Hummingbirds, mouse, lizard and beetle

When we moved here from La Mesa, I set out my customary hummingbird feeders. I was expecting one or two takers, maybe four birds at a time at the most. I was astonished to see a dozen to twenty birds at one time, all swarming around the feeder, squeaking at each other, and zooming around. What a show! This phenomenon seems to occur when food is scarce, in winter and summer. This spring, with plentiful flowers, I have few takers, and none of the drama enacted previously with multiple birds jostling for access to the food.

Many people who are unfamiliar with the desert consider it a barren and lifeless place. Nothing could be further from the truth! There is an abundance of life to be seen everywhere. Besides the hummingbirds, there are many other birds commonly seen. These include mourning doves, mockingbirds, grackles, starlings, the inevitable sparrows, roadrunners, quail, various types of birds of prey, and seasonal orioles. The Salton sea, a short distance away, is a stopover for migrating birds. Four-hundred different species of birds have been seen there!

The insects are also very interesting. Can you see the beautiful beetle in one picture?

Loyd recently went on a ranger and naturalist-guided outing in Ocotillo Wells State Recreational Vehicle Area. The biologists monitor many species of mammals and reptiles, setting up traps to capture animals, which are of course then released. Pictured is a small mouse which was part of this survey.

On one of our trips to Hawk Canyon, we spotted a well-camouflaged desert iguana under a bush. He posed for a picture, blending into the gravelly surface almost completely.

At night, we listen for the howls of the coyotes. We watch the rabbits scamper around our yard. We frequently see many birds on our morning bicycle rides. After spending any amount of time outdoors here, an appreciation can be gained for the amazing abundance of diverse life forms.

Font's Point

Font's Point can readily be seen from almost any point in the Borrego Valley, rising in the east to a sharp "point." Only four miles off highway S-2, it is well marked and easily accessible, although four-wheel drive is a good idea when the sand has become dry and loose (which is almost always, unless it has recently rained).

A very short walk from the end of the road affords a good view of the Borrego Badlands. The view becomes more interesting as the shadows lengthen, and can be really spectacular under a full moon.

Parts of the wash floor at the base of the hills on the south side appear to be accessible from the nearby Ocototillo Wells campground right off S-2, although we haven't tried this yet. It looks like it would be an interesting place to explore. There is another good viewpoint not too far past the turnoff for the drive to the point, to the right, which overlooks both the primitive offroad campground and the eastern edge of the badlands.

On the north side of S-2, there is another viewpoint with a steep dirt road leading down into another yet portion of the badlands. This is the access used for the excursion to the slot canyon taken by Uncle Gerry and Loyd (see earlier post). Ann is too chicken to go down this road!

We have gone to Font's Point many, many times over the years, and it always looks different, depending on the season and time of day. In February, we went out with my friend Linda to enjoy the view. Later during Uncle Gerry's visit, mom wanted to go, saying she hadn't been there in years. The many visitors using the road had created both some deeper sand and wash-board effects, which mom didn't enjoy at all. However, traversing these areas was no problem with our big, four-wheel-drive truck.

Return to Hawk Canyon

Soon after our first trip to Hawk Canyon, we made two subsequent visits, sharing the exquisite beauty of this area with our visitors. My friend Rebecca loved it, as did my mom and her friend, Lois.

Unfortunately, the invasive, weed-like (and non-native) Saharan mustard plants have completely overtaken the usually-fabulous Henderson Canyon, not far from the Borrego Springs town center. It is usually the first place out-of-town visitors go to find lovely spring flowers. I am not sure whether the plentiful El Nino rains are responsible, or whether this represents a natural progression in an ongoing process. Either way, Hawk Canyon presented a lovely alternative for both us and our visitors to appreciate the beautiful spring flowers of the Anza Borrego desert.

To all those who may be hesitating to come out to the town of Borrego Springs or the Anza Borrego desert, I say -- Come now!!! The flowers have peaked, the scenery is fabulous, the weather is perfect! It doesn't get any better than this. We have even seen the elusive bighorn sheep recently (sorry, no pictures available -- we didn't have a camera with us).

The Anza Borrego desert is the most beautiful place on Earth, and this is the best time to see it.

Hawk Canyon

Our first trip to Hawk Canyon was a memorable one. We were dazzled, both by the abundant flowers and by the red canyon walls. We thought we were in Arizona or Utah, in red rock country! The flowers seemed to be in a state of spring perfection, an all too brief phenomenon in Anza Borrego. We vowed to bring others to this magical spot in the near future. We soon had multiple opportunties to do so -- we are very popular in March!

Slot Canyon Adventure

Loyd and Uncle Gerry set off for an ABDNHA-sponsored hike through a slot canyon. The volunteer-led outing started out with a group of four-wheel-drive vehicles. After driving to the site near a calcite mine, the group disembarked for a hike up the canyon.

The canyon gradually narrowed, until soon the group was completely surrounded by the rocky, vertical canyon walls.

Weird rock formations made the walk interesting. Soon, they were boulder-scrambling, climbing over the rock formations, going up until the canyon was blocked by a rock fall. Apparently, you used to be able to go further, but the desert is always changing!

It was fairly strenuous going toward the end, but reportedly well worth it.

Clark "Dry" Lake

Last month, the rain filled up Clark "Dry" Lake. We set off to investigate, looking for the elusive fairy shrimp, whose brief life cycle plays out only when there is enough water to trigger an emergence. They evidently hatch out, eat (what?), and reproduce in the shallow water at this location, only to die as the water dries up. The rain in the desert fell as snow on the San Ysidro mountains north towards Palm Springs -- you can see the snow in the background.

The site can be seen from the highway and is easily accessible, although four-wheel-drive in the desert is always a good thing. We brought lunch and sat for a long time, enjoying the quiet, the view, and the company.

Spring flowers in the Anza Borrego desert

March is the most beautiful month in the desert. After plentiful winter rains, a profusion of annual flowers has emerged from the sandy soil. From a distance, a veil of green delicately tints the hills. Up close, blooms of purple, white and yellow dot the sandy soil.

We moved to Borrego Springs last summer from nearby San Diego, California. So, this is our first spring as residents. Although we have camped here many times over the years, we are just learning the names of the most common flowers -- yellow desert dandelion and poppy, purple sand verbena and Arizona lupine, and white chicory, brown-eyed evening primrose, popcorn flower, and the strangely lovely desert lily . Because of the heavy rains this year, a bountiful crop of flowers is predicted for Spring 2010.

The desert is so quiet! This is a very small town -- not one single stop light, and only about 2,500 residents year-round. I am used to the sounds of cars rushing by, car alarms, dogs barking, jets overhead, and all the other constant audible intrusions of city life. Here, I notice the yelping of coyotes in the dawn hour no doubt celebrating a successful night's hunt, an owl's soft nighttime hooting, the wind in the palms, the courting coos of the mourning doves. I want to just sit and watch and listen.