Time is getting short

My time here in La Paz, and here on the Baja is getting very short. In  less than a week from today, Jeanne and I will hook up "Eagle Nest" our 32 foot 5th wheel trailer and start our journey not only north towards the US, but to our future. We plan on taking 5-6 days to make the drive to the Mexico/US border, making a few stops along the way, in some of the areas birding hotspots. In addition, we have been getting some very nasty reports of road conditions that are beyond bad. So, we will go slow, enjoy the drive, smell a few roses along the way. After our world travels, we will be back on the US late July, and with no plan what so ever, begin to truly wander.

The bird count for this year has continued to grow, but at a much slower pace. Wrapping up our work obligations has really cut into the time I have had to go to the field. As of Tuesday night, I am up to 122 species, with quite a few that I had expected to get by now, eluding me. A couple of sparrows, Scotts Oriole and the Ladder-backed Woodpecker, just a name a couple that I hope to get before we are on the road.

A quick trip down to La Ventanna got me a few birds, Loggerhead Shrike, Gray Thrasher, an the Gilded Flicker. Here are a couple pics of the highlights from La Ventanna.

Here is a shot of the Ash-throated Flycatcher from that afternoon

This is the Loggerhead Shrike that flew right up to the truck just as I got out.

This is a Northern Mockingbird...

Not the most common of our woodpecker, it was very nice to see this beautiful Gilded Flicker

This year we have had more Cassin's Kingbirds that I ever remember.

This weeks post on 10000 Birds

If you get a chance, check out this weeks posting on 10000 Birds.com We had a visit here in La Paz from a pretty rare bird, a Black-throated Magpie Jay. A big blue bird, with an incredible tail.

http://www.10000birds.com/a-flashy-blue-surprise.htm

Updated count page

I am dropping in the newest count sheet for my year to date. I will get some of the pics from this last week posted tomorrow. As I had figured, the pace was going to slow a bit after that first day, but it is still growing and there are quite a few basic birds that for some reason have eluded me.

