We offer all-inclusive birding trips to bird hotspots around the world. Our next trip will take participants to Coastal Southern California in October 2025.
Southern California, October 9-13, 2025
Join Tracy Aviary’s Conservation team on a long weekend of exploring Southern California’s avian and cultural diversity. We’ll be traveling along the Pacific Coast visiting some of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego County’s iconic birding spots, embarking on a full-day Pelagic Bird Trip, and enjoying cuisines from around the world along the way!
The group will travel together in a large passenger van. All meals and hotel rooms are included, but participants must make their own way to and from our starting point in Los Angeles. More detailed information about travel, meals, and lodging will be provided soon.
$2,100* per individual (private rooms)
$1,900* each for pairs who can room share**
*Flight in and out of Los Angeles, CA not included
** We can work with participants wishing to room share to find a roommate. However, if we cannot find another trip participant to share a room with you, you will need to pay the singles price.
Spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis and the trip is limited to 8 participants. The trip is subject to cancellation in the case of low participation. We recommend that you not purchase plane tickets until we confirm the trip will take place. Email conservation@tracyaviary.org with any questions.
Additional Trip Details
Meet your Lead Guides:
Bryant Olsen
Bryant is Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Ecologist. Bryant’s passion for birds and over twenty years of birding experience have made him one of the most well-respected bird authorities in the state of Utah, and he was the recipient of the 2017 Utah Birder of the Year Award. On top of his extensive bird expertise, Bryant has in-depth knowledge about many subjects, from general natural history to geology, astronomy, and more.
Angie Trumbo
Angie is Tracy Aviary’s Director of Conservation, where she leads community science bird monitoring projects throughout the region. She previously worked for International Bird Rescue where she worked extensively with aquatic bird species. Angie has been an avid birder for over a decade and has a passion for traveling both domestically and abroad.
Transportation:
Participants must make their own way to Los Angeles, CA. We can arrange pickup from the LAX during the day on Thursday, Oct 9 and drop off to the airport Monday late afternoon/evening, Oct 13 (departing flights should be booked for no earlier than 5pm).
We will rent one large passenger van or two medium-sized vans (depending on availability) to transport participants during the trip.
Lodging:
We will stay in economy-midscale hotels/motels throughout the trip. Unless participants have purchased tickets at the pair/ couple price, they will have their own room.
Food and Drinks:
All meals from dinner on Thursday, Oct 9 to lunch on Monday, Oct 13 are included in the trip price. We will eat in a variety of restaurants depending on group preference.
Breakfasts will often be “continental” or “continental-plus” style meals eaten in the hotel, or will be similar when staying in a shared vacation house.
Lunches will be from local or chain counter restaurants, with some packed sandwich lunches.
We’ll sample local restaurants for dinner or have a family-style meal. One beer, wine, or mixed drink per dinner is included in the trip price. Additional drinks must be purchased separately by the participant.
We will try to accommodate food allergies and preferences as best we can, but participants with significant food allergies or dietary requirements may need to bring additional food for instances where their needs cannot be met with local restaurant options.
Physical Requirements:
Moderate amounts of walking (up to 2-3 miles per day) on paved or gravel/dirt roads or trails will be required. We will be standing for long periods of time to observe birds, and may have fairly long (1-3 hours) uninterrupted periods of time in the vans, especially during travel days. This trip will include early mornings, and will have morning and afternoon birding sessions.
Smoking:
The shared trip spaces will be a smoke-free environment. If you smoke, please be sensitive to others and refrain from smoking at meals, in vehicles, inside trip lodging, and in close proximity to the group while out birding.
Trip Cancellations and Refund Policy
- Participant Cancellation: In the event a participant cancels a reservation, we will provide a full refund up to one month before the trip departure date.
- Trip Cancellation due to Insufficient Registrations: Tracy Aviary may cancel the trip due to insufficient registrations. A full refund will be issued in this instance.
- Trip Cancellation or Alterations due to Unforeseen Events: In the event of cancellation before the trip due to unforeseen events such as but not limited to natural disaster, military activities, social uprising, or other dangerous conditions, Tracy Aviary will issue a full refund. If any of these issues take place during the trip, causing it to be cut short, no refund will be issued.
Itinerary
Thursday, Oct 9th
Arrive in Los Angeles by early afternoon.
Local Birding in L.A. while participants arrive
Welcome dinner together before checking into hotel for the evening.
Friday, Oct 10th
Birding at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve & San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Travel to San Diego with lunch and additional birding on the way. Birding at Lake Hodges.
Stay in San Diego.
Saturday, October 11th
Pelagic Birding Tour
Stay in San Diego
Sunday, October 12th
Birding up the PCH. Possible stops include: La Jolla Cove, San Elijo Lagoon, Crystal Cove State Park
, Upper Newport Bay
Lunch
Afternoon Birding at Legg Lake and Peck Road Water Conservation Park
Stay near Arcadia, CA – Enjoy a classic Taiwanese Dinner
Monday, October 13th
Birding in the foothills and at the Los Angeles Arboretum.
Lunch
Birding near LAX – possible locations include Ballona Wetlands, Dockweiler Beach
3pm drop off at LAX.
Possible species for the trip include: Reddish Egret, Brant, Whimbrel, Brown Pelican, White-tailed Kite, Western Gull, Black Phoebe, Black-bellied Plover, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Black Turnstone, Horned Grebe, Western Sandpiper, Elegant Tern, Cassin’s Kingbird, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, California Thrasher, Heermann’s Gull, Anna’s Hummingbird, Red-shouldered Hawk, Tree Swallow, Allen’s Hummingbird, California Scrub-Jay, California Gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, Surf Scoter, Cassin’s Auklet, Cocos Booby, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Pink-footed Shearwater, Black-vented Shearwater, Brandt’s Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Black Storm-Petrel, California Towhee, Bushtit, Wrentit, Scaly-breasted Munia, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Mitred Parakeet, Band-tailed Pigeon, Red-crowned Amazon, Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, Vermilion Flycatcher
View photos from our most recent trip to Rio Grande.
