Weldon, CA – The sixteenth annual Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival has begun at the Audubon Kern River Preserve in Weldon. While many birders, naturalists, and others will volunteer at the festival to introduce guests to the world class natural history experience that the Kern River Valley offers; this year we have an amazing coincidence of having two thirteen year old birding prodigies to help as leaders. Ross Schaefer of Atascadero and Liam Huber of Chico have extensive knowledge when it comes to our feathered friends. They both come by their love of nature naturally. Ross's mother, Natalie is a world class naturalist in her own right and Liam's father is an avid birder. But what sets the boys apart is their amazing intellect and interest in birds. They are looking forward to leading the trips and also to meeting each other for the very first time.

Liam Huber is an accomplished birder and photographer with a North American life-list of 552 species. He has birded many of the best hot-spots in the country including Alaska, southeast Arizona and Pt. Reyes, California while identifying and photographing such rarities as: Long tailed Jaeger, Palm warbler and Aztec thrush. He is an apprentice bird bander in Northern California and aspires to become a professional ornithologist.

Ross Schaefer, with a life list of over 800 species of birds, has seen more birds than many of us who have birded for many more years than he has walked among us. He has been birding seriously since he was 6 years old, when he amazed his parents, on a trip to Walt Disney World by naming all the birds — correctly. Ross will lead a trip for the Spring Nature Festival, ably accompanied by his mother, Natalie who will assist with plant and butterfly identification. The Schaefer family has traveled to the Galapagos, Ecuador, China, Africa, Thailand and various parts of the United States, including the Lower Rio Grande. Ross always studies the local field guides first, then seeks to identify as many birds as possible while recording his sightings in his extensive journals.

Join us at Audubon's Kern River Preserve - 18747 Highway 178 - Weldon, CA from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday May 1st for a day of free workshops, music and nature walks. You can still join one of our fee-based field trips by sending an email to rtollefson@audubon.org or calling (760) 378-2531. Find the full schedule on our website... http://kern.audubon.org/KRVSNFactivities.htm

About Audubon Kern River Preserve

The Kern River Preserve is managed by Audubon California for the preservation of one of California’s largest contiguous cottonwood-willow riparian forests and the wildlife it supports.

Audubon Kern River Preserve supporters provide financial and volunteer support for Preserve outreach, education, wildlife habitat protection & stewardship.