Borrego
Springs Christmas Bird Count
Dec 21, 2003
Narrated by Bob Miller
Fun counting in the
desert!
------
Click on
thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.
Well dressed
Pelican |
Christmas Circle is always a nice place to meet for the
start of the Borrego Springs Christmas Bird Count! Bob, Norm
and I were soon walking our beat through the residential area on
the edge of the desert at the south end of town. This white
pelican was our best "dressed" bird of the day. |
| Mother Goose was dressed for the occasion and this
Western Gull was "colorfully" correct. Actually,
one of the best birds seen by our little group was a Red-breasted Sapsucker that flew right
over our heads!! |
Mother Goose and a
Western Gull
|
Northern Mockingbird |
This Northern Mockingbird posed long enough to take up
a bunch of bytes in my camera. |
|
Cooper's Hawk |
Cooper's Hawk
|
|
The real Borrego Springs
|
We were birding the backyard of one of the gracious locals (the
same yard with the well dressed birds!) and were commenting on how
few the birds were considering the great water and feed sources
she had out. As we walked by the feeder this Cooper's Hawk flew
out not five feet above it. That explains that!
|
| We then moved out into the desert proper where we
picked up lots of Mountain Bluebirds and Black-throated
Sparrows. It also seemed that every American Kestrel
in the valley was out there chasing grasshoppers! Norm was
outstanding at birding by ear and helped us add several birds that
I could not even hear :-( |
Looking east across
Borrego Valley
|
Norm and Bob chasing
sounds |
We all met at the State Park HQ to go over the
list. The continuing, first San Diego County record Gila
Woodpecker had made a showing for the count! Afterwards, Phil, Jim and I
had fun searching it out and letting a few of the locals whose
yards it shares get a look at it in the scope. Happy people!
The Anza Borrego Desert SP Foundation paid the CBC fee for all
participants and they donated about ten really nice books that
were given out in a fun drawing. THANK YOU! You too
Mat ;-) |
|
