Anza Borrego Desert SP and Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR : December 19-21, 2025

December 19: Borrego Springs

I went on a 3-day photography workshop led by Paulette Donellon (https://paulettedonnellon.com). On the first afternoon we shot sunset landscapes and I did a little astrophotography in the hotel (Stanlunds) parking lot. Borrego Springs is an International Dark Sky Community and the hotel turns off their exterior lights at 9P.

A bristling cholla	Capturing sunbursts	pIMG_8981.JPG	pIMG_8985.JPG
pIMG_8989.JPG	pIMG_8997.JPG	cIMG_9002.JPG	This dead ocotillo Paulette found was reminiscent of a squid or jellyfish
pIMG_9014.JPG	pIMG_9015.JPG	pIMG_9016.JPG	A sunset charcuterie
pIMG_9030.JPG	Orion	The Milky Way and Cassiopeia	pIMG_9048.JPG
pIMG_9052.JPG	pIMG_9060.JPG	Orion's Belt and Nebula

December 20: Henderson and Coyote Canyon

We were out at dawn at Henderson Canyon, where rains the previous month brought a winter wildflower bloom.

pIMG_9064.JPG	Dune Evening Primrose	Playing with focus - Near focus	Playing with focus - Far focus
pIMG_9083.JPG	pIMG_9088.JPG	pIMG_9091.JPG	cIMG_9092.JPG
pIMG_9093.JPG	pIMG_9110.JPG	cIMG_9117.JPG	cIMG_9125.JPG
pIMG_9127.JPG	pIMG_9128.JPG	pIMG_9130.JPG	pIMG_9131.JPG
pIMG_9133.JPG	Desert Sunflower	cIMG_9137.JPG	pIMG_9138.JPG
Brown-eyed Evening Primrose	Gray Sunflower	Datura discolor	Spanish Needle
Arizona Lupine	pIMG_9152.JPG	White-Lined Sphinx at Sand Verbena	pIMG_9163.JPG
pIMG_9166.JPG	pIMG_9169.JPG	Sphinx, likely impaled by a Loggerhead Shrike	pIMG_9173.JPG
pIMG_9177.JPG	House Finch	Mourning Dove	Coyote Creek was flowing
pIMG_9194.JPG	White-crowned Sparrow	pIMG_9206.JPG	Coyote print
Costa's Hummingbird	pIMG_9216.JPG	pIMG_9221.JPG	Honeybee at bladderpod
pIMG_9234.JPG	pIMG_9237.JPG	pIMG_9245.JPG	pIMG_9251.JPG
Bladderpod	pIMG_9261.JPG	pIMG_9267.JPG	pIMG_9269.JPG
pIMG_9274.JPG	A very purple Sand Verbena	Vermillion Flycatcher with a finch	pIMG_9299.JPG
pIMG_9306.JPG	pIMG_9308.JPG	pIMG_9315.JPG	pIMG_9318.JPG
pIMG_9325.JPG	pIMG_9327.JPG	Bighorn frequent the slope near de Anza Club but we didn't see any	Anna's Hummingbird

December 20: Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR

In the afternoon, it was off to the Salton Sea for some birding.

pIMG_9338.JPG	Say's Phoebe	pIMG_9343.JPG	Burrowing Owl
pIMG_9354.JPG	pIMG_9355.JPG	pIMG_9360.JPG	pIMG_9365.JPG
pIMG_9367.JPG	pIMG_9371.JPG	pIMG_9376.JPG	pIMG_9379.JPG
pIMG_9382.JPG	pIMG_9383.JPG	pIMG_9388.JPG	pIMG_9394.JPG
Peek-a-boo	pIMG_9407.JPG	pIMG_9412.JPG	pIMG_9415.JPG
pIMG_9421.JPG	pIMG_9427.JPG	American Kestrel	Red-tailed Hawk
pIMG_9436.JPG	pIMG_9442.JPG	pIMG_9446.JPG	pIMG_9451.JPG
pIMG_9454.JPG	Great Egret	Sandhill Cranes	pIMG_9469.JPG
pIMG_9474.JPG	pIMG_9478.JPG	Brewer's Blackbirds	pIMG_9483.JPG
Obsidian Butte	A kestrel with a Cooper's Hawk (?)	pIMG_9489.JPG	pIMG_9490.JPG
pIMG_9498.JPG	pIMG_9510.JPG	pIMG_9515.JPG	cIMG_9518.JPG
pIMG_9524.JPG	cIMG_9532.JPG	pIMG_9537.JPG	pIMG_9542.JPG
cIMG_9543.JPG

December 21: Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR

Another sunrise start, this time to see the geese depart en masse.

Jupiter with moons (top to bottom) Callisto, Ganymede, Io	cIMG_9566.JPG	pIMG_9569.JPG	Coyote
A flock of ibises	pIMG_9574.JPG	pIMG_3158.JPG	pIMG_3161.JPG
pIMG_3165.JPG	cIMG_3167.JPG	Double-crested Cormorants	pIMG_3170.JPG
pIMG_3174.JPG	Northern Harrier	Long-billed Dowitchers (?)	pIMG_3195.JPG
pIMG_3196.JPG	pIMG_3198.JPG	pIMG_3200.JPG	pIMG_3206.JPG
Northern Shovelers	Cattle Egrets	pIMG_3217.JPG	cIMG_3219.JPG
pIMG_3221.JPG	pIMG_3226.JPG	pIMG_3232.JPG	pIMG_3235.JPG
pIMG_9585.JPG	A mass departure	pIMG_9589.JPG	pIMG_9592.JPG
pIMG_9595.JPG	pIMG_3242.JPG	pIMG_3245.JPG	pIMG_9604.JPG
pIMG_3248.JPG	pIMG_3250.JPG	pIMG_3252.JPG	Snow Goose
pIMG_3261.JPG	pIMG_3272.JPG	pIMG_3275.JPG	pIMG_3276.JPG
The rest of the geese depart	pIMG_3281.JPG	pIMG_3282.JPG	pIMG_3285.JPG
pIMG_3290.JPG	pIMG_3293.JPG	pIMG_3298.JPG	pIMG_3301.JPG
pIMG_3308.JPG	pIMG_9618.JPG	pIMG_9623.JPG	White-faced Ibis
Black-necked Stilt	pIMG_9645.JPG	pIMG_9646.JPG	pIMG_9650.JPG
pIMG_9655.JPG	pIMG_9657.JPG	pIMG_9658.JPG	pIMG_9660.JPG
pIMG_9661.JPG	Least Sandpiper	pIMG_9679.JPG	pIMG_9680.JPG
pIMG_9681.JPG	Willet	Killdeer	Greater Yellowlegs
pIMG_9713.JPG	pIMG_9714.JPG	pIMG_9719.JPG	pIMG_9722.JPG
Snowy Egret	pIMG_9725.JPG	pIMG_9727.JPG	pIMG_9737.JPG
pIMG_9743.JPG	Playing with depth of field - f/13	Playing with depth of field - f/4.5	pIMG_9761.JPG
pIMG_9764.JPG	Playing with depth of field - f/4	Playing with depth of field - f/20

pIMG_9780.JPG	pIMG_9794.JPG	pIMG_9795.JPG	Interesting looking water droplet
Honeybee swarm	An owl pellet