May 14, 2022
13:00

Our next stop was the Mid-Hills Campground in the Mojave National Preserve, where we explored a higher-elevation pinyon pine and juniper forest.

After some mix-up about logistics that cost us about an hour, we started our way up into the hills. I made some fantastic sightings from the car, including a Horned Lark, and a Loggerhead Shrike that had half of a lizard in its beak.

Before we arrived at the campground, we had an amazing look at a Black-tailed Jackrabbit, who allowed us to get great views from the van for a couple of minutes before hopping away.

The first order of business when we made it to the picnic area was supposed to be eating lunch, but I was quickly distracted by wildlife. First, a Western Whiptail lizard led me on a merry chase through the forest (and I never did catch all way up with it). A Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Raven flew overhead. There were also loads of wonderful plants that we hadn’t seen at lower elevations, so I was happy wandering around with my camera.

After we’d been there for about half an hour, one of my students spotted something amazing: a ☆Desert Striped Snake☆ that had just caught a ☆Pocket Mouse☆ and was in the process of swallowing it. Seeing this behavior in the wild is so unusual, especially for a snake that isn’t all that common in this area, which is at the very edge of its range. Super interesting, and such a pretty snake.

One of the reasons we come to this site is to look for arboreal Western Fence Lizard that are a bit different than the ones we have back home (although I’m not sure if this is a distinct subspecies). I was walking through the juniper and pines with one of my students, which I caught a glimmer of something shiny on a tree. Confused, I walked closer, not at all sure what it could be. When I was about 4 feet away, it moved. Yeah, it was one of the fence lizards, and I didn’t even realize it until it flushed. Fortunately, it didn’t go far – just a bit higher in the tree – so we were able to spot it again, along with another lizard in the same tree.

After I called everyone over to make sure they saw the lizards, I thought I’d spend a few minutes off by myself looking at birds (which is tricky when a bunch of students are around). This is where I’d seen a Brown Crested Flycatcher on my last visit, so I was hopeful about what I might find. Unfortunately, almost immediately after I walked away from the group, they started calling out for me, and I had to cut my walk a bit short. I did see an Ash-throated Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, and a Swainson’s Thrush.

When we were ready to head back down to the DSC, the folks in my van took our time and made a few stops to look under logs and rocks and things. At one of our stops, we found a gorgeous Side-blotched Lizard, and were all able to get a great look.

A bit farther down the mountain, we spotted another, larger lizard. Pretty dark, with some blue colors underneath . . . a Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard. Super cool! A bunch of people had seen one the previous day down in the wash, but since I hadn’t done that hike, I was super happy about seeing this one. Wow, this is a truly gorgeous lizard, with iridescent blues, greens, and yellows on the belly. A great find! I also saw a Black-throated Sparrow and a Western Tanager . . . always a treat.

As we drew near to Baker on our way back to the DSC, we had some amazing views of the World’s Biggest Thermometer.

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Species Seen

Wildlife Seen: Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) and lizard, Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris), Desert Striped Whipsnake (Coluber taeniatus), Desert Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus), Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), Northern Raven (Corvus corax clarionensis), Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus oedicus), Dusky Flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri), Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens), Common Sideblotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana), Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus uniformis), Black-throated Sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata), Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)

Notable Plants: Silver Cholla (Cylindropuntia echinocarpa), Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata), Branched Pencil Cholla (Cylindropuntia ramosissima), Mojave Yucca (Yucca schidigera), Woolly Brickelllia (Brickellia incana), Mojave Goldenhead (Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus sphaerocephalus), Jointfir (Ephedra sp.), Eastern Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia jaegeriana), SIngleleaf Pinyon (Pinus monophylla), Apricot Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), Desert Mariposa Lily (Calochortus kennedyi), Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata), Mojave Kingcup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus mojavensis), Green Ephedra (Ephedra viridis), Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Red Brome (Bromus rubens), Blue Yucca (Yucca baccata baccata), Heath-leaved Chaetopappa (Chaetopappa ericoides), Distant Phacelia (Phacelia distans), Frémont’s Phacelia (Phacelia fremontii), Mojave Pricklypear (Opuntia polyacantha erinacea), Cooper’s Goldenbush (Ericameria cooperi), Desert Bitterbrush (Purshia glandulosa), Mesquite Mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum), Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa), California Barrel Cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus)

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