Laysan Albatross in Anza-Borrego Desert

From Philip Unitt of our great San Diego Natural History Museum, via SDBirds (membership required):

On 26 June, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park ranger Steve Bier found the remains of a Laysan Albatross near the confluence of Fish Creek and Lycium washes in the Split Mountain area of the park. Bob Thériault brought it to the San Diego Natural History Museum last Wednesday. A predator had evidently scavenged the carcass, but it left the head neck, wings, feet, sternum, coracoids, furcula, and scapulae, as well as some chunks of feathers. So there is ample preservable material to attest to the identification, and I have catalogued the specimen as SDNHM 53922. Steve had last been in the area on 21 June and had not seen the carcass then, so it may have come down shortly after that date. The remaining skin was quite dry, but how long would a scavenged carcass take to reach that stage in temperatures that reached 121° F?

This is at least the 10th occurrence of the Laysan Albatross in SE California/SW Arizona, all in late spring/early summer. Two of the previous reports are for the Anza-Borrego Desert (Blair Valley, Coyote Creek), but this is the first for which the identification can be verified independently. It’s inferred that these albatrosses are moving north from the Gulf of California, although to my knowledge no migration of the Laysan Albatrosses has been described that would account for the concentration of occurrences at this season.

I can just see the albatross cruising over the Anza-Borrego Desert, looking down, and saying “Fish Creek?! I was duped!”

Thanks to Steve and Bob for recovering this remarkable specimen and getting it to the museum!

That's pretty cool.