Enjoying the Anza Borrego Desert

It's winter! And, this year there seems to be a good amount of rain all over the desert and county. Let's hope for a good wildflower season. Wildflower season officially starts in March, but sometimes you can see flowers as early as late January or February all the way through May depending on rainfall, humidity, and temperature.

In June, as the weather was starting to heat up, I did a little birding around Ranchita all the way down into the center of town in Borrego Springs. In town, there were plenty of common birds you see at a lot of other places such as grackles, sparrows and doves as well as flycatchers and hummingbirds.

I went up to Culp Valley to get a view of some really desert birds. Believe it or not, there are a lot of birds that hang around in the desert all year round without the help of artificial water sources. I found black-throated sparrows, cactus wrens and roadrunners very active in the middle of the day. I think I might have heard a quail moving around, too.

Tips for birding in the Anza-Borrego desert in the summer months: A good place to look for "natural" desert birds this time of year are in the higher elevations. Look for areas of lots of vegetation and springs within a mile or two. You'll find more birds around areas with a lot of their food and water they can easily access. Places like Culp Valley, Hellhole Canyon and Palm Canyon/Visitor's Center are excellent places to start. Avoid places with no vegetation like the Badlands or areas around the S-22. Coyote Canyon, usually a great birding spot for both desert and water birds, is closed from June 15 to September 15th to allow animals access to the water.

Be sure to bring plenty of cool, cool water if you plan to hike and only hike during the cooler hours of the day. You won't see a lot of birds in one place and may have to be patient and search around.