird two prime willow habitats for wintering
warblers. Look for wintering gulls. Includes 2-3 miles of slow
walking. Visit the Pismo River mouth as time permits. Bring
lunch. Travel with leaders in vans. Limited

*4 BIRD BANDING IN MORRO BAY
7:00am–11:00am...Community Center
Capture passerines with mist nets in Morro Bay State Park with
researcher Regena Orr. Discuss the physical characteristics for
identification and analysis and bird banding data collection techniques.
Probable birds captured include species of sparrows
(maybe a Nelson’s Sharp-tailed or a “large-billed” Savannah
Sparrow), and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Rain cancels. Caravan.
Limited

*5 NORTH COAST – SAN SIMEON
7:30am–12:00noon...Community Center
Visit spots along the rugged North Coast with Karen Clarke
and Gale Kordowski to look for Surfbirds, Turnstones, Wandering
Tattlers, Mew Gulls, Pacific Loons, scoters, and more. Also
expect a variety of raptors, including Golden Eagles and Ferruginous
Hawks. Caravan. Limited

*6 BAY BIRDING CRUISE
7:45am-9:30am ...Community Center ...$30
Enjoy a leisurely boating tour of the Back Bay in a comfortable,
canopied 20’ pontoon boat. One of the area’s knowledgeable
birders will be on board to help you spot the varied birdlife in the
estuary. Caravan. Limited

7 BIRDING ISLAY CREEK
8:00am-11:30am...Montaña de Oro State Park
Walk with State Park Docents Freeman and Worth Hall from the
bluffs overlooking Spooner’s Cove through four habitat zones
along Islay Creek. Expect seabirds, shorebirds, passerines, and
raptors. Meet at the Ranch House in Montaña de Oro State Park.

*8 DUNE ECOLOGY AND SNOWY PLOVERS
8:00am-12:00noon ...Community Center
Journey with California State Parks Resource Ecologist Vince
Cicero and Rosemary Flamion through Morro Dunes Natural
Preserve from the sand spit parking lot in Montaña de Oro State
Park to the dune crest, beach, and return. Explore coastal dune
scrub, fore-dune and beach communities and associated birds,
including the endangered Western Snowy Plover. Some strenuous
walking through deep sand. Caravan. Limited

*9 MONTAÑA DE ORO BLUFFS,
ROCKY SHORES AND WOODS
8:00am-12:00noon ...Community Center
Bird with Bert Townsend in a spectacular 8600-acre state park
with untamed coastline and coastal uplands. Expect rocky and
sandy beach shorebirds, water birds, raptors, and passerines in
various habitats. Caravan. Limited

*10 BASICS OF BIRD ID
8:30am-11:30am & 1:00pm-3:00pm...Library
Join experts Bill Bouton and Linda Tanner for a workshop primarily
for novice birders. Hear tips on choosing binoculars, fieldguides
and other equipment. Learn bird identification techniques
followed by identification in the field. Bring binoculars and field
guides. Continue with the field trip in the afternoon to apply
your birding skills. Caravan in the field. Limited

*11 BIRD MULTIPLE HABITATS–SAN SIMEON 8:30am-Noon ..Community Center
Observe the different birds found near San Simeon State Parkby the
seashore, lagoon, creek, wetlands, chaparral, and pineforest
habitats with State Park Docents Phil and Carole Adams.Caravan. Limited

*12 BIRDING AROUND THE BAY
9:00am-12:00noon .....Community Center
Bird with Dennis Sheridan and Gloria Rasmussen visiting the
best birding spots around the estuary, including Morro Rock, the
bay, the marina, and more. Look for shorebirds, water birds, and
land birds. Caravan. Limited

*13 BAY BIRDING CRUISE
9:45am-11:30am .....Community Center...$30
See #6. Limited

14 MEET THE SEA OTTER
10:15am-12:00noon .....Natural History Museum
Join State Park Docents Ray Easton and Dick Evans for an
“edutaining” program focusing on sea otters and elephant seals,
two of the marine mammals that inhabit the Central Coast.

*15 BOTANICAL GARDEN TOUR
12:45pm -2:15pm.....Community Center
Join docent Ken Levine for a tour of the garden created by
the Friends of San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens at El Chorro
Regional Park. The garden, which will eventually cover 150 acres,
includes plants from the five Mediterranean climate zones of the
world. See hummingbirds in the South African aloe garden.
Caravan. Limited

*16 SHOREBIRD BASICS
1:00pm -2:15pm......Library
Morro Bay is an outstanding venue for observing shorebirds.
Learn to identify shorebirds with Monterey expert Don Roberson.
Covering a wide variety of plumages and species, including dif-
ficult identifications such as dowitchers and ending with some of
California’s rarest waders.

*17 MORRO BAY NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM
1:00pm -2:30pm......Community Center
Travel in time with MBNEP staff from the geologic past, through
recent human history, to the current conditions of the Morro Bay
Estuary. Explore alternative futures for the bay and their implications
for birds and people. Learn how the MBNEP is working to
protect and enhance this remarkable resource, including involving
volunteers to monitor the estuarine environment.

18 DISCOVER MAGNIFICENT MORRO ROCK
1:00pm-2:30pm......Morro Rock
Join State Park Docent Rosemary Olszewski to explore the
“Gibraltar of the Pacific” and hear about its history and geology.
Meet the many species living in its shadow and learn what we
can do to help them survive. Meet near the rest rooms at the
Rock parking lot.

19 BIRD ADAPTATIONS 101
2:30pm-4:00pm......Museum Learning Center
Explore some distinctive physical adaptations, such as feathers,
beaks, and feet, that enable birds to survive, in this beginning
birder workshop with State Park Docent Robin Knapp. Limited

*20 PEREGRINE FALCON COMEBACK
2:30pm-5:00pm......Library
Join Peregrine Falcon researcher and author Steve Schubert for a
slide presentation. Then travel along the edge of Morro Bay and
walk to Morro Rock looking for the Peregrines and their recent
nesting sites. Caravan. Limited

*21 VIEW THE MORRO BAY ESTUARY
2:45pm-4:15pm......Community Center
Hike to the top of Black Hill with the Morro Bay National
Estuary Program staff for a remarkable view of the bay and
watershed. Learn about the history and ecology of the Morro Bay
estuary, one of only 28 national estuaries. The trail is steep in
places but less than 1/2 mile in length. Caravan. Limited

*22 BAY BIRDING CRUISE
2:45pm-4:30pm......Community Center...$30
See #6. Limited

*23 GULL ID
3:00pm -5:00pm......Community Center
Join Los Angeles birding expert Larry Allen in a slide talk on
gull identification showing plumages from immature to mature.
Jump-start your recognition of this notoriously hard-to-identify
group.

*24 BATS IN THE BELFRY
4:00pm-9:00pm ....Community Center....$75
Take a custom, behind-the-scenes tour of Hearst Castle (parts of
all four public castle tours) with Greg Smith and Regena Orr
while learning how bats use the castle as a roosting and
foraging site. See how acoustic monitoring is done on the nine
species of bats that call Hearst Castle home. Watch the sun set as
the van climbs the 1,800’ elevation gain to the mountain top. (Fee
includes $50 donation to Friends of Hearst Castle.) Transportation
and box dinner provided. Limited

*25 FESTIVAL OPENING RECEPTION
5:00pm-6:30pm......Community Center
Join fellow birders for a wine and cheese party at the
vendor fair in the Community Center. Socialize, network,
view educational displays, and survey the vendor
booths offering optical equipment, artwork, books,
clothing, jewelry, and more.