Back in a boat! December 23, 2024

 

As I mentioned, this was a brief trip. The plan was to go out to look for Blue-footed Boobies by boat and then look for desert birds. Martin was not feeling great and did not relish the idea of being in a boat for a couple of hours. We had already seen Blue-footed Boobies, so he decided to bow out. He took some medication and went back to bed after I left.

Maria Elena came to pick me up and had another couple with her, which we had expected. They were from Austin and we had a very nice talk on the way. We  drove to La Paz after grabbing a quick breakfast. I loved La Paz. There were a lot of murals and the sea front had some wonderful statues and other art. We got to the marina and out boat was waiting. We had been told we might get our feet wet and I forgot to bring my wet shoes, so I waded out to the boat in my socks. This was a slightly larger boat with a canopy. 

We didn't go out into the sea, but stayed in the bay. We found the boobies quickly, along with a lot of other birds. There were three species of cormorants, five species of gulls, a couple of Black-skimmers, American Oystercatchers, Magnificent Frigatebirds and lots of boobies. The birds didn't mind our presence and we got great looks. We went by a stand of mangroves and got good looks at a couple of Mangrove Yellow Warblers. None of the birds were new for me, but I really enjoyed going out.

After we got back to the Marina we walked down the sea front. There was a Yellow-footed Gull walking around inside a small dinghy, allowing for some decent photos. I have only seen this species a couple of times, once in the Salton Sea and last November in Texas, which was the only one ever seen in the state. I was very pleased I was able to ID the gull by myself, as I suck at gulls. I also enjoyed seeing Heerman's Gulls, which I have only seen a few times. 

Our next stop was a tidal wet land for shore birds. Again, there was nothing new for me, but I added a couple of new birds for my Mexico list. We then went to the water treatment plant. We pulled up and young man was photographing something. We got out of the car and walked up carefully, hoping to not startle what ever he was taking pictures of. He turned and told us very excitedly that there was a bobcat hunting ducks and coots. We saw the cat coming down the trail towards us. I expected it to turn and run pretty quickly, which has been my experience with them. Instead it gave us the stink eye and kept on walking. It got within 10 feet of us and then turned and walked slowly into the brush. It was the best sighting of bobcat I have ever had. We added some ducks and grebes to our day list, and a Peregrine flew overhead.

Maria Elena asked us if we wanted to eat lunch, or drive over to the Pacific side of the peninsula to do some birding first. We chose birding! It took about an hour and a half. I was expecting hard core desert but where we stopped was an irrigated agricultural area. There were a lot of trees and shrubs, some flowering. We got out of the car and she said "This is where we will get the Gray Thrasher." I pointed and said "There it is!" The bird was right next to the road and paid no attention to us. It was "whisper singing." I could see its beak and throat moving, but could hardly hear it. Both Hooded and Scott's Orioles were feeding. We had a male Varied Bunting and a Cactus Wren. Then a gorgeous male Xantus's Hummingbird flew in above us to feed. He was more than cooperative. Things got quiet and then we spotted a Zone-tailed Hawk overhead.

At that point we were ready for a late lunch. We went to a local spot for carnitas, which were great! We had a pretty long drive back to Cabo, skirting the Pacific Ocean. The waves crashing on the beach were massive! It was really interesting to have the ocean to the right, driving through desert, with mountains on the left. We got to our hotel and Martin came out. He was feeling much better and had actually gone back to the estuary where we birded the first day. He got to see a Gray Thrasher, so we both got the four endemics. 

We were scheduled to leave he following morning. When we got up I saw that American Airlines, our carrier, had a total flight stoppage. My heart sank. I checked our flight status and it said on time, but I knew that was not likely to last. We got to the airport and the staff at the check-in counter didn't seem to worried. I then got a notice that flights were starting to go again. To make a longish story short, the flight ended up being delayed not quite two hours. It was an uneventful trip back. Even the drive home from Austin was easy.

