Kern Audubon conducts two types of field trips:
-Tuesday Morning Bird Walks, led by excellent birders and photographer, Brenda and Ken Kyle, visit special spots on the 3rd Tuesday morning of each month, weather permitting, and see common birds, rare birds, water birds, tree birds, migrating birds, etc. Times may vary due to rain or fog during the winter months. If you are interested in taking one of these trips, call Brenda at 661-871-4867 for the meeting time and place.
-Weekend trips, usually on Saturday, occasionally on Sunday mornings. We try to schedule at least two each month, either to new sites, or to places we've visited before. In the past 12 months we have made trips to Kern National Wildlife Refuge, Wind Wolves Preserve, Tule Elk State Reserve, Poso Creek, Lake Ming/Hart Park, the Kern Water Bank, Kern River Preserve, BHutterbredt Spring, Galileo Hill, Atwell Island Restoration Project, Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Carrizo Plain National Monument, and others.
Travel Details
Plan A. Often the field trip location is on the west side of Bakersfield so we meet at the Kern River Parkway parking lot north of Cal State on
Stockdale Highway at 7:30 to carpool and arrive at the site by 8 or 8:30AM. Ordinarily, we are back by noon. If people live closer to the field site than the
meeting place, they can go directly to the site and the others will meet them there. Call Madi Elsea (661-322-7470) or Ted Murphy (661-325-0307) for directions.
Plan B. If travel plans differ from the above, they will be given in the trip announcement.
Equipment Needed
Bring binoculars, bird guides, snacks, drinks, warm or cool clothes. Sunscreen and insect repellent may be needed
THE FOLLOWING TRIPS ARE SCHEDULED FOR COMING MONTHS
May Field Trips BITTERCREEK NAT'L WILDLIFE REFUGE Saturday, May 10th BITTERCREEK NAT'L WILDLIFE REFUGE is the destination of the field trip this Sat. MAY 10TH, leaving at 8:00am from the Kern River Parkway parking lot on Stockdale Hiway across from CSUB. This refuge is the traditional feeding and roosting habitat for Calif. CONDOR and there is a good chance to see some of these amazing birds. The Refuge provides habitat for other species as well, including San Joaquin kit fox, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, and Tule elk. A total of 119 bird species has been recorded there, including 90 migratory species! The field trip will be led by Mike Stockton, manager of the refuge. We will be CARPOOLING and are asking contributions to drivers of $5.00 for gas. Bring snacks & lunch, water, sunscreen, binoculars, etc. For more information contact Roger Coley (832-1820). Saturday, May 24 -- Birding in the Neighborhood On your lunch hour? Want a quick break from housework? Need to plan a short activity with children or grandchildren? This field trip will highlight three Bakersfield birding sites not previously visited by our group, which can provide a brief but pleasant birding experience. Join us! We'll meet at the Kern River Parkway parking lot across from CSUB at 7:45 a.m. , for an 8:00 departure. Some walking, but not strenuous... and all right here in Bakersfield . Bring snacks & water, sunscreen, binoculars, as usual. For more information, call Roger at 832-1820
PAST TRIPS Gray Flycatcher For a complete list of the 324 species observed on Galileo Hill in the Springtime... unbelievable birding! TUESDAY April 22, Galileo Hill (Silver Saddle Resort). Trip leaders will be Ken and Brenda Kyle, birders extraordinare. Meet at 6:45 in the NW corner of the Sears parking lot (by the automotive dept.) at Valley Plaza (Ming & Hwy 99), for a 6:50 a.m. departure and carpooling. This should be a fantastic trip as the oasis at Galileo Hill is a famous migrant "trap" and spring migration will be going strong. Expect to see many species of birds. The "led" portion of the trip will last until about 12:30 . Because we will be on private property, participants need to follow the Kyle's instructions so that birders will continue to be welcome. The resort restaurant is NOT open during the week, so bring lunch or plan to eat in California City on the way home. Bring water, food, sunscreen, insect repellant and binoculars. For more information, call Roger at 832-1820. Yes, this IS a TUESDAY field trip! Saturday, March 29 Trip leader will be Dr. Steve Laymon, Atwell Island Project Manager. Meet at 6:50 a.m. in the Costco parking lot on Rosedale Highway (behind Hungry Hunter) near the gas pumps, for 7:00 a.m. departure. The trip should last until early afternoon. Now in its fifth year, this Bureau of Land Management project is restoring 7000 acres of valley grassland and alkali sink beds; we will tour restored habitat, home to several listed and sensitive species. Bring water, snacks & lunch,
Additional trips will be posted as they are scheduled.
Galileo Hill please go to: http://www.geocities.com/howe395/BirdsofGalileoHill.html
BLM's Atwell Island Restoration Project
sunscreen, insect repellant and binoculars. For more information, call Roger at 832-1820.
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Monday Feb. 18th our group had another spectacular trip at sunset to see the Sandhill Cranes and White Faced Ibis at the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge (see pictures below).
Tuesday April 25, 2008 Galileo Hill (Silver Saddle Resort), Ken and Brenda Kyle, leaders.
