What a journey! We had an incredible time at the San Diego Bird Festival and felt so welcomed by the birding community. For our first time at a bird festival, we could not have asked for a better experience. And if you weren’t able to join us, here’s our full recap..
San Diego Bird Festival
The San Diego Bird Festival is an annual birding celebration hosted by The San Diego Audubon Society (SDAS). The SDAS is just one of many chapters of the National Audubon Society and has been around for over 70 years. The five-day event was packed with activities including local birding field trips, creative seminars, keynote speakers, and an exhibit hall with all the birding resources you could ask for. Whether you’re new to the community or a seasoned birder, the San Diego Bird Festival is a great opportunity to celebrate the wild birds and habitats of San Diego with your fellow birders.
Chirp for Birds
Being a part of this festival was a big deal for us. Why? Because we got to spread Chirp’s mission to a new community! And not just a new community, but a group of people who are just as excited as us about supporting the birds. If you’ve been following us, you know our commitment to preserving wild birds and their habitats, and are familiar with our Sustainability Credo and our promise to do more in 2024 (and beyond!). In our book, more awareness for Chirp is a win for the birds, and a win for us.
Chirp for Big Bear Lake
Some of our favorite festival moments were educating visitors about Big Bear Lake and why it’s such a great birding destination! While some folks knew about Jackie and Shadow or had even visited Big Bear Lake before, few knew about our free bird walks or that our unique mountain location on the migratory Pacific Flyway straddles coastal and desert zones, which results in a wide variety of birds year-round. We had some great conversations and are really looking forward to the start of our bird walk season!
A special shout out to our friends at Visit Big Bear and Friends of Big Bear Valley who contributed some great swag for us to share at the festival!
Birding Resources
Another favorite part of the festival was making new friends! While we may have known about some of our fellow exhibitors, nothing ever replaces in-person conversations. We are excited for the possibility of future events and partnerships and hope you’ll stay tuned to see what we’re working on. In the meantime, check out these organizations for more birding resources:
- American Birding Association
- BIRDS By BIJS
- Bird Watcher’s Digest
- Red Hill Birding
- Talkin’ Birds
- Zeiss
Did you attend the SDBF? Would you like to see Chirp there again? Leave us a comment or reach out and let us know what you think!
