Inyo Exotics

Inyo County has 410 bird species reliably documented as having occurred within its borders. Not all of these species are native, that is, some are here because of the activities of man. The most obvious birds, those with which non-birders are well acquainted, are House (English) Sparrows, European Starlings, and Rock Doves (pigeons). These are very common birds around our homes, ranches, and businesses. A second group of introduced birds that inhabit Inyo are game birds such as Chukar, Ring-necked Pheasant, and White-tailed Ptarmigan all released for hunters with various degrees of success. One species, Gambels Quail, occurs naturally at the extreme southeast corner of the county at Tecopa, Resting Springs, Shoshone, and Death Valley Junction but some of those birds were taken out prior to 1890 and introduced to Furnace Creek Ranch where they were first recorded 24 Jan 1891 by the Death Valley Expedition. Almost every Death Valley Christmas Bird Count from 1972-1982 reported from one to twenty. Because years went by with no reports that population was thought to have died out until 2-3 were seen 10 Oct 1998 by Guy McCaskie at the Furnace Creek Ranch airport. These may be remnants from the original introduced flock or colonizers from the east or south. While the origins of some introduced species remain obscure, a few have been well documented. The House Sparrow was well established in the United States at New York City by 1860-1864. By 1872 it had been recorded in San Francisco. None were found in Inyo County when the Death Valley Expedition conducted its thorough survey in 1891. In 1917 Dr. Joseph Grinnell, the ornithological giant from UC Berkeley, began his work in Death Valley and was surprised to find a small population at Furnace Creek Ranch. He said that Mr. Denton, the ranch manager, first found them there in 1914 when the Death Valley spur of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad was built to the nearby town of Ryan. Grinnell believed the sparrows followed the construction camps and the livestock of these workers. House Sparrows are now found in all the towns and most of the ranches throughout the county and compete with native species for food and nesting material. The European Starling was also introduced into the New York area in the late 19th century. They spread west through towns and agricultural areas and first appeared in California in 1942. The first Inyo County record was 3 Jan 1947 when eleven were found at Furnace Creek Ranch. They are now found countywide and compete with native species for food and nest cavities. A Northern Flicker spent part of a week drilling a new nesting hole in a cottonwood tree only to be removed physically by a starling who pulled the larger flicker out of the just finished nest hole and climbed in to occupy and raise young in its stolen residence. The Rock Dove, commonly called a pigeon, had been domesticated and kept by man for thousands of years. It was introduced into North America in Nova Scotia by the French in 1606 and spread across the United States with the western movement. No mention is made of the species by the Death Valley Expedition, nor is it mentioned by Grinnell in his Observations on the Birds of Death Valley (1923) but in 1944 Grinnell, in his classic Distribution of the Birds of California, noted that the species was widespread. While the species has certainly been in Inyo County for most of this century we have no earlier information than 1972 when we recorded them in Big Pine. Help! Jane Fisher, long time resident, does not recall them when she was growing up. Most of the towns, parks, and many ranches now support small populations but on 9 May 1998 a couple dozen birders, on International Migratory Bird Day, counted 114 in the Owens Valley. Chukar, originally brought from Calcutta, India, were released in California in 1932. They were introduced into Inyo County in the mid 1930s and appear to be doing very well in rocky, dry, and often steep terrain. They react quickly to drought with quick reductions in numbers and just as quickly recover with a couple of wet years. The best site for viewing this species is Tollhouse Spring from May to Sep when a hen or two can be seen escorting a bushel basket full of fuzzy young across the highway. Ring-necked Pheasant were introduced into California as early as 1855. A.B. Howell noted them quite common and increasing in the Owens Valley in 1917 but said that the habitat was so limited that he doubted the population would last two years if hunting was allowed. In 1925 3000 more were released in the Owens Valley and other releases were continued by the California Department of Fish and Game until 1977. Small introductions have been made since the late 1980s by local sportsman groups. White-tailed Ptarmigan from Colorado were released near Eagle Peak, Mono County, in 1971-72 when 72 birds were planted. They have since spread both north and south of the release point. They reached Inyo the second week of April 1990 when one was seen at Pine Creek and 24 Mar 1997 when 5 or 6 were seen at Green Lake. These sites are 10,000-11,000 ft and obviously this species occurs above and below that range especially during harsh winters when they may descend to lower elevations according to David Gaines. Most people pay little attention to introduced birds, because, after all, they dont belong here. It is a fact that they are a part of the avifauna and for better or, usually worse, they impact our native species. It is in the best interest of our native species that we know and understand these interlopers.