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Locations
Dates
Weather
Species Summary 
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I Left Ventura Friday around 5:00PM for the 3 and 1/2 hour drive to Baker and arrived just after total dark in Baker at 8:30PM. Set up and started cruising Kelbaker Rd. at about 8:35PM and picked up my first snake, a smallish SIDEWINDER at about 8:40PM...so it looked like it might be a good night. Just after I stopped and was wrangling the snake a group of two vehicles loaded with CalState Northridge students et all approached from the south and stopped to check it out. The were a very nice group and helped me with photographing the snake which they pointed out had some old injury that had somewhat healed over.
A smallish Sidewinder showing some old scars
After the session we ushered the Sidewinder off the road and I headed on. The group reported only having seen one Coleonyx and a DOR Sidewinder which I must have missed on the northbound side of the road just as they had turned around to stop at my spot. I assume they continued on to stay at Zzyxx as I never saw them again. At approx. 9:10PM I found another Sidewinder, this one a stout adult and very healthy in appearance but rather sluggish. I photographed it and then continued on all the way to Granite Mountain without seeing anything else.
This Sidewinder was a bit larger and more stout
As I recall only one or two vehicles passed northbound prior to Kelso but there were a few more after that south of Kelso. Seems Kelbaker road north of Kelso might be less traveled as the southern portion connects at Kelso with a shortcut to Vegas. I got to a camping spot at Granite Mountain around 10:15PM. Woke up around 6:00AM to the call of Ash-throated Flycatchers, and a few Black-throated Sparrows flitting about, to make coffee and explore, but found that the whole south side of Granite Mountain is fenced off as an ecological research area. Drat!...left there to arrive at Granite Pass where I hiked around in the rocks and juniper for about an hour seeing absolutely nothing but a couple Wilson's Warblers, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, some House Finchees, a few Ash-throated Flycatchers nd an unidentifed Accipiter...not even one lizard.
I continued on to Kelso Dunes to look for fringe-toed lizards. I found plenty of Fringe-toeds, which seemed to occur in association but not one of them would permit a decent look as they invariably ran like lightening for cover. I did though notice their distinctive running style in the sand such that they seem to lift their toes high and wide with tail held high. On the hike back through the creosote flats found a much more cooperative Tiger Whiptail which permitted nice looks through binoculars. As for birds, there were also numerous small flocks of Brewer's Sparrows (some singing), some Black-throated Sparrows, a Chipping Sparrow, a Wilson's Warbler and a Gray Flycatcher. I left the dunes to head toward Cima when I realized I would have to detour to get gas. I had meant to take Cima Road to HWY 15 but mistakenly passed the Cima Road turnoff and wound up hitting HWY 15 just west of Nipton and had to take HWY 15 west to Cima Road and gas at $4.49/gal.! I re-entered the preserve on Cima Road and stopped near Tuetonia Peak trailhead to flip Joshua Tree logs for about half an hour. All very dry and hardly even an insect under any log. Tuetonia Peak is an nice rocky hill in the middle of a dense Joshua Tree forest and might well harbor rosy boas and such. Drove on intending to checkout the Caruthers Canyon area off Cedar Canyon Road but the area was very parched and burned over and I it looked like the road in would be too rough so I turned toward "Hole in the Wall". A fire had occured in the area in 2005 and it was evident from the austerity of the scene how difficult habitat recovery is in the desert...this year's drought setting things back even more. There were however several flowering species showing well and it's hard to believe they could muster anything given the brutal conditions. Amazingly there were also cattle grazing in the area adding insult to injury. I presume they were grazing on private lands embedded in the preserve. "Hole in the Wall" was crawling with RVs etc so I passed on by but found a nice rocky area a little further on which invited a foray. I hiked around for about an hour finding only two Tiger Whiptails and some Gambel's Quail. Both fresh and ancient cowpies were abundant and the vegitation had obviously suffered grazing. On my way to HWY 40 I decided to checkout Mitchell Caverns and as I feared it was a zoo of people so I just moved on to have a look at Quail Basin east off Kelbaker Road near Kelso, one of the hikes indicated in the preserve literature. Turns out the dirt road leading into the area would require 4X4 so I continued on Kelbaker past Kelso to an interesting rocky area at about the top of the grade out of Kelso Valley.
Nice rocky habitat off Kelbaker Road
Hiked around for over and hour and almost passed-out from sunstroke or something. One interesting find was a Cactur Wren nest in plain site situated in the crotch of a young tall Cholla Cactus.
Cactus Wren nest, probably post fledging
I saw only a few lizards but most were so fast I couldn't get a clue as to what they were but most were probably Zebra-tailed Lizards. One though appeared larger and more robust, perhaps it was a Long-nosed Leopard Lizard? One of a couple Side-blotched Lizards cooperated for a crummy photo.
Side-blotched Lizard
I was getting really burnt out from the heat and all so I pulled into an offroad campground at the lava fields to rest in the shade of my truck until sundown. At about 7:30PM it was getting toward dark and I took to the road driving slowly toward Baker and finding nothing. I Got to the north end of Kelbaker Road around 8:00PM and started my cruise back southward. At around 8:15 I found a neonate Glossy Snake which I could not even calm enough to get it in the little plastic jar I use for detainment. It wouldn't even go for the "hat trick" so I let it go and got back to business. After another half hour, just as the only other vehicle on the road that night was about to pass, at around 8:45PM I saw another larger Glossy Snake in the oncoming lane and pulled over to the right with a quick stop just as the car behind me passed...rather coincidental timing and quite convenient really. The snake was only a little larger than the first one and more calm so I got it into the jar for photography in the morning. After reaching Kelso I turned around and headed back for another pass and finding nothing finally called it a night at a little pull of on Mojave Road just outside of Baker. The night remained quite warm with hardly a chill at sunrise. I got up, had coffee and waited for a little sunshine to pose and photo last nights capture. After a miserable session trying to get lighting and focus right I put my camera away and let the little snake go on its way, hopefully to safe shelter and good hunting. I was still tired from the exhausting day before and so determined to head on home.
Glossy Snake in hand
A more natual pose
Needless to say, it didn't like me
In summary the trip was quite disappointing. Of all the lizards I found, only a couple Whiptails would give me a decent look. I would have enjoyed a good look at the Fringe-toeds but they were just so wary it seemed impossible. Other than the numerous and uncooperative Fringe-toeds the lizard action overall was very disappointing. I had reasonable hopes of running into a Whipsnake during my forays but no such luck. Kelbacker Road seems promising for night driving and I'm rather amazed at the low productivity on the two nights I cruised. Could the bright moon have been a factor? Could the drought have been a factor? In retrospect, aside from the higher elevations of Caruther's Canyon (where I had hoped to visit but did not given likely road conditions), there is plenty to explore along Kelbaker Road but I wasn't overly thrilled with the whole scene in general and will probably not return soon. |
