Mexico - Day 3 - 10 Nov 2008

Magnificent Cabo! As in Frigatebirds! On this bright and sunny Monday morning our cruise ship would not reach its first port (Cabo San Lucas) until ~11 am. So, after a buffet breakfast I grabbed the scope and camera and headed down to Deck 7 toward the front of the ship. The southern tip of of the Baja Peninsula was ahead and we were finally close enough to see shoreline in the distance. Sure enough, my first 'Mexico' bird was a female Magnificent Frigatebird that soared right over the ship and within camera distance. She made several circling passes before heading off for better fishing grounds. Through the Nikon ED50 Fieldscope, which I opted to take on this trip (for portability) I managed to spot several more Frigatebirds soaring along the approching shoreline.

As we neared shore several Humpback Whales spouted and rolled, but were several hundred yards out. This was the best I could do at getting a whale.... A possible Brown Booby flew past, but was too far to positively ID.

The ship's inhabitants made their way onto the deck as we neared the very tip of the peninsula at Land's End. 

The fabled arch came into view, and as we passed it I scoped several more Frigatebirds, Turkey Vultures, Brown Pelicans and Brandt's Cormorants. 

We decided not to leave the ship today, so I spent the afternoon on the balcony looking out at Land's End and photographed Magnificent Frigatebirds as they drifted my way. Early afternoon clouds made way for some blue skies, which provided a better backdrop for the soaring dragons. Most birds were females, with their white chests and brown heads, but I did see a couple of juveniles with their white chests and white heads. Only one, all-black, adult male was seen among the 2 dozen or so birds that kept me from an afternoon nap.

Several parasailing tours were out, and one particular victim caught my lens.

 Just before we left Cabo San Lucas a large pirateship came into port and provided a nice portrait.

Cabo San Lucas, MX, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, MX
Nov 10, 2008 9:00 AM
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments:     On this bright and sunny Monday morning our cruise ship would not reach its first port (Cabo San Lucas) until ~11 am. So, after a buffet breakfast I grabbed the scope and camera and headed down to Deck 7 toward the front of the ship. The southern tip of of the Baja Peninsula was ahead and we were finally close enough to see shoreline in the distance
4 species

Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)  6
Brandt's Cormorant (Urile penicillatus)  6
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)  6
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  12

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42124293

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)