We were very happy with this trip. Having a guide was well worth it. We were able to drive up to birds that normally you have to do long hikes for. Maria Elena knew the endemics and where to look for them. The pace was relaxed and her company very enjoyable. Birding Los Cabos offers both day trips and packages. They have three full time guides. Johanna, one of the other guides, did our airport transfers. She seemed very knowledgeable and was fun to talk to.

Out to see the sea. December 22, 2024

 One of the main reasons Martin chose Cabo for your trip was he knew how much I wanted to see whales. It is pretty lame that I had never seen one. Lots of people, even those with no interest in nature, have been whale watching. I have done a number of pelagic birding trips and saw a number of species of dolphins and porpoises, but never a whale. There were whales when we did our trip off of Peru, but I was so sick I couldn't get up to see them. The Sea of Cortez is well known for wintering Humpbacked and Gray Whales. The Grays don't arrive in big numbers until January, but the Humpbackeds were in. 

Birding Los Cabos arranged a birding and whale trip for Sunday morning, with an emphasis on whales. Maria Elena picked us up at about 7AM and we grabbed some breakfast near the marina. We drove through the marina where some huge yachts were moored. I pointed out on and said that was the boat I wanted to go out on. Maria Elena said she had tried to book that one, but it was previously engaged. We parked and walked over to the dock with our boat. I knew it was going to be small, but I had no idea it would be that small. I had seen photos of people whale watching in little boats in Cabo, so I knew it was not uncommon. With assistance I overcame my balance issues and got in. We got our life jackets on and took off into the sea.

As I mentioned, I get sea sick. I was a little concerned, but I think being in a small boat on the surface of the water instead of higher up really helped. I never felt any queasiness at all. The captain of the boat was quite young, but very good. We headed out several miles. My natural pessimism started kicking in and I thought I was still going to remain whale-less, but I still was really enjoying the ride. Then the captain pointed and said "Whale!" A Humpback broke the water maybe a hundred yards away. I was shaking I was so excited. Then we heard a deep whoosh and Martin said "Behind us!" The sound was a whale spouting very close to the boat. Two broke the water less than 100 feet from us. I was stupid and tried to take pictures instead of just watching them. We were actually too close to them to get a recognizable photo!

Luckily, they continued swimming nearby and I was able to get a couple of ok photos, but I do regret not concentrating on the experience. After about fifteen minutes they moved on. We started heading back to shore and our one pelagic bird flew by, a Black-vented Shearwater. I wasn't expecting any birds, so that was a bonus. The captain spotted some movement on the water and said there were whales under the surface. We stopped, but they didn't surface. Then in the distance Martin and I saw one breech! That put me over the top! 

During the rest of the trip back to the dock all I could think of was how the hell was I going to get out of the boat. My knees are bad and I was not only worried about my balance, but being able to climb up to the dock. I told Martin I thought I might be spending the rest of my life in that little boat. We docked and fortunately, they dragged my fat ass up and I was able to get on the dock. I was very relieved! 

We still had some birding time left before lunch, so we went to look for our next target, Xantus's Hummingbird. We had thought this would be easy, expecting to see one in town, but Maria Elena told us because of pesticide use they were not common in the city any longer. She said some of the large hotel grounds with good plantings had them, but you can't access those areas unless you are staying there. She drove us through the city to a remote scrubby area where she expected them to be.

We parked on a dirt road winding through what looked like very degraded habitat to me, but what do I know? There were some red flowers scattered in the scrub. A hummingbird was perched on top of a small leafless tree, but it turned out to be a Costa's, the other common hummingbird in that area. Then another hummingbird shot into a leafy bush next to me. I could see a white eye-line and a red bill. I tried to get Martin on it, but it was buried deep and difficult to see. It then took off and briefly fed in some flowers above our heads. It took off before we could get photos, but we were happy. As we walked back to the car we saw a White-tailed Antelope Squirrel, another new mammal.

