Photo ABCs

Polo's Fine Art Gallery: Rosarito Beach

Exciting news!

Yesterday I dropped off photographs at Polo's Fine Art Gallery in Popotla, the art and furniture neighborhood south of Rosarito Beach in Baja California.

The gallery, established in 1990, is a showroom of regional art by dozens of talented artists, including the owner, Polo Valencia, and other local artists such of Becris Armando.

The walls are chock-full of art from floor to ceiling. It is not a "stuffy" formal gallery, rather a celebration of the vibrant regional art scene and the colors of Mexico.

Here is Polo hanging my work "Eleven Turkey Vultures" which was photographed south of San Felipe, in Baja California.

Above it is a photograph from my recent trip to Mexico City for Day of the Dead.

Polo's Gallery is located at kilometer 33 of the free road from Tijuana to Ensenada, across the street from Xploration Studios where the movie Titanic was filmed. Polo has stories of various movie stars who have purchased art at his gallery. If you visit the fun town of Rosarito, or are on your way to or from Ensenada, stop by Polo's Fine Art Gallery!

Hotel Jardines, San Quintin: Birds

Hotel Jardines' gardens attract a multitude of birds.

Their feeders attract a horde of House Sparrows:

Female House Sparrow:

Eurasian Collared-Dove:

Common Ground-Dove:

Black Phoebe:

Anna's Hummingbird:

Anna's Hummingbird:

Cassin's Kingbird:

On each of my four visits to this property, I have seen at least one Hooded Oriole. On this visit, though, I only saw a female, and was not able to get a photograph.

Hotel Jardines, San Quintin

San Quintin, Baja California, lies about 185 miles south of the border.

The town is home to a huge, well protected bay, and was originally settled by the British in the 1880's. A large millstone and other artifacts from this settlement are seen by the harbor.

One of the hidden jewels of San Quintin is Hotel Jardines (Garden Hotel). This hotel lives up to its name. The owners have transformed a large barren plot of land into an oasis of flowers and fruit trees.

Here are a few of the many flowers found on the property, all but one photographed with portrait mode on the iPhone.

Mexican Plumeria:

Another Plumeria:

Day Lily:

Lantana:

Amaryllis:

Purple Orchid Tree:

Camalú, continued

Photos from earlier visits to Camalú, Baja California, in August 2017, and April 2018.

I saw many California Gnatcatchers on my first visit, but not since then:

Cactus Wren, definitely in its element:

Another:

Bewick's Wren:

Ladder-backed Woodpecker:

Loggerhead Shrike:

California Towhee:

Black Turnstone (which, of course, is really brown!):

Camalú

I first stayed in Camalú, Baja California, in 2017, needing a place to stay on the way home from Meling Ranch and San Pedro Mártir National Park.

Though it is out-of-the-way, it is a popular spot for off-road and motorcycle enthusiasts.

When I first arrived, I noticed that the cactus habitat around the hotel would be ideal for the Gray Thrasher, one of Baja's endemic bird species. My hunch proved correct, as I found plenty of Gray Thrashers on that visit, as well as subsequent visits.

Here are some photos from a visit in August of this year:

Gray Thrashers:

California Thrasher:

San Pedro Mártir: California Condors

Baja California's San Pedro Mártir National Park is one site where California Condors have been re-introduced as part of the ongoing captive breeding program. (the others being southern and central California, and Arizona).

There are approximately forty condors in the park.

I have looked for the condors during each of my visits.

On four visits, I had no luck. During my visit in August, 2017, I spotted about a dozen condors, in two locations west of the park entrance.

Each California Condor released into the wild has wing identification tags.

Here are a few of the birds:

Note the horizontal position of the wings. This is the easiest way to distinguish a condor from a Turkey Vulture, which holds its wings in a V-shape. The condor is also twice as large!

Seeing a California Condor in the wild is breathtaking. The scientists who have made a success of the captive breeding program deserve our thanks!

A Turkey Vulture, for comparison. Note the black and white pattern on the wings is the opposite of the condor's. Photographed in San Pedro Mártir in May, 2018:

A Zone-tailed Hawk, photographed near the entrance to the park in May, 2018. Note the pattern in the wings is similar to the Turkey Vulture's. The Zone-tailed Hawk is often seen soaring with Turkey Vultures, as prey animals are not frightened of Turkey Vultures. An example of "wolf-in-sheep's clothing" mimicry.

Looking west from San Pedro Mártir after sunset:

San Pedro Mártir, continued

More photos from August, 2017.

The Mearn's Squirrel is a subspecies of the Douglas's Squirrel, and is found only in Northern Baja California. It may be endangered.

Here is one in San Pedro Mártir National Park near one of the watering troughs at Aguaje del Burro.

A Coyote:

Another:

Western Bluebird:

There were no canyons nearby, yet this Canyon Wren approached, preceded by its beautiful descending song:

A female Black-headed Grosbeak:

White-breasted Nuthatch:

Orange-crowned Warbler:

Pine Siskin:

Dark-eyed Junco:

Rufous Hummingbird:

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San Pedro Mártir: More Photos Over The Years

Cattle still graze the meadows of Baja's San Pedro Mártir National Park during the summer.

Often they will head down this dirt road to Aguaje del Burro (Burro's Watering Hole) to sate their thirst:

It was quite active during my visit in August 2017:

This trough can be active with birds, depending on its water level. It was quite active during my visit in August, 2017, less so in August of this year, since there was little water  

I placed some perches around the trough, hoping birds would land on them prior to drinking or bathing.

A Red Crossbill takes a drink:

Another takes a look around. I like the patchwork of pigment on this bird, it is probably a male losing its streaky, yellow, juvenile plumage, and gaining its red, adult plumage.

Another lands on one of the perches:

A Pygmy Nuthatch comes to drink:

More Pygmy Nuthatches:

This poor White-breasted Nuthatch fell in while drinking, and could not get out:

When I realized its predicament, I helped it out.

San Pedro Mártir: From the Archives

I have visited San Pedro Mártir five times over the last ten years.

Here are photos from previous trips.

A California Quail, one of a multitude seen while driving the highway up to the park (August, 2017):

San Pedro Mártir National Park is home to Mexico's National Astronomical Observatory, built in 1971.

During my first visit in August, 2011, (normal times!), we were able to tour the inside of the observatory as well as walk on the catwalk (not for those afraid of heights!) It is not currently open for visitors.

More birds.

A Pinyon Jay, August, 2011:

This PInyon Jay was single-handedly (beakedly?) destroying some of the material on the side of the cabin I was staying in, in August, 2017:

A Pinyon Jay silhouette, (August 2017):

Western Wood-Pewee, July 2011:

Dark-eyed Junco, July 2011:

A juvenile Western Bluebird (August 2017):

More to follow tomorrow!

San Pedro Mártir: More Birds

In Baja's San Pedro Mártir National Park, there is only one convenient water source for birds which is also easily accessible by visitors. It's called Aguaje del Burro, which means Watering Trough For Burros. It consists, (guess!) of two watering troughs, about 50 yards apart, one of which is covered by a gradually disintegrating structure. Burros no longer come to these troughs, but cattle, which are still allowed to graze in the park, will sometimes visit.

If you sit quietly by these sources of water, birds will come near.

Here are a few photographed one day in August of this year:

Pygmy Nuthatch:

Another:

Mountain Chickadee:

Dark-eyed Junco:

Pine Siskin:

While there were many dozens of Pinyon Jays flying through the area, only this one came close enough for a not-so-great photo: