Stop at pullouts along Hudson Ranch Rd. to bird the grasslands and ranches. Vernal pools are also present at some locations after seasonal rain or snow. Look for Common Raven, Western Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Mountain Bluebird, Horned Lark, Western Meadowlark, Tricolored Blackbird, Lark Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and Raptor species. The upper portions of the road wind through a mixture of oak, chaparral, and pinyon habitat with steep canyon slopes. Here you can find Oak Titmouse, Band-tailed Pigeon, California Scrub-Jay, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Wrentit, Mountain Quail, Golden Eagle, and woodpeckers. Pull well off the road and watch for oncoming traffic when birding along the roadside. Hudson Ranch Rd. passes through both Kern and Ventura Counties, and you will find Hotspots for both along its length. One popular stop is the Los Padres National Forest boundary sign which offers incredible views of the surrounding hills, mountains, and the southern end of California Central Valley when the skies are clear.

Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge is located in the foothills of the southwestern San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. The refuge is one of four units of the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex for California Condors. The southern entrance to the refuge is accessible from Hudson Ranch Rd. at Highway 166 junction. 

The Refuge encompasses the rolling foothills between the San Joaquin Valley and the coastal mountain range. Approximately two-thirds of the refuge is open grassland, providing valuable foraging habitat for California Condors. Refuge visitors along Hudson Ranch Road may glimpse California Condors soaring on warm thermal air currents or perched on steep hillsides, mule deer, tule elk, California Quail, Golden Eagle, owls, and occasionally Greater Roadrunner.

The Refuge is currently closed to the public and has been since its establishment in 1985 due to the sensitive nature of the California Condor Recovery Program activities, the sensitivity of its resources, and rugged terrain. However, staff and partner-led guided interpretive tours allow for limited opportunities for the public to engage in wildlife viewing and photography. Large portions of Bitter Creek NWR can be seen from Hudson Ranch Rd., which bisects the Refuge.

For information on guided tours please visit friendsofcondors.org