desert specials

every year, beginning in late february and lasting through early april, birders visiting anza-borrego state park are witness to a spectacle of nature that seems to be as little known as it is amazing to watch. it begins at dusk when large groups ('kettles') of migrating SWAINSON'S HAWKs descend on the desert plains surrounding the city of borrego – feeding, as the do, on newly hatched insects, both 'hawking' them in mid-air, and foraging for them on the ground.


for these birds, borrego is just a brief overnight refueling stop on a long journey from the steppes of argentina to its breeding grounds in the western united states and canada. after a night's roost on the open ground, the birds awake and begin the process of feeding and migration, again. watching as many as 500 of these incredible fliers take to the morning skies on hot air thermals, catching flying ants with mid-air acrobatics, is a sight that any nature lover located in san diego should make a point of seeing.


i arrived in borrego yesterday (3/30) at about 9am, and headed straight for a well know hawk-watch post. when i got there i was informed by a volunteer that i should head over toward clark dry lake, because he hadn't seen any SWAINSON'S HAWKs in hours. as i drove the stretch of road leading to the ancient lake i saw a state park ranger vehicle, with a ranger and volunteer outside, looking off into the distance. i pulled along side, got out, and scoped the area along with them. all we had was one bird, far off on the horizon. it was barely visible, and though i had only half expected to see any hawks (because of a report of zero birds from the day before), i was still a little disappointed. a few minutes later, however, over a distant ridge, i saw my first kettle of over twenty birds rising into the sky. i watched as they swirled into the air, diving to and fro, catching flying insects. before i knew it several birds had covered the seven or eight mile distance between the far off ridge and where i stood - feeding directly overhead. they were close enough that i could see the smallest details of their plumage, and really sear into my mind an exact mental image of how these birds looked, flew, and fed. throughout the morning we had over 420 hawks! as i ate my breakfast of fruit, trail-mix, and soft-boiled eggs, standing in a field of blossoming flowers, i thought to myself 'this might be the best breakfast i've ever had!'



yesterday morning i also stopped at the tamarisk grove campground, and the borrego sink where i was able to pick up these new year-birds:

WHITE-WINGED DOVE
PHAINOPEPLA
LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD
VERDIN
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE
WILSON'S WARBLER
BLACK-THROATED SPARROW
HOODED ORIOLE
WESTERN KINGBIRD

along with SWAINSON'S HAWK (a lifer for me!) that's 13 new year birds, bringing my 2010 total to 155.