May 12, 2022
7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Distance traveled: 861 km
The culminating experience for this year’s Vertebrate Biology class was a multi-day trip down to the Mojave Desert, to stay at the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx, California. Anticipated throughout the semester, the trip did not disappoint. On this first day, most of our wildlife sightings were incidental, seen from the van while driving down I-5. After a long day on the road, we arrived at the Desert Studies Center, where everything looked pretty much the same as I remembered it from 2011, when I took this trip as a student. Immediately upon arrival, I remember just what a good place this is. After we’d arrived, I did see a few animals on site, and we made some fantastic finds along Zzyzx Road after having dinner in Baker.
I had just a glimpse of a Greater Roadrunner as we drove by a field alongside I-5 (in Kern County, IIRC). The size and angles of the body and neck were right, and I can’t imagine what other bird this could have been. One of the more exciting moments of the trip was a sighting of a Red-tailed Hawk fly overhead with some sort of prey species in its talons – a somewhat long-legged mammal – a juvenile lagomorph, if I had to guess. We spotted several Great Egret in a grassy field near Bakersfield (possibly a rice field). Red-winged Blackbird were seen near the road in a few locations, particularly before we’d left northern California, and also near Bakersfield. Our other common blackbird species, Brewer’s Blackbird, was seen at some of the rest stops where we pulled off the highway for gas and snacks. In Tehachapi, in some landscaping near the rest stop where we had lunch, we saw three Western Fence Lizard wandering around, although were weren’t able to catch any of them. Mourning Dove were seen at various points along the drive, and also at Zzyzx and in Baker, and Eurasian Collared-Dove seem fairly common throughout California, in populated areas (more so now than at times in the past when I’d come through these areas). I saw a number of them flying or perched on electrical wires. The most commonly seen bird all along our route and everywhere we stopped was the Northern Raven. Gorgeous and magnificent, I kind of wonder if they’re making fun of us zooming past in our cars while they soar the air currents up above.
Desert Cottontail was the first mammal seen on Zzyzx Road, as we approached the Desert Studies Center. One of my companions noticed it sitting under a bush at the side of the road, and we were able to stop and get some nice views of the rabbit before it flushed and ran across the road out of sight. Later, we saw a rabbit in pretty much this same location, and I’m guessing it might have been the same individual.
Northern Raven was also the first bird I spotted upon our arrival at the Desert Studies Center, and there were ravens out and about throughout pretty much our entire stay. This first one was vocalizing while perched on an electrical pole. Majestic AF.
Another of the animals we saw not long after we arrived were several bats hunting for insects near the lake. I’m not sure about the ID (and probably never will be), but I always enjoy the sight of bats swooping around overhead. The pond also hosted a pair of American Coot who were swimming around on Lake Tuendae the entire time we were at the DSC. They’re super fun to watch, especially when they start chasing on another around the lake. They make some weird vocalizations, as well, although these were pretty quiet, for the most part. Other birds on site included a Mourning Dove, an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched in a tree, a Wilson’s Warbler, a female Black-headed Grosbeak, and a couple of Vaux’s Swift.
We also found a lovely ☆Vachon’s Rock Scorpion☆ underneath the wooden curb in the Desert Studies Center parking lot.
Rather than cooking dinner after spending all day in the car, we drove into Baker for food. We saw a couple of nighthawks that I wasn’t able to identify at Alien Fresh Jerky, and on the way home, the folks in my van decided to stop along Zzyzx Road and see if we could find any interesting wildlife. Spoiler alert: we did.
Not long after we’d started up Zzyzx Road, a largish bird flew across the road in front of us. Exciting, but it flew out of view pretty quickly. The sun had set a couple of hours earlier, so I didn’t have a lot of confidence that we’d spot it again. So, we parked the van near a small pond covered with rushes where we could hear vocalizing frogs. We were never able to spot one, but I did record some audio of their calls. The only tree frog possible in this area is the ☆Baja California Treefrog☆, which are native to the southwest, but were probably introduced and naturalized at this specific location.
Not long after we stopped, I was using a black light to look for scorpions when one of my companions called out to me that they’d found an “owl.” I came to investigate to find the bird perched on a rock beside the road, hunkered down. It was mottled grey, black and brown, with a round-headed no-neck kind of silhouette. I can understand why they thought it was an owl, but I recognized that the posture wasn’t right for an owl. The bird was more horizontal (leaning forward), rather than upright. This was a nighthawk of some kind – probably a Lesser Nighthawk, I thought, but I wasn’t sure yet about the ID. I was able to snap a few photos with my phone before the bird flushed.
A few minutes later, we’d found another Rock Scorpion and I was talking some photos of it when one of my companions turned over a rock a few meters from the road to reveal a ☆Desert Nightsnake☆! This was definitely one of the highlights of our first evening at Zzyzx, a gorgeous, small, delicate Colubrid with an eye stripe reminiscent of a Sierran treefrog. A lifer for all of us. Such a gorgeous snake, and a fantastic find on our first night in the desert. We did return to the location the next day, hoping the snake would still be there so the others in the class could see it, too, but sadly it had moved on.
As we returned to the van, we had one more treat. The nighthawk had returned to its rock, and, supremely cooperative, allowed me not only to take more photos with my phone, but to also return to the van to retrieve my DSLR, so I was able to get some much better quality photos. Taking a look at the photos back home revealed that the coloration wasn’t quite right for the Lesser Nighthawk, and that this was, in fact, a Common Poorwill. Later in the trip, we spotted these birds (possibly this same individual) a few more times. Super cute and a fun bird to see under any circumstances, but I was particularly glad my companions in the van were able to get such a fantastic, close-up look at this one.
Species List
Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Great Egret (Ardea alba), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), Northern Raven (Corvus corax), Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), UID bats, American Coot (Fulica americana), Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi), Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla), Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus), Vaux’s Swifts (Chaetura vauxi), Vachon’s Rock Scorpion (Smeringurus vachoni), Baja California Treefrog (Pseudacris hypochondriaca), Desert Nightsnake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea), Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii).
Let me know what you think!