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NOTE:
The cranes should return in late September.
Pixley National Wildlife Refuge
was established in 1959 to provide wintering habitat for
waterfowl. It consists of 6,833 acres of valley grassland
and wetland habitats on the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley.
Pixley NWR is located in southwestern Tulare County, about
12 miles northeast of Kern NWR, about 6 miles west of
Earlimart, 5 miles southwest of the town of Pixley, and
about 19 miles south of the town of Tulare.
Portions of Pixley NWR lie within the historic Tulare Lake
Bed. In addition to providing wetland habitat,
Pixley NWR provides habitat for three threatened and
endangered species. About 4,392 acres of alkali playa, grassland, and saltbush
scrub are set aside as habitat for them; the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, the San Joaquin
kit fox, and the Tipton kangaroo rat. Wetlands, riparian
habitat, and row croplands make up the other 1800 acres on
Pixley NWR.
This bird list is a preliminary effort at cataloguing the
wildlife of the refuge. It is in no way a complete
catalogue of the birds visiting or occupying the refuge.
Please help expand this list by sending your field notes
with date, species, and observers to Alison.
Email
The bird list is compiled from USFWS planning documents,
Bob Barnes, Dan
Cooper, Tulare County
Audubon website trip notes, Tulare County Audubon / Kern
NWR complex Pixley Trail Guide, Kern/Pixley biologist Pam
Williams, Luke Cole, Gary & Carla File, John Lockhart,
Kim Kuska, John Luther, Steve Summers, Gary Woods and my personal field notes. |
