About Kestrel

Karyn “Kestrel” O’Hearn began her naturalist studies during Natural History Field Quarter at UC Santa Cruz. After graduating in 1996 she worked as a naturalist at several outdoor schools landing in the Sierra and ultimately Yosemite National Park, where she has worked as a ranger naturalist since 2002. When not rangering in the Sierra and teaching middle school science, she is a docent and trip leader for Yosemite Area Audubon and Sierra Foothill Conservancy, where she has developed a local bird walk series. She also co-instructs for UC Merced Vernal Pools and Grassland Reserve’s California Naturalist course. She has recently been accepted to the Avian Sciences Graduate Group at UC Davis where she will pursue a masters in avian science and conservation. She returns each summer to live and work as an Interpretive Ranger Naturalist in Yosemite’s high country where birds are her guide and natural environments her teacher. She also celebrates friendships, loves music, is an auntie extraordinaire, and willing to try most things at least once. Her newest endeavors are fly fishing, gardening, and this blog where she shares her adventures and what she ponders along the way.