Past Monterey Bay Festival of Birds

Bird School Project Takes on the Festival of Birds

The Monterey Bay Festival of Birds has existed under Bird School Project’s leadership since 2022. The annual event happening the second weekend in October has worked to celebrate the birds of the area in different ways over the years. Through field trips and events, BSP has loved celebrating the birds of the area with community.

You can learn more about the types of field trips through the most recent festival in the link below! *Please note that although many trips show up year to year, there are no guarantees.

Curious about the field trips? You can see some of the locations and species spotted on the eBird Trip Report, or check out Bird School’s Blog for Sailor’s recap of the 2024 MBFOB.

Community Events Highlight

Bird School Project started with the Nature Extravaganza, as a Saturday afternoon community event. In 2022 and 2023, it took place in Watsonville with non-profit booths, food and craft vendors.

In 2024 we moved to an evening event with the Birders Night Market. Similar to the Extravaganza, this event included non-profit, craft vendors, and food to browse and mingle with others in the birding community. In 2024 John Muir Laws lead “How to Draw Birds” classes with a different subject every hour. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate and the Wild Wonder Foundation for their contribution to the event.

Central Coast Birding Collective has hosted a Birds and Brews Trivia Night as a Friday night kick off for the MBFOB. It is a fin way to socialize with fellow birding enthusiasts and test your bird and bird adjacent knowledge.

In addition to Trivia Night and the Extravaganza/Night Market, past Monterey Bay Festival of Birds have always included free trip offerings. Often through amazing community partners, these offer an opportunity for a variety of birders to join without a cost barrier.