Argus Range Important Bird Area
Text and photos from National Audubon Society IBA Database Site Profile
Argus Range Site Description
The Argus Mountains lie at the southwestern edge of the Basin and Range geologic province, but are biologically within the Mojave Desert. Several small riparian corridors scattered across a hundred-square-mile region within the southern portion of these mountains west of the town of Trona support the entire global population of the Inyo race of the California Towhee. The habitat occurs both on DoD lands (China Lake Naval Weapons Center) and on BLM land, the latter recognized as Area of Critical Environmental Concern by the BLM.
Conservation Issues
Grazing by feral horses and burros has been a chronic problem here, as is the case at many desert springs in California. The BLM and the Navy engages in sporadic removal programs.
Ornithological Summary
Aside from the towhee, whose numbers average around 150 individuals, this IBA is not particularly distinguished from other desert springs in the north Mojave.
Help us learn more about the birds at this IBA! Enter your birding data online at California eBird! (http://ebird.org/california/)
Click here for a bar chart of eBird observations in the Argus Range
