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Baja California & the Sea of Cortez

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Baja California & the Sea of Cortez BAJA CALIFORNIA & THE SEA OF CORTEZ: AMONG THE GREAT WHALES JANUARY 19–27, 2018 Humpback Whale © Michael O’Brien LEADER: MICHAEL O’BRIEN LIST COMPILED BY: MICHAEL O’BRIEN VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM BAJA CALIFORNIA & THE SEA OF CORTEZ: AMONG THE GREAT WHALES January 19–27, 2018 By Michael O’Brien Amazing natural beauty, delightful weather, and spectacular sunrises and sunsets were hallmarks of our 2018 Baja cruise aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird . With fascinating wildlife sightings at every turn, and an accomplished and friendly team of naturalists on board, our group had a fun-filled, relaxing, and educational vacation. Our adventure began among massive white sand dunes, mangrove thickets, and tranquil waters of Magdalena Bay on the Pacific side of the peninsula. The shallow bays and waterways here are famous for their concentrations of Gray Whales, which gather here in winter to raise their calves, protected from Killer Whales, which stay in deeper offshore waters. We found several mothers with newborn calves and had many wonderful encounters, sometimes just a few feet from our Zodiacs! Although newborn Gray Whales average sixteen feet long and weigh a full ton, they are comical to watch as they learn how to swim, often surfacing awkwardly and tumbling in the process. Aside from Gray Whales, Magdalena Bay offered an amazing abundance and diversity of birdlife. A walk along the dune-mangrove interface yielded an interesting array of land birds, including “Mangrove” Yellow Warbler, Lark Bunting, and both “Belding’s” and “Large-billed” Savannah Sparrows (two subspecies that occur primarily in southern California and Baja). The shores of Magdalena Island were packed with sandpipers and plovers, offering a wonderful class on shorebird ID. Some highlights included American Oystercatcher, Snowy and Wilson’s plovers, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, and every “peep” in the book! Ever-present pelicans and frigatebirds, and a nice variety of herons, loons, grebes, and cormorants rounded out a very birdy first segment to our cruise. Gray Whale © Michael O’Brien Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Baja California & Sea of Cortez, 2018 Upon entering the Pacific at La Entrada, we immediately encountered a different mix of birds. The gull population switched from mainly Westerns in Magdalena Bay to mainly Californias offshore. A Parasitic Jaeger chasing a Royal Tern right off the bow was our first clue that habitats were changing. Soon we ran into numerous Black-vented Shearwaters, a species that breeds only in Baja. As we headed south, we also saw several Red Phalaropes and a cooperative pair of Craveri’s Murrelets, another Baja endemic breeder. The following morning, we watched a spectacular green flash sunrise at Land’s End, and spent the afternoon continuing to explore the Pacific at Gorda Banks. The main attraction here was Humpback Whales, and we had fabulous encounters with them as they breeched, lunged, and pectoral slapped right in front of the boat! When our attention wasn’t focused on whales, we found a few more seabirds including Red-billed Tropicbird. Craveri’s Murrelet © Michael O’Brien Our birdiest outing on land was a morning walk at Estero San Jose, a small estuary running through San Jose Del Cabo. This is one of the premier birding localities in southern Baja, and is famous for attracting a wide diversity of migrants, including more than its share of rarities. The star attraction of our visit was the endemic Belding’s Yellowthroat, which we saw well as it peered out of the reeds alongside the more numerous Common Yellowthroats. The estuary also held numerous waterbirds including Blue-winged and Cinnamon teal, several species of herons and egrets, and several species of shorebirds. But much of our time was spent sifting through flocks of wintering songbirds, including Palm Warbler and Orchard Oriole (both local rarities) among more expected Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, and Wilson’s warblers, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Hooded Oriole. We were also particularly pleased to find Gilded Flicker, a range-restricted species occurring only in northwest Mexico and southwest U.S. The last segment of our cruise was an exploration of the Sea of Cortez and its numerous offshore islands. When we awoke in flat calm waters off Isla Espiritu Santo, we had our Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Baja California & Sea of Cortez, 2018 first encounters with Yellow-footed Gull, another endemic Baja breeder, practically confined to the Sea of Cortez. In addition to a new mix of gulls, we found ourselves surrounded by Eared Grebes, packed tightly into large rafts of 50+ birds. Our walks on this island gave us a nice snapshot of the flora and fauna of the Baja desert. Among giant cardon cacti (the largest cactus in the world), we found Gila and Ladder-backed woodpeckers, Gray and Ash-throated flycatchers, California Gnatcatcher (a near-endemic to Baja), Green-tailed Towhee, and Black-throated Sparrow. A beach barbecue under star-filled skies couldn’t have been a more pleasant way to end our day on this beautiful island. We