President's Message March 2021 Few Wildflowers? Time To Do Some Birding! by Margaret Rhyne

As of late February, the Poppy Reserve has received less than 2 inches of rain, pointing to what may be a poor wildflower season for the Antelope Valley. But don’t despair, 2021 may be a good time to add birding to your flower watching trips - and you may be able to start in your own back yard or nearby park! Over the last several years, our backyard has been selected by a very perky and confident Flycatcher as a good place to hunt insects. It has a large black wedge-shaped head with a slight crest and is very comfortable perching on the back of our patio chairs. It ignores our bird feeder and is interested only in insects which it catches in midair. Even though the bird was frequently close to the house, identification was not easy. Its dark color and affinity for our shaded patio coupled with a tendency to fly away if we got near the adjacent windows made it hard to get a good look, even with binoculars. We finally decided that it must be a Black Phoebe, one of the many species of Flycatchers native to California. Our identification was aided by two of my favorite websites: ebird.org and allaboutbirds.org.EBird allows users to contribute to science and conservation by sharing their bird sightings. Sightings are organized geographically and include most of the planet. And fortunately, they are easily searchable by even casual birders like me! I started by selecting “explore” and then entering California for “region.” Using “map” allowed me to zero in on the Antelope Valley. The map shows local “hotspots” for birders. One of those hotspots is George Lane Park, about 2 miles from my house, so I started there. I found two flycatchers on the list that had been identified recently: Say’s Phoebe and Black Phoebe. Selecting Black Phoebe linked me to a photo of an adult male that matched our backyard guest. From there, a visit to another favorite Internet site, allaboutbirds.org, revealed interesting facts about Black Phoebes. Some of the behaviors described helped identification, including “distinctive tail-pumping” and “shrill, scratchy chirp.” We also verified that these birds, unlike many others, have adapted well to living near humans. Looking again at ebird.org allowed me to explore other birding hotspots in the Antelope Valley. In January, my husband and spent several mornings walking along the aqueduct starting at 70th West. This is a good birding spot and good place to reliably view male white and black Buffleheads, a diving duck with iridescent plumage on the head and neck. This year we also saw ducks with a very blue bill. EBird helped us identify these as Lesser Scaups, another diving duck. Besides 70th West, hotspots along the aqueduct include Godde Hill (60th West) and Johnson Road (110th West). Our local state, county and city parks are also eBird hotspots. Birds spotted in January at the Poppy Reserve include Mountain BlueBirds, Ferruginous Hawks, Prairie Falcons, Loggerhead Shrikes, and Horned Larks. Two of the most well-adapted and successful birds of the desert, White-crowned Sparrows and Cactus Wrens, have been spotted at Ripley Desert Woodland State Park and the Prime Desert Woodland Lancaster City Park. The local state park with the most total species identified according to eBird is Saddleback Butte State Park with 72 species observed. Saddleback is the one local park that allows overnight camping, perfect for early morning birdwatching. (Saddleback recently reopened for camping.) Before taking a trip to Saddleback, visit ebird.org to take a look at the birds recently seen there: Mourning Dove, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, White-crowned Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow and Lesser Goldfinch. Finally, a discussion of Antelope Valley birding hotspots would not be complete without mentioning the two with the most identified species, Apollo Park (253 species) and Piute Ponds (302 species). Apollo Park is an easy visit, located on Avenue G next to Fox Field. It is a favorite with families for picnics and fishing. Water loving birds migrate through the park, with different species floating on its manmade ponds, depending on the time of year. Birds spotted there in February include Snow Geese, American Coots and American White Pelicans. Apollo Park is a great place to get children interested in birding as common birds such as Mallards and Canada Geese are easy to spot there. Piute Ponds, like Apollo Park, features water ponds used for water treatment. Unlike Apollo Park, arrangements must be made through Edward’s Air Force Base to visit. The area historically featured riparian habitat; now enlarged due to its use for water treatment for Lancaster. . Happy Birding!

