Global Events

California Birding Festivals – Fall 2024

Monterey Bay Festival of Birds October 11−13, 2024 | birdschoolproject.org

Lodi Crane Festival November 2−3, 2024 | Lodisandhill.org

California Swan Festival November 8−10, 2024 | caswanfestival.org

Central Valley Birding Symposium November 21−24, 2024 | cvbirds.org

Annual and seasonal events we take notice of:

GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT – February

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a 4-day count held over a long weekend every February. Monitoring birds is an essential part of protecting them. You can participate from anywhere in the world. More about the GBBC here.

EARTH DAY – April

WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY (WMBD) – annually in May

Celebrating the long-distance journey many of our feathered friends make as they migrate across the globe.

NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK – annually in June

Celebrating pollinator health and how we can help them flourish in a modern world, from birds and bees to bats and butterflies. #PollinatorWeek

NATIONAL MOTH WEEK – last week of July

Moths often don’t get the love they deserve, but they’re important creatures. Not only do they serve as food for many animals, including bats and birds, but they also pollinate plants.

INTERNATIONAL BAT NIGHT – last weekend in August

This event is observed in the U.S. and Europe to spread awareness of bats and their habitat and to bust some myths.

INTERNATIONAL VULTURE AWARENESS DAY – Sept 2

Vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats in many areas where they occur.

NATIONAL HUMMINGBIRD DAY – Sept 2

SFBBO’s CALIFORNIA FALL CHALLENGE – September

This annual event is one of San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory’s most important fundraisers. Learn more at SFBBO.org

WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY – Oct 8

WMBD happens twice a year in May and October and is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.

SWALLOWS DEPART FROM SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO DAY – Oct 23
(their arrival celebration is March 14)

This day commemorates the yearly migration of the cliff swallows from their summer home in California to their winter home in Goya, Argentina. They travel around 5,000 miles to reach their destination.

BAT WEEK – Oct 24-31

An international celebration of the role of bats in nature. Bat Week is a great time to do something positive for bats. Build bat roosting boxes, pull weeds out of bat habitat, plant native vegetation that attracts bats, create bat art, and ask your governor to proclaim your state’s Bat Week to help bats.

Audubon’s community science project IS an event held annually around the world. Birders count every individual bird they see or hear all day. If you want to get involved, visit Scvas.org.

SPRING MIGRATION – Feb-June

Our San Francisco Bay Area Spring migration happens from late February through early June. There is a change in the species found in your backyard as many of the species that wintered with you will soon migrate away to their breeding grounds in the north and east. Also, we’ll see a return of the birds that wintered elsewhere as they migrate back to here to feed and or nest in your neighborhood. You will also notice a change in bird plumages and an increase in bird song as this is also the start of the breeding season. The males sing to attract a female.

NESTING SEASON– Begins in April

Nesting season in the SF Bay Area starts in April. Owls, raptors, and hummingbirds may start as early as December. Habitat is the single most critical factor for successfully attracting certain bird species to nest in your yard. The kinds of trees and vegetation, on and near your property, will determine what kinds of birds will nest in your yard. Sparrows, towhees, and juncos may even nest directly on the ground and need safe places to hide underneath garden shrubs. Other birds, like doves, robins, and orioles, make their nests up in the trees using branches or mud and even plant fibers. Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Titmice, Violet-Green Swallows, and Wrens require cavities in trees to make their nests. If you do not have natural cavities in your yard, you can offer these birds a man-made nest box as a substitute.

BREEDING SEASON – May-August

Breeding season is roughly from May to August with some Hummingbird species starting as early as December. Neighborhoods come alive with bird song and courtship. If birds are not able to successfully breed during this time, their numbers decline. We can help birds increase their numbers if we work together by keeping cats inside, and trimming trees and shrubs before the breeding season starts.

FALL MIGRATION – Begins in August

As the days get shorter, Fall Migration begins as birds leave their northern breeding grounds and head south. Offering food, clean water, and a place to rest helps many on their journey through the Bay Area. You may recognize birds in your yard that return to spend their winter with you.