SSRS Give Big Kern - Mary Whitfield

The Southern Sierra Research Station is a non-profit organization located in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. We focus on avian research and monitoring the western U.S. and Latin America. I am a cofounder of the Southern Sierra Research Station and has been the Research Director since 2000. I have designed, carried out and/or supervised numerous research projects and provided oversight of all the research projects at the station. I specialize in riparian birds, endangered species and cowbird ecology.

We are eager to start two important new projects this fall: 

1. Restart the Turkey Vulture count that occurred from 1994 - 2005. The research showed that the Kern River Valley was the site of the largest known Turkey Vulture migration north of the Mexican border, averaging 27,000 vultures each fall. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the magnitude of this migration may have diminished in the 21 years since the last count. We are looking for funds to start counting vultures again for at least five years to compare the numbers of vultures and other raptors that are migrating through this area. This data would help in developing conservation recommendations for this important long-distance migrant.

2. Start a migration banding station.  Twice a year, at least a billion birds traverse the American West, traveling north-south along migratory pathways between breeding and wintering grounds. The concentration of these migratory routes in the west is known as the Pacific Flyway. Today, only a small fraction of the birds that filled the air fifty years ago are making this harrowing journey; during that time migratory birds have declined by 25% across the continent, equating to a loss of almost 3 billion birds. The causes behind these drastic declines are varied, but much of the loss has stemmed from climate change and habitat loss. Much of what we know about bird migration in the Americas comes from research in the eastern half of North America; the Pacific Flyway is still lacking much of the critical data needed to inform conservation actions for migratory birds in the west. We do know, according to recent research, that the highest mortality of migratory birds typically occurs during migration. Understanding the extent to which migrating birds experience impacts from reduced habitat, climate change, and other migratory threats requires fine-scale information about stopover ecology, timing, connectivity, migratory routes, and identifying key stopover sites along the Pacific Flyway. We also know that the Kern River Valley serves as a major migratory corridor in the west. We are seeking funds to start a pilot migration banding station this fall, expanding to a longer effort in fall 2027 and in future spring and fall seasons.  Please support our new research efforts.

  https://southernsierraresearch.org/