Please join leaders Dan Cooper and Sam Bressler for a 2-day exploration of northeast Kern County. We will start in the west Mojave Desert at Butterbredt Spring, and then make our way north through Kelso Valley to the South Fork Kern River, where we'll hear a presentation about local ornithological research by staff of the Southern Sierra Research Station. As conditions allow, we may bird portions of the South Fork Kern. Targets at Butterbredt include Willow Flycatcher and various late-moving migrants. We'll make stops for Tricolored Blackbird in Kelso Valley, and may also see Golden Eagle (we'll pass several known breeding territories) and Scott's Oriole. Summer Tanager and Brown-crested Flycatcher are possible along the Kern River, as are various riparian/grassland species such as Blue Grosbeak.
We'll then continue to Kernville where we'll stay overnight at a lodge about 15 minutes north of town, returning for dinner. American Dipper is possible here. The next morning, we'll get an early start and bird the Greenhorn Mountains west of Lake Isabella, considered the southernmost extension of the Sierra Nevada. Targets here include Blue Grouse and Pileated Woodpecker (both normally heard-only), plus Pacific Wren, Hammond's Flycatcher, Purple and Cassin's Finches, and various Sierran breeding species. We'll depart for home after a picnic lunch.
A high-clearance vehicle is mandatory, owing to the rough/sandy road conditions leading into Butterbredt and through Kelso Valley. Participants are also asked to pack food for two picnic lunches.
TRIP LIMIT: 15, chosen by lottery.
COST: $275/person for a single room
$200/person for a shared room (two person max)
Saturday, May 31 & Sunday, June 1, 2025
Trip leaders: Dan Cooper and Sam Bressler
Please join leaders Dan Cooper and Sam Bressler for a 2-day exploration of northeast Kern County. We will start in the west Mojave Desert at Butterbredt Spring, and then make our way north through Kelso Valley to the South Fork Kern River, where we'll hear a presentation about local ornithological research by staff of the Southern Sierra Research Station. As conditions allow, we may bird portions of the South Fork Kern. Targets at Butterbredt include Willow Flycatcher and various late-moving migrants. We'll make stops for Tricolored Blackbird in Kelso Valley, and may also see Golden Eagle (we'll pass several known breeding territories) and Scott's Oriole. Summer Tanager and Brown-crested Flycatcher are possible along the Kern River, as are various riparian/grassland species such as Blue Grosbeak.
We'll then continue to Kernville where we'll stay overnight at a lodge about 15 minutes north of town, returning for dinner. American Dipper is possible here. The next morning, we'll get an early start and bird the Greenhorn Mountains west of Lake Isabella, considered the southernmost extension of the Sierra Nevada. Targets here include Blue Grouse and Pileated Woodpecker (both normally heard-only), plus Pacific Wren, Hammond's Flycatcher, Purple and Cassin's Finches, and various Sierran breeding species. We'll depart for home after a picnic lunch.
A high-clearance vehicle is mandatory, owing to the rough/sandy road conditions leading into Butterbredt and through Kelso Valley. Participants are also asked to pack food for two picnic lunches.
TRIP LIMIT: 15, chosen by lottery.
COST: $275/person for a single room
$200/person for a shared room (two person max)
PHOTO: American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus). Photo by Kevin Krebs/FLICKR. LICENSE: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0