Birdy weekend with a bird festival

OK, it's the weekend again!  And, it's birdy and the weather is awesome! If you want to help the least tern and visit an island in Mission Bay that you usually can't visit, then contact Christina Hirt of the San Diego Audubon Society at hirt@sandiegoaudubon.org or call 858-273-7800 x106 ASAP.

Basically, what you will be doing is removing trash and invasive plants from FAA island on Mission Bay. It's a known least tern nesting area that has been having some success since it started to be maintained. The event takes place THIS SUNDAY, March 8th, probably in the morning. You have to contact Christina to find out the time and location of where the boat will pick you up. Once you are there, you can't leave until everyone's done, which will be in about three hours. There's no restroom or anything you can use as a restroom, so don't drink any coffee or juice that morning. But, do bring a water bottle and sunscreen.

Unfortunately, I've been sick a lot lately and haven't had the energy to work on the least tern sites this year. But, I may go to the San Diego Bird Festival at Mariner's Point. This year, not only Sunday set aside as a family fun day, THE WHOLE WEEKEND is going to have free family-friendly events. Friday and Saturday's free events go on throughout the day. There will be a couple of free bird walks in the area as well as kid's art classes, a class on attracting birds to your garden, and an expo with optics and live birds. On Sunday, most activities start around noon, but the 'Big Sit' along the bicycle path starts early in the morning. There are some events that might require a fee.

The Big Sit bird numbers around mid-day last year

Mission Trails Regional Park will have an art reception on Saturday, March 7th from 1-4 p.m. in their visitor's center. They are currently exhibiting work for the Pastel Society of San Diego. They are located at 1 Junipero Serra Trail near Mission Gorge Road.

Unfortunately, I posted too late for an upcoming hike on March 7th from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve. They required RSVPs on March 5th, so it's too late to reserve a spot. I'm just mentioning it because I want people to be informed about the Reserve and keep their eyes open for the next hike. They usually have a hike at least once a month. They're located in Southeast-Central San Diego County (east of Spring Valley). If you want to ask what hikes they will be having next time, call 619-654-3793.

What's going on this weekend, October 25-26th, 2014

Wow, lots of things going on in San Diego this weekend, mostly related to fall and Halloween.  Here are a few things I've found:

Boo Parade:  This parade is happening October 25th at 10 AM along El Cajon Boulevard from 54th Street to Montezuma Road.  Then, there will be a festival at College Avenue Baptist Church from 11AM to 5PM. Visit the official website, http://collegeareabid.com/boo/  for more information.

Least Tern Habitat Restoration:  If working outdoors and helping wildlife is your thing, come out to Stony Point on Fiesta Island to work on the least tern nesting area.  Volunteers will be helping with weeding and repairing the habitat to help manage the weeds before the terns return to nest next year. Stony Point is located at the far end of the dog run on the west side of Fiesta Island.  It starts at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m.  Contact the Conservation Program Intern, Christina Hirt, at 858-273-7800 or at hirt@sandiegoaudubon.org.

By the way, if you want more information about San Diego's wildlife or nature events, you can visit my column on Examiner.com

Borrego Days:  I really love this festival out in the desert in the middle of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.  It happens every year on the last weekend of October.  This year, it will start on October 24th at 5PM, but the parade takes place on the 25th at 10AM.  From the 24-26th, there will be live music, food, and art booths at the Circle.  For a schedule, directions, and all the rest,  visit the Borrego Chamber of Commerce's official page.

There are a lot of other things going on this weekend, but to list them all would make this a really long article.  These three are my favorites.  Don't forget, also, there will be a special Bicycle Birding tour on the Silver Strand next Thursday morning, October 30th at 8AM, as well.  You can find more details about that on the San Diego Audubon Page.