The website eBird Mexico is a regional portal of the global eBird platform managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. The platform allows birdwatchers across Mexico to record sightings, explore species hotspots, and monitor bird populations. By sharing data with scientists and conservationists, it supports community science and includes a mobile app that enables real-time data entry even when users are offline.
At the end of February, eBird reported an unusual sighting at the San José Estuary: a duck known in Spanish as the Cerceta Carretona, scientifically named Spatula querquedula. The observation quickly drew attention because the species is rarely, if ever, seen in this part of the world.
The garganey, as it is commonly known in English, is an Old-World duck. It breeds across northern Eurasia and typically winters in Africa, the Indomalayan region, and as far east as New Guinea. Its appearance in Baja California Sur surprised both residents and the wider birdwatching community.
“I know of more than eight people from various parts of Mexico and two from the United States who have traveled to San José del Cabo solely to see and photograph it,” said local master biologist Graciela Tiburcio. She noted that the bird visiting the estuary appears to be a female.
Female garganeys are grayish brown with subtle markings and a faint green sheen. Their bills and legs are gray. Males outside the breeding season, known as eclipse males, have plumage likefemales, though their wings show a bluish-gray coloration.
Populations breeding in parts of Europe typically move first toward southwestern Italy and France before crossing the Mediterranean and continuing south of the Sahara. Birds from central Europe often migrate along the coast to the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, then cross the Atlas Mountains into Senegal.
Autumn migration usually passes through France and Spain, while spring migration often follows routes through the central Mediterranean. Studies of banded birds indicate that migration routes can vary depending on the season.
Garganeys breed in shallow, nutrient-rich freshwater habitats in lowland regions. They are commonly found in ponds and marshes with abundant aquatic vegetation but can also live in canals, ditches, and shallow flooded meadows.
The habitat at the San José del Cabo Estuary provides many of the conditions the species prefers, making it a suitable, if unexpected, stop for the rare visitor. During winter months, the birds typically inhabit lakes and flooded river basins.
Their diet includes insects, crustaceans, mollusks, seeds, and aquatic plants. Garganeys usually forage at or just below the water’s surface and rarely dive. They feed by swimming with their necks extended and their heads partially submerged, searching for food in the shallow water.
