Bird enthusiasts across California and beyond gathered on the Central Coast this week for the annual Morro Bay Bird Festival. The event draws both seasoned birders and newcomers eager to spot migrating species along the coast.
Along the rocky shoreline near Morro Rock, binoculars were pointed toward clear blue skies as participants scanned for movement among seabirds, sparrows and shorebirds.
Hannah Buschert, a birder of 15 years from Oregon, led one of the festival’s New Birders groups. She hosts a birding podcast with her husband, Erik, called “Hannah and Erik Go Birding” and said Morro Bay offers an unusually wide range of species in a compact area.
“There’s incredible birds that you can see right around Morro Rock,” Buschert said. “Lots of wrens and sparrows, but then you have all the cool seabirds too. So it’s a great diversity of things. And then the folks that we’ve engaged with here are just so friendly.”
Buschert said she was hoping to spot a Canyon Wren during this year’s festival, recalling a memorable sighting from last year’s festival.
“We had a Canyon Wren that sat up on one of the rocks and just sang and sang and sang,” she said. “So I’m hoping we get to see another one of those because they’re just so much fun to watch.”
The festival attracts visitors from different experience levels. Mary Jane McEwan-Hewer traveled from the Mojave Desert, hoping to see birds she doesn’t encounter at home.
“Especially water birds since I live in the desert,” McEwan-Hewer said. “I’ve already seen pelicans and that’s exciting.”
Festival organizers say the event is designed to welcome beginners while offering expert guidance through bird walks across the region.
The 29th annual Morro Bay Bird Festival runs through Monday, with several guided field trips scheduled throughout the Central Coast.
