Borrego Tennessee W. & thrashers, Henshaw raptors & geese, Lake Miramar

By – 4:31 pm
A small group of birders headed to Borrego Springs very early this morning, where their most unexpected species was a Tennessee Warbler in the single large-ish willow tree next to the narrow pond along the road crossing at “The Springs” golf course. This is only the fourth fall desert record in the past 20 years. Also a continuing White-breasted Nuthatch at RoadRunner Club, and a pair of LeConte’s Thrashers on the north side of Clark Dry Lake. At the eastern end of the Henshaw grasslands there were 5 Ferruginous Hawks, 1 Bald Eagle, and 2 Golden Eagles; as well as a single Mountain Bluebird nearby. And on Lake Henshaw proper were 4 Snow Geese. And finally, closer to home at Lake Miramar were 6 Common Goldeneye (including 2 drakes) and single “Thayer’s” Iceland and Glaucous-winged Gulls.–Paul Lehman et al., San Diego