Saturday April 12, 2008 Col. Allensworth State Historic Park, Bill Moffat, coordinator.
Saturday March 29, 2008 Atwell Island Restoration Project, led by Dr. Steve Laymon, Atwell Island Project manager.
Saturday March 15, 2008 Kern Water Bank, led by Cheryl Harding, Kern Waterbank Authority manager.
Saturday Feb.9,2008 Our intrepid birdwatchers once again headed to the great out of doors at the Kern National Wildlife Refuge where staff members Jihadda Govan and Pam Williams led an educational and exciting tour of this fabulous facility.
Saturday Jan. 19,2008 Mike McQuerrey led an expedition to the Wastewater Treatment facility ponds followed by a turn north and an exploration of Hart Park. Many birds (and birwatchers) were observed enjoying themselves at these sites.
Saturday Dec.1, 2007 An adventure around several lake sites and upland areas of Tehachipi was lead by the very experienced birder Richard Sparks. A wide variety of birds were seen because of the differing terrain they explored. This hearty crew returned refreshed by the crisp air, the glorious birds observed, and the enjoyable fellowship shared.
Saturday, Nov.17, 2007 This was a field trip led by expert birder John Wilson at Hart Park. John provided information especially helpful for the beginner birder. How to choose binoculars; how to identify birds; using the bird guides and which to use; how to spot birds and much much more were explained in an understandable and useful way. Birders of all levels learned new information and many exciting birds were observed and identified (with John's help).
Saturday Sept. 29,2007 This field trip joined "The Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival" which celebrates the height of the fall Turkey Vulture migration through California's "Valley Wild", the Kern River Valley. After visiting the Kern River Preserve we quickly took up our observational posts at the Sierra Vista Restaurant near the best South Fork Vulture Roost. The restaurant served a special RoadKill Quiche and Compost Fruit Salad for the vultures. We humans substituted fresh ingredients and enjoyed a delightful breakfast while watching the spectacle of the morning vulture lift off. Did you know that circling vultures do not necessarily indicate the presence of a carcass. Circling vultures may be gaining altitude for long flights, searching for food, or playing. The 2004 count period from from September 14th through October 14th tallied 23,898 vultures. The magnitude of the migration over this southern Sierra Nevada count site is awe inspiring. In addition to a plethora of vultures we were able to observe a variety of other birds as well. After our vigorous expedition we returned to Bakersfield satisfied both in mind and body.
Saturday, August 11, 2007. A small group of KAS members attended the Kern River Preserve Hummingbird Celebration. A special treat was observing graduate students trapping and banding a variety of hummingbirds, then letting lookers-on release the birds! Reed Tollefson, Preserve Manager, gave several interpretive talks about the Kern River Valley and its biota and led a walking tour of the Nature Trail that ended at the South Fork of the Kern River - which was dry sand.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007. Over 20 persons took an evening tour at the Kern Water Bank . Cheryl Harding, Kern Water Bank Authority Manager, was our guide. The species count was low but the OhWow factor was high. Thanks to Bill Moffat for arranging the evening.
Saturday, June 30, 2007. Field trip to Panorama Vista Preserve, a 1000 acre riparian area below the Panorama Bluffs. KAS members Andy and Sacha Honig are very familiar with the area and showed us around this prime riparian habitat. For more information, go to the Preserve's site http://www.panoramavista.org. If you wish to visit the Preserve, contact the Honigs- andym5@cox.net.
Saturday, June 2, 2007. Field trip to Piute Ponds, Edwards Air Force Base. KAS member Kristie Grubb led us to hundreds of acres of ponds with many migrating and nesting birds, especially waterfowl and shorebirds. Dozens of herons and egrets were seen feeding on African Clawed Frogs, which inhabit the ponds-what a sight!
Saturday, May 12, 2007. Mike McQuerry led a trip to the Poso Creek Riparian Area east of Granite Road. Flanked by oil fields and range land, the creek is inhabited by large trees and shrubs and harbors many bird species. In addition to interesting birds, there was water in the creek and feral pigs in the water. Many Native American sites are also found near the creek.
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Saturday, May 5. Bill Lydecker led a group to the Kern River Valley, rendevoused with Bob Barnes and had a good time birding. Tom Page joined the group for his first trip and impressed every one with his 1960 version of Peterson's Field Guide! The group enjoyed lunch at the Sierra Vista Restaurant before coming down the hill.
Sunday, April 22, 2007, thirteen Earth Day participants spent several hours learning some of the local trees, shrubs, and other plants along the Kern River Parkway at Truxtun Lake. Thanks to Linda Cooley and Steve Hampson for lending their botanical expertise to the trip. We also saw a number of birds: Bullock's Oriole, California Thrasher, Mockingbird, Robin, House Finch, Song Sparrow, Killdeer, Canada Goose, Aubudon's Warbler, Mourning Dove, Cormorant, etc. And the group, ranging in age from 5 to 70+, picked up dozens of bags of trash from the floodplain and bike path.
