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
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