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CAMP REPORTS 2004

2004 Young Birders' Conference Report

26-30 June 2004

By Sean Fitzgerald

The 2004 Young Birders' Conference in Kern County, California was a resounding success. The proximity to great birds, great leaders, and great young birders was an amazing experience. While the primary reason for my signing up for the conference was to see new bird species, I quickly discovered that there was much more to this conference than the birds (although they were certainly a plus!). I learned a lot more about birding as a whole from the interactions I had with the other birders and leaders there.

The conference was made up of a nice mix of skill levels and I was pleasantly surprised to even see two twelve year old girls mingling among the older teens and pointing out species with impressive competence. The birders had come from all over the United States, including Alaska and a fairly large east coast contingent. Some of us we were actually meeting people we had been talking to over the internet for years, while others quickly made friends with these rare teens who actually like to bird as well!

We met our guides during the ice-breaker and we all quickly discovered that most of us had come for the same reason; to see great birds while birding with America's finest birders and other passionate young birders. A workshop on hummingbirds followed and I don't think any one of us left without learning something about the identification of hummingbirds. For an easterner like me who hardly even looks at hummingbirds most of the year (because they are all Ruby-throated), this workshop was extremely helpful as I tried to sort through the 5-6 species we observed in the following days. We all went on a quick owling jaunt that night which found us near the Kern River Preserve observing Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls near the road, as well as hearing a Western Screech-Owl from a little farther up the valley.

After the owling, Jennie Duberstein and Lori Fujimoto strongly encouraged us to get to bed as we would be up at 4AM to leave for the Kern River Riparian corridor and an intense day of birding the following day. I don't think very many of us followed Jennie's good advice however, as the excitement of new birds and new friends had us talking far into the night. The following morning made us regret our late night talking. Twenty-one bleary-eyed birders all met the next morning and departed for our first field trip. We were separated into two groups that would bird the same areas, just at different times.

Our day went well as we birded the Kern River preserve and surrounding areas till about 3PM. A few highlights for my group were calling Northern Parula, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Least Bittern (ironically all more eastern birds). It wasn't all eastern however, as Brown-crested Flycatcher and Tricolored Blackbirds were seen by all. One of the other highlights of the day for me was a calling Indigo x Lazuli Bunting hybrid. The combined song of the two species and intermediate plumage was a real treat to see.

Lunch saw us at the Kern River Preserve headquarters-watching hummingbirds at the feeders as Steve Howell pointed out a Costa's Hummingbird among the numerous Anna's and Black-chinneds. Illustrator John Schmitt gave a very informative talk on feathers to us post-lunch. When we returned to the hotel, many of us enjoyed cool-off time in the pool while others took naps or wrote field notes till the late-afternoon supper/workshop on sketching.

Louise Zematis gave us an excellent presentation on sketching and we had to draw sketches of four birds that we didn't know the identification of, and then Jon Dunn, Steve Howell, and Michael O'Brien would come through and act as a records committee deciding what the species were from our sketches and description. This was a lot of fun for me as I have always been very hesitant at doing sketches because I lacked confidence and just never practiced doing it in the field (the only way to get better). Doing this exercise and looking at others sketches made me realize that I wasn't as terrible as I thought I was and that with practice I could handle some sketching. We all had many laughs when the "records committee" was allowed back into the room and tried to figure out what we had illustrated and described. I was very excited that the experts were able to correctly identify 3/4 of my birds and place the last one into the right family (Myiarchus flycatcher)!

Just before dusk we made our way to feeders that had Rufous-crowned Sparrows coming to them. We then proceeded into the mountains and heard several Flammulated Owls calling.

The next morning saw the same tired expressions on the faces of the participants as we made our way into the desert or up into the mountains depending on what group we were in. This was the long day for my group as we started at a house with feeders out in the desert and saw Le Conte's Thrashers coming to the mealworm feeders. We then drove up into the east side of the Sierra Nevada under the direction of Jon Dunn and had an absolutely fabulous day of birding. A few of the highlights for me were Chukar, Cactus Wren, Black-throated Sparrow, and Scott's Oriole all within earshot of each other along a mountain slope, Grace's and Black-throated Gray Warblers foraging and calling near a Plumbeous Vireo nest at Chimney Creek campground, and a calling Blue Grouse that we observed near the top of a pine tree up at 9400 feet. These are just a sampling of the great birds we saw that day. On the drive back I had to pinch myself to make sure I was really sitting in the front seat just chatting with Jon Dunn. Upon arriving back at the hotel we all enjoyed Jon Dunn's presentation on the birds of the Sierra Nevada and the unique areas that have different subspecies within miles of each other separated by a mountain range or valley. We were all able to get to bed at a more reasonable time in preparation for our last full day when we would go to the other side of the mountains.

Tired birders take three: we got off to a good start however when a Wrentit gave us great looks and we observed a large flock of Band-tailed Pigeons on the outskirts of Kernville (the little town where we were based). A quick detour back to the hotel for the forgetful, choc-aholic Steve Howell gave one of the vehicles a quick look at a Bobcat that crossed the road. As we made our way up the river valley and into the mountains we stopped for some distant swifts that turned out to be the scarce Black Swift (we saw at least 18 of them here). We all became familiar with the tinkly call of the Lawrence's Goldfinch by a small stream as we watched them bathing and feeding in the area. As we proceeded into the mountains we made several stops and our group had the pleasure of observing Hutton's Vireo and Cassin's Vireos within minutes of each other. A lucky few had a quick look at Mountain Quail that crossed the road, but the other group of birders had much better views of that species. The Trail of the 100 Giant's (Giant Sequoia's) was our last stop for the day and Steve Howell pulled through yet again with an awesome pygmy-owl imitation that brought in a dozen species including many peoples life Hermit Warbler and a superb look at the "Thick-billed" Fox Sparrow we had been trying to see all day without success. The return journey was full of laughter as we cracked jokes and went over the week's sightings and experiences.

Michael O'Brien gave a very good presentation on shorebird identification (slightly ironic since only a few people even had Killdeer during the conference) to get us prepared for the upcoming fall shorebird migration we would see soon after arriving home. After that we had a closing panel discussion on birds and birding with all our leaders and an awards presentation for those who had attempted to answer the photo quiz we were given at the beginning of the conference. The rest of the night was a little sad as we talked with our new-found friends for the last time as some of us (including myself) were leaving pre-dawn the following morning either to go home, or bird on their way to LAX airport).

The Young Birders' Conference exceeded all my expectations and I thank the American Birding Association, Leica, and WINGS for making such a fine experience available at such minimal cost to myself and other young birders. Very few events or trips are available to young birders that are within our price range, so this was such a great opportunity. I came back from southern California not only with 50+ lifers, but memories, knowledge, and friendships that will be with me the rest of my life. The long-term affect this conference will have on the college and career choices of all these young birders is unknown, but some of us are sure to make a difference as a result of what we learned or decided at this conference.

July 2004

These young birders attended the camps/events they report on with the help of ABA scholarships.