New data collected by interns offers rare insights into the summer bird populations at two oases in the Mojave Desert. Interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) program visited Arrowweed and Bonanza springs over a six-month period to study birds and bumble bees. The community science data collected by the interns is the first of its kind at these two oases.

Bonanza Spring is the largest freshwater spring in the southeastern Mojave Desert. From its 2,105 feet elevation in the low foothills of the Clipper Mountains, the spring’s freshwater is derived from a groundwater basin source. Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) interns studied avian and bumble bee populations at Bonanza Spring in Mojave Trails National Monument between September 2022 and February 2023. This article explores the spring’s flora and fauna, and data collected by the interns.

At first glance, this natural spring might seem like nothing but rocks and bushes but once you are out among the never-ending brown, you start to notice what’s in the blur. Against the browns, colors stand out. The green of the creosote pops, the yellow flowers of the brittlebush are much brighter, the vibrant pink of the sandmat stretches out across the sand.