Last weekend, my work had me driving to the very southern end of the Baja. That gave me Sunday morning off to re-visit the estuary at San Jose Del Cabo for the first time since Hurricane Lidia struck the area. At some later point, I can cover the incredible destruction that this beautiful area was dealt, but today I want to show off the new discovery that I found amongst the damage. My primary purpose for the visit was to see how the Belding’s Yellowthroats had faired. The good news on that front was that I was able to see several of these very endangered birds. The biggest surprise for me, turned out to be several White-collared Seedeaters, Sporophila torqueola doing exactly what their name implies, in the weedy, congested reeds along with the yellowthroats. The White-collared seedeaters have a relatively limited range, with a northern most range, that has them on a rare occasion, seen in the southern parts of Texas. The lower end of their territory is along the coastal areas of mainland Mexico down to Panama. Depending on the bird guide you are referring to, they do, or do not show up on the Baja. In this case, I am going with the “Do” part.

 

Like many of the small birds that inhabit the marsh grass, and dense weedy areas, photos are always a challenge, especially when your time in the field is limited. Most of my photos of the beautiful birds look like the two below. With only 2 hours in the area, I actually saw 5 birds, 3 males and two females.

 

With this photo you can see some of the seeds that they are attracted to.

Written by Tom Brown
Tom Brown grew up in the high desert area of central Oregon. His love for birds and photography started at a young age. Thru the course of time, travel, and a lot of different occupations, he ended up living in Seattle, and met a girl with a sailboat. When he is not scouring whatever area they are in, looking for the next great bird photo, he can be found trying to earn enough money for the next adventure, and of course, a new lens or camera body! Having been nick-named “The Bird Nerd” by his last remaining friends and family, Tom continues search for that next lifer, and the accompanying photo that goes with it. Find his continuing adventures, photographs, and guiding opportunities at Focus on Feathers.