Cape Region
Our pre-dawn treat was to wake up at Land’s End, the very southern tip of the fabled Baja Peninsula. Granitic rock arches, cliffs and sandy beaches linked this rugged landscape. Brown Boobies, cormorants and frigatebirds clung to the precipitous cliffs, a Peregrine Falcon stood sentinel on a towering pinnacle; a breathtaking way to start the day.
After breakfast, we disembarked at the small town of San Jose del Cabo. Most of us blended birding and shopping. As both areas were right next to one another we could stroll casually into town after birding.
The southern area of Baja is so isolated that three different endemic birds, as in not found anywhere else in the world, reside here: the Gray Thrasher, Xantus’s Hummingbird and Belding’s Yellowthroat, a marsh dwelling warbler. The area we were birding in this morning had all three, and we were keen to see them all. We missed the Thrasher but that did not dampen our spirits, as we located both the hummingbird and the warbler. The hummingbird was named after John Xantus, who was stationed by the United States Government as a tidal observer in the 1860’s.
The secretive Belding’s Yellowthroat was captured on tape by our videographer. Two field marks separating this species from the Common Yellowthroat are the beautiful lemon yellow that circles the black face and its larger size. Remarkably, this species has evolved into two subspecies; we believe this one is the southern ‘Beldingi.’ Today was not the day for this ’looker’ to the hide in the reeds. With patience a number of us added this rare bird to our life list.
After lunch we headed for the area of Gorda Banks. Here we spotted many Humpback whales, including a troop of males courting a female. The seas parted in their hot pursuit for ‘love’ at the Cape. Our great day ended with ‘whales at sunset.’ Wow what a day!
Our pre-dawn treat was to wake up at Land’s End, the very southern tip of the fabled Baja Peninsula. Granitic rock arches, cliffs and sandy beaches linked this rugged landscape. Brown Boobies, cormorants and frigatebirds clung to the precipitous cliffs, a Peregrine Falcon stood sentinel on a towering pinnacle; a breathtaking way to start the day.
After breakfast, we disembarked at the small town of San Jose del Cabo. Most of us blended birding and shopping. As both areas were right next to one another we could stroll casually into town after birding.
The southern area of Baja is so isolated that three different endemic birds, as in not found anywhere else in the world, reside here: the Gray Thrasher, Xantus’s Hummingbird and Belding’s Yellowthroat, a marsh dwelling warbler. The area we were birding in this morning had all three, and we were keen to see them all. We missed the Thrasher but that did not dampen our spirits, as we located both the hummingbird and the warbler. The hummingbird was named after John Xantus, who was stationed by the United States Government as a tidal observer in the 1860’s.
The secretive Belding’s Yellowthroat was captured on tape by our videographer. Two field marks separating this species from the Common Yellowthroat are the beautiful lemon yellow that circles the black face and its larger size. Remarkably, this species has evolved into two subspecies; we believe this one is the southern ‘Beldingi.’ Today was not the day for this ’looker’ to the hide in the reeds. With patience a number of us added this rare bird to our life list.
After lunch we headed for the area of Gorda Banks. Here we spotted many Humpback whales, including a troop of males courting a female. The seas parted in their hot pursuit for ‘love’ at the Cape. Our great day ended with ‘whales at sunset.’ Wow what a day!
