Baja – Mexico

About

Baja California is a state in Mexico, and it comprises the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula. It is an isolated state bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Gulf of California, Sea of Cortez, on the southwest side. Baja California forms part of the Sonoran Desert on the west and is home to harsh desert-like conditions with over 100 species of Cacti, 19 types of agave, ironwood trees, wild figs, conifers, mimosas, and a number of palm trees. Though it also has a range in elevation and environments with mountain ranges, extensive stretches of coastal dunes, and beaches. Much of the flora and fauna found in Baja is also found in California, the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, and west Mexico. Despite some of its more severe environments, Baja boasts around 4,000 plant species, with 700 endemic species. Baja is not known as a birding hotspot due to its accessibility, though that does not stop avid birders! It offers some of the best bird photography and birding with over 400 different species of birds with only 6 endemics to the area. These 6 endemics are the San Lucas Robin, Cape Pygmy Owl, Belding’s Yellowthroat, Gray Thrasher, Baird’s Junco, and the Xantus’s Hummingbird. You can spot these endemic species at the San Jose del Cabo Estuary, a 2,000-acre lagoon on the tip of the peninsula. Other main wildlife reserves in Baja with extensive ecosystems are the Constitution 1857 National Park in the pine forests of the Sierra de Juarez, and Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park, both of which are protected natural areas. Owen traveled to Baja in 2013 and photographed the Xantus’s Hummingbird, Gray Thrasher, Gila Woodpecker, Cactus Wren, Costa’s Hummingbird, and many others.