The Caravan

Our trek to Organ Pipe was interesting, but it was the work in Mexico that had me more interested.  A lot of birders signed up for a gull workshop with AZFO's Lauren Harter and David Vander Pluym.  And on the last day of the conference, a large caravan of birders crossed the border into Mexico.

Magnificent Frigatebird

We planned on staying the night in Rocky Point or Puerto Peñasco.  Many of the birders wanted to go with the caravan together.  No matter how many times I write this, there are still birders who are afraid to cross the border even though it's completely safe to travel to Rocky Point.  Like everything else, people need to use common sense. 

30+ birders scour the ocean with their scopes

We spent our morning with scopes and gulls.  But we also had our own agenda.  I wanted to do a count around Morúa or the Pinto Estuaries so we broke away from the group after lunch to do our own counts. I've been doing work around those areas for several years now and had never birded the area in October.  We rented a place on the Morúa estuary and really had a nice hike full of excellent birds there.

AZ Fish and Wildlife's Troy Corman and Wrenegade team member Tim H scope the horizon for possible rare birds

It's hard to navigate areas with large groups of people.  Many were there to spot the Yellow-footed Gull which is a bird of interest for many people.  These gulls live around the Sea of Cortez in good numbers.

Yellow-footed Gull

We said our good-byes and then were off to our sector of Rocky Point to get some work done.

At Morúa Estuary, we do a major bird count

The first bunch of birds we crossed paths with were plovers.  Snowy Plovers were everywhere.  They are the cutest of the bunch.   

Snowy Plover

Another common plover along the Pacific waters is the Black-bellied Plover.  Most of the shorebirds are in their winter plumage right now so they all look rather gray together.  Some can be downright tricky!

Black-bellied Plover

Another special bird that people come to see in Rocky Point is the Wilson's Plover.  They have a big bill and are the sassiest of the bunch.  In the pic below, the bird is throwing a little "tude" at an oncoming Snowy Plover. 

Wilson's Plover is the sassiest of the bunch

Even though it is cooler and pleasant, the sun can be quite strong as it bleaches the landscape.  In the pic below, we arrived at the mouth of the estuary where the bird life was at its highest.  I discovered my first Black Skimmers for Mexico here.

The bright light of the dunes and the ocean create a bleaching of color affect

Another great bird to see was the Elegant Tern.  They were the most common tern in this area next to the Forster's Tern. This species is listed as Near Threatened.

Elegant Tern

There were schools of fish everywhere.  And where there were large numbers of fish, there were hundreds of birds diving into the waters. Heermann's Gulls closely followed Brown Pelicans and tried to steal the food from their bills. 

A near threatened Herrmann's Gull sits on the back of this Brown Pelican

On Sunday morning, Gordon wanted to do his survey at Cholla Bay.  So he showed a couple birders how he likes to do his count.  As always, we had a great time and finished our counts with a nice list of bird species there.  The key is to go at low tide if you're a photographer.  At high tide, Cholla Bay is great with a scope.  

Short-billed Dowitchers

Short-billed Dowitchers had to be carefully ID'd by listening to their flight call.  As they flew, we were quickly able to ID them as Short-billed and not Long-billed.

Birding Cholla Bay at low tide is great for photographers wanting to get up close to the birds

As the bay drains of water, shorebirds, like the Red Knot below, go crazy on the crabs. 

A dull winter plumaged Red Knot forages for food

I've seen Red Knots in a lot of places but they are often too far to get clear views. One of my goals for this visit was to observe this species better. And it was great! 

Western Willet

Our special find, and definitely off my radar, was this gorgeous Fox Sparrow, the Sooty-colored subspecies. At the Morúa and Pinto Estuaries, there are specific green spaces or migrant traps that have green lawns and mesquite bosques.  I looked over at the trash bin and saw a bird scratching on the ground.  At first I thought it was a towhee until we put our bins on it!  HOLY COW!  We ended up with a Fox Sparrow on our Mexican life list. I also added a Dark-eyed Junco which was yet another bird I had not expected for Mexico.  Anyhow, the migrant traps around the hotels are great near the estuaries!!  I've had so many surprise warblers and sparrows show up in these green spaces. 

