Birdiest Inland County - Kern River Valley Birding, Southern Sierra Nevada, California

For the fourth consecutive year, Kern County has earned the label of America's Birdiest Inland County. This year 235 species were accepted from the 72 hour Kern County count period held Friday-Sunday, April 27-29 2007. 219 of those species were observed by participants on Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival field trips which were staged out of Audubon-California's Kern River Preserve in Weldon and Circle Park in Kernville. Thank you to the 161 people who participated. The list of species and participants may be found below.

Congratulations to our neighboring Los Angeles County. Not only did they win the title of America's Birdiest Coastal County, they won the title of America's Birdiest County overall with 272 species accepted.

Following are the winners for all categories in 2007, as supplied by ABC/C coordinator Mike Wilson, who is affiliated with Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries in coastal Alabama.

Large Coastal City: Corpus Christi TX- 240

Small Coastal City: Dauphin Island AL- 203

Large Inland City: San Antonio TX- 179

Small Inland City: Duluth MN- 162

Inland County East: St. Louis County MN- 198

Inland County West: Kern County CA- 235

Coastal County Atlantic Coast: Washington County ME- 160

Coastal County Gulf Coast: Nueces County TX- 254

Coastal County Pacific Coast: Los Angeles County CA- 272

Past year's results

For four years (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) Kern County has earned recognition as America's Birdiest Inland County by yielding to observers more species of birds during a single forty-eight (2004, 2005) to seventy-two hour (2006) period than any other inland location in the United States. Seventy-eight participants recorded a national record 247 bird species during a single, seventy-two hour period, 7pm, Thursday, April 27 through 7pm, Sunday, April 30, 2006. The 2006 results followed Kern County's 2004 total of 232 species and its 2005 total of 226 species. Cochise County, Arizona, was the inaugural America's Birdiest Inland County with 226 species in 2003.

Kern County's late April or early May ABIC count takes advantage of all the bird species found on Kern River Valley Spring Nature Festival (AKA BioFest) field trips. The very high total of 200-230 species found on Nature Fest field trips is supplemented by birds found throughout Kern County at locations ranging from Bakersfield to the Indian Wells Valley to the Kern National Wildlife Refuge (found nineteen miles west of Delano near Interstate 5). Frazier Park, Tehachapi, and Wind Wolves Preserve sightings also contribute to the America's Birdiest Inland County total.

As a result of publicity generated from events such as the America's Birdiest Inland County competition, Kern County is steadily increasing its share of the burgeoning birding tourism market. Birders from around the United States and from numerous foreign countries are now flocking to Kern County to enjoy the avian jewels of the local bird world.

For more information on birding the Kern River Valley, Southern Sierra Nevada, and the rest of Kern County go to this web site's Birding Guide web page.

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