When the mercury rises at Anza Borrego State Park in the summertime, the tourists tend to leave, and the wildlife tend to come closer. Check out this Big Horn sheep photo my son-in-law, Sean Malone, took this morning on a hike with his i-phone. The sheep walked right up to him on the trail.
The Borrego Badlands present stunning eroded topography in the summer heat. They stretch on into the horizon and are loaded with fossils from ancient seas.
Red Tail Surveying his realm!
The Salton Sea is one of the world’s largest inland seas. It is also one of the lowest spots on earth at -227 below sea level. This Osprey was checking out the scene.
The sea is referred to as a “crown jewel of avian biodiversity.” 400 bird species are found here, along with 30% of the American population of White Pelicans.
Cheers to you from Borrego, a relatively warm 42C!
Real cool dudes in the final picture, Cindy 😉 x
LikeLike
There were 100’s of them!! Amazing!
LikeLike
The place is very interesting. I like to see the geology and the animals. I just flew over similar terrain recently and it was such a great sight (no seeing any animals though).
LikeLike
An other-worldly feeling to the place in the heat of the summer. The animals that survive there are amazing!
LikeLike
Fantastic wildlife pics! I want to have a sheep like that walk up to me!! Sooooo awesome!! Hugz Lisa
LikeLike
We are going back early tomorrow to see what else there is too see!! Cheers to you my friend~
LikeLike
awesome Cindy
LikeLike
Mucho gusto mi amigia!
LikeLike
I love coming on journeys with you Cindy
LikeLike
I love it when you do!! Sort of similar terrain to parts of the outback?
LikeLike
Yes it looks very wild and rugged
LikeLike
Nice shot of the sheep with his iPhone! The Borrego Badlands view is vast and majestic. Love the White Pelicans 🙂
LikeLike
Amazing the wildlife that can be found in the harshest of environments!
LikeLike
Really like the first osprey, but they are all inviting. Well done as usual.
LikeLike
I had never seen such a large one before! Surprised me~
LikeLike
All great catches!
Love the one with the birds in flight – wings spread open!
The last one is a cool pic too. Looks like they are ready for a meeting of sorts 🙂
LikeLike
They were meeting all right! Hundreds of them! Amazing sight~
LikeLike
Hi Cindy , mesmerizing pictures. Thank you for liking (Love and kisses before the bread) my regards.jalal
LikeLike
Regards to you my friend & thank you!
LikeLike
Wow 42c it’s hot.The Big horn sheep is quite interesting..
Thanks for sharing,Cindy.
LikeLike
Toasty all right and that was just after noon! Hotter after that!
LikeLike
Awesome photos Cindy! I am especially entranced with the stunning shots of the Borrego Badlands. Once again, Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
They are stunning aren’t they! They look different in every season and are sometimes dusted with snow!
LikeLike
I absolutely LOVE your photos, Cindy. Such clarity and beauty.
LikeLike
So glad you enjoy them! Makes it all worthwhile!
LikeLike
Great photos, this was such a fun and informative read!
LikeLike
I aim to please to thank you!
LikeLike
Once again, interesting and intriguing photos. So fun to read.
LikeLike
That makes me happy! Cheers to you~
LikeLike
Only 42! I suppose that is cool for the desert! And I see you now have 1000 followers; imagine! we are all out there with you filling up the empty spaces. Hope we don’t scare away the wildlife 🙂
LikeLike
Yes it really is usually hotter at this time of year…..Tends to thin out the crowds of humans! lol! Taking you along with me makes all my trips so much better, and you know the funny thing? This is perfectly true. If you didn’t come I would miss you. I am so grateful we have been blogging friends for a year now! Hugs to you & thank you too~
LikeLike
The red tones are absolutely stunning!
LikeLike
The heat in the desert canyons of sandstone paints such glorious pictures in the summertime. It is worth bearing the heat, and going off road into the desert to see it! Thank you for appreciating it!
LikeLike
Looks like that first little fella’s gotta grow into his horns! Wonderful colors out there.
LikeLike
Yes, that’s right he wasn’t all that big! He also wasn’t scared either. Hopefully this is because this is a protected park! Cheers to you~
LikeLike
Fabulous photos, Cindy. Love the one of the pelican in flight. 🙂
LikeLike
So glad my friend! Thank you & cheers! Hope the 100th birtday went well. Going over to your blog check now….
LikeLike
(I think this is a quote from some famous poet…)
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican,
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week
BUT I’M DAMNED IF I SEE HOW THE HELICAN!”
