Beach Birds Tour

Join San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy guest experts and naturalists at the beach and on the trails during winter bird migration:

BEACH BIRDS TOUR
January 7: 9-11:30 am
Look for Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plovers, and Western Sandpipers at Cardiff State Beach. We’ll begin with a slideshow of the birds we’re likely to see and then carpool to the beach. This tour will be led by guest expert Steve Brad, who took up birding 20 years ago and focused his camera lens 10 years ago. His images are shared on his website, Sea to Sierra Birds. In addition to joining monthly San Elijo Lagoon bird counts, Steve is a field trip leader for Buena Vista Audubon in Oceanside.

LOW TIDE VISITORS TOUR
February 18: 10 am-12 am
Explore shorebirds in the mudflats—Willet, Whimbrel, and Marbled Godwit. At low tide the mud is exposed, leaving a feast of small creatures for birds and mammals. The tour is led by naturalist Kathy Dickey, a retired clinical microbiologist and research scientist. Her interests are in archaeology and the natural history of the San Diego region. She leads Lagoon Discovery Tours on Saturdays and is known for sharing her enthusiasm that there is always something new to discover with life between the tides.

BIRDING BY SOUND TOUR
March 18: 9-11 am
Use your ears to recognize familiar bird calls. Who’s waking you up singing in the middle of the night? Notice that high-pitched “tsip” up in that tree, “chup” in your garden, “mew” from within that shrub? The tour will be led by Robert Patton, a consulting biologist who has specialized in local endangered bird species and their habitats for more than 35 years. He is a former San Elijo Lagoon ranger and board member. He conducts monthly volunteer bird counts at the reserve, and compiles the area’s Christmas Bird Count.

REGISTER online for the series (or tour of choice): Members $5 ($12 series) | Public $10 ($24 series)

San Elijo Lagoon CONSERVANCY is the nonprofit land trust for San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. This is the conservancy's 30th Anniversary year.