At the edge of spring: listening across three deserts

In March of this year, I headed south to the desert to do some sound recording. More accurately, I visited three deserts—the Great Basin, Mojave, and Colorado. It was the second week of March, a little early for much bird activity, but I still came home with some good recordings and a welcome break from computer work. I’ve recorded in all of these places before, though never at this time of year.

I recorded at The Nature Conservancy’s Atwood Preserve, near Beatty, Nevada.  This preserve is right at the ecotone between the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert.  It looks to me more like Mojave Desert, with Joshua Trees and very little sagebrush, but it still shows as Great Basin on the maps.

The preserve protects the headwaters of the Amargosa River, a fascinating and endangered river that flows from it’s headwaters near Beatty, south to near Tecopa, California, before turning back north at terminating in the salt flats of Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park.  I’ve been monitoring sounds at Atwood for several years, focusing on migrating birds.  I currently have an autonomous recorder at one of the larger ponds, which has been running for over a year and will run for at least one more.

The Amargosa River is facing several threats that may reduce water levels, drying up wetlands and stretches of the desert river.  These wetlands are a critical lifeline for migrating birds as well as unique mammals, amphibians, and plants.  Current threats include several proposed mines including gold and lithium mines, and development of the Greenlink Project, a giant powerline that may not threaten the water levels of the Amargosa directly but damages sensitive desert habitats and will almost certainly be followed by giant fields of solar panels and/or data centers. For more information, see https://www.amargosaconservancy.org.

But for the moment, the headwaters of the Amargosa remain a vital ecological refuge.  When I was there in early March, singing activity was just starting to pick up and the migrants had not yet arrived.  But the Pacific Chorus Frogs and Great Horned Owls were calling, and I picked up this nice recording of both calling at once:

Mojave Desert

I headed to the south end of Mojave National Preserve and stayed at the same camp I recorded from 8 years ago (and which I had no plans on returning to due to the massive amount of airplane traffic).  It’s a nice spot – giant granite boulders surrounded by creosote, bursage, and cactus and an incredible view of the Kelso Dunes. The plane traffic was just as bad, but the birds were more active, so I was able to make a few quick recordings in between planes.  Here is my favorite:

Most of the calls are from Northern Mockingbirds, joined by Gambel’s Quail, Black-throated Sparrow, Phainopepla, White-crowned Sparrow, Mourning Dove, and others. Northern Mockingbirds are a pain in the butt if you are trying to identify birds in the area, but they are fun to listen to.

The Mojave National Preserve is under threat from habitat loss due to new and expanded gold and silver mining in and near the preserve, which is causing extensive disturbance and impacting rare plants and desert bighorn sheep. In addition, several groundwater‑extraction proposals threaten to drain springs that provide vital water for wildlife. And, of course, these activities also degrade the natural soundscapes that make the Mojave such a unique place.

The Colorado Desert is the northwestern extension of the Sonoran Desert, including the parts of the Sonoran Desert that includes California and Baja California.  It’s lower and hotter than the more eastern portions of the Sonoran Desert and lacks the iconic Saguaro Cactus.  It includes the lower Colorado River, so while most of the desert is very hot and dry, wetlands provide a rich habitat for wintering and migrating birds and aquatic critters.  I’ve recorded here a couple of times before but have not shared many of my recordings. 

I camped at Picacho State Park, at the Taylor Lake campground.  This is quite close to the water, so it’s full of sounds of waterfowl and bullfrogs (and lots of insects).  The lake is an oxbow of the river, and surrounded by rugged, volcanic peaks that create a natural amphitheater for sound.  Coyotes and burros use the topography to their advantage:

The oxbows and marshes along the lower Colorado River face the same core threats as the upper basin: declining flows driven by milder winters, long‑term drought, and chronic overdraft. Reduced river flows shrink wetlands, dramatically altering habitat for many rare and endangered species. States that rely on the Colorado for drinking and irrigation water are now renegotiating river‑management rules, and with groundwater supplies dropping in California and Arizona, cities and farms are increasingly dependent on Colorado River water. All of this leaves the future of the lower Colorado’s wetlands in doubt.

Just across the river from the state park is the Yuma Proving Ground, which flies loud helicopters and jets low over the river, and creates loud booms.  Recording there is a challenge, and it’s a challenge to get there.  But the vivid scenery and incredible bird activity keep drawing me back.