Well, this week found me without much to do in the way of work, so I made use of the time doing what I love: Herping. You may recall my invitation to all to join me out in Barstow to hunt for Ornate Tree Lizards, (a bit of a current obsession of mine) and new localities of Mojave Fringe-toed Lizards. As I packed up my vehicle, my pals Kyle and Jacob in tow, we hit the field, finding several Tree Lizards in areas we had not yet documented them. Fueled by our success, we hit some dunes and searched for our other quarry, Uma scoparia. Beginning in an area I had observed them the week before, try as we might, we struck out. Perhaps the temperatures, wind, or merely time of day came against us, but we were 0-1 at this point. No biggie, we had time, and the inclination to search other dunes nearby. As we walked, ZOOM! A small, grayish-yellow lizard that could only be a Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard darted into a nearby bush. Though there were three sets of eyes, the little lizard eluded us, and we were left voucher-less. Sure we saw it, but without pictures to prove it, we were at square one. And so it would continue that day. We saw 5 lizards that were undoubtedly Mojave Fringe-toes, but none would hang out long enough for us to take their picture. And such is another annoying facet of our hobby. Sometimes, youll see what youre hoping to see, but it proves too quick to enjoy. Its really rough for those wanting to collect data that is useful to the scientific community. The lesson? Show up earlier, and hope you find a cooperative animal. But thats not all! Determined not to be completely defeated by the genus Uma, Jacob and I hit the field again today, this time heading South into Riverside County for a small chance to photograph a federally threatened, and state endangered dune dweller, the Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard, Uma inornata. This lizard has suffered greatly due to habitat destruction and alteration, and has an incredibly small natural range. (more info in the pictures) We checked an area I had seen them years ago, a place known to many herpers, and even though we had a failed attempt for these guys back in March, we came out on top this time. We ended up observing 10 of these precious creatures before we called it quits, and yes, we were able to score some pictures. Please enjoy these 10 photos, commentary will be up within the hour, and thanks for reading! See you in the field!
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 02:57:50 +0000