Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival

2008 Activities listed below - Last year's activities will be similar to this year's if not quite the same, due to low interest, Sunday activities are discontinued.

Festival Headquarters at Audubon-California’s Kern River Preserve - 18747 Highway 178 (Signed entrance on the north side of Hwy. 178 1.1 mile east of Sierra Way, 31 miles west of Hwy. 14, 57 miles east of Hwy. 99 in Bakersfield), Weldon, Kern County, California.

The festival offers many special vulture related activities plus special programs on Birding, Bird Research, Children's Activities, Kern River Preserve land preservation and restoration, Raptors, and Reptiles.

We need your help to make the Turkey Vulture Festival self-sustaining. Please make donations at FREE events as you are able. Thank you.

5pm-8pm Vulture Drop-in and No Host Dinner at Sierra Vista Restaurant: 16575 Highway 178, Weldon, with a view of one of the premier vulture roost areas. Watch the drop-in while enjoying a great meal. Ask for their special vulture stew!

7:30am-10am. Vulture Lift-off and No Host Breakfast at Sierra Vista Restaurant: 16575 Highway 178, Weldon... for the vultures they will be serving Road Kill Quiche and Compost Fruit Salad (humans get fresh ingredients!) Watch the Turkey Vulture Lift Off from the restaurant's patio. The vultures normally leave before 10am. World renown ornithologist and artist: John Schmitt will be on hand to answer questions about vultures and raptors.

9am-10am. Turkey Vulture Lift Off. Meet at the Kern River Preserve, Weldon. The vultures normally leave before 10am

9am-10:30am. Bird Walk at the Kern River Preserve. This is a wonderful introduction to birding and bird feeding. Viewing of the Preserve's hummingbird and seed feeders. FREE.

9 am-3 pm. Information Booths, Educational & Interactive Exhibits. Live hawks & owls, lizards & snakes!!! Displays of vultures, bird nests and eggs, condors, and local wildlife & plants. Kern River Preserve. FREE.

9 am-3 pm. U.S. Postal Service Turkey Vulture Cancellation Station: visit local Postmaster, Steve Kenton who will be on hand to sell specially stamped envelopes with Turkey Vulture Festival cancellation for collectors or personal use up to thirty days.

9 am-3 pm. Snakes & Lizards of the Kern River Valley. Visit with Herp-Ecology as they share some of the live, native snakes & lizards of the KRV. FREE.

10 am - 10:30 am. Southwestern Pond Turtle Demonstration. Learn about the Kern River Preserve's preservation efforts for this rare species

10:30 am-11:30 am. Fall Gardening with Native Plants Workshop. Join local native plant expert and columnist, Marya Miller to learn about what native plants to plant in your garden this fall.

11:30 am - noon. Bird Feeding Workshop. Get ready for fall and winter bird feeding with Birdie Foster. Learn about the different types of feed and how to maintain bird feeders for the health of our feathered friends.

11 am-12:30 pm. Bird Walk at the Kern River Preserve. This is a wonderful introduction to birding and bird feeding. Viewing of the Preserve's hummingbird and seed feeders. FREE.

10 am-11:30 am. LIVE MUSIC with Archie Logsdon, folksinger and environmental activist. Bring your folding chair or blanket and sit down and enjoy. FREE.

10 am-3 pm. Children's Activities (Nature Crafts, Story Times w. Charlotte Goodson & Friends). Kern River Preserve, Weldon. FREE. DONATION.

11:30 am-1 pm. LIVE MUSIC from Pat Seamount, Mike Gallagher and Terry Harris with "Out of the Blue" Kern Valley favorites will play acoustic folk, Irish, and traditional songs to delight the crowds. Bring your folding chair or blanket and sit down to enjoy this talented trio. Although this concert is FREE, Pat, Mike, and Terry intend that this is a fundraiser on behalf of the Kern River Preserve and the Turkey Vulture Festival so donations are heartily welcome. FREE.

12:30 pm-1 pm. Fall Gardening with Native Plants Workshop. Marya Miller, local columnist, CNPS member and Friend of the Kern River Preserve, will present this new workshop on gardening with natives. Join her to learn about how to prepare for the fall planting season.

9am-10am. Turkey Vulture Lift Off and Beginners Bird Walk. Meet at the Kern River Preserve, Weldon. Proceed by foot or carpool to vicinity of Friday night’s roost site then continue on for a bird walk introducing visitors to birds and bird feeding. Extended visits at the preserve's bird feeders. The vultures normally leave before 10am. FREE.

10:30am-NOON. Bird Walk at the Kern River Preserve. This is a wonderful introduction to birding and bird feeding. Viewing of the Preserve's hummingbird and seed feeders. FREE.

The Kern River Valley Autumn Nature and Vulture Festival is an annual celebration of the fall migration of Turkey Vultures and the beginning of the fall colors in the South Fork Kern River forest. From 1994-2006 from the beginning of September through the third week in October, an average of 25,000 have been seen flying over a single point in the South Fork Valley. The vulture count included only the birds that pass over this single observation point, five miles south of Audubon's Kern River Preserve. Many other vultures have been casually observed leaving via other routes in the Kern Valley and were not included in the census (speculation on fluctuations of numbers each year leads us to believe while the Kelso Valley is the preferred migration route, some years it is not the optimum and not used as much). This Pacific Flyway vulture migration is one of the five largest known in North America.

The Kern Valley Turkey Vulture Festival is sponsored by: Audubon–California, Friends of Audubon's Kern River Preserve, Kern River Valley Revitalization, Southern Sierra Research Station and TLH.

Field Trip & Workshop Leaders - Charlotte Goodson, Buz Lunsford, Michelle Maring, John Schmitt, Alison Sheehey, Reed Tollefson.

Friends of the Kern River Preserve: Darrell Barnes, Birdie Foster, Bill Foster, Gordon Hancock, Christine Hancock, Jeff King, Marya Miller, and Sandra Wieser

Exhibitors: Friends of the Kern River Preserve, BLM, California Native Plant Society - Kern County Chapter, Charlotte Goodson's Children's Activities, FACT (CSU-Bakersfield Facility for Animal Care and Treatment), Friends of the Hatchery-DFG, Herp Ecology, Kern River Parkway Foundation, Desert Mountain Resource and Conservation District, Sequoia National Forest, Tule Elk Reserve, US Postal Service, WindWolves Preserve

Weather: Weather in the Kern River Valley in late September and early October is usually spectacular (sunny, 65–80 degrees F daytime highs), but it can be variable. For your comfort, we suggest bringing water, snacks, a hat, sun screen, insect repellent, jacket for cool weather, and sturdy shoes (waterproof boots may be handy in riparian areas).

Fees/Registration - Although no one will be turned away, there is minimum suggested $10.00 registration fee per adult for the Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival. A donation box will be on the Friends of the Kern River Preserve information booth. There is no additional fee for the exhibit area, speakers/forums, and nature walks or workshops. No reservations are necessary.