Cibola WLR...plus

Today, February 21, was another scouting ride for the area.  As we drove thru the CA Agriculture Station, there to our left were 2 tractor trailers with old military jets going somewhere....???

 We left the paved highway taking the dirt/rock route Lilly (my GPS) said to go alongside plowed fields and ones with green grass to find our first flock of Arizona Sandhill Cranes.

Farmers had their irrigation system set up to water their crops.

As we slowly drove the dirt/rock road we began to see animal tracks....here is a bobcat track about center of this photo.  Mule deer, coyote, and bobcat are common on the refuge.

Cibola WLR located in Arizona and California along the Lower Colorado River is 17 miles south of Blythe, CA.  It is a birders paradise.  Containing several miles of river channels and backwaters, it provides habitats in a changed environment. About 240 species of birds have been recorded here. From song birds to ducks, cranes, geese and others.
Our drive took us thru parts of this refuge and along theColorado River.

 

The endangered fish (bonytail chub and razorback sucker) are also present.  The razorback sucker's home is Lake Mohave.  But, there, the fish are old (30-45 yrs. old) with no young in their population. It is thought the hatchlings become food for the older game fish. Therefore, to save the razorback sucker the BLM has created rearing ponds to give these hatchlings a fighting chance at survival.

Here at the WLR office we met a nice lady who gave us the scoop on the ducks, cranes, and burrowing owls plus where to see them.  What a treat!!!

Goose Loop auto tour took us by the long pond with ducks, fields with Sandhill Cranes, and our thrill of the day was a photo shoot of the burrowing owl.  We passed by cottonwood trees as their cottony things blew in the breeze bringing back memories to J of times in CA and UT in earlier days.  The Arizona Sandhill Cranes belong to the Lower Colorado River Valley Population of the Greater Sandhill Cranes.  The approximately 2000 birds nest in Nevada, Idaho, Utah, and possibly Oregon. The Sandhills begin arriving in Arizona in October and remain until late February.

Here is the drake Cinnamon Teal duck.  Drakes have a whistling peep and hens utter a low quack.

Here is the Pintail duck.  They are graceful and fast fliers.  They love to zigzag prior to landing. They often feed in grain fields.  The drake whistles while the hens have a coarse quack.

As we came upon our few areas of burrows....one burrowing owl was standing outside near the entrance. As we crept closer and before I could get a bead on the dude...it dove head first into the pipe you see above.  Then, luck was on our side.  Time for a photoshoot.

Burrowing Owls are so named because they live underground in borrows that have been dug by small mammals like squirrels and prairie dogs. These on the BLM were man made for the little critters. The Burrowing Owls are covered in brown spotted feathers and have long legs.  They also have distinctive white "eyebrows" above bright yello eyes.  They are the smallest owls in North America.

The Burrowing Owls appetite consists of moles, mice, and insects...especially grasshoppers and beetles.  They will also eat birds and reptiles.  Unlike other owls, burrowing owls are active during the day...especially in the spring gathering food for their large broods.  They like open areas with low ground cover and can be found perching near their burrow on fence posts and trees.

Their voice is like a chuckling or chattering call.  They also bob their heads in excitement or distress.

During nesting season a wide variety of material is used to line their nests.  Mammal dung is used to line the entrance to their burrows...believed to help control the burrow climate and attract insects to eat.

Their brood consists of 3-12 chicks who can fly at 6 weeks and hunt on their own in 45 days.  When alarmed, the young birds will make a hissing call that sounds like a rattlesnake.

As we were creeping by to leave this dude decided to pop out its burrow that was facing away from the road to see what the noise was all about.  LOL







One invasive shrub or tree here is the Salt Cedar.  Once used in ornamental gardens and to stabilize river banks, it now is considered to be bad for the area. Nicknamed "the thirsty tree"...they tolerate salt in the soil, increase the drain on the water supply, increase severity of wildfires with dropped leaves acting as kindling, and dense salt cedar stands narrow waterways increasing bank erosion.  The government wants and tries to get rid of this plant.

As we started to drift back to Quartzsite and our 5er we crossed over a wooden bridge over the Colorado River checking out a Yuma District BLM campground on the Colorado River.  Good info from the Campground Host for another year. Fishing there appears to be good.  Then we drove by date farms and more agricultrual farms with various crops bright green as far as the eye.

I-10 from Blythe was crazy.  Once J had to slow as a tractor trailer had slowed to pass a stopped car in our lane with 2 guys trying to push it out the road near a couple parked 18-wheel rigs.  Not sure if a breakdown or a fender bender.  Then a little further down the road, a truck was pulling some type of small equipment on a 2 wheel tiny trailer and it seemed the trailer was top heavy as that thing was doing the wobble dance with one tire then the other raising off the highway as it danced along.  What a site.  J said, "let me get back to the trailer and OFF this highway."



As we neared Quartzsite and with the Pilot gas station in the distance, J stopped fueling the beast while I fixed us great hotdogs "to go" for dinner.  Was a great day with lots to see and good input learning about this area we are growing to love.  As the sun was setting, J snapped a pic of the full moon.

Until next time...take care...stay safe.  See you by the campfire.