Morro Bay Bird Festival brings hundreds of eyes to the sky

There’s a chill to the air on the morning of Jan. 19 during the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, as a group with binoculars hanging from their necks wanders slowly through El Chorro Regional Park, nestled between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.
They crane their heads to the sky and peer through every branch in the nearby trees, soon spotting what they’ve been anxiously anticipating. Lifting their binoculars in unison, they revel at the brown bird situated at the base of a tree trunk.
The group, part of the Birding for Beginners class offered at the 28th annual Morro Bay Bird Festival, soon learns the creature in the tree is better known as a California Thrasher. Awe sounds emanate from the group as volunteer leaders Kristina Van Wert and Tyson Baker point out the bird’s light-brown color, long tail and curved bill.
The duo has been guiding the stroll through the park, sharing with the group fascinating observations and helping every birdwatcher better understand the things they have been seeing.
One of the members of the beginner’s class was 76-year-old Los Angeles resident Arlene Simmons, who traveled up the coast with her friends for the festival. She said it was an opportunity for her to get in touch with nature and see the world around her differently by learning more about birds.
“It makes you so much more aware of your surroundings,” Simmons said.
Volunteer Coordinator and Marketing Director Sherry Paul said over 1,100 people attended the five-day festival’s 257 events, which ranged from boat trips, master classes and field trips.
Van Wert and Baker have hosted the Bird Festival’s beginner classes for the past three years –– it makes them feel like they know something, the pair said jokingly. They both said they recognize peoples’ sparks of enthusiasm about birding when they spend their free time attending group classes and want to ignite that spark even more for them.
“I’ve been birding for 30 years, but I always feel like a beginner,” Van Wert said. “Always more stuff to learn, always more stuff to teach.”
Van Wert said her love of birding was born from the moments spent watching birds at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. She had just moved from Wisconsin to Arcata, CA to take her final community college class before transferring to Cal Poly Humboldt.
Van Wert’s favorite part about birding is how accessible it is –– anyone can join in on the activity just by stepping outside their door.
“Once you start watching birds, once you realize they are there, you always see them,” Van Wert said. “A lot of people go through life blind to all these creatures that are flying around us and once you start seeing them, you can’t unsee them.”
The festival’s website and workspace administrator Jeanette Stone, who helped organize the diverse range of events during the weekend, said she focused on catering to the various interests and passions of the attendees.
“Everybody is so unique in what they want, what they hope to walk away with,” Stone said. “So we’re trying to give these diverse opportunities and hope everybody gets what they want out of it.”
During the winter, the Central Coast sees many species of birds fly into the area with one of the biggest bird migrations in North America that stretches from Alaska to Patagonia in South America –– known as the Pacific Flyway. Stone said because of this and the diverse habitats of the San Luis Obispo area, one could anticipate over 200 species of birds within the county, making the area a perfect place for a bird festival.
The annual festival leans into the allure of San Luis Obispo’s small-town feel, with their theme line, ‘Where world-class birding meets small-town hospitality.’ Attendees –– either local or having traveled to enjoy the sprawling landscapes and birds of the area –– do the same.
Marketing Director Paul said “They come because they are treated really nicely by the vendors, by the businesses and by the local people.”
Paul added they are focused on getting more youth involved in birding and the festival’s future.
“We want to carry on the legacy of birding to the next generation,” Paul said. The festival coordinators welcome anyone with ideas for next year’s events to reach out to support@morrobaybirdfestival.org. And if this year’s bird festival flew by you, there are birding and field trips offered year-round by Morro Coast Audubon Society.