Schedule
The Wildflower Brunch takes place Saturday morning from 9 am to 12 noon outdoors on the open space across from the Visitor Center. Please note that the BRUNCH IS HELD ONLY ON SATURDAY, not both days.
On both Saturday and Sunday, the festival activities go from 9 am to 4 pm. During this time there are pontoon boat rides, bird walks, nature walks, speakers, exhibit booths, and children’s activities.
Plan your visit to include as many of these fun and informative activities as possible. If visiting from outside Lake County, we encourage you to enjoy a full weekend of events. There are several other local parks with great natural appeal, a number of wineries, a shoreline drive along Clear Lake, and many other activities. Enjoy a wonderful restorative time in a peaceful rural setting of great beauty.
Heron Festival and Wildflower Brunch
2010 Schedule of Events
SATURDAY |
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| 8:00am - 3:00pm | Pontoon Boat Tours (90 min) to tree-top heron and cormorant rookeries leave hourly on the hour. NOTE: Some tickets available at departure times during the festival for $15 per person. Check-in table at the Boat Ramp (far end of the Visitor Center parking lot). |
| 8:30am - 10:30am | Audubon Bird Walk with Park Docent Brad Barnwell. This walk follows the riparian habitat along creeks that meander through the park. View wading birds, water birds, raptors, woodpeckers, and riparian animal species. Bring binoculars if you have them. Meet at Visitor Center entrance ramp. |
| 9:00am - 12:00pm | Wildflower Brunch. Enjoy a scrumptious brunch outdoors with “Create Your Own Omelets” that offer a wide array of omelet fillings for an individually-designed and perfect omelet, fresh fruit, pastries, and coffee/tea. $15 per person, some tickets available at festival. Picnic Area. |
| 9:00am - 4:00pm | Nature Fair exhibit booths highlight educational displays and information from nature-related government agencies, local environmental nonprofit groups, and a wide range of nature-related artists and crafts vendors. Open area across from the Visitor Center. |
| 9:30am - 10:30am | Jazz in the Park. Award-winning Kelseyville High School Jazz Band performs jazz favorites outdoors at the Nature Fair area across from the Visitor Center. |
| 10:00am - 11:00am | Keynote Speaker Philip Greene, internationally known photographer of herons and egrets for over two decades. His spectacular photos and lecture focus on the nesting cycle of herons, with special emphasis on mating behaviors, nest building, and fledging. Visitor Center Auditorium. |
| 10:00am - 4:00pm | Visitor Center. Interpretive displays of Lake County’s natural and cultural resources, dioramas of the woodland and riparian habitats, as well as a Pomo Village, an erupting volcano, and a mountain lion cave. Visitors can wander at their own pace. Gift Shop open. |
| 10:00am - 4:00pm | Children's Activities Area. A wide range of fun educational activities for children to learn about nature, including owl masks, peanut butter birdseed feeders to take home, bird-banding, and making a personalized Bird Journal. Outside across from Visitor Center. |
| 10:00am - 4:00pm | Children's Heron Art Show. Enjoy local schoolchildren’s creative gifts to the festival displayed in the Children’s Activities Area and the Picnic Area. |
| 10:00am - 11:00am | Family Nature Walk. Audubon guide Susie Kaplar welcomes kids and their parents to a fun exploration of nature’s fascinating creatures along the creek trail. Meet at the Children’s Activities Area. |
| 11:00am - 4:00pm | Hot Dogs, Chili, and Snacks Booth. Audubon offers hot chili, hot dogs, fresh fruit, yogurt, granola bars, and drinks for sale. Outdoors between Boat Ramp and Nature Fair area. |
| 1:00pm - 2:00pm | Wonder of Wildflowers slide presentation. Learn about Lake County’s gorgeous color palette of spring native wildflowers. Visitor Center Auditorium. |
| 2:30pm - 3:30pm | Keynote Speaker Philip Greene. Repeat, see description at 10:00am. |
| 3:00pm - 4:00pm | Wildflowers and Native Plants Hike with docent Glenn Smith follows the Dorn Trail to upland areas of the Park. See blooming native plants of the Oak Woodlands and Chaparral habitats. Great views of Clear Lake and Big Valley from overlook. Wear sturdy shoes for steep areas. Meet at Visitor Center entrance ramp. |
| 3:45pm - 4:30pm | "Hooked on Hummingbirds" DVD. This astonishing DVD shows close-ups and stop-motion of hummers building a nest, feeding hatchlings, and flying upside-down. Watch hummer “ballet” and other delights. Visitor Center Auditorium. |
SUNDAY |
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| 8:00am - 3:00pm | Pontoon Boat Tours. Leave hourly from the Boat Ramp. See description at 8:00am Saturday. |
| 8:30am - 10:30am | Audubon Bird Walk. See description above at 8:00am Saturday. |
| 9:00am - 4:00pm | Snacks Booth. Audubon offers hot dogs, chili, fresh fruit, muffins, yogurt, granola bars, and drinks for sale. Outdoors between Boat Ramp and Nature Fair area. |
| 9:00am - 4:00pm | Nature Fair exhibit booths. See description above at 9:00am Saturday. |
| 10:00am - 4:00pm | Visitor Center Tours. See description above at 10:00am Saturday. |
| 10:00am - 11:00am | "Myths and Music of Clear Lake." Dr. Harry Lyons offers an entertaining program that mixes biology, music and humor to tell the story of Clear Lake and its more than two million years of existence. Visitor Center Auditorium. |
| 10:00am - 4:00pm | Children's Activities Area. See description above at 10:00am Saturday. |
| 10:00am - 4:00pm | Children’s Heron Art Show. See description above at 10:00 Saturday. |
| 10:00am - 11:00am | Family Nature Walk. Park docents Val and Tom Nixon welcome kids and their parents to a fun exploration of nature’s fascinating creatures along the creek trail. Meet at the Children’s Activities Area. |
| 11:30am - 12:30pm | Sing-along Puppet Show “Salty’s Search for a Habitat.” Enjoy watching how Salty the salt marsh harvest mouse tries to find a good home. San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge staff bring to life the critters that live in marshes, and leads an interactive Mucky Marsh Music sing-along. For kids (and grown-ups if they promise to sing!. Big tent next to the Visitor Center. |
| 1:00pm - 2:00pm | “Raptor Speak.” Live owls and other birds of prey join Curator Jenny Papka from Native Bird Connections to offer an opportunity to see raptor behavior up close. Learn about these lively non-releasable raptors in a fun and informative talk and bird demonstration. Big tent next to the Visitor Center. |
| 2:00pm - 3:00pm | “Raptor Speak.” Repeat presentation (see above). |
| 2:00pm - 3:00pm | Indian Nature Trail Hike. Park docent Walk Lyon leads this half-mile hike featuring plants historically used by local Pomo Indians. Learn how native plants have been creatively used through history for food, medicine, and art. Wear sturdy shoes. Meet at kiosk entrance to the Park. |
| 3:15pm - 4:15pm | Puppet Show and “Mucky Marsh Music” Sing-along. Repeat (see 11:30 am above) |