[SBB] Monterey Bay Birding Festival Sept 22-24

montereybaybirding.org

Details/highlights are as follows:

The 2nd Monterey Bay Birding Festival will be held the weekend of Sept. 22-24th, featuring speakers, field trips and other activities to highlight the incredible diversity of birds in our region.

Highlights of the three-day event include trips to Pinnacles, Big Sur, the North Coast of Santa Cruz, and boat trips on Monterey Bay itself.

Put together by partnerships of local businesses, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce, the City of Watsonville, the Santa Cruz Council Conference and Visitors Council, local non-profit agencies, and dedicated volunteers, the event coordinators have been meeting since last December to build on and improve the Nov. 2005 inaugural effort.

Field trips range from the far corners of the Monterey Bay region, with the majority focusing on the heart of Monterey Bay, such as Elkhorn Slough and the Pajaro Valley. Evening presentations highlight bird migration and local bird populations, featuring renowned local avian biologists Jeff Davis and David Suddjian. Daytime lectures include workshops on birds of prey and shorebirds, both of which occur in abundance in our region. Unique photos of local birds will be featured in each presentation.

Targeted to beginners and experts alike, most of the trips range in price from $10-$20, with the higher fee for a full-day outing. Each trip is led by a local birding expert familiar with the area and experienced in nature outings. Groups are limited to no more than 20 people per leader to insure a quality outing.

Evening lectures and day-time workshops only cost $5. Participants can sign up for as many or as few outings as interests them.

For the more adventurous, some spectacular special outings are being offered. Shearwater Journeys will be taking birders on an ocean voyage seeking seabirds, true denizens of the open ocean that can’t be found from land. Whales and dolphins are expected to be seen as well. Kayak Connection and Slough Safari are also offering special birding tours to allow for a birds-eye view of Elkhorn Slough not normally available to the novice.

Nearly 500 species of birds have been recorded in the Monterey / Santa Cruz / San Benito County region. September is the peak of fall migration, and the chance for seeing unexpected birds is greater during migration than any other time of year. The region’s mild climates, diversity of habitat and proximity to Monterey Bay and the Pacific Flyway are the key elements to attracting so much diverse wildlife.

David Suddjian for Clay Kempf, festival program committee