ONLINE REGISTRATION BEGINS MAY 7
Be a Sponsor Be an Exhibitor
Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Festival headquarters and registration for all activities will take place at the City of Watsonville Civic Plaza.
Directions
2010 Santa Cruz Conference and Visitors Council Fall Festival Series.
2011 Birds of a Feather - Santa Cruz County Bank.
Coloring Contest.
Coloring Contest Application

Welcome to the seventh annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival, home of one of the most spectacular birding and wildlife venues in North America.

Where else in the country could you look for Wrentits, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Clark's Grebes, White-tailed Kites, Nuttall's Woodpeckers, Yellow-billed Magpies, Snowy Plovers, California Thrashers, California Towhees, and Black-footed Albatrosses, just to name a few?

Our festival theme this year: "The Evolution of Birding - From Field Guides to Hi-Tech" will celebrate the days of John James Audubon to the modern days of hi-tech innovations in birding.

Designed for birders of all levels, as well as outdoor lovers, the festival offers a unique opportunity to explore, learn and appreciate world-class habitats such as the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Pinnacles National Monument. You'll be able to go to outings in the mountains, shoreline, chaparral, sloughs and grasslands.

Dave Brockmann
Festival Coordinator

Highlights from the
2010 Festival

Latest News & Features

'The Big Year' Birder Greg Miller is a Keynote Speaker at Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2012
Greg Miller.
Greg Miller 		  The Monterey Bay Birding Festival is honored to present 'The Big Year' birder Greg Miller as the keynote speaker Sept. 15 at the Watsonville Civic Plaza. Greg Miller is portrayed by actor Jack Black in the new comedy movie "The Big Year" about the world of competitive birding. See more about Greg Miller at Featured Speakers and Workshop Leaders.

Photo Contest Deadline
Aug. 24, 2012

The Monterey Bay Birding Festival is sponsoring a photo contest and winning images will be featured in our full color, 8.5x11, 2012 wall calendar. Images should depict birds that can be found in the general area of the MBBF (Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito and Counties). See more about the photo contest rules at here.

2011 Photo Contest

First Place
Pigeon Guillemot by Abe Borker

Second Place
California Condor by Sebastian KennerKnecht

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