Clear Lake has more variety when it comes to species of birds and other wildlife than any other lake in California. As one scientist once remarked, “Clear Lake is equal to the richest rainforest in the world.”
The lake is more than 2 million years old and is a mecca for the birdwatcher. I know that I am always amazed at the bird life I see when I”m out fishing. In fact, most of the time I quit fishing and just sit and observe the vast number of birds I see. I have always said that most of the residents of the county rarely notice what is in their own backyards.
This week the annual Heron Festival offers the opportunity for the public to get a close-up look at the many birds and other wildlife that call Clear Lake and Lake County home. The festival gets under way Saturday and runs through Sunday. There will be a wide variety of sightseeing trips, including pontoon boat trips as well as nature hikes.
The headquarters for the festival is the Clear Lake State Park and the hours both Saturday and Sunday are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Redbud Audubon Society and the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association (CLSPIA) sponsor the festival.
The Heron Festival started back in 1994 and was created by the Redbud Audubon Society as a way to celebrate the springtime nesting of the Great Blue Herons in the treetops along the waterways at the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park. In recent years it has been expanded to offer the public tours of the shoreline of Clear Lake and to view the many species of birds that nest and gather at the lake.
The pontoon boat tours are one of the festival”s highlights. Each pontoon boat holds approximately eight people and includes an experienced guide who will identify the many birds and other wildlife on the lake. There will be western grebes, egrets, Great Blue Herons, double-crested cormorants, osprey, bald eagles, loons, pelicans, sea gulls and a wide variety of ducks and other bird life. There may even be the opportunity to see a family of otters.
The pontoon boat tours take 90 minutes and leave the docks at the state park each hour from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $15 per person and children 7 years and older are welcome. Be sure and bring binoculars and cameras.
In addition to the boat tours there will be bird and nature walks. The walks pass through the state park and an experienced Audubon guide and the park”s docents will share their expertise about birds, plants and wildlife. The walks are free.
Several speakers will give presentations on wild birds. Phillip Greene will give a talk and present a slide show on herons and egrets at 10 a.m. Saturday at the park visitor center. The popular Dr. Harry Lyons will give a talk on Sunday on the 2-million-year-old history of Clear Lake. Dr. Lyons” talk will start at 10 a.m. in the visitor center. Also on Sunday, there will be a presentation by Jenny Papka, the curator from Native Bird Connections. Papka will show live owls and other raptors and talk about their behavior. That presentation starts at 1 p.m. in the big tent next to the visitor center.
There will be other events going all day on both days, including a jazz concert by the Kelseyville High School Jazz Band from 9:30-10:30 a.m., plus a wide variety of nature booths. Food and drinks will be available.
Admission to the park is free during the festival. The Clear Lake State Park in located on Soda Bay Road just outside the community of Kelseyville.
For more information go to www.heronfestival.org or call 263-8030.
