Waterbirds at San José del Cabo Estuary

Face-to-face with a Common Gallinule
(Photos by Narca)

As a RAMSAR wetland of international importance, the San José del Cabo Estuary supports a wide range of water-dependent birds, ranging from that quintessential fisherman, the Osprey, to ibis, shorebirds, herons, ducks.

An Osprey in late afternoon light

We find the usual suspects for such a locale.

An immature Double-crested Cormorant, sporting orange lores

 

Reflections are lovely around this female Ruddy Duck.
 
Black-crowned Night-Herons quietly hunker down at the water’s edge.
 
A graceful Great Egret leaps into the air.
 
A few Spotted Sandpipers still linger into early May.

 

A very tame American Coot

 

A few yearling White-faced Ibis forage here, 
probably not yet ready to head north to breed.

 

An immature California Gull, one of many
 
The bulk of the hundreds of gulls are immature California Gulls, also not yet old enough to head north to their breeding grounds. Might as well lounge on the beaches of Baja!