What to know about this area's Field Trips

This year's Nature Fest features all day Wednesday through Tuesday Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada birding trips. New this year are pre and post festival trips for out of area birders and listing birders. Shorter bird banding, birding, butterfly, geology, owling, and photography trips are featured as well. Destinations will include the Sequoia National Forest and South Fork Valley GLOBALLY IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS and the Butterbredt Spring NATIONAL IMPORTANT BIRD AREA.

A slate of Saturday and/or Sunday all morning field trips to historically productive, specific birding areas: Canebrake Ecological Reserve, Chimney Peak National Backcountry Byway, Fay Ranch Road, Inyokern/Le Conte’s Thrasher, Isabella Reservoir, Kelso Creek Sanctuary, Kern River Preserve Headquarters, Migrant Corner Trail/Prince’s Pond, and South Fork Wildlife Area. If your idea of a great half day of birding is getting to know a single area well, these trips may be for you.

A slate all day field trips: Butterbredt Spring & Piute Mountains, Galileo Hill-Silver Saddle Resort, Little Lake & Owens Lake, and San Joaquin Valley & Greenhorn Mountains, and Target Species Tuesday.

There are two All Night Owling trips, one on Breckenridge Mountain and the other in the Greenhorn Mountains.

Habitat Diversity
The habitat diversity found in such close proximity is unsurpassed in the United States and Canada. The mixing of habitats representative of the Great Basin, Mojave Desert, and Sierra Nevada results in the presence of very high bird species diversity, peaking in late April and early May. The totals recorded for the last five festivals were 2003 - 227 species, 2004 - 231 species, 2005 – 227 species, 2006 - 237 species, and 2007 - 244 species.

Specialty Birds
Among the early May “specialty birds” found in the Kern watershed which occur regularly in eight or less states are: Sooty Grouse (may be snowbound in early May), California Quail, Mountain Quail, White-tailed Kite, Lesser Nighthawk, Vaux’s Swift, Anna's Hummingbird, Costa’s Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, White-headed Woodpecker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Hutton’s Vireo, Oak Titmouse, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Wrentit, Bendire’s Thrasher (very rare), California Thrasher, Le Conte's Thrasher, Phainopepla, Hermit Warbler, California Towhee, Black-chinned Sparrow, “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Tricolored Blackbird, Hooded Oriole, and Lawrence's Goldfinch.

Spring Migration Phenomenon
Butterbredt Spring, Galileo Hill, Migrant Corner, South Fork Valley … These are some of the Kern River Valley and Kern desert oases locations which are known for the diversity of spring migrants present in late April and early May … swifts, flycatchers, vireos, swallows, thrushes, wood-warblers, tanagers, and grosbeaks. If conditions are right, the magnitude will present a “Best in the West” migration phenomenon.

Expert Leaders
The Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival is known for the excellence of its field trips and field trip leaders. Let experts lead you to experience the region's "among the best in the west" bird migration and natural history phenomena. There is no better time to capture this experience than the first week of May.

WHAT TO DO AND BRING - BE PREPARED

1. Perhaps the most important thing to realize is that this festival takes place in a rural area. During trips, we may be several to scores of miles/ minutes from coffee, gas stations, restrooms, stores, etc., etc., etc. Please stock up the evening before your trip or early in the morning. Bring that thermos of yours to fill with hot coffee in the morning if necessary.

2. Make sure you vehicle is full of gas at the start of each day. There are 24-hour self serve gas stations in Kernville and South Lake. To avoid exhaustion, you are encourage to fill-up late afternoon after field trips are over or early in the morning if you are an early bird (fits doesn't it!).

3. ATM machines are associated with banks in Lake Isabella and Kernville. There are ATM machines at some mini-marts and grocery stores.

4. Field trips use carpools. Please carpool as parking is limited at most desired stops. We request 3+ people per vehicle. People who are uncomfortable with carpooling should let those who do carpool go in front. Please offer to help pay for gas at the end of the day. You can figure out how much is equitable. (Your leader should not be asked to chip in - most are volunteering their time and expertise).

5. Field trips using carpools are more enjoyable if two-way radios are along. Although trips go to specific spots where people will bird outside their vehicles, inevitably a few "good" birds will be seen during the festival that will be missed by individuals or vehicles that do not have two-way radios. Two-way radios are quite inexpensive compared to a few years ago. Be sure to bring extra batteries. Set the radios to 11-22 ahead of time if possible.

6. Be sure to bring bottled water, lunches, your favorite snacks, layered clothing, hats, sunscreen, insect repellent.

7. Public restrooms are few and far between. Although stops are planned to use restrooms, sometimes there are none available for several hours. Be prepared to possibly use nature's bathroom during the festival.

8. Be an active participant on your field trips. Feel free to alert trip leaders to birds, etc., that you would like to have identified or think the group would like to experience. No secret sightings!

9. Remember, there will be several out-of-state and novice participants on field trips. The California Quail, California Thrashers, California Towhees, etc., that some of us may take for granted, may be of high interest to out-of-state and novice observers. Feel free to help others "get on" a bird, insect, plant, mammal, etc.

Weather: Weather in the Kern Valley in early May is usually spectacular (sunny, 65-80° F daytime highs), but it can be variable. On mountain trips prepare for very cool to freezing weather. For your comfort, we suggest bringing water, snacks, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, jacket for cool weather, and sturdy shoes (waterproof boots may be handy in riparian areas).

Fees/Registration: There is no general entrance fee to attend the Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival. All fee activities are limited to twenty or less participants... usually ten to fifteen. All fees go to support the Festival and are not refundable. Vendor fees are 10% of net or $100 whichever is lower for booths selling merchandise at the Kern River Preserve.

Have exact change or checks made out in advance:

For Trips: make payable to Bob Barnes & Associates

For Dinners & Festival T-shirts: make payable to KRVR Nature Fest

Schedule of Events: Additional events may be added between now and the Spring Nature Festival weekend.

Visit the Kern River Preserve in Weldon, California. Open every day of the year from dawn to dusk.