Birding Outings for Kids
Do guided birding outings for kids exist? Our 7 year old kid is super interested in birds, and we would love to join a local guided tour that's appropriate for or targeted at kids. Appreciate any leads, reviews, or advice on how to nurture his interest. Thank you!
Apr 16, 2025
Parent Replies
My kiddo also is really into birding (going on 2 years!) and I've done some research on this ... Check out the Santa Clara Young Birders Club - https://scvbirdalliance.org/ybc
I haven't found anything like it that's closer/in the East Bay. We've attended a couple of their field trips and they're really neat.
Also (you may already know this), Oliver James has a terrific little book on Berkeley birds (with beautiful illustrations) that would be fun to read out loud to youngsters.
For several years our birdy child was part of The Drakes’ Beach Sanderlings Bird-A-Thon Team.
We did a bunch of outings. You could inquire with Point Blue Conservatory if the team still exists.
The Annual Rich Stallcup Bird-A-Thon event does still happen, last year was the 47th year.
Drakes’ Beach Sanderlings Bird-A-Thon Team: A Bird Finding Machine! - Point Blue
My first thought was to try the East Bay Regional Parks District, which has a wide variety of events. I found Budding Birders scheduled for May 3 for the right age group at Coyote Hills. (https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ebparks/activity/search/detail/55…). Not written for kids, but I've got a lot of mileage as a casual birder out of the book Birds of Northern California by Nix, Bezener, and Ross. I like it because it is regional, so it doesn't include birds that I have basically no chance of seeing in the area.
East Bay Regional Parks has many options for all ages https://www.ebparks.org/birding. (click on View Activities) Although dating myself, I participated in many EBRP programs as a child (lol 1960s-70s) and still fondly remember them!
Not only for kids, but East Bay Regional Parks regularly offers bird-focused programming for all ages at many local parks. Go to the website https://www.ebparks.org/ and put "birding" in the search field.
Our son was also very interested in birds. At that time we joined a kids' birding group (Sanderlings) that was organized by Point Blue. I don't know if the group still exists, but Point Blue does have birding events that might be OK for kids (https://www.pointblue.org/engage-with-us/events/). The East Bay Regional Parks also have a lot of family and kid friendly events (https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ebparks/activity/search?activity_…). Mostly we just went out on our own to a lot of different parks and waterfronts, along with binoculars, a good camera, and a guidebook. Enjoy! It's wonderful to have a budding naturalist in the house!
I just saw in the East Bay Regional Parks mailer that there's a "Budding Birders" program at Coyote Hills May 3 and June 7 for kids ages 5 and up. Details: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/ebparks/activity/search/detail/55505 You can filter the activities list on their website to show all the bIrding options - there might be others that are appropriate for a kid with an adult to accompany them. Also, the Golden Gate Bird Alliance welcomes all ages on their field trips: https://goldengatebirdalliance.org/field-trips-info/ If you're up for DIY, a good local bird book (e.g., Birds of Lake Merritt, Birds of Berkeley, Sibley Birds West) or an app like Merlin can help you identify birds on your own, too. If he wants to draw what he sees, look up the books and free online tutorials by John Muir Laws and help him start a naturalist's notebook. Yay for birding!
Alas, too late for this year but the Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival had several birding walks that welcomed kids in that age range. Maybe you can check out the schedule of walks and contact some of the people or organizations to see about other upcoming opportunities for kids!