The California Department of Fish & Game's Canebrake Ecological Reserve (CER) is located at the southern end of
the Sierra Nevada in the South Fork Kern River Valley, Kern County, California. The CER is part of the South Fork
Kern River Valley Globally Important Bird Area, one of the first ten Globally Important Areas recognized in the United
States by the American Bird Conservancy under the auspices of BirdLife International. The CER is 67 miles east
along California State Highway 178 from the county seat of Bakersfield (population of 400,000). The CER is at 3000'
elevation below close-in 5,000'-8'000' peaks. The nearest airports with commercial air service and rental cars are
Inyokern (30-40 minutes to the east), Bakersfield (90 minutes to the west), Burbank (3-3.25 hours) and Ontario
(3-3.25 hours).
The CER has a one mile long (two miles out and back) "Public Access Trail" that was built for wheelchair access. I am
confident it is ADA compliant. This Public Access Trail affords stunningly beautiful views of bordering Joshua tree
woodland, Fremont cottonwood & red willow riparian forest along Canebrake Creek, Canebrake Creek itself (from a
picturesque "foot" bridge), irrigated pasture, cattail & tule marsh, rocky hillside, dry pasture, and mountains of the
southern Sierra Nevada. CAVEATS: 1) At present the trail does not have frequent benches along the trail for those
with limited walking mobility. 2) although the Public Access Trail is fully wheelchair accessible, the gate at the CER's
entrance off Highway 178 leading to the trail is NOT! This means a wheelchair user currently must have a person
along who is able to exit the vehicle and open that entrance gate in order to access the wheelchair accessible Public
Access Trail. Thought is being given to rectifying this situation in the future. 3) The closest public restroom is an
accessible porta-pottie (sp?) at the Onyx Emporium located five miles east of the Canebrake Ecological Reserve.
This may also change in the future.
Birding opportunities at the Canebrake Ecological Reserve are described on pp. 131 & 132 of the 5th edition of
ABA's "A Birder's Guide to Southern California," March, 2007. Here is an expansion of that information ... Although
productive birding can be had year round, mid-April through June is particularly productive. And, spring migration
may be particularly impressive on some days April 20-May 20.
Resident nesting species which MAY be observed along the Public Access Trail include: Mallard, Common
Merganser, Chukar, Wild Turkey, California Quail, Great Blue Heron, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk,
Red-tailed Hawk, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Prairie Falcon, Virginia Rail, Sora, Wilson's Snipe, Mourning Dove,
Greater Roadrunner, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, White-throated Swift, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher,
Ladder-backed Woodpecker (in Joshua tree woodland), Nuttall's Woodpecker (in riparian forest), Downy
Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Western
Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Oak Titmouse, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Cactus Wren, Rock Wren, Canyon
Wren, Bewick's Wren, Western Bluebird, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, California Thrasher, European
Starling, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-winged
Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, and House
Sparrow.
Nesting season only species which MAY be observed along the Public Access Trail include: Turkey Vulture,
Black-chinned Hummingbird, Western Wood-Pewee, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Tree Swallow,
Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, House Wren, Yellow Warbler, Common
Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Savannah Sparrow, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting,
Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole, Scott's Oriole, and Lawrence's Goldfinch.
Spring migrant species (and much less frequent, even rare, in fall migration) which MAY be observed along the Public
Access Trail include: Swainson's Hawk, Vaux's Swift, Rufous Hummingbird (July/August), Olive-sided Flycatcher,
Willow Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin's
Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Barn Swallow, Swainson's Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated
Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat,
Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, and Brewer's Sparrow.
Wintering species (often late Sep/Oct through Apr/early May) which MAY be observed along the Public Access Trail
include: Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk,
Ferruginous Hawk, Red-naped Sapsucker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Bluebird,
Hermit Thrush, American Pipit, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler, Fox Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow,
White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskin, and American Goldfinch.
Resident, nesting season only, migrant, or wintering species which MAY be observed along the Public Access Trail
less dependably include: Wood Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall, White-tailed Kite, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Black
Swift, Costa's Hummingbird, Calliope Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Steller's Jay, Pinyon Jay, Horned Lark, Brown
Creeper, Townsend's Solitaire, Wrentit, Sage Thrasher, Phainopepla, Northern Parula, Vesper Sparrow,
Black-throated Sparrow, Sage Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Great-tailed Grackle, Hooded Oriole,
Purple Finch, Cassin's Finch, Red Crossbill, and Evening Grobeak.
Bob Barnes
Kern River Valley Birding
1009 Las Cruces Avenue
Ridgecrest, California 93555
E: bbarnes@lightspeed.net
C: 760-382-1260
P: 760-375-6140