Baja Birding Club - Bird Tip of the Week: Literally millions of folks in North America are into backyard birding. Our twin villages offer an amazing array of birdlife for one to enjoy when not out on the water or biking in the hills. Some of our favourite birds frequenting our backyard include the Northern Cardinal, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Northern Mockingbird, House Finch, Gila Woodpecker, Gilded Flicker, Scott’s and Hooded Orioles, Lark Sparrow, Gray Thrasher, Verdin, California Scrub-jay, California Quail, and of course, the Costa’s Hummingbird. Attracting them to your yard is quite simple. First, provide water about two inches deep in any kind of large flat bowl (ceramic is best) on the ground; do not worry about mosquitoes breeding because the water dries out fairly fast in the hot sun. Watching them drink and bathe is quite pleasurable. Second, purchase a hummingbird feeder from Home Depot in La Paz (they are in the garden section) and fill it with sugar water. Bring to a boil four parts water and one part white or cane sugar and let cool. If you have lots of hummingbirds, you may need two or even three feeders because they are pugnacious little rascals. And yes, the flickers, woodpeckers and orioles also hang on the feeders to drink the sweet solution. Third, pick up some bird seed at either Oscarito’s or even better, at the
Guadalajara Semillas store in La Paz. The best seeds to offer are either the black oiled or striped sunflower as well as the chicken scratch. You can offer the seed in a bowl on the ground or just scatter a couple of handfuls over the sand. And yes, you will get the greedy White-winged Doves coming in for your seed, but they have to eat too. And you might get real lucky and see a Cooper’s Hawk come dashing in to grab a dove…hey, they gotta eat too! Above all, if you are building a new home, try to leave as much natural vegetation as possible or our twin villages will lose many of those bird species listed above.
MasViento Wind Forecast -
(Today: Partly sunny. North wind 20-24 mph) No satellite-derived winds were available this morning, but all numerical models show the strong north background flow will continue today. Again the big wild-card…particularly with regard to the quality of the wind…will be the amount of high clouds streaming in. Yesterday’s cloud cover significantly dampened the thermal and infrared satellite loops show lots of high cloud to our southwest, so it may be another day of uneven winds. Models show high clouds thinning tomorrow as the upper-level low to our west moves northward, so we may see stronger and steadier winds. Friday will likely be one of the sunniest days of the upcoming week, with a significant thermal boost likely. A blocking pattern has set up across the Eastern Pacific, and this will keep surface high pressure essentially anchored over the western U.S. for at least the next week, with moderate to strong north background flow through at least Sunday.
Wes - daily forecasts:
MasViento.
Farmers Market - The market is on! Every Thursday, located on the main road, Corredor Isla Cerralvo, just a few blocks north of Club Cerralvo.
