The answers are available beginning Friday at the seventh annual Kern Valley Bioregions Festival. The nature festival draws about 1,500 visitors to the colorful valley surrounded by 8,000-foot peaks of the Sequoia National Forest.
Visitors can walk, run, drive or kayak to view a variety of winged habitat and wildflowers.
Numerous field trips around the Kern River Valley provide an opportunity for bird lovers to catch a glimpse of more than 300 species of feathered friends that thrive in the Kern River Valley's diverse ecosystem. Most field trips require reservations and are filling quickly, according to Bob Barnes of Audubon California's 1,167-acre Kern River Preserve in Weldon. Seven years ago, the festival was only the second of its kind in California. Today, more than 40 such festivals exist and even compete with Kernville's, according to Barnes. Although the event draws folks from as far away as England, the focus is on local residents who can revisit the area throughout the year.