Many years ago now, as Michael and I were on our way to Arizona in early spring for a rendezvous with Paul, we visited a place on the northern edge of the Mojave desert called Butterbredt Spring. Often referred to as a "migrant trap" it sits in the mountains that make up the northern boarder of the Mojave Desert in the transition between the dry arid regions to the south and the Sierra to the north. (See the map below.) On that first visit our timing was excellent as I added several new species to my life list. The highlight was a tree full of Short-eared Owls who were either over-wintering birds or migrants on the move. Each time I have come back to Butterbredt I have looked for this species again without success. This time I brought Patrick along hoping that he might be a good luck charm for the Short-ears. We left Bakersfield by 6 am and drove over Tehachapi Pass and down into the Mojave. It is only a few miles north on Hwy. 14 to reach the junction at Jawbone Canyon and then it is on to the dirt roads that eventually would bring us back to Hwy. 178 just east of Lake Isabella. By 7:45 we arrived at Butterbredt Springs, the morning was cloudy and quite cool but we were excited to see what was there. I took it as a good sign that immediately upon entering the trees surrounding the spring I looked up to see a Great Horned Owl roosting up high. We spent the next three hours making our way down the canyon below the spring and back and saw a variety of the local residents including California Quail, Chukar, Roadrunner, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Bewick's Wren but we seemed to be too early for any migrants except for an Orange-crowned Warbler. While we were a little disappointed with our species count including a fruitless search for the Long-eared Owls, it was awesome to be back in the desert again. While I don't think I could ever live in this environment I have always relished my time adventuring in it. Pat and I had a fabulous walk up and down the canyon and could only imagine how much more alive it will be in a short week or two. When we returned to the spring we took some time out for lunch and while eating spotted a Loggerhead Shrike on top of a nearby Joshua Tree. The last time I was at Butterbredt having lunch two Golden Eagles soared over us but no such luck this time. From here we continued our journey over the mountains to visit the Audubon Society's Kern River Preserve. This riparian forest is said to be one of the largest remaining in California and is well worth a visit. Again we seemed to be too late for the winter residents but too early for the spring and summer ones. We did see a Red-shouldered Hawk score his lunch, a nice Yellowthroat, plenty of bright Western Bluebirds and had another enjoyable walk on their nature trail. This is a place that we will return to again later in the year to see what we might find. After touring this great spot it was time to call it a day and find a good old fashioned frosty cone to complete the adventure. Alas, just like the Long-eared Owls that search was also a fruitless one. If you would like to see pictures of our adventure you can find them under the 'photo collections' menu or you can click here.
