The Borrego Springs Birder's Cheat Sheet

Robin checks the settling ponds on Borrego Springs Road before most people have coffee — not because they're scenic, but because that's where the Common Yellowthroats show up first and where eBird reports consistently lag reality by two or three days. This cheat sheet covers the timing and sequencing she's worked out over years of early mornings: which washes hold Crissal Thrashers in February versus April, why Yaqui Well produces differently depending on whether there's been a wet January, what the Swainson's Hawk flights along DiGiorgio Road look like when they peak versus when they're building, and the specific reason Tamarisk Grove at dusk is worth the detour even if you've already birded it a dozen times.