Extremes of Inyo County Tour 2027
Extremes of Inyo County Tour
Leaders: Bob Toleno & Juli Chamberlin
May 23 – 28, 2027
This popular trip is happening for the third year in a row!
On the southeast flank of the Sierra Nevada, Inyo County spans a huge range of habitats and elevations, and offers some of the best inland birding in California. This tour explores those extremes, from moist fir and aspen forests in the Sierra Nevada to the dry bristlecone pine forest of the White Mountains, from the rich lowland riparian areas of the Owens Valley to the natural and artificial oases of the driest desert on the continent, Death Valley.
Breeding birds we’ll see on this trip include Gambel’s Quail, Black Swift, Black-backed Woodpecker, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, LeConte’s Thrasher, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Black-throated Sparrow, Scott’s Oriole, and Lucy’s Warbler.
Besides just breeding birds, late May is prime time to find migrants, especially vagrants from eastern North America. As nocturnal migrants fly over the deserts, when the sun rises, the artificial and natural oases act as magnets for these hungry birds. Birders from all around California go to Death Valley each spring and fall to experience this phenomenon.
The cost will be $975 per person for a shared room, $1,225 for a single. This will be a caravan-style trip, and carpooling will be facilitated. Limit 10 participants. This tour sold out the past two years! Sign up below if you’re interested.
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