1 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis 2 Blue-winged Teal - Spatula discors 3 Cinnamon Teal - Spatula cyanoptera 4 Northern Shoveler - Spatula clypeata 5 American Wigeon - Mareca americana 6 Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 7 Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca 8 Redhead - Aythya americana 9 Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris 10 Lesser Scaup - Aythya affinis 11 Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis 12 California Quail - Callipepla californica 13 Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps 14 Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis 15 Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens 16 Brown Booby - Sula leucogaster 17 Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 18 American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos 19 Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis 20 Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 21 Great Egret - Ardea alba 22 Snowy Egret - Egretta thula 23 Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea 24 Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor 25 Reddish Egret - Egretta rufescens 26 Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis 27 Green Heron - Butorides virescens 28 Black-crowned Night-Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax 29 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea 30 White Ibis - Eudocimus albus 31 White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi 32 Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 33 Osprey - Pandion haliaetus 34 Harris's Hawk - Parabuteo unicinctus 35 Zone-tailed Hawk - Buteo albonotatus 36 Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 37 Ridgway's Rail - Rallus obsoletus 38 American Coot - Fulica americana 39 Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus 40 American Avocet - Recurvirostra americana 41 American Oystercatcher - Haematopus palliatus 42 Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola 43 Wilson's Plover - Charadrius wilsonia 44 Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus 45 Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 46 Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus 47 Long-billed Curlew - Numenius americanus 48 Marbled Godwit - Limosa fedoa 49 Sanderling - Calidris alba 50 Dunlin - Calidris alpina 51 Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla 52 Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri 53 Long-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus scolopaceus 54 Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius 55 Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca 56 Willet - Tringa semipalmata 57 Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes 58 Bonaparte's Gull - Chroicocephalus philadelphia 59 Heermann's Gull - Larus heermanni 60 Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 61 Western Gull - Larus occidentalis 62 Yellow-footed Gull - Larus livens 63 Gull-billed Tern - Gelochelidon nilotica 64 Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia 65 Forster's Tern - Sterna forsteri 66 Royal Tern - Thalasseus maximus 67 Black Skimmer - Rynchops niger 68 Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 69 Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto 70 Common Ground-Dove - Columbina passerina 71 White-winged Dove - Zenaida asiatica 72 Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 73 Greater Roadrunner - Geococcyx californianus 74 Great Horned Owl - Bubo virginianus 75 Costa's Hummingbird - Calypte costae 76 Xantus's Hummingbird - Hylocharis xantusii 77 Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon 78 Gila Woodpecker - Melanerpes uropygialis 79 Gilded Flicker - Colaptes chrysoides 80 Crested Caracara - Caracara cheriway 81 American Kestrel - Falco sparverius 82 Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus 83 Gray Flycatcher - Empidonax wrightii 84 Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans 85 Vermilion Flycatcher - Pyrocephalus rubinus 86 Ash-throated Flycatcher - Myiarchus cinerascens 87 Cassin's Kingbird - Tyrannus vociferans 88 Western Kingbird - Tyrannus verticalis 89 Loggerhead Shrike - Lanius ludovicianus 90 California Scrub-Jay - Aphelocoma californica 91 Common Raven - Corvus corax 92 Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris 93 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis 94 Verdin - Auriparus flaviceps 95 Cactus Wren - Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus 96 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 97 California Gnatcatcher - Polioptila californica 98 Gray Thrasher - Toxostoma cinereum 99 Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 100 European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 101 American Pipit - Anthus rubescens 102 Phainopepla - Phainopepla nitens 103 Orange-crowned Warbler - Oreothlypis celata 104 Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia 105 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Setophaga coronata 106 Brewer's Sparrow - Spizella breweri 107 Black-throated Sparrow - Amphispiza bilineata 108 Lark Sparrow - Chondestes grammacus 109 Lark Bunting - Calamospiza melanocorys 110 Savannah Sparrow - Passerculus sandwichensis 111 Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 112 Pyrrhuloxia - Cardinalis sinuatus 113 Lazuli Bunting - Passerina amoena 114 Yellow-headed Blackbird - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus 115 Hooded Oriole - Icterus cucullatus 116 Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 117 Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater 118 Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus 119 House Finch - Haemorhous mexicanus 120 House Sparrow - Passer domesticus

10000 Birds story

My every Wednesday story posted on 10000 Birds.com this morning, so just in case you missed it, here is a link. It has some very nice pictures and story about Conquista Agraria, and the birds of the Pacific side of the southern Baja. Here is the link  Click here

The first week is in the books.

Jeanne and I had a great run over to the Pacific Ocean side of the Baja, to Conquista Agraria Sunday morning. We had a beautiful day, light breeze, 82-84 degrees, and bright sunshine. 

I was a bit disappointed by the shorebirds that I was able to find, but the desert species close to the shoreline did not fail to show up. I added 7 more birds to the list, putting my first week at a very respectable 116 species!

The new birds that got on the list, were:

Horned Lark

California Quail

Loggerhead Shrike

Western Gull

Northern Cardinal

Gray Thrasher

Black-throated Sparrow (see below)

This is the local endemic Gray Thrasher

This is a quite unusual bird, inn that I rarely ever get to see one. This is the Large-billed Savannah Sparrow.

Still plugging away

So far, I have made it out birding to some greater or lesser degree every day this first week of 2018. The list is still growing but will certainly be hard to match that break neck speed of the first day. At the end of Saturday night, I stand at 109 species.

Jeanne and I are going to make a run over to the Pacific side of the Baja, to Conquista Agraria. This should yield both some of the shorebirds missing from my list as well as a few desert species.

Much of my time this week has been close in, near the marina. Here are a few of the birds I have found along the water front of La Paz

Tri-colored Heron

White Ibis

Whimbrel

Snowy Egret

Here is the list so far

I had a request (Thanks Ruth) for a peak at the actual list of birds I have seen so far!  So, here it is. I will add this in here every now. I am copying this from my eBird.org posting. This will show them in traditional listing order not by date or location.

