Joshua Tree-Day 2-Cottonwood Springs Hike

Monday March 29th

The weather is still beautiful but forecasters are saying a storm from the Pacific Northwest is going to sweep over southern California and reek havoc with the Spring Break crowd. We'll take advantage of the warm days while we can.

Behind the Cottonwood Campground here at Joshua Tree there hides Cottonwood Springs. A natural spring arises from the sand and wouldn't even be noticable if it weren't for the fact that there are huge California Palms and cottonwood trees growing all around it. It is an oasis for birds and other wildlife. Our plan for the day was to take the trail down to the springs and explore a bit. First we headed over to the Visitors Center to see if there might possibly be less people. Jon wanted a t-shirt and I wanted a bird checklist of the park. In all the National Parks you can go into the Ranger Stations or Visitors Centers and ask for a local bird checklist. Depending on the park they range from free to $2. Here they were free. I always like to get the checklist because I can peruse it and see what birds actually visit the area and at what time of year they can be expected. Some are residents, some visit only during migration, some are vagrants and only show up on occasion. The Nuttall's Woodpecker I saw yesterday and photographed isn't even on the list.

One of the books I read while on this trip is "Eating Stone" by Ellen Meloy. It is basically about bighorn sheep; the different species that exist in the western states, southwestern states, and Baja, their history, their habits, and their future. After seeing them close up in Anza-Borrego and knowing that there is a distinct possibility of seeing them here too, my curiosity is piqued. While we were in the visitors center I noticed they had bighorn stuffed toys so I had to buy one to stick in my backpack as my traveling companion. Ramsis now travels with me on all my hikes. I'm hoping he will be my good luck charm to viewing these beautiful animals.

While I was getting my bird checklist and Ramsis, the Ranger told me the best place to hike on the Cottonwood Springs trail to see birds. She told us of a little treasure of a place off the regular trail where there is another spring and bees, insects, lizards and birds visit regularly. She said when we walk through the slit in the rocks all the wildlife will go away but to just sit quietly and shortly they will return.

While Jon was still on the main trail I snuck through the slit in the rocks. If someone hadn't told me it was there I might have missed it. The trail came out into a narrow sandy area with big boulders on either side and a trickle of water snaking it's way down through the small rocks in a wash. There was lots of usual desert bird flittering but it was so quick I could identify nothing. I took my daypack off and waited. Within moments a small bird landed on a bush about 50 feet away from me. I looked through my binocs and I couldn't identify what it was. A little bit smaller than an American goldfinch, yellow, gray, black. The beak looked much like a goldfinch too. Wow! It's face was black but the back of it's head was gray. I had never seen this bird before but it was way too far away to get a decent photo. I waited patiently hoping that neither Jon nor any other hikers would come walking through that slit while I was trying to focus on this bird. Suddenly another bird just like the first fluttered in and they started swirling around each other. Since they both had bright colors and looked the same, I assumed they were two males, maybe sparring for territory and a mate. After a minute or two of this sparring behavior they seemed to be exhausted and landed in a bush closer to me. Quick! My chance to get a shot.

Lawrence's Goldfinch

The goldfinches were very shy and didn't stay long once they noticed me. The lighting wasn't quite right to get an exceptional photo but I was glad to get any photo at all and to be able to identify them and to add them to my life list.

Once Jon appeared through the slit in the rocks, we continued up the wash admiring more wildflowers and a few cactus blooms. We had to seek out more shade as the sun rose higher in the sky and found another oases with another spring. Here I saw cactus wren, California Thrashers and Black-Throated Sparrows and could still hear the sweet little song of the Lawrence's Goldfinch hidden away in the shrubbery. All along the trail we enjoyed the lovely deep blue of the wild desert Canterbury Bells.

Wild Desert Canterbury Bells

After lunch in the oasis, we headed back down the trail towards the slit in the rocks. The advice given in the California Lizard book for viewing lizards in the desert is to look up. Look at the tops of rocks where they like to sit and sunbathe. Wow, again! A big lizard maybe 12 inches long or longer was tanning himself. We had to have been 100 feet from him but he noticed us immediately and was getting ready to bolt. I had read that the biggest lizard out here in the desert was the Cuckwalla and this time of year if one was sighted it would be a male. The females are much more recluse. I was able to get a little closer for photos and I assumed it was a Chuckwalla due to it's size.

