Sonora: Puerto Peñasco
August 11, 2010
Visiting Inner Harbor, Malecon, Rocky Beach, Cholla estuary, Cholla point, Laguna del Mar ponds.
Ganley, S. 2006. Checklist of Birds from the Puerto Peñasco Region, Sonora, Mexico. Privately publ.
Russell, S., and G. Monson. 1998. The Birds of Sonora. Tucson: U Arizona P.
(along the way, but not in Puerto Peñasco)
Mallard: ca. 15 at Laguna del Mar, all Northern Mallards.
Red-breasted Merganser: 1 female-plumaged individual at Laguna del Mar. Russell and Monson list June and September dates for birds outside of the usual winter period.
(Gambel’s Quail): Arizona
Common Loon: 3, all basic-plumaged. According to Russell and Monson, six in early July 1976 were “astonishing.” Ganley says that “some individuals” can be found from late July on.
Eared Grebe: 3-4, all adults. The earliest autumn date in Russell and Monson is August 22. Ganley calls the species “common most of the year,” and gives an August high count of 36.
Black-vented Shearwater: total ca. 15.
Black Storm-Petrel: total ca. 5.
Least Storm-Petrel: 2 from Cholla point. Russell and Monson have no reports for summer. Ganley notes records of 30 in late July and 8 in mid-August.
Blue-footed Booby: 163. Russell and Monson suggest that larger numbers are found in coastal Sonora only starting in September. The highest count cited by Ganley (about 150) is from mid-August.
Brown Booby: vastly outnumbered by Blue-footed Booby; total about 25. Russell and Monson call this species “uncommon” from shore in summer.
Brown Pelican: 105.
Double-crested Cormorant: total ca. 35.
Magnificent Frigatebird: 1 juvenile.
Great Blue Heron: total ca. 40.
Snowy Egret: total ca. 25.
Reddish Egret: 1 adult at head of Cholla estuary.
(Black Vulture): Arizona and Sonora.
Turkey Vulture: common.
Osprey: 13.
(Red-tailed Hawk): Arizona and Sonora, total ca. 20.
(Harris’s Hawk): Arizona.
(Crested Caracara): two east of Sells, Arizona.
American Kestrel: total ca. 6, only one at Puerto Peñasco.
American Coot: 1 at Laguna del Mar.
American Oystercatcher: 3 at Laguna del Mar.
Black-bellied Plover: 32, most adults.
Snowy Plover: as many as 11 at once at Cholla estuary, day’s total approaching 20.
Semipalmated Plover: 13.
Wilson’s Plover: ca. 8, including at least one juvenile.
Killdeer: ca. 6 at Laguna del Mar.
Black-necked Stilt: ca. 18 at Laguna del Mar. Russell and Monson give the earliest fall date as August 27, with an outlying date of July 25. Ganley cites flocks of 60-100 in July and August.
Spotted Sandpiper: total 7.
Wandering Tattler: 2 at Cholla point. Russell and Monson give September 3 as the earliest fall record. Ganley lists an August maximum of 8. (I didn’t get to see these two birds, alas.)
Willet: 41.
Lesser Yellowlegs: 1 in inner harbor. Russell and Monson class this bird as “rare” in Sonora. Ganley’s high count for August is 15.
Whimbrel: total ca. 10.
Long-billed Curlew: 24.
Marbled Godwit: 41.
Ruddy Turnstone: 14 at Laguna del Mar.
Surfbird: 3 adults on Rocky Beach. Russell and Monson give the earliest fall date as September 3. Ganley lists three dates in July and August.
Western Sandpiper: 3 at Cholla estuary.
Least Sandpiper: 36 at Cholla estuary.
Heermann’s Gull: common, ca. 80.
Ring-billed Gull: ca. 15 at Cholla estuary, nearly all second-year birds, with at least one adult. The only larger number recorded for summer in Russell and Monson is 49 on June 23. Ganley lists a flock of 6-7 in late July.
California Gull: 2 juveniles, one second-year at Cholla estuary. Russell and Monson give October as the usual autumn arrival. Ganley lists one late July date.
Yellow-footed Gull: ca. 230, nearly all adults.
Least Tern: total ca. 8.
Caspian Tern: 1 adult at Laguna del Mar.
Royal Tern: total ca. 10.
Black Tern: scattered throughout, total ca. 16.
Common Tern: the most abundant tern, total ca. 50. Russell and Monson cite only 19 records of this species for Sonora.
Forster’s Tern: 1 at head of Cholla estuary. Russell and Monson give no August dates for this species.
Elegant Tern: 1 at Rocky Beach. Russell and Monson consider the species rare as far north as Puerto Peñasco. Ganley lists records from January to July and October to November, with counts as high as 20.
Rock Pigeon: common.
Eurasian Collared-Dove: common. Neither Ganley nor Russell and Monson list this species for Puerto Peñasco, though they have been present and common for most of a decade.
(White-winged Dove): Arizona and Sonora.
Mourning Dove: total at Puerto Peñasco ca. 25, nearly all of them at Laguna del Mar.
Inca Dove: 1.
(Common Ground-Dove): Arizona.
(Lesser Nighthawk): Arizona.
(owl sp.): Arizona. Struck as as medium-sized as it flew across the road near Kitt Peak; odd habitat at this season if it was really a Long-eared, my first impression.
Belted Kingfisher: 1 at Laguna del Mar. Russell and Monson give the earliest autumn date for Sonora as September 1. Ganley’s earliest dates at August 19 and 21.
(Gila Woodpecker): Sonora and Arizona.
(Brown-crested Flycatcher): Arizona.
Western Kingbird: only 1 or 2 at the north edge of Puerto Peñasco, otherwise very common in Sonora and Arizona.
Loggerhead Shrike: 2.
Common Raven: common.
Horned Lark: ca. 45 in total at Laguna del Mar, including juveniles. Russell and Monson record observations of juveniles in northwestern Sonora only in March and April, in only four years. Ganley’s high count for August is 12.
(Purple Martin): Arizona.
Tree Swallow: 2 at Laguna del Mar.
Barn Swallow: 4 at Cholla estuary.
(Verdin): Arizona.
Northern Mockingbird: small numbers throughout.
(Curve-billed Thrasher): Arizona.
(Lark Sparrow): Arizona.
Large-billed (Savannah) Sparrow: impressive numbers and good views at Cholla estuary and Cholla point; total ca. 33.
Great-tailed Grackle: common.
(Hooded Oriole): Arizona.
House Finch: total at Puerto Peñasco less than 10.
House Sparrow: common on the Malecon.
