May 14, 2022
21:00 – 23:00
It was our last night in the desert, so of course, there would be night driving as soon as the sun went down. We’d hoped for a bit more action than the previous night, since the temperature had been much warmer today than yesterday. This didn’t really pan out, but in spite of not finding a huge array of wildlife, what we saw was utterly amazing.
The most abundant animals were Black-tailed Jackrabbit – several of them (four or five, at least) that ran out into the road in front of us. Fortunately, we were driving slowly, so none of them came to any harm.
On the way east on Kelbaker Road, we didn’t find any reptiles, although we did pick up some eyeshine with one of the flashlights out in the desert near the road. We stopped the van, and tried to figure out the identity of what appeared to be three sets of eyes, almost certainly mammalian. Some of the others in the van caught a glimpse of the animals – foxes of some sort. We wandered around near where they’d been seen, and found their den, and a couple of my students caught enough of a glimpse of the animals to identify them as ☆Kit Foxes☆. KIT FOXES!!!!!
Unfortunately, by the time I was able to make my way to the den, they’d taken cover and were nowhere to be seen. Still, this was their den, so we thought there was a pretty good likelihood that they’d be out again when we drove past on our way back to Zzyzx. So, we dropped a pin on the map, to locate the den again, and kept on with the night driving.
After about 45 minutes, no one in any of the vans had seen any reptiles, and I think people were a bit discouraged and tired, and we all decided that we’d turn around and head back to the Desert Studies Center. We told the folks in the other van about the kit foxes, but none of them were interested enough to stop with us (Huh? Seriously – who turns down the rare chance to see some wild kit foxes? Not gonna lie, I was disappointed by their disinterest, although it probably worked out better for those of us in my van, as we’ll see in a few minutes).
As we were making our way back to where we’d dropped the pin, one of my students called out that she thought she’d seen something unusual in the road. We backed up, and sure enough, there was something “unusual” in the road: A ☆Mojave Green Rattlesnake☆!!!! This is always one of the hoped-for species on this trip, and this snake did not disappoint. Then we phoned the other two vans to let them know about the snake, and they turned around to meet us. (Apparently the snake was more of a draw than the kit foxes. Still grumbling about that haha).
This is one of the more venomous snakes (considered the deadliest in North America), so it was amazing to be able to see one up close. We double-checked Stebbins to make sure we had the ID correct (we did). It was on a smallish side for this species, but so, so, so, so pretty.
I was glad that all my students were able to view the snake, and I got some great photographs. This was really a magnificent sighting.
After the snake retreated into the Bajada, our spirits buoyed by the sighting, we went off to try and find the kit foxes. We arrived at the location where we’d dropped the pin, and easily identified the area where we’d found the den. We pulled off to the opposite side of the road and turned off the car, hoping not to stress them out or startle them too much. Then, we spotlit the area with our flashlights. Sure enough, more eyeshine, and then, in the light of the flashlights, we saw the foxes themselves. Juveniles – at least three (possibly four) – and I was absolutely thrilled to see them for the first time in the wild.
Then, as we watched, they decided that they weren’t bothered by our lights, and went back to the business of being young foxes, which mostly included pouncing on one another in mock battles, running back and forth through the brush, and even trying to climb up into a small tree near the den. It was one of the most wonderful and adorable things I’d ever seen. Literally life-changing. Overall, this trip had been rough on me – it’s a lot of work and anxiety to get three vans full of university students down to the desert, keep them fed, and make sure they don’t do anything that might get them hurt. But the sight of those foxes made every single minute of hassle and stress more than worthwhile. They were so beautiful and precious, and watching the just playing with one another as if we weren’t there is literally one of the best things I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
We watched them for a while – probably about half an hour – and then decided that it was getting late, and we had a long drive ahead of us in the morning. So, feeling a bit sad to leave the foxes behind, we headed back to the Desert Studies Center.
So, yeah, we didn’t see a lot of animals on this drive, but wow, the ones we saw were magnificent.
Species List
Wildlife seen: Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), Mojave Green Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus), Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis)
Notable Plants: Cheesebush (Ambrosia salsola)
Let me know what you think!