Saturday, April 21, 2007. Eight California Condors were seen by 22 Auduboners at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Kern County. Few wildlfowers were seen but some magnificent scenery was viewed on a side trip to Pine Mountain (first for many) and a brief visit was paid to the southern end of the Carrizo Plain National Monument. Scott Frazer was very helpful in locating and identifying birds on this trip.
Saturday, April 14, 2007. Butterbredt Spring. Bob Barnes led us from Butterbredt Spring to Kelso Valley to the Kern River Preserve and Scodie Park, showing us a lot of migrating birds and good spots to look for them, as well as a Great Blue Heron rookery. Located in BLM's Area of Critical Environmental Concern 15 miles southwest of Ridgecrest, the Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society and the landowner, Onyx Ranch, have declared the Buttebredt Spring a sanctuary. The Spring is a place where you can sit in a comfortable chair and just watch the birds fly in - an outstanding birding trip. We were joined on the trip by Tom Bacon, a member of the Golden Gate Audubon Chapter who was enroute to birding in Galileo Hill and hiking in the Grand Canyon.
More information
Saturday, March 31, 2007. Galileo Hill. John Wilson lead a small group on this trip to a "migrant magnet" at a resort at California City in eastern Kern County . Over 60 species were logged, including 8 species of sparrows!
Saturday, March 10, 2007. Dr. Steve Laymon, director of BLM's Atwell Island Restoration Project near Alpaugh, gave a dozen Kern Auduboners a fantastic trip around the project. With so little rain this winter, few wildflowers and little greenery were seen, except in the irrigated areas that have not been retired from farming. The bird list was nearly sixty species and included sandhill cranes, barn and horned owls, kites and harriers galore, red tails a-courting, several sparrows, marsh wrens, black phoebes, redwing and Brewer's blackbirds, shrikes, whimbrels, long-billed curlews, killdeer, black bellied plovers, avocets, stilts, cinnamon, green-winged and blue-winged teal, mallards, ruddy ducks with bright cheeks, cormorants and ring-billed gulls. Several sightings were records for the project. And we stood on the bank of the historic Tulare Lake, kicking remnants of freshwater clam shells that abound in the soil. An additional treat was a visit to a never-cultivated plot where two Coast Horned Lizards were seen and held.
Saturday, February 24, 2007. Mike McQuerrey led a group of 16 Auduboners to the Bakersfield Waste Water Treatment Ponds on Mt. Vernon, south of Highway 58. Mike, as well as Gary File and Ken and Brenda Kyle helped the novices see a wide variety of water fowl and shorebirds. Highlights were: a Tundra Swan, 7 Snow Geese, a Greater White-fronted Goose, and a large flock of 174 Long-Billed Curlews. Some of the group went on to Hart Park where they spotted Purple Finches.
Saturday, February 10, 2007. Greg Warrick, Center for Natural Lands Management ecologist, took us to Semitropic and Sand Ridge Nature Preserves. Rain was forecast, it never came, the preserves could use it! Sand Ridge showed lots of Bakersfield cactus and other interesting plants, but few birds. Semitropic, a large never-cultivated, but grazed and burned preserve has a very interesting iodinebush-dominated ecosystem which grades into a spiny saltbush system. Probably the highlight of the trip was Sage Thrashers and perennial bunch grasses, seldom seen in the valley.
Saturday, January 27, 2007. Kern Water Bank west of Bakersfield. was explored under the leadership of John Wilson, local birding expert and coordinator of Audubon's Christmas Bird Counts. Cheryl Harding, manager of the Kern Water Bank authority led us to some fruitful spots where we saw white pelicans, egrets, herons, Virginia rail, flocks of black-crowned night herons, ducks, ibis, coots, shorebirds.... and lots of signs of coyote, kangaroo rat, kit fox, and skunk. We are planning an early evening tour in the spring to see the abundant nocturnal animals.
Saturday, January 20, 2007. Carrizo Plain National Monument. led by Kathy Sharum, Bureau of Land Management biologist and graduate of CSUB. A record number (24) of Auduboners enjoyed a beautiful day in a spectacular setting. Few birds spotted, but seen were Soda Lake, San Andreas Fault, Painted Rock, San Joaquin antelope squirrel, Giant Kangaroo Rat precincts.
Saturday, December 9, 2006. Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Scott Frazer, a KAS member and US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist showed us birds on parts of the Refuge that are off the trail route. Great weather, great group, great birding!
Saturday, November 18, 2006. Tule Elk State Reserve. Roger and Barbara Coley, KAS members who have been surveying birds at the Reserve for several months, led this trip. The Reserve has a wide variety of birds, raptors, songbirds, waterfowl, wading birds, as well as a large herd of Tule Elk. A large flock of White Pelicans was enjoyed on the trip. Learn more about Tule Elk State Reserve
Sunday, November 12, 2006. Kern National Wildlife Refuge, Delano. This trip was be led by Dr. John Wilson, longtime KAS member and expert birder. Fourteen of us saw lots of waterfowl and wading birds AND A PEREGRINE FALCON!