                                                   Chuckwalla

The Chuckwalla is second only in size to the gila monster and is the only completely herbivorous (plant-eating) lizard in California. Their habitat is fairly specific; wherever you find rock outcrops and creosote bushes, you will find this lizard. Granitic boulders provide them with an ideal habitat. Their primary defense is to run or dive into a rock crevice, and then inflate its body by gulping air. Once inflated, the chuckwalla becomes wedged into the rock crevice and is very difficult for humans and other predators to remove. When hunting, the Native Americans used crooked sticks with arrowheads to puncture inflated chuckwallas.

According to "The Lizard-Watching Guide" by Sherburn R. Sanborn 'Chuckwallas are the late risers of the lizard world. They are among the last of the desert lizards to become active in the morning, and spend much of their time basking on prominent rock outcrops......Unlike most lizards, chuckwallas seem to have good visual capabilities. This may be related to their herbivours diet. Unless the wind is blowing, plants do not move as insects do, so the chuckwalla must be able to recognize food plants by their shape, color or both. Sight is this lizard's most important defense against predators. Chuckwallas readily retreat to crevices when distrubed, and I have seen some individuals begin to retreat when I am fifty yards away.' I felt fortunate to get a few photos and study him through my binocs.

After all the excitement of the Chuckwalla and the heat of the day, we were ready to head back to camp and relax in the shade with a cool mango nectar drink. As I was sitting in camp I saw at least 12 jack rabbits cross through our campsite. I never had my camera ready when they came through, though I gave it my best shot. I was able, however, to get some nice shots of verdins and they stopped off on a branch nearby.

Tonight a jet's contrail across the rising full moon was reminiscent of Saturn images.

Tuesday March 30th

(Excerpt from Jon's journal) We are watching the weather tryhing to decide whether to go to Death Valley and up Hiway 395. High winds are predicted with snow in the mountain passes.

First we stopped by Belle Campground (northern campground in Joshua Tree) to see if sites were available. There was one but the wind was blowing hard so we headed north on 247, skirting the edge of the Mojave Desert into strong headwinds toward Hesperia. At Apple Valley we decided to keep going north to Mojave. A high wind advisory was issued for Death Valley so we were looking for a place to wait out the storm.

We were glad to get into Mojave unscathed in still decent weather. We could see how snowclouds over the mountains and Tehachapi Pass looked nasty. The only safe route home looked like I-5. Kevynne got on the internet and found out chains would be required at Weed for the the next week or so and the same was true north of Bishop on 395. We want to go home but the weather won't let us.

Kevynne got a wild hair and proposed going over to Morro Bay for a few days. Not very efficient but better than getting stuck up north. She was able to book 2 nights at Avila Beach and 2 nights at Morro Bay, which made her excited, but made me glum because of the cost.

The Mojave Sierra Trails RV Park was nice and turned out to be a good place to be as the front moved in. We only got a few drippy showers during the night. First rain since Los Barilles.

Wednesday March 31st.

(Excerpt from Jon's journal) Tehachapi was still closed out, so we headed south on 14 and west on 138 through the Poppy Reserve over to I-5. We could see thick clouds over the mountains with a narrow gap straight ahead. Then it was up and over the grapevine and down into a vast plain of purple wildflower carpets and stunning green hills. Somehow we managed to skirt around the storm and broke out into blue sky and springtime clouds approaching Carrizo Plain National Monument. 33 north to McKittrick was an unfortunate choice because of all the chevron oil derricks.

On 58 west, we headed up into the Temblor Range (on the fault line) on a steep and windy road for 71 miles. We started seeing hillsides carpeted with brilliant yellow wildflowers. We came around a corner and into a flock of sheep on the road and had to hone our way through. I was hanging out the windown taking moving pictures and we had to stop at every turnout as wildflowers kept getting better and better.

Heading down from the summit the flowers were truly spectacular with hill after hill after hill in solid yellow against a dark blue sky. We were gasping and yelling 'woo-hoos' at all the beauty. We pulled over at one place with a farm and another place with cows in the foreground. I got some close-up and many wide angles with puffy clouds floating over yellow hilltops. Unreal! A long drive but worth it. Can't wait to see these pictures.

         yellow velvet hills of wildflowers (our rig parked along roadside)