Welcome

The Kerncrest Audubon Society is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to helping people learn about local wildlife, especially birds, and our natural surroundings. We are a chapter of the National Audubon Society.

Headquartered in Ridgecrest, California, we serve the Indian Wells Valley and the Kern River Valley areas. We have bi-monthly meetings, monthly field trips, and sponsor several community activities. We invite members and the general public to participate in any of our activities.

Some Ways to Get Involved

  • Become a Member
  • Join our field trips and public programs
  • Sign up for our email list by contacting us at webmaster@kerncrestaudubon.org
  • Make a donation by mail to P.O. Box 984, Ridgecrest, CA 93555
  • For the latest scoop on what’s going on, check out our newsletter The Chat

Activities

Birding Field Trips
The Kerncrest Board of Directors meets for a planning session in August of each year. Below are the field trips we have tentatively scheduled for the 2023 to 2024 year. Suggestions for field trips are always welcome as are questions about the scheduled trips. Contact us via email at webmaster@kerncrestaudubon.org.

October 21 – Breakfast at Cerro Coso college

We will meet in the sculpture garden area at Cerro Coso college for a bring-your-own breakfast and an easy bird walk. This trip is one for youngsters to oldsters, and inbetweensters to enjoy. Birding at the college often results in sighting over twenty species. This time of year the weather is nice so walking around the campus to see all the bird areas should be a pleasant stroll.

Bring chairs, breakfast food, water and clothing suitable for the weather. Binoculars will be available for those without them.

November 18 – Lone Pine

Lone pine has several wonderful birding spots. Last time we did a trip here we recorded over 30 species. We hope that Russel Kokx, a field biologist local outstanding birder, will help lead us.

More information to be provided but mark you calendar now.

December 19 – China Lake Christmas Bird Count

This count has been held every year since about 1960. Volunteers are assigned a portion of the 15 mile diameter count circle to canvass for and count all the birds seen. We meet at lunch to see how everyone is doing. At the end of the day we normally meet for pizza and tallying the results.

You do not need to be an expert birder to participate in the Christmas Bird Count. We can team you with some of our long term members. Everyone who has participated in this has had a good time and enjoyed the pizza event.

Contact us at webmaster@kerncrestaudubon.org to sign up for this event.

December – The South Fork Valley Christmas Bird Count

This count circle is centered near the Cottage Grove Cemetery along State Route 178 just east of Onyx. It encompasses the Canebrake Valley and the Canebrake Ecological Reserve, the NW portion of the Scodie Mountains, the Onyx area, the SE portion of the Kern Plateau (Bartolas Country), the Weldon area (including the Kern River Preserve), and the Fay Creek and Kelso Creek watersheds. Habitats include desert scrub, Joshua tree woodland, conifer forest, extensive riparian forest, and ag fields. We usually find about 95-100 species. If you’d like to join the count, please contact Denise LaBerteaux – email: eremico@aol.com; phone: 760-617-6306. We will not meet in the morning. I will assign count areas prior to count day. I prefer that you submit your data using eBIRD. More information to come about data submittals. Compilation dinner TBD.

February 17, 2024                Kern National Wildlife Refuge & Pixley NWR

March   16,2024                      Mojave River Wetlands near Adelanto.

April 20, 2024                          Golden Hills Nature Park in Tehachapi to be led by Bob Barnes

May                                      Birdathon

Why Birds Matter

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