UCSD - University of California - San Diego

09/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/24/2026 09:16

Squawking About UC San Diego’s Bird Club

Published Date

September 24, 2026

Article Content

From solving Rubik's cubes to sign language, there are hundreds of organizations that students can get involved with on campus. In this ongoing series, we shine a light on a few of them. See who's in the spotlight this time.

When people think of San Diego, America's "Birdiest County" probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But we are! With over 500 bird species documented here every year, local news outlets, bird enthusiasts, and media all agree that San Diego holds the largest bird biodiversity in the country.

With such a wide variety of bird species comes an even larger community of "birders" - people who observe and study wild birds as a hobby. Unsurprisingly, UC San Diego now has its very own "flock," known as the Bird Club.

But what exactly is the Bird Club? Co-president and co-founder Nao Song, a 3rd-year marine biology student with a geosciences minor, puts it simply. "We are a club for the UC San Diego community to come together and enjoy birds." Ranging from events such as bird watching to an avian version of "Jeopardy," the Bird Club is focused on education and spreading the love of all things bird related.

In addition to fun activities, the club also provides opportunities for its members to engage in bird research and citizen science. One example is BirdSafe, a student-led project mentored by the San Diego Bird Alliance where students survey the biodiversity of birds during major migratory periods and monitor for any injured birds.

Principal member Joel Kwiatkowski, a 2nd-year molecular and cell biology student, puts it best. "Birding can be just as simple as being outside and looking at birds; it can be specific, casual, and even competitive."

From left to right: Great Horned Owl chick, Peregrine Falcon and Brown Pelican, Wood Duck. (Photos by Langchen Xiang)

A Fledgling Club Takes Wing

While the club only became an official organization in the 2025-2026 academic year, it had already taken flight several years prior to its founding, starting with BirdSafe in 2024 and participation in the San Diego Birdathon in 2025, a competition hosted by the San Diego Bird Alliance where teams compete to count as many individual species of birds as they can in a given timeframe.

As for how members got into birding, Kwiatkowski shares his experience. "I was introduced to birding by my brother, who was an avid birder. Coming to UC San Diego, I saw a flyer for the Bird Club, and that's how I got started, just showing up and going on a walk with a very welcoming community."

For Song, it started as a way to relax and engage with others. "I love being within an organization that has a sense of community."

Song also credits co-president and co-founder Leo Harris, a 4th-year ecology behavior and evolution student with a marine sciences minor, as a driving force behind most of the club's research opportunities, which include BirdSafe and seabird monitoring conducted in partnership with the Vernet Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

"There are many people in the club that are interested in pursuing ornithology as a career," Song explains. "We always seek to support our members in any way we can."

Snowy Egret, left, and Allen's Hummingbird, right. (Photos by Langchen Xiang)

Looking to Take Flight?

The Bird Club hopes to spread its wings by continuing its BirdSafe and seabird monitoring projects as well as growing their members overall. "The community has expanded so much." Song states. "Last fall we conducted 157 building surveys and we managed to complete 52 census surveys capturing the data of 3,064 individual birds."

As a chapter of the National Audubon Society, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of birds, the Bird Club receives grants through which they can purchase field guides and binoculars. This allows members to enjoy birding without having to make any financial investments.

The UC San Diego Bird Club joined the San Diego Bird Alliance at UC San Diego's Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve for a fish seining event (Photo courtesy of Bird Club at UC San Diego)

"You don't even have to love birds to join our club." Song explains."We have a lot of people who ended up joining because they wanted to go outside with friends or were into photography."

With members ranging from faculty, alumni, grad students, and even outside members of the birding community, Kwiatkowski adds: "As long as you are interested in birding and willing to give it a try, we are open to anyone."

Whether you're a seasoned birder or just winging it, the club's flock is always looking to grow. Visit the Bird Club at UC San Diego website, the club's Instagram page @birdatucsandiego and join their Discord to stay updated on future meetings and events.

From left to right: Royal Tern, Western Gull chick, and a Heermann's Gull in a crowd of Black Skimmers. (Photos by Leo Harris, @archleopteryx on Instagram)
UCSD - University of California - San Diego published this content on September 24, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 24, 2026 at 15:16 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]