found a similar mix of birds the next morning at Isla San Francisco, plus unusually high numbers of Craveri’s Murrelets offshore. Our last afternoon was spent at Los Islotes, a pair of tiny islands that attract good numbers of seabirds and many California Sea Lions. Snorkeling here brought us up-close to the playful sea lions and a whole world of tropical fish. Cruising in Zodiacs proved a great way to see seabirds, including Red-billed Tropicbird, Blue-footed and Brown boobies, and many frigatebirds, pelicans, Yellow-footed Gulls, and a pair of Wandering Tattlers. As a grand finale, we finished our cruise at sunset among dozens of Chilean Eagle Rays repeatedly leaping out of the water—just spectacular! Baja sunrise © Michael O’Brien ITINERARY: Jan 19: Arrivals in Cabo San Lucas and transfer to La Paz; night at CostaBaja Resort & Spa. Jan 20: CostaBaja Resort & Spa; lunch at Il Rustico in La Paz; transfer to San Carlos and board the Sea Bird . Jan 21: Morning in Magdalena Bay including a walk at Sand Dollar Beach; transit north through Hull Canal to Estero los Titeres. Jan 22: All day anchored in Hull Canal at Estero los Titeres; Zodiac cruises to view Gray Whales; hikes on Magdalena Island. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Baja California & Sea of Cortez, 2018 Jan 23: Morning Zodiac cruises to view Gray Whales at Estero los Titeres; transit south through Hull Canal to Magdalena Bay; exit La Entrada about 3:30 pm and continue southeast into the Pacific Ocean off Santa Margarita Island. Jan 24: Sunrise (w/green flash!) off tip of Baja at Land’s End; morning docked at La Playa; bus ride to shopping at San Jose del Cabo and birding at Estero San Jose; afternoon cruising around the Gorda Banks sea mount to view Humpback Whales. Jan 25: All day at Isla Ispiritu Santo: morning walks, kayaking, and snorkeling at Punta Dispensa; afternoon hikes and evening beach barbecue at Bahia Bonanza. Jan 26: Another green flash sunrise! Morning walks, kayaking, and paddle boarding at Isla San Francisco; afternoon snorkeling, kayaking, and Zodiac cruises at Los Islotes. Jan 27: Early morning docked at La Paz; 8 am disembark and transfer to airport at Cabo San Lucas for departing flights. Isla Ispiritu Santo © Michael O’Brien KEY TO SPECIES LISTS: Estero=Estero San José MB=Magdalena Bay Regional specialties are underlined Regional rarities are in ALL CAPS BIRDS WATERFOWL (Anatidae) Brant (Branta bernicla ) – Several small groups in Hull Canal; these were of Pacific coast “Black” Brant ( B. b. nigricans ). Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors ) – Numerous at Estero. Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera ) – Numerous at Estero. Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator ) – Several at Hull Canal. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Baja California & Sea of Cortez, 2018 GREBES (Podicipedidae) Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis ) – Seen at several locations including large rafts near La Entrada and off Espiritu Santo. Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis ) – A few in Hull Canal. PIGEONS & DOVES (Columbidae) Rock Pigeon (Columba livia ) – Numerous in La Paz and Constitucion. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto ) – Numerous around La Paz. White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica ) – Numerous around San Jose del Cabo and La Paz. Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina ) – Several at Estero and La Paz. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura ) – Four at Estero. HUMMINGBIRDS (Trochilidae) Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae ) – A few seen any time we were in desert habitat, including at La Paz, Estero, Punta Dispensa, and Isla San Francisco. RAILS, GALLINULES, & COOTS (Rallidae) American Coot (Fulica americana ) – Several at Estero. OYSTERCATCHERS (Haematopodidae) American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus ) – Seen at several locations, including La Paz, Sand Dollar Beach, Isla Espiritu Santo, and Isla San Francisco. PLOVERS & LAPWINGS (Charadriidae) Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola ) – Several flocks between Sand Dollar Beach and Hull Canal. Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus ) – One at Magdalena Island. Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia ) – 12 at Magdalena Island. Wilson’s Plover © Michael O’Brien Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus ) – Several at San Carlos and Estero. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus ) – Two at Estero. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Baja California & Sea of Cortez, 2018 SANDPIPERS & ALLIES (Scolopacidae) Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus ) – A few at La Paz and Sand Dollar Beach; numerous along Hull Canal. Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus ) – Several around MB and Hull Canal. Long-billed Curlew © Michael O’Brien Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa ) – A few in La Paz and numerous around MB. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres ) – One at Sand Dollar Beach. Red Knot (Calidris canutus ) – One at Sand Dollar Beach. Sanderling (Calidris alba ) – Large flocks at Sand Dollar Beach. Dunlin (Calidris alpina ) – Small numbers at Sand Dollar Beach and Hull Canal.
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