We ate lunch at a local spot and headed back to our hotel. We were glad for some down time. (Jeez, we are getting old. I would never have said that a few years ago!) We were looking at photos and discussing the whales when a sudden jolt hit the building. It was brief, but unsettling. We wondered if it was a small earthquake. I have never felt one before. A bit later we walked to the grocery store to get some snacks and Martin spoke with the security guard at the door. She confirmed that there had been a tremor, so I could put that on my "bucket list" as well. I would love to see whales again, but there is no need to repeat an earthquake!

Baja endemics in the mountains, Day 2, 12/21/24

 We got a very early start on the second day. We were going up into the mountains for the endemic Baird's Junco and several subspecies that might be split. Our guide picked us up at 530AM. We thought there was going to be another couple, but it ended up they rescheduled for several days later. It was about a two hour drive to the first location with stopping for a quick breakfast. Our guide, Maria Elena, was very knowledgeable about the area. The drive went quickly and sunrise over the Sea of Cortez was spectacular. She explained that the area we were going to for the endemics was private property. They had negotiated with local ranches to get access. She asked that we not post our eBird lists publicly, as there had been birders who had crossed gates and fences with no trespassing signs after pinpointing locations. We agreed.

The first spot we stopped at had a stream flowing throw and open area with scattered trees. We got out very quickly Maria Elena spotted a San Lucas Robin, currently considered a sub-species of American Robin, perched in a tree. This was one of our main targets, so we did not pay close attention to a dove like bird perched in the same tree. This bird looks nothing like an American Robin. The breast is dull, washed out buffy-gray and the bird has a very strong white eye-brow. There is talk of it being split into a separate species in the future. A couple more birds flew in and we were very happy, as we thought it would be a tough bird to find. We took photos and didn't realize until after we got home that the "dove" was actually the endemic sub-species of Band-tailed Pigeon.

There were more Acorn Woodpeckers there than I have ever seen! Again, this is a different sub-species that could likely be split. They called constantly, chasing each other and other birds around the area. We had California Scrub Jays, Spotted and California Towhees, Western Flycatchers, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Martin spotted a Western Tanager. We were waiting for one of the ranchers to come down to meet us. 

After a short time he arrived and we climbed into his pick-up truck. Martin was kind enough to squeeze into the back seat, letting me sit in front seat. The road up was incredibly rough. I was impressed with his driving skills. I thought as we were going up and up how it would be to get to your house after a trip to the store and realize you forgot to get the milk! We stopped and went through several gates. Some of the areas reminded me of higher elevations of Big Bend National Park in Texas. There were a lot of oaks trees. Maria Elena commented on how things were very dry. 

We reached a very pretty tree shaded spot with a small creek. This was an area where our most wanted species, Baird's Junco, could be found. It was quiet, though a few bird chips could be heard. Maria Elena said she could hear the junco. I got excited when I saw a bird fly into a shrub over the creek and come down to drink, but it was a Black-throated Gray Warbler. We were patient and stayed in the area. Then Maria Elena spotted one of the juncos in a tree by the road. We pished and the bird sat up and gave us good looks and photos! This is a bird that usually requires a long hike to see, so being able to drive up to the spot was huge for us.

We didn't fare as well with our next target, Cape Pygmy-owl, a subpecies of Northern Pygmy-owl. We spent a good bit of time looking and did see Black-headed Grosbeak, Ash-throated Flycatcher and a few other birds. I always have lousy luck with owls. We stopped at a couple of other places, but dipped again. The road was even scarier going down hill, but we made it back to the robin spot. The rancher dropped us off and we poked around a bit more. There were several robins coming in to drink at th creek, giving us some good photo ops.

Maria Elena knew one more spot for the pygmy-owl, where we got out an walked down a dry creek bed. We were also looking for the Band-tailed Pigeon, which at that point we didn't realize we had seen. One flushed out of a tree as we walked by and we heard them calling. It was not the greatest look. In fact it was a horrible look. We also did not find the Pygmy-owl, but it was such a beautiful spot we were not unhappy. 

