LeConte's Thrashers at Old Spring Lake, Borrego Springs

Hi all,
Spent 3 days in the Borrego Springs area where, after many years of similar fruitless searches, I finally got to observe LeConte's Thrashers. I observed two birds interacting at Old Spring Lake O.S. I parked at the trail head/info sign and walked approximately 200 yards south. After 15 minutes of standing in a brisk cold breeze while scanning the habitat, I heard a "wheep" repeated several times, which allowed me to track the bird to a low bush, where it was perched up. It dropped to the ground, spent several minutes dashing between bushes, and then encountered a second thrasher. They looked at each other briefly then one chased the other into a bush. One bird left to feed on an open area for perhaps 2 minutes. I lost track of the second bird. My ebird report with 3 photos decent enough for ID, is here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S77901291

I'd like to thank all who have posted to ebird and reports here over the years that finally got me this amazing experience. It was Nancy's post from this weekend that got me in the right place at the right time, so a special thank you to her.

Happy Holidays,
Steve Perry
Solana Beach

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Steve Perry
Solana Beach, CA
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports