Morro Bay in winter is a good spot to be. The beach is a few yards from our campground, the roads are prime for cycling, and there are plenty of places to explore.

We came to Morro Bay for our first-ever birding festival, the 7th Annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival. What a terrific event!

Over four days, we went on four field trips, attended three workshops, and heard two special guest speakers in the evenings. The speakers and leaders were outstanding, the event was very well-organized, and the volunteers and fellow attendees were friendly and helpful.

We identified 85 different bird species, of which 19 were new to us. Better yet, the field trip leaders showed us some of their favorite birding habitats, including....a sewer plant?!

Almost all of the bird photos in this album result from Gene's new digiscoping technique. Because he hand-holds the digital camera next to the spotting scope eyepiece, the results are unpredictable -- but he has gotten some great close-up shots of birds that are hundreds of feet away.