You are here: News - Local

Published: Wednesday, Jan. 06, 2010

Morro Bay awaits swarm of birders

Four-day celebration featuring talks by experts and dozens of outings is expected to draw hundreds

tool name

close
tool goes here

A great blue heron perches on an exposed tree trunk on a recent sunny morning at Lopez Lake. These and other avian residents of the region will be celebrated at the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, taking place January 15 through 18. tribune photo by david middlecamp

| dsneed@thetribunenews.com

Hundreds of people are expected at the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival and ecotourism event, which will take place Jan. 15 to 18.

More than 100 events are planned, including some 80 birding field and boat trips as far away as the Carrizo Plain, as well as workshops and presentations. Organizers say that more than 200 species of birds are typically sighted during the weekend.

The festival is an opportunity for nature lovers to learn more about birds and how to identify and photograph them. Morro Bay Mayor Janice Peters coordinates the event, which is sponsored by the Morro Coast Audubon Society.

Keynote speakers are photographer Rosalie Winard, who will show black-and-white photographs of wetlands birds, and Cal Poly biology professor Lars Tomanek, who will discuss climate change and its effect on birds and people.

Morro Bay is located along the Pacific Flyway and is considered a globally important bird area with multiple habitats, which are home to thousands of birds.

This year marks the 14th time the event has been held. Last year, 500 people attended the festival. The farthest traveling attendee came from Bar Harbor, Maine.

Reach David Sneed at 781-7930.

About comments

Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What you should know about comments on SanLuisObispo.com

SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.

Here are some rules of the road:

  • Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
  • Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
  • Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
  • Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and leave him a public message.
  • Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
  • Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
  • Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
  • Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

Our news, your way

Get breaking news on your cell phone

Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.

Type in your cell phone number

( ) -

I accept the terms and conditions (click to view)

Keep your phone handy!

Upon hitting the Sign up! button, you will receive a message with a four-digit code at the end. Enter this number on the next screen and press the Confirm button.

Terms and Conditions:

By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.

Quick Job Search
Top Jobs