It was about 2PM and we were ready for lunch. It had been arranged for us to eat at a local ranch. We drove in and were warmly welcomed by the family and their dogs, which were so sweet! We sat under a porch and had an incredibly good meal of home made cheese, tortillas, rice, and some wonderful white beans. Neither of us had ever had this type of bean before and we loved them! It was a great experience, much better than eating at a restaurant. We drove back to the hotel and were extremely satisfied with our day. Here is our bird list:

Band-tailed Pigeon (Viosca's)

Common Ground-dove

White-winged Dove

Hummingbird sp.

White-faced Ibis

Turkey Vulture

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Acorn Woodpecker

Gila Woodpecker

Gilded Flicker

Crested Caracara

American Kestrel

Peregrine Falcon

Western Flycatcher (Pacific slope)

Ash-throated Fycatcher

Cassin's Kingbird

Thick-billed Kingbird

Califorina Scrub-jay

Common Raven

Glue-gray Gnatcatcher

Cactus Wren

Northern Mockingbird

American Robin (San Lucas)

Phainopepla

House Finch

Baird's Junco

California Towhee

Spotted Towhee

Scott's Oriole

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

 

A surprise trip to Baja California Sur! Getting there and day one.

A couple of weeks ago I asked Martin if he had any ideas on what he might want to do during my week off for Christmas. I expected he would suggest going north to the panhandle, or out to west Texas. I was completely taken by surprise when he asked if I would like to go to Cabo. I told him I thought it would be terribly expensive, but when I checked for flights I found nonstop flights from Austin for a fairly reasonable fare, and the flights were only a bit over 2 1/2 hours each way. I started checking hotels and rental car prices and found they were not too bad, either. Before I got very far with that, Martin contacted Birding Los Cabos and got some price quotes. They could arrange everything and get us to some places that are difficult to access, especially for geezers like us, so we signed up. It was a very good decision.

Our flight out of Austin departed just after 800AM on December 20. We are about an hour and a half from the airport, which meant we had to get up very early. Martin always likes to allot some extra time, and you never know what is going to happen on I-35, so we were up at 300AM. We got to the airport at 530AM and it was a complete zoo. The lines to check baggage were unreal. Security was almost as bad. I will say, they got us through quickly. The flight boarded on time and it was an uneventful trip. We arrived in Cabo San Lucas and were picked up by one of the bird guides, Johanna, and taken to our hotel.

We didn't have a birding trip planned, as it was considered a travel day. After we checked in, Johanna dropped us off at Reserva Ecologica Estero de San Jose del Cabo, an estuary about a mile from the hotel so we could bird on our own. She pointed out an area a block away from the entrance where we could find a cab to bet back. This is one of the best spots for the endemic Belding's Yellowthroat. This bird is very similar to Common Yellowthroat, a species we get in Texas, and which is also found in winter at the estuary. We went in and saw two Beldings in less than five minutes! We walked one of the trails and saw a good number of birds, including ducks, shorebirds, and sparrows. Here is our checklist, which includes Martin's photos of the yellowthroats: https://ebird.org/checklist/S206018419

The estuary has several entrances and quite a few trails. Martin returned there on the 23rd, while I did a different trip, which I will cover later. On both visits there were a lot of birds. He got the endemic Gray Thrasher there on his second trip. It is flat walking, but we were tired from travel and there were areas where it was walking through dry sand, which was not difficult but took more energy. I also would not recommend wearing a black turtle-neck and slacks, my travel outfit. It wasn't very hot, maybe in the 80s but the sun was strong. We commented when we got home that we don't remember seeing a single cloud while we were there.

We stayed in the Hotel Santa Maria del Cabo. Our room was very comfortable and quiet. We had a junior suite with a kitchen and balcony. There is a restaurant, but it is only open for breakfast and lunch. There were places nearby to eat and two large supermarkets nearby, one right across the street. The staff was great!