A rare Fox Sparrow

Our adventures continue......

The Rocky Roads of Mexico

From our condo on Playa Miramar

Several months back, we had planned our yearly trip back to Rocky Point, Mexico.  It required me to renew my passport and do some research around the area.  Plus my purpose for this trip was to find the Yellow-footed Gull and study up on my gulls. 

Common Loon

But during Easter week, it's never quite that easy with thousands of people walking along the shoreline.  Luckily, we stayed in an area known as Caborca....away from the city.  However, we had to go to the city for supplies.  And I had to find another bird known as a "Surfbird".  The port is full of rocks and the Surfbird prefers this habitat.

The fishing port of Rocky Point

I don't know why, but I've always found Mexican chaos beautiful. It's full of traffic, annoying trash, people and wildlife.  The city itself was a gem when it came to finding birds.  Where there are people; there are opportunistic sea birds. 

Snowy Plovers

As I walked along the beaches, I discovered so many plovers darting around the seashells.  

The Salt Marshes of Morúa

After our return from the city, I began to truly set out and discover a new section of Rocky Point.  It is known as the estuary of Morúa. 

Morúa Estuary

I had seen this massive blue expanse while walking the salt marshes.  I knew there was something special in that area, but I didn't know how to get to it.  

Gulls attack!

So we drove the dusty roads along the golf course near the Mayan Resort and found the place.

Surfbird

This area is a bit strange. A wealthy hotel known as the Mayan Resort "owns" the entire area.  How does one own nature?  Anyhow, they have a golf course along one side of the road and on the other is the magical and large expanse known as the Morúa estuary.  The area is monitored and protected by the Intercultural Center of Desert and Ocean studies or CEDO. 

While this estuary is located in the area "owned" by the Mayan Resort, it is protected by CEDO and that means it's open to the general public. All I will say is "Wow!"  This area is a true gem for birders and a MUST see!  The desert is an amazing place and the desert habitat along the Sea of Cortez is no exception.  

Yellow-footed Gull

A familiar "Weeeeep!"  pulled me out of my reverie as a Wilson's Plover flew directly in front of me.  I believe he was warning me to stay away from something.....perhaps a nest? 

Wilson's Plover

Along the way, I found Dunlins and Red Knots in their breeding plumage. The hotel itself was a rich sanctuary full of different birds and landscape. There were many migrating warblers, flycatchers and orioles! 

A place for the rich to mingle and be isolated from the "others"

In fact, a Scott's Oriole captured my attention as we neared the entrance.  Only then did I see an incredible flock of warblers(Wilson's, Yellow, Yellow-rumped and Nashville!) in the South American mesquite trees!  Once inside the resort, I saw something very interesting.....

A magnificent Sora is ignored by so many people at the hotel.  Just another brown bird.

A Sora spun around in circles while people casually passed this bird by on the bridge. Several locals spoke Spanish around me and assumed I didn't understand a word.  They mumbled to each other, "What is the gringo looking at?"  A young lady replied, "Some stupid bird." I let it roll off my shoulders, but what they did next really irked me.  They wanted to take a picture of their family right where I was standing. Really people? How often does one get to see a Sora swirling around out in the open??!!!  So I didn't budge.

Anyhow, they had to wait until I was done with my observation. Hey, I was a paying customer and had several drinks at their bar:) The hotel had little pools of water with all kinds of sandpipers hanging around at the edges. 

A Dunlin

I still have several more areas of study that need to take place in Rocky Point which will include Cholla Bay and another estuary to the south, but those will wait until next year.  I was a bit angry on our way back to the US as I was pulled over for "speeding".  Which I wasn't.  The local police just wanted money.  Thankfully I speak Spanish and we were able to pay the criminals their fee without much hassle.  Mexico is beautiful but the local law enforcement is at times quite crooked. These police are underpaid in their own country so they have to make it up elsewhere. One word for that incident.  Annoying.

