This summer I worked and lived in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. In September I joined SurfinHerp, Nature Nate, and a few others on a trip to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. A big thanks to them for the invitation!
We arrived in the evening and did a little road cruising and night hiking:
Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Red-Spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Sonoran Desert Toad (Incilius alvarius) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Desert Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus variegatus) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Tailless Whipscorpion (Paraphrynus sp.) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Western Desert Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes) by David Burkart, on Flickr
The next day an exploration of the area produced lots of lizards:
Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) by David Burkart, on Flickr
*Thanks to SurfinHerp for the idea on this one
Long-Nosed Leopard Lizard by David Burkart, on Flickr
Long-Nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Long-Nosed Leopard Lizard by David Burkart, on Flickr
Northern Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Northern Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Northern Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Zebra-Tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides draconoides) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Great Basin Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris tigris) by David Burkart, on Flickr
That night we explored Palm Canyon. We didn't find many herps, but did see two ringtails (unfortunately no photos):
Palm Canyon by David Burkart, on Flickr
Palm Canyon by David Burkart, on Flickr
The next morning we returned to Palm Canyon:
Palm Canyon by David Burkart, on Flickr
Western Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Western Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Western Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Western Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Desert Centipede (Scolopendra heros) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Desert Centipede (Scolopendra heros) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Then we headed back to California, making a quick road cruise stop near Joshua Tree NP:
Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Long-Nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) by David Burkart, on Flickr
Again, thanks to the crew for showing me around!:
The Crew by David Burkart, on Flickr
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge September 2016
Moderator: Scott Waters
- davidburkart
- Posts: 17
- Joined: March 2nd, 2014, 8:19 am
- Location: Carbondale, Il
- Fieldnotes
- Posts: 1474
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:12 pm
- Location: Anaheim, California
- Contact:
Re: Kofa National Wildlife Refuge September 2016
Amazing how lush things appear once crossing over The River from California, even the insects get bigger and cooler. I would never have imagined Sonoran Desert Toads there; amazing trip.