2008 Tour Narrative
In Brief: This year’s Kern/Southern Sierra tour was most productive, with eight species of woodpecker including Williamson’s Sapsucker and White-headed Woodpecker. Other highlights included a male Calliope and Costa’s Hummingbird; two Black Swifts; Willow (endangered southwest subspecies), Hammond’s, Gray (on a nest), and Dusky Flycatchers; Hutton’s, Plumbeous, and Cassin’s Vireos; Le Conte’s Thrasher; and Black-chinned Sparrow. Our evening of night birding produced outstanding views of Common Poorwill, and we had good looks at both Western Screech and Spotted Owl. Our non-bird highlight was a scrambling Black Bear near Sherman Pass.
In Detail: Our tour began with a short drive from Bakersfield to Kernville and a delicious Italian inner at That’s Italian. Here, Bob Barnes joined us, an invaluable and much appreciated companion for parts of the rest of the tour.
On our first morning we visited the mountains on the wetter, western slope of the Sierra. Early on we birded the chaparral, where we eventually found a singing male Black-chinned Sparrow, a scarce summer resident in the Sierra. Here we had one of our major tour highlights, two Black Swifts that were circling low over one ridge. We had excellent looks at them, and were able to study their overall coloration and shape as well as to appreciate their leisurely flight style. Two Lawrence’s Goldfinches a little lower down were also notable. Farther up we found Cassin’s and Hutton’s Vireos and Hermit Warblers.
At the Trail of 100 Giants we enjoyed the magnificent Sequoias and also found White-headed Woodpecker, Hammond’s Flycatcher, and MacGillivray’s and Hermit Warblers. At Quaking Aspen Campground we noted a territorial male Calliope Hummingbird and a Red-breasted Sapsucker, and also had good studies of a “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrow. We found two American Dippers on our return.
On our second day we headed east to Sherman Pass and Bald Mountain beyond. Our first surprise was a Black Bear scrambling up a slope in front of us. At Sherman Pass we had decent enough views of a male Williamson’s Sapsucker, our bird highlight of the day. Several Dusky Flycatchers and Cassin’s Finches were also notable, as a was a singing Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Sherman Pass—common a century ago, that species is now decidedly rare as a breeder in the Sierra.
We spent the next morning along the South Fork of the Kern River reserve. Riparian breeding species were numerous, and we had excellent views of Blue Grosbeaks and other species, including a male Summer Tanager feeding young. Our Willow Flycatcher represented the endangered southwestern subspecies extimus. A one-year-old Prairie Falcon perched on a fence post gave us superb views. We also had several male Tricolored Blackbirds, and at the southeast end of Lake Isabella there were both Clark’s and Western Grebes, as well as a single Eared Grebe.
We took some time off in the hot part of the day, but after dinner we headed up the hill for some night birding. We started off with superb views of a perched male Common Poorwill, and later found and had good views of both Western Screech-Owl and Spotted Owl.
After a short night we headed east over Walker Pass. We found Le Conte’s Thrasher in the Mohave Desert near Inyokern. Here we also had Costa’s Hummingbirds (including an adult male), Verdins, and Hooded Orioles. A Western Tanager and a “Western” Flycatcher there were both best considered late spring migrants. Later, at Chimney Creek Campground in the eastern Sierra, we watched a Gray Flycatcher on the nest and found a Plumbeous Vireo and a Black-throated Gray Warbler.
On our final day we birded near Walker Pass again, and found a lovely adult male Scott’s Oriole. We then headed south, and in the dry foothills of the Piute Mountains we had a single Chukar and a California Thrasher, and heard Mountain Quail. A pair of Brown-crested Flycatchers, here at the northwestern extreme of the range, were in a nearby riparian area, and in the Piute Mountains we found Pygmy Nuthatches.
Our tour culminated with a wonderful dinner at a great Basque restaurant in Bakersfield.
- Jon L. Dunn
Updated: July 2008