Winter Birding Notes and Arrival Dates for Kern River Valley California

Winter is an exciting time in California. Though a slow time of the year for arrivals, area Christmas Bird Counts normally have more than 100 species. In order to help you in planning the integration of the Kern River Valley into your winter birding schedule, the following information is provided...

Birding in Winter: Internet review of the results of the five Kern River Valley and Northern Mojave Desert Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) - Butterbredt Spring, China Lake, Kern River Valley, Red Rock Canyon, and South Fork Valley via http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/ - give a comprehensive overview of local winter avifauna. Some 150-175 species may be expected over the five days of these late December/early January CBCs. These five CBCs have, one or another, led the nation one or more times in numbers of Mountain Quail, White-throated Swift, Williamson's Sapsucker, White-headed Woodpecker, Pinyon Jay, Common Raven, Lark Sparrow, and Sage Sparrow. The Kern River Valley CBC has hosted up to six thousand wintering Western and Clark's Grebes, 1500 Common Mergansers, and 20 Bald Eagles. The South Fork Valley CBC has tallied impressive numbers of Black-throated Sparrows, Sage Sparrows and up to 2500 Tricolored Blackbirds.

Recommended Winter Birding Areas: include Scodie Park in Onyx, Tillie Creek Campground in Wofford Heights, Main Dam Campground below Isabella Reservoir, all around Isabella Reservoir and its other campgrounds, the Greenhorn Mountains via snow-cleared State Highway 155, and Canebrake Ecological Reserve (a mixed flock of 1200 blackbirds including 800+ Tricolored Blackbirds.

Around Isabella Reservoir (Engineers' Point between two dams, trees around Greenhorn Ranger District headquarters, Main Dam Campground, French Gulch Marina area, Tillie Creek Campground/North Fork Marina area, Lakeside Park in Wofford Heights, Riverside Park in Kernville, Camp 9 off Sierra Way, pullouts along Sierra Way, Stine Cove & Hanning Flat off Sierra Way, Kissack Cove off Hwy. 178 in Wofford Heights, briding from road below auxiliary dam). Allow a very full day.

Wofford Heights - Isabella Reservoir access, Live Oak Campground, North Fork Marina, Tillie Creek Campground, & Wofford Heights Park. Excellent combination of side-by-side areas to spend two hours to a full morning searching for species including: grebes, American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, herons & egrets, waterfowl, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Prairie Falcon, California Quail, gulls, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Western Scrub Jay, Oak Titmouse, Western Bluebird, California Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Phainopepla, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's Warbler), Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Lark Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco, Blackbirds (Red-winged, Tricolored, Brewer's), Purple Finch, and Lesser Goldfinch.

Kern River Preserve & Weldon Valley Twelve Mile Long Hwy. 178, Kelso Valley Road, Kelso Creek Road road triangle (Kern River Preserve Headquarters & vicinity, Kelso Valley Road, Kelso Creek wash, Kelso Creek Road, Hwy. 178). Allow a very full day for both or 1/2 day for Weldon Valley.

South Fork Valley - Canebrake Ecological Reserve, Fay Ranch Road, Hwy. 178 corridor, Kelso Creek Road, Kelso Valley Road, Kern River Preserve, Onyx, Prince's Pond, Sierra Way,...

Greenhorn Mountains (Hwy. 155 from Wofford Heights to 6104' Greenhorn Summit, Alta Sierra roads, Greenhorn Mtn. Park, Old State Road if snow free). Alta Sierra, Greenhorn Summit, Hwy. 155 corridor, Old State Road, Rancheria Road south to Shirley Meadows Ski Area, Sawmill Road, ... to search for montane and chaparral species including: Northern Goshawk, Mountain Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Spotted Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Red-breasted Sapsucker, White-headed Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper. Golden-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's Solitaire, Wrentit, California Thrasher, Phainopepla, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco, Purple Finch, and Cassin's Finch. Allow a very full day.

Kern River Preserve Headquarters Birds (within 400 meters/yards of headquarters):

Coming to Kern River Preserve Headquarters suet feeders: Nuttall's Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler, and Red-winged Blackbird..

Coming to Kern River Preserve Headquarters sunflower seed and thistle feeders: Mountain Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finch, and American Goldfinch.

Coming to Kern River Preserve Headquarters ground feeding stations: 50-100 California Quail, 50-75 Mourning Dove, Lark Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco, Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, and House Finch.

Also Within 400 meters/yards of Headquarters: Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Killdeer, Western Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, Black Phoebe, Common Raven, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren, Western Bluebird, Mountain Bluebird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, and Lesser Goldfinch.

Bob Barnes & Associates • PO Box 953, Weldon, CA 93283 • E-mail: Bob Barnes

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This page was last updated on Saturday, August 25, 2007