End of a Challenging Year: PRMDIA Accomplishments in 2020

Even though the past year has certainly been a challenge, PRMDIA continues to fulfill its mission. As the year comes to an end, I want to take this opportunity to celebrate our many accomplishments and ask you to consider making an end-of-year donation so that we can continue our progress in 2021. Some of our accomplishments include:Providence Mountains State Recreation Area, home of Mitchell Caverns• Additional scanning of the Caverns to add to the online 3-D cave tour. New scan also will be used to print a new map of the Caverns that will be available for visitors to view.• New webcam and a new digital camera that has the capability of taking high resolution closeups of park flora and fauna• New materials for the Mary Beal Trail project• Postcards directed toward resource conservation concerning rattlesnakes and tortoises. PRMDIA also provided funds for translations so that the postcards include information in multiple languages.Saddleback Butte State Park• Continuing work on new mural on the outside of the visitors center • New supplies for the park’s Junior Ranger Program• Ongoing contributions to state park contingency funds for seasonal staffing at the park• In the past, PRMDIA has also contributed to improvements to the park’s infrastructure including ramada repairs, plumbing maintenance and new digital equipment. • Before 2020, PRMDIA hosted three yearly events at the park including a Poker Ride, Public Lands Day and the First Day Hike. Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park• New information binders for park volunteers and other support for volunteers • Funds to duplicate the Tomo-Kahni DVD, “Walking the Path – a Virtual Tour of Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park.”• Close captioning for the DVD projectAntelope Valley California Poppy Reserve• Cell phone tour fees and 360 webcam• Materials for trail barriers including cable, posts and installation equipment• Ongoing funding for seasonal staffing• Support for 2020 Volunteer Training• Continuing support for new point of sale equipment• Equipment and support for research • A few past contributions include new digital equipment (for the theater); remodeling of visitors center; interpretive information panels; materials for research, including weather stations; reprinting of park brochure; and many more. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park• Ongoing stewardship of the park by PRMDIA members • Research equipment and ongoing monitoring • Past projects include creation and installation of interpretive panels and a new trail; materials for the creation and repair of picnic area ramada and funds to supplement the purchase of benches to commemorate Milt Stark and his love for this park!
If you would like to help us in our vital mission to support the parks that we all love, please consider a tax-deductible contribution. A form for this purpose is provided via or Support page. The form also provides an opportunity to renew your membership (if needed) or to join PRMDIA. For more information email president@prmdia.org. Thank you, Margaret Rhyne President, Poppy Reserve Mojave Desert Interpretive Association

2020 - Improvements Move Forward at the Poppy Reserve

An important resource protection project is moving forward at the Poppy Reserve. Project will line all park trails to clearly indicate the borders of trails and public areas. This will help park visitors avoid venturing off trails. PRMDIA purchased the material for this project (metal poles, wire cables and installation equipment) and State Park personnel are doing the installation. (Photo 1 in the second row from 2019 shows what happens when visitors go off trail). A recent generous donation from Elsie Purdy, a long-time PRMDIA member and State Park volunteer, is moving this project closer to completion. Because of Elsie’s donation, PRMDIA was able to purchase an additional 7,700 feet of new materials. We are very grateful for this donation! In August we were able to meet Elsie at the Poppy Reserve to show her an installed section of the fencing. Photo below of Elsie courtesy of Darrell Walters. Photos below also show another improvement that was in place prior to the start of the abbreviated 2020 wildflower season: new striping and directional signage for the parking lot. Striping clearly defines parking for visitors, staff and volunteers. New arrows makes the parking lot one way, helping with traffic control and protecting pedestrians. Thank you to state park personnel for the "new" parking lot at the Poppy Reserve. Photos below from 2020:

Local Business Helps with Poppy Reserve Project

PRMDIA would like to send a huge thank you to Consolidated Electric Distributers (CED) of Lancaster. CED recently made a significant contribution to the ongoing trail fencing project at the Poppy Reserve. We purchased (and then donated to State Parks) the metal poles used for the project at the Reserve. This type of pole (also called an eye bolt) was originally designed to provide stability for electrical grid infrastructure. Several decades ago, State Parks began to use these poles, with cable strung in between, for resource protection in various state parks. Due to the weight of the poles, transportation and delivery is a significant issue. We are very fortunate that CED was willing to work with us and the Great Basin District of California State Parks to provide free delivery of 1,188 of these poles to the Poppy Reserve, in addition to absorbing other costs associated with the purchase. Thank you CED of Lancaster for being a great partner for PRMDIA and the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve State Park. Installed poles shown in photos above.

New Mural for Saddleback Butte State Park

We are delighted to report that work on a mural at Saddleback Butte State Park is underway! Local artist Jedd Strange has begun the process of creating an artistic depiction of the eastern Antelope Valley desert on the outside of the visitor center at Saddleback. Jedd recently completed a mural featuring the history of local transportation in Mojave on the outside of the Mission Bank Building. This mural, that also depicts desert flora and fauna, is nearly one block long. He has created other outdoor murals including the Rosamond Chamber of Commerce building and at Willow Springs Racetrack. The mural at Saddleback will cover three sides of the cinder block visitor center and is being funded by PRMDIA and the Support Saddleback Committee in cooperation with the Great Basin District of California State Parks (formerly the Tehachapi District).

Photos from the Poppy Reserve Spring 2020 Courtesy of Marsha Neill

More Photos from Spring 2020

Courtesy of Lynn DuPratt

Courtesy of Marti Lindsey

Courtesy of Lynn DuPratt

Collage by Toni Wagner

Courtesy of Margaret Rhyne

Courtesy of Lynn DuPratt

Last Day of the Season - Mother's Day 2020 - Photos Courtesy of John Martin