The original Eastern Sierra Birding Trail was a printed map. Eastern Sierra Audubon says the Mono Lake Committee produced it in partnership with Eastern Sierra Audubon and the Owens Valley Committee, and that it was distributed through visitor centers. This page is an independent, text-based companion. It lists the stops that Mono County's tourism office, the Mono Lake Committee, Eastern Sierra Audubon, the Bishop Visitor Bureau and county birding pages describe, in north-to-south order along the US 395 corridor. For the official map, ask at a visitor center such as the Mono Lake Committee's information center in Lee Vining.
Mono County stops
| Stop | Habitat | Birds to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Antelope Valley (Walker, Coleville, Topaz) | A valley of about 15 miles along the West Walker River, with riparian, sage, pinyon and conifer habitat | American White Pelican, Long-billed Curlew, Sandhill Crane, Lazuli Bunting, jays; raptors in winter |
| Pickel Meadow Wildlife Area | About 990 acres of Jeffrey pine and riparian habitat near the Highway 108 / 395 junction | Waterfowl, Bald Eagle |
| Green Creek Wildlife Area | 720 acres of aspen, Jeffrey pine and riparian habitat about 8 miles south of Bridgeport | Bald Eagle |
| Bridgeport Reservoir | Open water | Western Grebe, shorebirds, American White Pelican, Bald Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Harrier |
| Bodie | Windswept sagebrush plain around the ghost town | Sage-grouse, Mountain Quail, Sage Thrasher, Mountain Bluebird, sage sparrows |
| Mono Lake | Salt lake with brine shrimp and alkali flies; tufa towers | California Gull, Eared Grebe, phalaropes; Ospreys nest on tufa |
| Lee Vining Canyon | Riparian corridor in a glacial canyon | Woodpeckers, swallows, warblers, bluebirds, thrushes, chickadees, American Dipper |
| June Lake Loop | High Sierra lakes and forest | Clark's Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee, Brown Creeper; Ospreys at Grant and June lakes; loons and diving ducks in fall; Bald Eagles in winter |
| Glass Creek Meadow | Volcanic ground with old-growth red fir | Several woodpeckers, Pine Grosbeak, Northern Goshawk |
| Mammoth Lakes Basin | High alpine lakes | Spotted Sandpiper, Pine Grosbeak, nuthatches, chickadees |
| Hot Creek wetlands and hatchery | Spring-fed wetlands | Mallard, Cinnamon Teal; Bald Eagles nearby |
| Laurel Ponds (near Convict Lake) | Marsh ponds and open sage flats | Ducks, Canada Goose, American Avocet, Sora; Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk overhead; Sage Thrasher and sage-grouse on the flats |
| Crowley Lake | Large reservoir | A rare Bank Swallow population; loons, ducks, eagles and shorebirds in fall and winter; described as having the "greatest population of wintering Bald Eagles in the Eastern Sierra" |
Inyo County and the Owens Valley
South of the Mono County line, the Owens Valley runs from Bishop to Owens Lake. Joseph Morlan's Inyo County birding page lists many local sites, including Birchim Canyon, Farmer's Pond, the Bishop sewer ponds, Brockman Lane, Warren and Klondike Lakes, Baker Creek meadows, Tinemaha Reservoir, Diaz Lake, Cottonwood Marshes, the Keeler wetlands and North Haiwee Reservoir, plus Fish Slough, the Buttermilk Country Wildlife Area and the White Mountains. Morlan puts the Inyo county list at 425 species.
| Stop | Birds to look for |
|---|---|
| Bishop City Park | Ducks and other waterfowl |
| Owens River and Laws Museum area | Raptors, including hawks and eagles |
| Bishop Canal and Owens Lake | Egrets, Great Blue Herons and other wading birds |
| Owens Lake | Over 100,000 shorebirds a year in migration |
The Bishop Visitor Bureau's hotspot brochure covers locations between Bishop and Olancha and draws on "the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society's Eastern Sierra Birding Trail Map" and eBird. It focuses on November through May.
Using this list
- Seasons matter more than distance. Mono Lake's bird spectacle peaks from late spring to fall. Crowley and Bridgeport are better known for fall and winter waterbirds and eagles.
- Sage-grouse sites have rules. Long Valley lek areas south of Benton Crossing Road close each spring. See lek viewing rules.
- Check eBird. The Mono Lake Committee keeps a Mono Basin eBird hotspot list, and eBird bar charts show which species are reported at each site by week.
Sources
- Bird Watching — Mono County Tourism
- Publications — Eastern Sierra Audubon
- Birds — Mono Lake Committee
- Inyo County birding — Joseph Morlan
- Birding — Bishop Visitor Bureau
- Sage-Grouse Lek Viewing Policy — LADWP via Eastern Sierra Audubon (PDF)
- Owens Lake — WHSRN
- eBird Bar Charts and Graphs — eBird Help Center
- Mono Lake Committee — Wikipedia