BMB06/11 West Fork Loop 21 April 2006

You know by now that your scribe is not given to exaggeration, but it has to be said that the showing of wild flowers on the West Fork trail this morning was really quite remarkable and some said the best ever. The Canyon was good but did not compare with West Fork where the mountainside was, in part, completely covered and is well worth a visit. Of note in the Canyon were striking displays of Canterbury Bells stretching from the Canyon floor almost to the peaks.

We were nine birders with no acknowledged flower experts and spent four and a half very satisfying hours. The birding was good and the Black-chinned Sparrow we rarely see on the Preserve; the Virginia Rail we flushed close to the goldfish pond and the close-up view was very much a treat.

It was interesting to see Gene Cardiff who told us of the arrival of the Chats and Blue Grosbeak, although we did not see them.

The list which follows is courtesy of Margaret and much appreciated.

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve
Bird/Flower Walk to West Fork/Canyon Trails
Friday April 21, 2006
Bird List
Lesser Goldfinch	Pine Siskin	Black-chinned Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird	Nuttall's Woodpecker	Yellow Warbler
Bewick's Wren	Black Phoebe	House Finch
Lawrence's Goldfinch	Western Tanager	California Towhee
Spotted Towhee	Phainopepla	Hooded Oriole
Starling	Common Yellowthroat	Yellow-rumped Warbler
House Wren	Double-crested Cormorant	Black-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow	Wilson's Warbler	Verdin
Mountain Quail (heard)	Red-tailed Hawk	Ash-throated Flycatcher
Gambel's Quail	House Wren	Ladder-backed Woodpecker
American Kestrel	Raven	Lazuli Bunting
Oak Titmouse	Bushtit	Song Sparrow
Virginia Rail (Seen!!)
Visitor report, on other trails - Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak
(Gene Cardiff)
Flower List
Fillaree	White Tidy-tips	Chia
Wallace's Wooly Daisy	Notch-leafed Phacelia	Coreopsis
Pincushion	Desert Larkspur	Tackstem
Forget-me-not, sp. *	California Evening Primrose	Brown-eyed Primrose
Lupine	Scale Bud	Gold Poppy, sp *
Eriogonum, sp *	Desert Calico	Purple Mat
Whispering Bells	Bladderpod	Sand Blazing Star
Jimson Weed	Broad-flowered Gilia	Silver Puff
Wild Cucumber	Lacy Phacelia	Checker Fiddleneck
Indian Paintbrush	Desert Dandelion	California Buckwheat
Cheesebush	Creosote Bush
* One of several closely related species. Exact species not determined.

Nothing scheduled for the moment but we are thinking of a return to Pipe’s Canyon for flowers – and check out the Mountain Quail………….bb

BMB06/10 Barker Dam Friday 14th April 2006

Twelve Big Morongo Birders had a very pleasant morning Friday at Barker Dam, managing to miss inclement weather which arrived later in the day.

We gave our Mr Smiley and others their first sight of the infamous Disney petrogliphs.

Barker Dam
Ash-throated Flycatcher	Common Raven	Turkey Vulture
White-throated Swift	Scrub Jay	Phainopepla
Gambel's Quail	Rock Wren	Brewer's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow	Chipping Sparrows	Bewick's Wren
Say's Phoebe	Black-throated Sparrow	House Finch
Bushtit	Barn Swallow	Scott's Oriole
Mourning Dove	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Mallard
Coot	Cowbird	Bullock's Oriole
Tree Swallow	Mockingbird	Prairie Falcon
Raven	Wilson's Warbler	Costa's Hummingbird
Nashville Warbler
Also seen: Western Fence Lizards,
and blooming Claret Cup, Rock Pea, Amsonia, Nolina, and others.

This morning we were pleased to have a group from Great Outdoors Palm Springs join our regular Bird Walk, more particularly because of the significant work they did at the Preserve on trail restoration following the fire last June. They took a lively interest in our arriving migrants including the Western Tanager, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, and in our impressive array of wildflowers. We had good views of nesting hummingbirds and Lawrence’s Goldfinch, and a good view of a Long-eared Owl quite close to the Marsh Trail.

West Fork Loop Friday 21^st April 2006

Meet at the Preserve parking lot at 7.30am for the loop, with an extension to the rock pools. The flowers we are told are quite remarkable and it is some time since we checked out the canyon for bird species. Bring plenty of water – the desert is warming up……….bb