Viewing the Desert through Binoculars

We had an opportunity to spend the weekend in the desert birding,hiking and camping. This time it was in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, 2 hours southeast of Idyllwild.

 We have never camped in the desert. For me, it always seemed inherently dangerous...extreme heat, no water, scorpions, tarantulas, rattlesnakes and lots of other creepy crawlies I didn't know about. These signs were a confirmation to be prepared for this new adventure. My top three rules for the weekend - Drink lots of water, wear sunscreen and keep the tent zipped at all times. I should have added no hiking in the middle of the day..

 

 Drinking water is definitely the number one rule. Just looking at this cracked earth will make you thirsty.

Upon arrival, we hiked on the popular Palm Canyon Oasis trail. We were the only hikers probably since we chose the middle of the day to hike.

The spring that normally flows was nearly nonexistent. It continues to amaze me how plants and animals have been able to adapt to this harsh environment.

Most of the wildlife including the Bighorn sheep seek refuge during the

hottest part of the day. This Rock Wren seemed oblivious to the heat as it sang from his perch.

Getting up early before everyone else in the campground to go birdwatching has its advantages - Great Horned owls hooting, beautiful sunrises and shooting stars.

 This particular area of the desert is perfect habitat for the rarely seen desert bird, LeConte's Thrasher. Thanks to Kurt, our expert workshop leader, we found one.

 The surrounding sand was perfect for capturing tracks and for seeing the homes of burrowing desert dwellers.  A story unfolded as to who wandered through the area before we arrived....foxes, badgers, scorpions, lizards,desert tortoises, rabbits...

These x shaped tracks belong to the roadrunner, icon of the southwestern deserts.

Seeing the tracks gave me hope that we would discover this extremely fast, hunting bird. Before the day ended, we caught a glimpse of one before it ran off in pursuit of lunch.

On Labor Day, we saw a magnificent soaring Bald Eagle near our home in Idyllwild. Unable to get a photo, I returned to the lake numerous times for weeks for another sighting but was not successful.

While visiting a lake near the desert, a Bald Eagle flew over our heads with a freshly caught fish in his talons. Not seen in this photo is a Red-tailed Hawk in pursuit hoping the eagle will drop his fish. 

 Finally, sometimes strange things can appear in the desert like this mysterious frog in the sand...especially, if you are with someone who likes to play tricks on you.

Discovering Zzyzx in the Mojave Desert

 Various images come to mind when one thinks of the Mojave Desert. For many, it is a place where the open landscape has sparse vegetation without life and an endless highway in the middle of it.

In reality, this unique place is full of diversity beginning with the geology. The vast desert with plants that have adapted to this arid environment is surrounded by rugged mountain ranges, volcanic formations, underwater rivers, natural springs, playas (dried lake beds) and sand dunes. These varied habitats provide homes for mammals, reptiles, insects,birds and amphibians.

Choosing it as a birdwatching destination may seem strange. But, that is exactly why a group of us spent the weekend at the Desert Studies Center at Zzyzx in the Mojave National Preserve.

 Before the California University system opened this center, Zzyzx was created by entrepeneur, Curtis Springer. He enticed people to come to his resort to bathe in Mineral Springs and to drink his health tonics.

Before Springer, there was a salt mine. Petroglyphs show the presence of early Native Americans. Zzyzx has a rich varied history.

How do you find migrating birds in the desert? You pretend to be an exhausted bird flying overhead looking for a green patch with water where you can rest for a day or two.

With that in mind, we stopped at numerous places that would look attract migrants.

In one small creek, we saw a flock of Green Tealed Ducks. In another spot, we saw a Pectoral Sandpiper.

 From the breeding grounds in northern Alaska to the wintering grounds in South America, this bird travels incredibly long distances. The biggest surprise for us all was to see the Georgia state bird - the Brown Thrasher. It was quite strange for me to see this familiar bird in a tree in the desert overlooking a playa.

We traveled to places with neat names like Shoshone and Tecopa.

In Shoshone, we saw Dublin Gulch. A place where miners hoping to find silver in nearby mts carved their cave like homes out of the hardened volcanic ash in the late 1800's.

Another stop was China Ranch, a date farm in the desert. A great place for both birds and humans to visit.

The best birding trips included unexpected discoveries.

We saw signs that the Bighorn sheep were nearby. Then a herd of them appeared on the rocky escarpment behind Zzyzx. We forgot all about birdwatching while these majestic animals were watching us.

Traveling through the Mojave Preserve means slowing down for the endangered Desert tortoise as well as the tarantulas crossing the road.

With over 1.6 millions acres within the Mojave National Preserve,

there is so much to see! I highly recommend spending time in this special place!

Early Autumn

 For me, the first sign of Autumn has always been the changing colors of leaves. The Black Oak trees have begun to change colors this past week. These trees are surrounded by the Evergreens that dominate the landscape.

A new sign for me that Autumn has arrived is the filling of acorns into tree trunks by the Acorn Woodpeckers. Thousands can be found up and down a "granary" tree. Quite impressive!

 There are other busy woodpeckers. Today I saw both  White-headed woodpeckers and the Nuttall's woodpeckers which are endemic to California.They seemed to enjoy the same spots on specific trees for they followed each other back and forth as I watched. At one point, they sat side by side on a branch.

My favorite is the one dressed in spots and stripes - The Northern Flicker.

 Some days, finding a bird leads you further and further down an unknown path. When we heard the beautiful flute like song in this meadow we found ourselves being led by an elusive bird which continually flew away from us and kept itself hidden in the tall grass.

Eventually, our persistence paid off and the Western Meadowlark landed on a fence post for us to enjoy.

Some days, I get an unexpected surprise. This magnificent Red-shouldered hawk landed on a branch outside my window this week!

I couldn't have picked a better spot for these Western Bluebirds to land - another special moment.

 There are lots of changes to observe during this season.

I look forward to seeing and sharing views of Autumn in the different places that we live and visit.