"Roberta"-the Heermann's Gull at Viña Del Mar restaurant

The above shot is of "Roberta".  She is a Heermann's Gull who lives at a local restaurant downtown. Perhaps part owner? This gull was born with a gimp leg and loves to visit the local clientele during breakfast, lunch or dinner:) Just to chat:) Needless to say, the owner of the restaurant loves her very much.  I'm not sure if she is really a "she", but I enjoyed listening to the owner's story about Roberta. 

Forster's Tern

If you are interested in visiting Rocky Point, check out Jan and Andy's place on Playa Miramar.  We've been down at their rental home many times and have had a safe and wonderful stay.  Andy and Jan, both Phoenix residents, are wonderful hosts who live in Rocky Point most of the year. Their home is right next door to the rental.  For birders, this is a great place to explore at low and high tide.  There aren't many people along the beach in this area which is a good thing for birders.  The Morúa estuary is very close(about 15 minutes by car) from their place.  The habitat is varied on their road and is home to the Large-billed Savannah Sparrows, Burrowing Owls and so many other birds. I spent my days walking up and down the beach and dirt roads counting birds. As a side note, because I've been out studying birds, I haven't been able to catch up with everyone as I'd like.  But I promise I'll be stopping by soon. 

A juvenile Pacific Loon

Until next time......

Northern Shoveler  8

Red-breasted Merganser  14

Gambel's Quail  2

Pacific Loon  6

Common Loon  3

Eared Grebe  6

Black Storm-Petrel  1

Magnificent Frigatebird  3

Blue-footed Booby  6

Brown Booby  25

Brandt's Cormorant  12

Neotropic Cormorant  80

Double-crested Cormorant  40

cormorant sp.  40

Brown Pelican  110

Great Blue Heron  3

Great Egret  4

Snowy Egret  3

Reddish Egret  1

White-faced Ibis  4

Black Vulture  5

Turkey Vulture  6

Osprey  5

Bald Eagle  1

Red-tailed Hawk (Western)  1

Sora  1

American Avocet  26

American Oystercatcher  8

Black-bellied Plover  14

Snowy Plover  2

Wilson's Plover  4

Semipalmated Plover  2

Killdeer  6

Spotted Sandpiper  2

Greater Yellowlegs  1

Willet (Western)  6

Lesser Yellowlegs  2

Whimbrel  11

Long-billed Curlew  9

Marbled Godwit  8

Red Knot  1

Surfbird  33

Sanderling  40

Dunlin  16

Baird's Sandpiper  3

Least Sandpiper  4

Western Sandpiper  25

Short-billed Dowitcher  2

Franklin's Gull  2

Heermann's Gull  178

Ring-billed Gull  151

Western Gull  2

Yellow-footed Gull  23

California Gull  17

Herring Gull  10

gull sp.  200

Least Tern  2

Caspian Tern  17

Common Tern  8

Forster's Tern  10

Sterna sp.  50

Royal Tern  10

Sandwich Tern  2

Elegant Tern  32

large tern sp.  100

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  22

Eurasian Collared-Dove  22

White-winged Dove  4

Mourning Dove  5

Burrowing Owl  2

Anna's Hummingbird  1

hummingbird sp.  1

Belted Kingfisher  1

Western Wood-Pewee  1

Empidonax sp.  1

Say's Phoebe  8

Ash-throated Flycatcher  1

Loggerhead Shrike  2

Chihuahuan Raven  2

Common Raven  7

Northern Rough-winged Swallow  12

Barn Swallow  5

Cliff Swallow  10

Verdin  2

Curve-billed Thrasher  2

Northern Mockingbird  1

European Starling  5

Orange-crowned Warbler  3

Nashville Warbler  1

Common Yellowthroat  2

Yellow-rumped Warbler  3

Wilson's Warbler  3

warbler sp.  1

Spizella sp.  5

Black-throated Sparrow  4

Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed)  5

Song Sparrow  4

sparrow sp.  2

Western Meadowlark  2

Great-tailed Grackle  27

Scott's Oriole  1

House Finch  15

Lesser Goldfinch  4

House Sparrow  32

For more birds, check out Wild Bird Wednesday!