The Kern River Valley, also known as the "Hummingbird viewing capital of California," according to the Kern River Preserve, hosted the 9th Annual Kern River Valley Hummingbird Celebration in Weldon last weekend. The event was cram-packed with activities for all ages. The day began with hummingbird photography taught by professional photographer Bob Steele, along with a hummingbird banding exhibit instructed by PhD candidate Chris Clark. The Kern River Preserve also offered a nature walk, an opportunity to feed the hummingbirds, a hummingbird identification workshop, and lessons on what types of plants are best to plant in a garden if one desires to attract hummingbirds. The lessons regarding "Hummingbird Gardening," taught the three basic principles needed to plant a hummingbird garden that will provide a good food source for hummingbirds and butterflies. Principle number one instructed gardeners to plant plants in several locations, while tidbit number two informed students that planting clusters of the same species of plant together can help attract and maintain hummingbird visitors. Last but not least gardening students learned the benefits of planting flowers with different blooming times to provide nectar throughout the seasons. The plant species suggested by the Kern River Preserve's website include; Western Columbine, Scarlet Gilia, Manzanita and several other species of flowers. While many valley residents gather great pleasure from watching the fluttering hummingbirds visit their yards, few people realize just how amazing, and complex those fluttering fancies really are. Hummingbirds, while only a few inches long have the ability to flap their wings 80 times per second. The Kern River Valley only has roughly four breeding species out of the 330 to 352 species of hummingbirds in the New World. Also fascinating is a hummingbird's ability to fly backwards and upside down, a characteristic that only hummingbirds are known to possess. While hummingbirds are tiny, their little hearts beat between 500 to 1,260 beats per minute during the day. The little hovering birds can also fly up to 30 miles per hour. Of the some 352 species of hummingbird that travel our earth one can expect to find a select few in the Kern River Valley. The Black-chinned Hummingbird is common in the valley and can usually be found from mid-April through mid-September. An Anna's Hummingbird might also be seen floating on the hummingbird feeders at the Kern River Preserve or in a valley resident's yard. This species is usually present from mid-March through mid-October. The Anna's Hummingbirds are also the largest regularly occurring species of hummingbirds found in the Kern River Valley. There are also several other species of hummingbirds that are common to the Kern River Valley. To view a full list of hummingbirds that can be found in the valley visit the Kern River Preserve s website at www.audubon.org. When it comes to migration, most hummingbirds fly south for the winter, but during peak migration which takes place in late July and early August the Kern River Valley becomes home to thousands of migrating hummingbirds. The volunteers at the Kern River Preserve fill the hummingbird feeders each morning. If you would like to create a hummingbird feeder that is just as desirable as those at the Kern River Preserve their website offers a hummingbird feeder recipe that is sure to please the whole fluttering family. The hummingbirds truly received a warm welcome from all those attending the 9th Annual Hummingbird Celebration, Saturday, but it isn't too late to view some of the most beautiful species of hummingbirds. Just take a trip out to the Kern River Preserve in Weldon any day of the week to gander at the fluttering flurry of friendly hummingbirds. Article compiled from information from the Kern River Preserve's website at www.audubon.org.

þ A hummingbird lands on a feeder at the Kern River Preserve Saturday morning to have breakfast.