San Diego's beautiful and diverse landscape makes for excellent birding

San Diego County is one of those rare and exciting destinations where a birder can enjoy four distinct bird habitats all in the space of one day including oceanfront beaches and bayfront tidelands, inland foothills, canyons, mountains and deserts. More than 515 species of birds have been observed in San Diego County, more than any other county in the United States. It's a bird haven along the Pacific Flyway - the diverse migratory route along the west coast of the United States, where many birds make their winter homes or nest. San Diego is also a birder's delight due to of its year-round near-idyllic climate. Most days are sunny and warm with an average daily temperature of 70 degrees, and visitors have an opportunity to view birds in a comfortable outdoor setting almost any day of the year.

Each year in February the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge hosts the San Diego Bird Festival that features field trips to the three coastal wildlife areas. This is a great opportunity to join hundreds of other birders on guided trips to areas that hold rare birds like pied-billed grebes and black-vented shearwaters. Other opportunities to see California native birds in captivity include the Living Coast Discovery Center, which houses a collection of rescued birds, and Sky Falconry that offers a hands-on experience with trained birds of prey. Both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are also home to a large population of captive feathered friends.