Extend your San Diego Bird Festival experience with four additional days of exceptional birding across some of southern California’s most diverse habitats. Designed as a post-trip in partnership with the festival, this tour ventures beyond the San Diego area to explore the deserts, wetlands, and mountain forests that make this region one of the most exciting birding destinations in the western United States. From the cactus-filled landscapes of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to the bird-rich shores of the Salton Sea and the pine forests of Idyllwild, we’ll target an impressive variety of species while enjoying some of California’s spectacular scenery.

After leaving San Diego, we’ll make our way through the mountains before descending into the Sonoran Desert around Borrego Springs. Over the next two days we’ll explore the diverse habitats of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, from rocky canyons and desert washes to open sandy flats, searching for many of the region’s sought-after specialties. We’ll also spend time birding the nearby Salton Sea, where thousands of wintering waterbirds gather, providing a striking contrast to the surrounding desert.

We’ll wrap up the tour in the cool mountain forests around Idyllwild, where an entirely different suite of birds awaits. White-headed Woodpecker, Pinyon Jay, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee, Red Crossbill, and Steller’s Jay are among our primary targets before we return to San Diego. By exploring habitats beyond those visited during the festival, this post-trip provides the perfect opportunity to add a remarkable collection of desert and mountain birds to your San Diego Bird Festival experience.