Birding Mazatlan's Sabalo-Cerritos Area
Suburbs Near Costa Bonita Condos In Mexico Yield High Bird Count
Jan 3, 2009
Luxury resort condominiums and an enormous new hotel are strung along the Cerritos beach area of northern Mazatlan, Mexico. Serious birders are common visitors to the area's Estero del Yugo, but few are as aware of the bird life just beyond the fences and trees that line Avenida Sabalo-Cerritos.
Ponds Across the Street From Costa Bonita
The Costa Bonita Condominiums are on the ocean a short walk south of Estero del Yugo. Avenida Sabalo-Cerritos parallels the oceanfront, to the east of the condominium complex. Across the avenue lies a fenced tropical deciduous forest area, as yet undeveloped. Direct access into this area is not possible, but birds can be seen easily simply by walking the sidewalk.
An ever-changing variety of birds are observable in the trees adjacent to the sidewalk, in the bushes on the other side of the fence and in and around the ponds, marshes and wetland area just beyond the fence. This is an area that should be combined with a visit to Estero del Yugo, since certain species sometimes can be found in one place but not the other. Examples of this in December, 2008, included four Northern jacana and a Scrub euphonia seen at the ponds but not at the nearby estero.
Sidewalk Birding
Winter birders working this area in early morning or late in the afternoon will be pulled in several directions simultaneously. The overhead trees and powerlines can be flush with many warblers, gnatcatchers, Yellow-winged caciques, Kiskadees, Streak-backed and Hooded orioles. At the pond's edges, Vermillion and other flycatchers, Ruddy-ground and White-winged doves abound, while Turkey and Black vultures and Magnificent frigatebirds wheel overhead.
At the same time, the ponds and wetland can host Glossy ibis, Moorhens, Great-blue herons, Blue-winged teals and Black-bellied whistling ducks. More than thirty species often can be recorded in an hour's afternoon visit here.
Nearby Birding
In addition to Estero del Yugo, which is a few blocks north of this area, the Pacific Ocean lies just on the other side of the condominiums. Many resident and migratory birds can be seen in this area, including large numbers of Brown pelicans, Bonaparte's and other gulls, terns, boobies and various expected shore birds.
Large bait balls often appear just beyond the surf line, triggering amazing feeding frenzies involving hundreds of diving birds.
Getting to the Pond Area
Several buses are available from downtown Mazatlan and the Golden Zone. The most direct is the Sabalo-Cerritos bus, which costs eight pesos (about sixty cents in December, 2008). The more common Sabalo-Central bus turns back toward town about a half mile short of the Costa Bonita Condominiums, but the walk from where it turns is easy, and there are birds all along the way.
Open air pulmonarias are available throughout the area, as well, and the fare from old town Mazatlan to the Costa Bonita runs about fifteen dollars for up to three passengers.
Productive Urban Birding
This little-known, easily accessible area, is a classic example of surprisingly productive birding in an urban environment. In addition to the high profile birding destinations around Mazatlan, birders might also consider the opportunities within the resort city itself.
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