What’s your favourite fowl species?
My favourite fowl species is the Western Tanager, as a result of that is the fowl that impressed my love for birding after I was simply 9 years outdated.
Wrentit
What’s your identify, and the place do you reside?
My identify is Rachel Clark and I stay in Fresno, California, which could be very close to the middle of the state.
Hermit Warbler
What are the principle areas or areas you cowl as a fowl information?
I cowl many of the Central California space. Most of my guiding is within the central Sierra Nevada from the Sierra Nationwide Forest to the north and the Sequoia Nationwide Forest to the south. Kings Canyon and Sequoia Nationwide Parks are sandwiched in there! Within the San Joaquin Valley, I information from San Joaquin County to the north and Kern County to the south. Alongside the coast, I information from Pacific Grove to the north and Morro Bay to the south.
How lengthy have you ever been a fowl information?
I’ve had my firm, Central California Birding Excursions for simply over a yr, however I’ve been guiding for over 5 years.
White-headed Woodpecker
How did you get into fowl guiding?
I fell into fowl guiding roughly by likelihood. I used to be doing it on a volunteer foundation for an area Audubon chapter that I used to be affiliated with when residing within the Midwest. It started with main native journeys and step by step advanced into co-leading birding journeys to locations like south Texas, Florida, and Alaska. I spotted that I had a ardour for guiding and that it was one thing that I wished to do professionally.
Williamson’s Sapsucker
What are the features of being a fowl information that you just like finest? Which features do you dislike most?
The factor that I like essentially the most about guiding is seeing the enjoyment in my purchasers’ faces after they see a brand new fowl for the primary time. To me, that’s pure magic, and there’s no different feeling prefer it! The factor that I like least about guiding is the strain I typically really feel when looking for particular targets. Some birds are simply so extremely elusive (Mountain Quail is a first-rate instance of this), and it may be extraordinarily tough to get eyes on them, and I at all times really feel a way of guilt if I can’t make that occur.
Mountain Quail
What are the highest 5-10 birds in your area that you just suppose are essentially the most attention-grabbing for visiting birders?
There are numerous well-liked targets within the Central California space! Whereas California is just not precisely a hotspot for endemics, we have now many range-restricted species that reside right here. The Yellow-billed Magpie, which is endemic, is a very fashionable goal. Mountain Quail, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, White-headed Woodpecker, Wrentit, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Northern Pygmy Owl, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Hermit Warbler, and California Thrasher are all very extremely requested targets as properly. A few of these are actually more difficult to seek out than others, however every is definitely worth the effort!
Yellow-billed Magpie
Are you able to define a minimum of one typical birdwatching journey in your space? Please briefly describe the areas, the important thing birds and the approximate length of such a visit
A typical journey in my space can differ fairly broadly, however I do have a little bit of a most popular route that I take within the Sierra Nationwide Forest, because it covers a range of habitat sorts and is usually fairly dependable for yielding a excessive variety of species. This route covers open oak woodlands, chaparral, mid-elevation Sierra blended conifer forests, closely burn-scarred forests (although these can look considerably abysmal, the fowl life they host is surprisingly wealthy), streams, meadows, and excessive elevation pine forests. Alongside the best way, purchasers are prone to see Western and Mountain Bluebirds, Oak Titmice, Rock Wren, American Dipper, White-headed Woodpecker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Clark’s Nutcracker, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, Hermit Warbler (relying on the season), Mountain Chickadee, Purple Finch, Cassin’s Finch, and plenty of extra. Northern Pygmy Owl, Mountain Quail, and Wrentit are all potential alongside this route, however could be a little more difficult. This route is best in late spring, however is nice by way of the autumn. Hitting all the habitat sorts alongside this route could make for a protracted day (~12 hours), however the itinerary will at all times be tailor-made to a shopper’s wants and the day could be a lot shorter if want be.
American Dipper
What different strategies are you able to give to birders involved in your space?
For birders coming to my space, I’d suggest avoiding the San Joaquin Valley in the summertime, as it’s BLAZING scorching down right here that point of yr! Fortunately, it’s a lot cooler within the Sierra and alongside the coast, even in summer time. It doesn’t matter what time of yr you’re birding in my space, or the place you propose to go, I’d suggest having loads of sunscreen and bug repellant readily available simply in case. In case you’re going to be birding alongside the coast or within the Sierras, positively be careful for poison oak. I at all times carry particular wipes with me in case anybody by chance touches or brushes towards the plant. So far as the very best time total to go to is, that actually depends upon what an individual is in search of. If an individual is specializing in shorebirds and waterfowl, fall and winter are positively finest (there are some superb wildlife refuges within the Valley, and the coast is tremendous productive throughout these occasions of yr). If an individual is focusing extra on songbirds and/or excessive elevation specialties within the Sierra, late spring by way of mid-summer is the best time-frame.
Lawrence’s Goldfinch
If any reader of 10,000 Birds is involved in birding with you, how can they finest contact you?
I can simply be reached by way of a number of completely different avenues. My e-mail is cencalbirdingtours@gmail.com and my enterprise cellphone quantity is 559-492-6240. Individuals can attain out by way of my web site, which is https://centralcaliforniabirdingtours.com. I can be discovered on Instagram. My enterprise profile is central_ca_birding_tours and my private profile (which is extraordinarily bird-centric) is tanager_girl.
Northern Pygmy Owl
Is there anything you wish to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
I’d like for potential purchasers to know that every journey is tailor-made based on a shopper’s specific wants. If a shopper has restricted mobility, or for any motive prefers to not spend a lot time birding on foot, I’ll design an itinerary that entails principally automobile birding. Conversely, if a shopper prefers to hike all day, we will certainly try this! I ask every shopper a number of questions similar to how a lot time they’d favor to hike VS fowl by automobile, how lengthy of a day they’re in search of, what species they’d wish to see, and if they’ve any particular requests/wants. Every itinerary is individually tailor-made based mostly on the solutions to those questions!