April 16 Field Trip details

[cldavis at xmission dot com]

RED CLIFFS FIELD TRIP (two separate accounts)
APRIL 16,2005

	"Where the h..... is Littlefield,  Arizona?"  asks the oldtime
country/western song.  Well, a large group of birders and "bloomers" 
a.k.a., the Red Cliffs Chapter of NAS and the Kanab Garden Club found out
on Saturday.  Littlefield is situated on the western slope of the Virgin
Mountains,  about 30 miles southwest of St.  George.  Because of the winter
floods along the Virgin River our planned trip to Lytle Ranch was diverted
to this area and we anticipated finding an abundance of desert spring
flowers.  Lead by Lee Hughs, BLM ecologist,  this trip turned out to be
amazing.  A lumpy, bumpy ride of several miles through the cholla and
mesquite -strewn desert plus a hike  of a half mile or so brought us to
acres of Desert Lupines liberally sprinkled with Golden Poppies. 
Beautiful!  As we hiked, Lee pointed out many of the other flowering plants
such as the Desert Marigold, Desert Chickory,  Fremont Pincushion and
Hedgehog Cactus (Purple Torch).  All this to the accompaniment of the song
of Black-throated Sparrow and the churls of Cactus Wren.  Also seen were
several "Desert" Black Swallowtail butterflies foraging in the Turpentine -
broom.  Thanks, Lee, for a great day!!
	Species of birds seen: Greater Roadrunner, Mourning Dove, N. Mockingbird,
E. Starling, Gambels Quail, Rock Wren, Cactus Wren, Black-throated Sparrow,
C. Raven, Say's Phoebe, Common Blackhawk, Oriole (sp), A. Kestrel, Western
Kingbird, N. Rough-winged Swallow, Red-winged Blackbird and Lesser
Goldfinch and Vermilion Flycatcher.  Also seen at Whitney Pockets;  Willet
and A. Pelican.

Charlie Sheard

Another group unable to manage the rough terrain had their own field trip:

LOW-CLEARANCE FLORA & FAUNA FIELD TRIP
If you only have a low-clearance vehicle, and want to get out in the wild
and are told you need a high-clearance vehicle, don't despair.... you can
take the alternate Low-clearance Flora & Fauna Field Trip. This is what the
Davis van did last Saturday when everyone left with their high-clearance 4 X
4's. Our group was a bit grim as we saw the others maneuver that first 45
degree angle off the paved road. We were told, if we went, to go last, so
we wouldn't block the road if we got hung up. Seeing what lay ahead, we
decided to take the low-clearance field trip. What a good choice. We had a
ball all the time making lemonade out of a lemon. Not that a Toyota mini
van is a lemon.... but too many times the front bumper has dug a furrow
coming out of local parking lots. Leaving your front bumper as part of the
scenery on one of the dirt tracks in Nevada, was too expensive to
contemplate.
Our trip took us to Riverside, Nevada (still on paved road) heading south
and then east. Wild flowers, plants, bushes, & trees seen were: California
Poppy, Cryptantha (Popcorn Flower), Desert Tobacco, Desert Trumpet, Sand
Verbena, Desert Lupine, Weak-stemmed Mariposa, Palmer's Penstemon, Desert
Marigold, Heliotrope, Larkspur, Desert Chicory, Fremont Pincushion,
Beavertail Cactus, Cholla, Purple Torch Cactus, Haplopappus Bush Creosote
Bush, Burro Bush, Four-wing Salt Bush, Brittle Bush, Mormon Tea, Turpentine
Bush, Purple Sage, Scorpion Plant, Wild Rhubarb, Dodder, Desert Primrose,
Blue Dick, Globe Mallow, Wooly Daisy.
Wow!! Even with the increased heat of the summer coming on, the hills were
covered with shades of purple, the gullies were full of orange and yellow,
and the flat terrain had blooms of yellow, blue, and white. Living close by
for many years, and seeing burned out landscapes from years of drought, did
not prepare us for such a desert delight of green and all colors of the
rainbow.
Birds encountered were: Western Kingbird, Says Phoebe, Black Phoebe,
Ash-throated Flycatcher, Tree Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, Black-throated
Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Verdin,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Roadrunner, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Bells Vireo, Lucy's Warbler, Cowbird, Phainopepla,
Mockingbird, Turkey Vulture, 321 White Pelicans, and 4 Willets.
Who would have though there would be long-legged Willets in the desert? They
were flying directly over our heads, circled, and then landed in the middle
of the desert flowers. A few minutes later we happened to look up in the
sky and there was a huge moving mass of Pelicans heading up the Virgin
River corridor. Water birds? Desert?
On our way back to Mesquite we stopped at a great Mexican Restaurant and
filled up with food and then drove to Lytle Preserve off Old 91 in Utah.
The flood damage to the Lytle Preserve was extensive. The water coming down
the Beaver Dam Wash cut right through the heart of the preserve. What a
disaster for birdlife! Precious habitat destroyed by a runaway river. The
front gate is locked and closed to visitors. Hopefully, repairs will be
made to restore this desert jewel to its previous beauty.
On our way out, what should we encounter, but another vehicle full of
birders. Birders are the best! No matter where you meet a birder, you have
a life-buddy. As the sun set over Utah Hill, we drove back to St. George
having one of the best days ever. Yes sir, if you only have a low-clearance
vehicle, life can still be good.
Carol Davis, Nicki Davis, Keith Davis, & Marilyn Davis

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