A bird festival is a celebration of the wild birds, habitats, and people of a region. The San Diego Bird Festival, scheduled for February 17th to February 21st, 2027, celebrates the wildlife, habitats and people that make San Diego unique. 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. 

Festival registration is required to sign up for field trips and ticketed programs. The $42.50 registration fee is non-refundable.

The following comes with festival registration:

• Daily drop-in field trips ​t​o San Diego River Mouth and other locations (check the schedule for available trips)

• ​Access to Festival ​E​xhibit Hall​s with 60+ vendors

• ​Opening Reception food and beverage ticket

• ​​Access to Festival HQ Social Hours (Drink + food available for purchase)

• Access to Dockside Lounge

• Admission to Quilt Exhibit

• Community Days programming and festivities are free and no registration is required

Registration begins November 1, 2026. Click the “register” link and fill your cart with all of the things you would like to do. We have a registration tutorial for you!

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.

You do not need to register to visit the bookstore, the exhibit hall, or for Community Days (Saturday and Sunday programs at Marina Village), but remember that your registration fee supports the mission of San Diego Bird Alliance. We hope you’ll consider registering, even if you are attending only our free-to-the-public events.

We have secured a special rate at the Dana Resort in Mission Bay. 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 February 3, 2027. Individuals must identify themselves as part of "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 sold out in 2026, so book early!

Morning schedule: Complimentary Hotel Transportation from the Dana Resort to Marina Village Conference Center. You must sign up in the hotel lobby. 

• Thursday February 18 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Friday February 19 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Saturday February 20 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

• Sunday February 21 | 5:30 AM - 7:30 AM

Evening schedule: Complimentary Hotel Transportation from the Dana to Marina Village Conference Center. Sign up in the hotel lobby for Wednesday through Sunday. Please note that the Dana prioritizes shuttle service to Sea World, so their service to MVCC may be slow during high-traffic times.

• Wednesday, February 17 | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

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). San Diego is a large county. Make sure you allow plenty of time to get to your destinations.

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

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

You should wear whatever feels good! In general, the mornings are chilly and mid-day warms up. This is technically winter, so you can expect a range from the low 40’s to the high 60s. Here are a few pointers for the various sorts of programs we offer:

Pelagic trips- it tends to be a little bit more extreme on the boat, and you can start out feeling chilly in wind and fog and getting hot in the sun. Layers are the best bet. You’ll be happiest in long pants, a t-shirt, a fleece and a windbreaking shell. Hats should have a chin strap to avoid loss. Bring a small backpack or bag to stow extra clothing items as you shed them.
Land trips- it can be chilly in the morning and warm up as the sun gets higher. Long pants are recommended, and shoes that are comfortable for walking on a variety of substrates. A waterproof jacket and hat are often useful.
Stationary birding- even if a birding outing doesn’t include a walk, it can be nice to have layers. Coastal locations can be windy.
Daytime programs- indoor classrooms are comfortable but usually not heated or air conditioned. It can be nice to have a sweater.
Keynote programs- sometimes people dress up, but don’t feel obligated. We are birders, after all!

If you are registered, you can sign into your Amilia account using the same email you used when you registered, and access your full registration with personalized details.

There are several kinds of field trips in the festival. Please check your schedule to be sure what sort of trip you have signed up for and allow yourself enough time to get there on time. Festival meeting locations are provided in the descriptions of all activities.

Arrive early so we can all start on time! The start times indicated on the schedule are the times we begin: if it is a bus trip scheduled at 6:00 am, expect that the bus will depart at MVCC at 6:00 am. If it is a meet-you-there trip at 6:00 am, that is the time we’d like all participants to be present and ready to start birding. Coffee will be available in the Dockside room prior to MVCC field trip departures, and bus/van trips will have baskets of breakfast goodies onboard. If you pre-order a lunch, instructions for pickup will be provided.

We’ve partnered with Larkwire to offer a course to help you study up on San Diego Birds before you come. The Larkwire app is a game-based system for mastering bird identification by ear and by eye. Larkwire offers a custom course just for the San Diego Bird Festival (coming soon)!

This course covers visual identification of 240 species — nearly every species you're likely to see at the festival — including highly sought after species such as Ridgway's Rail, Allen's Hummingbird, California Thrasher, California Towhee, and California Gnatcatcher (basically anything that starts with California!). Includes both landbirds and waterbirds, including many of the pelagics that are often seen.

Great for beginners — still challenging for expert birders, and completely customizable to your target species. 

The course has three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Learn the grebes—and all the other species you will see and hear at the festival!

We’ve partnered with MPB to help you get yourself outfitted with all of the photography gear that you need for the festival. Get set up, upgrade, or sell gear you aren’t using anymore. Check out their site here.

Food & Dining

Breakfast on Bus Trips
Continental breakfast baskets are provided on all Bus Trips.

Coffee
Coffee is available in the Birders’ Lounge from 5:30 am until 8 am.

Lunch on Bus Trips
Lunch is available as an add-on on all Bus Trips. Choose your lunch when you register. Lunch will be loaded onto your bus prior to departure.

Weekend Food Vendors
On Saturday, February 20, and Sunday, February 21, food vendors will be set up in the courtyard.

The $42.50 registration fee is non-refundable.

Participant Cancellations

• A full refund (100%) of trip and program fees will be issued for cancellations made by December 31, 2026.

• A partial refund (50%) of trip and program fees will be issued for cancellations made between January 1, 2027 and January 31, 2027.

• No refunds will be issued for cancellations made on or after February 1, 2027.

Festival-Initiated Cancellations

Field trips and programs run rain or shine.

If a program or trip is cancelled by the Festival, refunds will be provided as follows:

• Pelagic trips — full refund. 

• Bus and Kayak trips — 50% refund (vendor deposits for transportation are non-recoverable). 

• Meet-You-There trips and On-Site Programs — full refund.