2-3 October 1998
by Steve Ganley
On October 2nd and 3rd Jay Taylor, Jay Withgott and Steve Ganley made a short trip to Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico. This location is on the Sea of Cortez about a 4-hour drive from both Phoenix and Tucson.
The weather was perfect on the 2nd and we found about 125 species for the day. On the 3rd, a strong wind came up that was strong enough to cancel our boat trip out to the Islas San Jorge. We repeated our efforts of the previous day, but with the wind we found only about 10 species not already seen.
The drive between the border and Puerto Penasco is about 90 km. We made a stop in an area that has held a winter flock of Mountain Plover. There were no Plovers found. We were either to early or because of all of the rain the grass was to high for the birds to use. When we arrived in town we birded the following areas: The Harbor area, Fish Market, Shrimp Pond, Sewage Ponds, Estero, Cholla Bay, Pelican Point and Sandy Beach.
The best bird of the trip was the Blackpole Warbler found at the old sewage ponds. This may be the first record for Sonora. Other good for the area birds were Stilt Sandpiper and a Sabine's Gull.
Here is the full trip list for birds seen in Mexico. There were other birds found just across the border in Arizona at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. These included Scott's Oriole, Poorwill, Great Horned Owl and Western Tanager.
Sonoita to Puerto Penasco, Hwy 8, Sonora, Mexico Oct. 2-3, 1998
Common
Loon
Gavia immer
Pied-billed
Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
Eared
Grebe
Podiceps nigricollis
Black
Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma melania
Blue-footed
Booby
Sula nebouxii
Brown
Booby
Sula leucogaster
Brown
Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Double-crested
Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Magnificent
Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Great Blue
Heron
Ardea herodias
Great
Egret
Ardea alba
Snowy
Egret
Egretta thula
Reddish
Egret
Egretta rufescens
Cattle
Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Green
Heron
Butorides virescens
Black-crowned
Night-Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Turkey
Vulture
Cathartes aura
American
Wigeon
Anas americana
Cinnamon
Teal
Anas cyanoptera
Northern
Shoveler
Anas clypeata
Northern
Pintail
Anas acuta
Green-winged
Teal
Anas crecca
Redhead
Aythya americana
Red-breasted
Merganser
Mergus serrator
Ruddy
Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Northern
Harrier
Circus cyaneus
Sharp-shinned
Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Red-tailed
Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Merlin
Falco columbarius
Gambel's
Quail
Callipepla gambelii
American
Coot
Fulica americana
Black-bellied
Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Snowy
Plover
Charadrius alexandrinus
Wilson's
Plover
Charadrius wilsonia
Semipalmated
Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
American
Oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatus
Black-necked
Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
American
Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
Greater
Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Lesser
Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Willet
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
Spotted
Sandpiper
Tringa macularia
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Long-billed
Curlew
Numenius americanus
Marbled
Godwit
Limosa fedoa
Ruddy
Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
Black
Turnstone
Arenaria melanocephala
Surfbird
Aphriza virgata
Red
Knot
Calidris canutus
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Western
Sandpiper
Calidris mauri
Least
Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Stilt
Sandpiper
Micropalama himantopus
Short-billed
Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Long-billed
Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Wilson's
Phalarope
Steganopus tricolor
Red-necked
Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatus
Laughing
Gull
Larus atricilla
Heermann's
Gull
Larus heermanni
Ring-billed
Gull
Larus delawarensis
California
Gull
Larus californicus
Yellow-footed
Gull
Larus livens
Sabine's
Gull
Xema sabini
Caspian
Tern
Sterna caspia
Royal
Tern
Sterna maxima
Elegant
Tern
Sterna elegans
Common
Tern
Sterna hirundo
Forster's
Tern
Sterna forsteri
Least
Tern
Sterna antillarum
Black
Tern
Chlidonias niger
Rock
Dove
Columba livia
White-winged
Dove
Zenaida asiatica
Mourning
Dove
Zenaida macroura
Inca
Dove
Columbina inca
Common
Ground-Dove
Columbina passerina
Lesser
Nighthawk
Chordeiles acutipennis
Anna's
Hummingbird
Calypte anna
Belted
Kingfisher
Ceryle alcyon
Gila
Woodpecker
Melanerpes uropygialis
Western
Wood-Pewee
Contopus sordidulus
Gray
Flycatcher
Empidonax wrightii
Pacific-slope
Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis
Black
Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Say's
Phoebe
Sayornis saya
Vermilion
Flycatcher
Pyrocephalus rubinus
Brown-crested
Flycatcher
Myiarchus tyrannulus
Western
Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalis
Loggerhead
Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus
Warbling
Vireo
Vireo gilvus
Common
Raven
Corvus corax
Horned
Lark
Eremophila alpestris
Tree
Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Northern Rough-winged
Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Cliff
Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Barn
Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Verdin
Auriparus flaviceps
Cactus
Wren
Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Rock
Wren
Salpinctes obsoletus
Bewick's
Wren
Thryomanes bewickii
House
Wren
Troglodytes aedon
Ruby-crowned
Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Black-tailed
Gnatcatcher
Polioptila melanura
Northern
Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Curve-billed
Thrasher
Toxostoma curvirostre
Crissal
Thrasher
Toxostoma crissale
European
Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Phainopepla
Phainopepla nitens
Orange-crowned
Warbler
Vermivora celata
Nashville
Warbler
Vermivora ruficapilla
Yellow
Warbler
Dendroica petechia
Yellow-rumped
Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Black-throated Gray
Warbler
Dendroica nigrescens
Townsend's
Warbler
Dendroica townsendi
Blackpoll
Warbler
Dendroica striata
MacGillivray's
Warbler
Oporornis tolmiei
Common
Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Wilson's
Warbler
Wilsonia pusilla
Green-tailed
Towhee
Pipilo chlorurus
Canyon
Towhee
Pipilo fuscus
Brewer's
Sparrow
Spizella breweri
Vesper
Sparrow
Pooecetes gramineus
Black-throated
Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
Savannah
Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
Lincoln's
Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
White-crowned
Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Black-headed
Grosbeak
Pheucticus melanocephalus
Blue
Grosbeak
Guiraca caerulea
Lazuli
Bunting
Passerina amoena
Yellow-headed
Blackbird
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
Brewer's
Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
Great-tailed
Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
House
Finch
Carpodacus mexicanus
House
Sparrow
Passer domesticus
Steve Ganley
sganley@Primenet.com
Mesa, Arizona
602 830-5538