Cheers!
LikeLike
Oh I hadn’t read this for ages and had forgotten it! Dixon Merrit I think!! Hilarious! Thank you for the memory prompt for my severely challenged, increasingly senior, cerebellum!!! LOL!
LikeLike
this looks like a spectacular place to visit…great photos!
LikeLike
If you can’t stand the heat, you won’t get the pics!! lol!
LikeLike
…but Cuz, the pelicans in the pics are brown!!! Where are the white ones??? Read about the park and the Salton Sea and would love to see them in the future. Obviously, you have no rattlesnake bites. Take care,
Paul
LikeLike
Obviously these pelicans did not read the stats!! Seriously there is alot of coastline that is completely barren out here. In the area I was in there were hundreds of brown pelicans, egrets, and sand pipers, along with hawks and ospreys. If anyone hiked the entire sea I am sure they would encounter the white pelicans and hundreds of more species. But it is an umpleasant environment. There is the heat and the pollution. The sea is a collection point for agricultural runoff from the southern central valley high in nitrates and chemical pesticides. I don’t know why it doesn’t kill the birds. The beaches are made of the bones of fish, mostly tilapia. The fish live and grow and then die on the beach and their dessicated skeletons must be walked on to get to the shore. My husband refused to go this time! I think the pollutants build up at various times during the year, killing off the oxygen and the fish. The sea is actually more alive with wildlife now than I have ever seen it. I have been going here annually for decades. You can feel Rachel Carson’s tears out here and it should be so beautifully alive~
LikeLike
What an absolute terrible shame – the pollution, I mean. The pics I saw online of the sea and the park were beautiful (of course). I would think that with CA’s awareness of the environment they would do something to correct the problems.
LikeLike
It has been discussed for years but nothing has been done. I am at least happy that so many birds appear to be thriving there!
LikeLike
Amazing shots! I just love the pelican skimming the water. What a marvelous, wild place!
LikeLike
It is beautiful and should be protected. You can read my comments above about the sad state of this sea though.
LikeLike
Hi Cindy,
I just nominated you for 2 blogger awards but lack the necessary computer skills to link that post with your blog. So please view the post and, if you accept, follow the guidelines.
Thanks.
LikeLike
I am honored and most appreciative! Thank you so much for your kindness!
LikeLike
Good pics, but the 2nd and 3rd ones are STUNNING!!
Good share!!
x
LikeLike
Yes this unique environment is truly gorgeous and other worldly. Thank you for appreciating it Sean!
LikeLike
“Other Worldly” Yeah…. x
LikeLike
Liebste Cindy wunderschöne Greifvögel ja nur fliegen ist schöner so was zu beobachten muß einfach unbeschreiblich schön sein einen tollen Mittwoch und ganz liebe Grüße vom Klaus
LikeLike
Vielen Dank Klaus! Sie sind so nett!
LikeLike
WOW to the topography!
LikeLike
It is a stunning environment! Thank you for appreciating it!
LikeLike
Wow! Were those photos taken with an i-phone??? Amazing technology. I came across a suggestion for how to capture crisp images wildlife images with telephoto lense (on our old style cameras): have the shutter speed double the lense of the telephoto lens (i.e. SS 200 for 100mm lense, SS 400 for 200mm lens).
Oscar
LikeLike
How interesting!! Worth a try. Only the bighorn sheep was photographed by my son in laws i-phone. I was impressed!
LikeLike
wow that looks like the WILD WILD WEST!! 😉
LikeLike
Yep! It is!!! 🙂
LikeLike
WoW pictures: really amazing
LikeLike
So happy you think so and very nice of your to say! Cheers to you~
LikeLike
Oh Cindy, I love, LOVE your pictures. So clear, so brilliant, so beautiful. Those coyotes though… shudder! I can’t believe I haven’t read your ‘about’ before. Just did. Wow, no cell phones? !
LikeLike
We now have cell phones that work, but most visitors don’t. It comes as a shock when they get lost out here, so we try and warn people. Thank you for your kind words. I am a staunch admirer of you and your blog! Cheers to you~
LikeLike
Love, Love, Love CA! Thanks for sharing your Anza Borrego Journey. I have been there about two years ago and now I want to go back!
LikeLike
So happy you enjoyed the post and hope you go back to Borrego soon! Check out the new Casa del Zorro!
LikeLike
Fantastic pictures, Cindy! Love the pelican 🙂
LikeLike
Delightful 🙂
LikeLike