Hemispheric Recognition - Kern River Valley Birding, Southern Sierra Nevada, California

The Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada is one of two "Hot Spots for Summer Songbird Diversity" in the Western Hemisphere highlighted in the book Songbird Journeys: Four Seasons in the Lives of Migratory Birds(Walker Press, New York, 2006). Author Miyoko Chu writes, "Summer bird watching is especially exciting where different habitats converge, bringing diverse bird species together in the same region. ... California's Kern River Valley and surrounding areas offer spectacular contrasts in landscapes and wildlife, from lush riparian woodlands to the towering sequoias of the Sierra Nevada to the Mojave Desert and foothill chaparral habitats..."

In the three page section of Songbird Journeys entitled "Southern Sierra Nevada and Kern River Valley, California," Ms. Chu refers to the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Audubon California's Kern River Preserve, the South Fork Kern River Globally Important Bird Area as some of the natural areas found in the region. She then goes into some detail on specific birds to look for in different habitats: Great Basin, Mojave Desert, chaparral, forested mountains of the southern Sierra Nevada, and the Kern River Preserve's riparian habitat. The author's writings on the Kern River Valley end with visitor information: WHEN TO GO (April through July), NEAREST BIG CITIES (Bakersfield, Los Angeles), SPECIAL ACTIVITIES (including art, astronomy, birding, festivals, fishing, geology, hiking, plants, rafting, and wildlife), FOR MORE INFORMATION (Kern River Preserve web site), and RECOMMENDED READING (Tips for birding the area).

Miyoko Chu is an ornithologist and staff science writer at Cornell University's internationally recognized Laboratory of Ornithology. She is editor of the Lab's Birdscope newsletter and assistant editor of Living Bird magazine. She lives in Ithaca, New York, with her husband and two children.

For more information on the book Songbird Journeys and its author, Miyoko Chu, visit: www.songbirdjourneys.com.

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