Tijuana River National Estuary

  The Tijuana River spills into the Pacific Ocean just a thousand feet north of the Mexican border. We birded the Tijuana River bottoms inside the Tijuana River National Estuary and the coastal flats between the Tijuana River outlet to the sea and the well apportioned US Border Patrol area next to the border fence in the tiny International Friendship Park.

  We were walking down a path, dodging numerous Black Chinned Hummingbirds (Archilochus Alexandri) and Costa’s Hummingbirds (Calypte Costae). The Black Chinned is a genetic hybrid between the Costa’s and the Anna’s. They flit back and forth and up and down, making them more fun to bird. Suddenly, we spotted something pecking on the ground. It was a California Towhee (Melozone Crissalis). This was a Life Bird for us.

  There was a large, thick stand of mature bamboo in the Estuary. We imagined what might be hiding in there. The bamboo was so thick that it squelched out all other plantlife and certainly welcomed no birds. After the bamboo, it was lighter and airier. There was a Purple Finch (Haemorhous Purpureus) perched on a branch twenty feet high. We got closer and studied its red markings.

  There was a great pond inside the Estuary park. We poked through the brush to study the ducks and pelicans. We stepped back out of that viewing spot and found a much better viewing spot next to it. From there we could use our bins to see the entire pond. There was a tangle of branches in the middle of the pond which Snowy Egrets (Egretta Thula) used as a roost. In front of them were three reddish Cinnamon Teals (Spatula Cyanoptera). These handsome birds are a western species which winters in Mexico.

  When we made it to the ocean, we first noticed the terrific waves crashing against the shore. We scanned through four flocks of birds, crouched in the wet sand before us. From left to right, there were dark colored Heermann’s Gulls (Larus Heermani ), Royal Terns (Thalasseus Maximus), gray Willetts (Tringa Semipalmata), and the Marbled Godwit (Limosa Fedoa), which we had seen first in Iceland. Iceland is our website for that birding trip. Marbled Godwits’ beaks have two colors.

  We saw a Mexican boy illegally climbing the border fence, right in front of the cameras, but he climbed back down. I think he was just being a teenager, if you know what I mean. The US Border Patrol flew a helicopter very low next to the beach, scaring the Mexican and the birds. The US Border Patrol has helicopters and vans and hummers and motorcycles and they are armed to the teeth against the drug dealers. We met a large Coyote skulking along the path, heading back to our car. It very much shied away from us. It had obviously smelled two empty pizza boxes which a litter bug had left with a Starbuck’s cup next to a boulder on the path.

  Robert and Berry

  Photos courtesy of wikipedia