Last week I joined friends on a fly fishing trip in search of the elusive
Dorado (Spanish for 'goldfish') or Mahi-mahi. The fishing was fair, but
the birding, as usual, was very interesting.
I travled light, as usual, bringing Howell & Webb (Guide to the
Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America - about 3 lbs. deadweight)
plus Peterson & Chalif (Field Guide to Mexican Birds), and the new 3rd Ed.
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. The maps
in H&W are great with much detail, but the new Nat. Geogr. was very
helpful with its expanded species descriptions.
My list started with the common gull, the Yellow-footed Gull, out
in front of The Oasis Hotel where we stayed on the beach. The next was
the House Sparrow cloud over the hotel dining area that consumed the
scraps left anywhere. Also, of course, there were Rock Doves (didn't see
any Starlings!). Saw a number of Heermann's Gulls, 90% of which breed on
tiny Isla Rasa in the Gulf of California, according to H&W, before they
head north for the winter. Brown Pelicans were everywhere (not in the
dining area).
Other sure identifications included Osprey, Great Blue Heron,
Great Egret (maps indicate winter visitor only), Common Ground-Dove, House
Finch, Hooded Oriole, Gila Woodpecker, Turkey Vulture, Magnificent
Frigatebird, Snowy Egret, White-winged Dove, and Lesser Nighthawk.
Interesting identifications include a small female or immature
hummer seen several times that was probably a Costa's. The other endemic,
Xantus's, is strikingly marked (see Nat. Geogr.). Watched what I was sure
was a Little Blue Heron about 50 yards across a pond when it suddenly
began racing around "canopy feeding", switching the diagnosis to Reddish
Egret. The Maitre d' at the hotel restaurant asked me if I had ever seen
a "black Cardinal". I showed him a picture of the Phainopepla, but he
said there was no white on it. After that I saw three Phainos, two on
the hotel grounds, and the staff person said he would photograph his bird
in his backyard and send me a copy. The two cormorants in the area are
tough to differentiate from a bouncing panga (outboard boat), but I saw a
bunch along the shore of clearly different sizes. The Neotropic is 6"
smaller than the Double-crested, so I added both to my list. Also, on the
same pond near the hotel, I saw a large tern land about 50 yds. away.
Then came the sorting of the three possibles, the Elegant, Royal and
Caspian. My vote was for an immature Royal (no solid black cap), but I'm
not sure. That's tough from a distance.
In spite of maps showing no summer presence of Tyrannus genus
kingbirds in Baja, two or three pairs were apparently nesting on the hotel
grounds providing repeated excellent close-up views. With a dark cheek
patch and long bill, my vote is for the Tropical Kingbird. Had some
fleeting looks at undoubted Lesser Goldfinches, disappearing into the
palms. Out fishing, saw both the Brown and Blue-footed Boobys, the latter
diving on and hitting my trolled flies under the surface, (but no
hook-ups).
Other members of the trip fished further out into the Gulf or
along other shores. Probable sightings were American Oystercatcher,
Red-billed Tropicbird and Least Storm-Petrel (possibly Black).
Finally some loud recognizable bird songs attracted my attention
as I strolled through town. These turned out to be Northern Cardinals, a
Lilac-crowned Parrot, and a collection of parakeets, all in outdoor cages!
If you ever go to Loreto, don't forget your bird books and 'bins'.
Fran Wood, (fbwood at u.washington.edu)