I was able to grab some photos of the little guys before they left and include them here. We are so proud.
(This is a couple weeks prior with both little ones still in the nest)
(This is the last one just before flying away)
Also, the geese are nearly as big as their parents and getting their adult plumage. I haven't seen them attempting to fly yet, but have some pics of them grazing with their mom and dad.
We may have lost a baby mallard or two but there are still a few following the parents around the pond. They are in adult plumage by now as well, but still hanging as a family unit.
Speaking of kids, my sons came home for a little R&R and discovered a couple things for me. They went out to the golf course as the sun went down, and my oldest (a naturalist that manages the Los Cerritos Wetlands near Long Beach), came into the house and told me I had to come see the bats over the pond. I went out and there were easily 60-80 Mexican Freetail bats, as well as 7-10 Nighthawks, as well as several Tree Swallows in a veritable feeding frenzy over the pond. This was fascinating for a few reasons, one of which was this event was virtually invisible from our house. The animals were unimpressed by us standing and staring at them, oohing and ahhing as if watching a fireworks show. They flew within a few feet, diving and turning abruptly to snag the little bugs rising from the brackish pond.
I have been out several times since and it is always a thrilling sight.
One other thing my boys introduced me to was a new place to explore, called the Thousand Palms Wildlife Refuge. My son bought a book by James Cornett, a local biologist, that described the location and others. It is a preserve mainly for the Fringe-toed Lizard, but also for the Desert Pupfish, and the series of oases that the palm trees grow around. Mr. Cornett wrote in his book that he counted only 700 palms in the area, we didn't count on this trip. We were impressed by the area and the things we saw.
We wandered along the well marked trails starting about 7:00AM to avoid the high heat. As we rounded a corner into a palm grove surrounding a good sized pond, we heard first then saw two Kestrels that were focused on something high in the trees. Soon a Barn Owl floated from one of the trees and immediately the Kestrels were on it. The Owl flew to a tree and dove into it. The Kestrels continued their noisy haranguing until the Owl again flew to another perch, which they immediately dive-bombed him as he flew. This continued for three or four more times as we ran around the trails to get better looks, until the Owl decided another area was more suitable.
As I moved along the trail I noticed little House Finches were also putting up a racket and staying close to one area. I then saw some movement on the ground. I noticed a baby bird moving in the detritus on the ground until it found a hiding place under an old palm frond. There the little guy sat and stared out at me, confident he was invisible.
We continued wandering along the trail to the end near a large sand dune that was the Fringe-Toed Lizard habitat. As we worked our way down the loop we saw several lizards, and finally one good-sized Desert Iguana. This guy was about 1 to 1 1/2 feet long and not to concerned with our presence.
(My boys leading the way down the trail)
(The Desert Iguana, notice the ridge down his back)
It was a terrific hike, and beautiful for all the different animals, the water, the different geology we could see from the vista point, sand dunes and more. This is definitely another place I will have to explore more. We met Ginnie Short and Don who manage the preserve. Today they were harvesting crayfish out of the ponds in order to make it more hospitable for the Desert Pupfish they expect to re-populate the ponds. They were very kind and took time from their efforts to talk with us and share information. The visitor center is a quaint little place that at least looks like an old log cabin in the middle of a stand of palm trees, and is closed during the summer months. However, they do check voicemails left at the phone number regularly.
We almost outsmarted the heat, but not quite. By the time we were back to the car, we were out of water and pretty tired. We then drove back to Palm Springs for a smoothie at another new discovery for me, a vegetarian restaurant at 611 S. Palm Canyon, called the Palm Greens Cafe. It was cool inside and they had the March of the Penguins playing inside which made it cooler still. The smoothies were good, the hike was fun, and it was good to share these things with my sons. A good day all way round.
You might be a birdnerd if...you feel a bit of loss when a bird fledges its nest in your yard. Will they return? Will they write? or call? Will they bring their family to introduce you to them?
