Greater Sage Grouse. Photo: Evan Barrientos / Audubon Society
IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS IN THE EASTERN SIERRA
The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a global initiative to identify and conserve the most vital places for bird populations. The IBA criteria are divided into four categories based on vulnerability and/or responsibility.
By definition, Important Bird Areas are sites that support:
Species of conservation concern (e.g. threatened and endangered species)
Range-restricted species (species vulnerable because they are not widely distributed)
Species that are vulnerable because their populations are concentrated in one general habitat type or biome
Species, or groups of similar species (such as waterfowl or shorebirds), that are vulnerable because they occur at high densities due to their congregatory behavior
Note that these are areas important to birds, not necessarily to birders. Important Bird Areas are not always synonymous with birding hotspots.
In the Eastern Sierra, 13 IBAs have been recognized—from desert basins and saline valleys to wetlands, alpine meadows, and freshwater lakes. These sites support breeding, migrating, and wintering birds, and are home to threatened, endemic, and/or habitat-specialist species.
Like elsewhere, IBAs in the Eastern Sierra face a range of threats, including habitat loss, water diversion, invasive species, and climate change.
LIST OF IBAs IN THE EASTERN SIERRA
EVENTS + ENGAGEMENT
Check our Bird Walks page for information on trips in our region. In the past, we’ve had trips to many of the above IBAs, including Owens Lake and River, Mono Lake and Mono Highlands, the Argus Range, Crowley Lake Area, Deep Springs Valley, and Shoshone-Tecopa Area, among many others.
For great birding in the Mono Lake Basin, the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua is an awesome annual event to enjoy and learn about the birds in many of these Important Bird Areas. Also check with the Mono Lake Committee, which often offers additional field trips in the area throughout the year.
And for the rare opportunity to bird in and around Owens Lake, Friends of the Inyo hosts an annual Owens Lake Bird Festival in coordination with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.