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Guide writer details Crescent City birds By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune Alan Barron remembers the time almost 500 bird enthusiasts flocked to Crescent City, Calif. (population: 6,800) to see a rare Eurasian dotterel, a Siberian shorebird on the wrong side of the Pacific Ocean. A bristle-sided curlew had almost as big an impact, as did some emperor geese. "Shorebirds generate a lot of excitement," Barron says. Book signing Alan D. Barron plans a book signing from noon to 4 p.m. today at the Northwest Nature Shop in Ashland. The signing coincides with a holiday open house with Oregon chocolates, nuts and wines. Call 482-3241 for information or e-mail Barron at [email protected]. The way that excitement is playing into the burgeoning field of ecotourism helped Barron snag a $20,000 rural assistance grant from the U.S. Forest Service though the non-profit Redwood Economic Development Institute to write his new book, "A Bird Finding Guide to Del Norte County, Calif." Crescent City is one of the "birdiest" places in the country, with more than 400 species of birds recorded. That's more than the all-time totals of 18 American states and nine Canadian provinces. Barron is an expert birder who has lived in Del Norte County for 18 years and has written widely about birds. "I've been here a long time," Barron says. "It was time to get some of the information out. We get so many people here for the birds." Del Norte is one of California's smallest counties. The logging and fishing industries have been in decline for years. But this is one of the most diverse parts of the country in wildlife habitat. It's where the sea meets the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion, which the World Wildlife Fund calls "the Galapagos of North America." Habitat in the county ranges from ocean and seashore to mountains, with lowlands and other habitat in between. The county is on the Pacific Flyway, the north-south corridor for migrating birds. It is the edge of some species' range. Barron's book details a dozen of the county's regions in detail. It's designed for both recreational nature lovers and advanced birders. Just for fun, Barron throws in notable flowers, trees, fish, newts, salamanders and butterflies. But the focus is birds. Barron will take you to mud flats at Lake Earl, where you may see such rare species as the spotted redshank, the ruff, the sharp-tailed sandpiper. Or head into the hills near Hiouchi for band-tailed pigeons, olive-sided flycatchers and Western wood-pewees. Along the way are darlingtonia fens and bear grass patches. Here also is Lake Earl, the largest coastal lagoon south of Alaska. The book is packed with local history, detailed maps and artwork by 17 Northern California artists and photographers. Barron grew up in St. Louis, Mo., where he became fascinated with the birds at his grandparents' backyard feeder. He worked on the book for two-and-a-half years. As an editor of North American Birds magazine, he keeps the county's bird records. He has written short guides such as "Birds of the Redwoods National and State Parks," as well as scientific papers. Through his company, Flockfinder, he provides tours to see the much-requested tufted puffin or harlequin duck. But you don't need to be a serious birder to enjoy watching the oystercatchers at the marina, hawks at Point St. George or tundra swans at a nearby farm pond. And don't forget the Aleutian Canada geese, a short-necked species back from the brink of extinction. Most of the world population of 35,000 pauses here to fatten up each spring on their way to breeding grounds in the Aleutian Islands, spawning an annual conference here in March. Barron says it's not unique to publish such a comprehensive guide focused on a limited area. "There are a lot of guides like this for other areas," he says. "Like Texas, Arizona and Florida." And now Crescent City. Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.