Free Festival to Celebrate All Things Bird

Photos of birds will be on display at the first-ever Bird Fest of the Santa Monica Mountains on October 18. The event will also include guided bird walks, live bird presentations and expert presentations. Above, a roadrunner in the Santa Monica Mountains.

National Park Service

News Release Date: September 23, 2014

Contact: Kate Kuykendall, 805-370-2343

CALABASAS, Calif. –Bird Fest, an inaugural event featuring a host of free activities, will be held Saturday, Oct. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center. Bird enthusiasts and newbies alike are invited to celebrate all things bird.

"Our first-ever Bird Fest is going to be fantastic, with something for everyone," said Sophia Wong, store and events manager for the Western National Parks Association,nonprofit partner of the National Park Service (NPS). "This is an excellent opportunity to meet many local representatives of environmental and bird-friendly organizations," Wong said. 

Guided bird walks will take place at 9, 10, 10:30 and 11am (the 10am walk is geared towards families with young children). Live bird presentations will take place at 11am, noon and 1pm. Expert speakers will make presentations on the hour, from 10am until 3pm. 

Speaker Topics: 

10am: "The Plight of the California Condor," by Diane Erskine-Hellrigel, Community Hiking Club. 

11am: "Climate Change in Southern California: What Will Happen to Your Favorite Birds?" by Katy Delaney, National Park Service 

12pm: "Common Birds of the Santa Monica Mountains: Sights and Sounds" by Don Klabunde, Conejo Valley Audubon Society. 

1pm: "Beginner Birder Tips: How to Maximize Your Sightings" by Anthony Bevilacqua, National Park Service 

2pm:"Restoring Habitat, One Yard at a Time" by Alan Pollack, San Fernando Audubon Society/National Wildlife Federation 

3pm: "Malibu Creek: It's for the Birds" by Art Langton, San Fernando Valley Audubon Society 

The Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center is located on the grounds of King Gillette Ranch at 26876 Mulholland Hwy., just east of Las Virgenes Road. For further information, contact 805-370-2302 or [e-mail]. 

The event is co-sponsored by the Audubon Society, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the National Park Service and the Western National Parks Association. 

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