No alligators in our mountains but lizards are everywhere! While hiking on my favorite USFS road which leads to the South Ridge trailhead, this Great Basin whip-tail lizard, Aspidoscelis tigris, popped out of its hideout.
Yesterday, I caught this granite spiny lizard,Sceloporus orcuttii, with a mouthful. Any guess on the unlucky insect in its jaws?
Plenty of hikers have been surprised by rattlesnakes this season but this harmless gopher snake,Pituophis catenifer, is the only snake I've encountered so far this summer.
So why am I writing about lizards and snakes instead of birds? They all tie together. This red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, probably has his eyes on some of the lizards, snakes along with other rodents that I have seen for its next meal. The best "bird walks" also include looking for a wide variety of species. They are all part of a healthy ecosystem.
The pale swallowtail,Papilio eurymedon, and male and female Melissa blues,Plebejus melissa, are a few of the butterflies that are still around. The colorful wildflowers of spring have been replaced by summer blooms.
I don't often see dragonflies since we have little water but I did find this brightly colored red rock skimmer,Paltothemis lineatipes, recently. I am not an expert on dragonflies so let me know if I am incorrect. From my research, it is a red rock skimmer instead of a flame skimmer due to the black stripes on its abdomen and thorax. Plus, it perched on its favorite resting spot, a rock, after patroling its little creek.
Our wet spring has turned into a hot, dry summer. If you are searching for birds, find water. A rivulet of mountain water is still trickling down my favorite road. It has become a special place for Lawrence's goldfinches, Spinus lawrencei, to congregate the last 2 weeks.
Today, this band-tailed pigeon,Patagioenas fasciata, demonstrated how to take a birdbath in a drizzle of rain - one wing at a time.
Remember, you can help the birds out by providing a refreshing place to drink and to bathe.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Photos and content by Robin Roberts.