1	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis
2	Blue-winged Teal - Spatula discors
3	Cinnamon Teal - Spatula cyanoptera
4	Northern Shoveler - Spatula clypeata
5	Northern Pintail - Anas acuta
6	Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca
7	Redhead - Aythya americana
8	Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris
9	Lesser Scaup - Aythya affinis
10	Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis
11	Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
12	Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis
13	Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens
14	Brown Booby - Sula leucogaster
15	Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus
16	American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
17	Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis
18	Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias
19	Great Egret - Ardea alba
20	Snowy Egret - Egretta thula
21	Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea
22	Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor
23	Reddish Egret - Egretta rufescens
24	Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis
25	Green Heron - Butorides virescens
26	Black-crowned Night-Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax
27	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea
28	White Ibis - Eudocimus albus
29	Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura
30	Osprey - Pandion haliaetus
31	Harris's Hawk - Parabuteo unicinctus
32	Zone-tailed Hawk - Buteo albonotatus
33	Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis
34	Ridgway's Rail - Rallus obsoletus
35	American Coot - Fulica americana
36	Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus
37	American Avocet - Recurvirostra americana
38	Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
39	Wilson's Plover - Charadrius wilsonia
40	Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
41	Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus
42	Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
43	Long-billed Curlew - Numenius americanus
44	Marbled Godwit - Limosa fedoa
45	Sanderling - Calidris alba
46	Dunlin - Calidris alpina
47	Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla
48	Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri
49	Long-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus scolopaceus
50	Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius
51	Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
52	Willet - Tringa semipalmata
53	Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes
54	Bonaparte's Gull - Chroicocephalus philadelphia
55	Heermann's Gull - Larus heermanni
56	Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis
57	Yellow-footed Gull - Larus livens
58	Gull-billed Tern - Gelochelidon nilotica
59	Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia
60	Forster's Tern - Sterna forsteri
61	Royal Tern - Thalasseus maximus
62	Black Skimmer - Rynchops niger
63	Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
64	Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto
65	Common Ground-Dove - Columbina passerina
66	White-winged Dove - Zenaida asiatica
67	Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura
68	Greater Roadrunner - Geococcyx californianus
69	Costa's Hummingbird - Calypte costae
70	Xantus's Hummingbird - Hylocharis xantusii
71	Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon
72	Gila Woodpecker - Melanerpes uropygialis
73	Gilded Flicker - Colaptes chrysoides
74	Crested Caracara - Caracara cheriway
75	American Kestrel - Falco sparverius
76	Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus
77	Gray Flycatcher - Empidonax wrightii
78	Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans
79	Vermilion Flycatcher - Pyrocephalus rubinus
80	Ash-throated Flycatcher - Myiarchus cinerascens
81	Cassin's Kingbird - Tyrannus vociferans
82	California Scrub-Jay - Aphelocoma californica
83	Common Raven - Corvus corax
84	Verdin - Auriparus flaviceps
85	Cactus Wren - Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
86	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea
87	Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos
88	European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
89	American Pipit - Anthus rubescens
90	Phainopepla - Phainopepla nitens
91	Orange-crowned Warbler - Oreothlypis celata
92	Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia
93	Yellow-rumped Warbler - Setophaga coronata
94	Brewer's Sparrow - Spizella breweri
95	Lark Sparrow - Chondestes grammacus
96	Lark Bunting - Calamospiza melanocorys
97	Savannah Sparrow - Passerculus sandwichensis
98	Pyrrhuloxia - Cardinalis sinuatus
99	Lazuli Bunting - Passerina amoena
100	Yellow-headed Blackbird - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
101	Hooded Oriole - Icterus cucullatus
102	Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus
103	Brown-headed Cowbird - Molothrus ater
104	Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus
105	House Finch - Haemorhous mexicanus
106	House Sparrow - Passer domesticus