![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sut-l-NAT-expedition-26A.jpg\")
A sunrise over the Sea of Cortez on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Marron\u2019s interests go beyond birds. He\u2019s bringing science to the community, recently helping organize a Christmas bird count in Las Cacachilas. And he\u2019s dedicated to creating a bridge between young kids and science through educational programming for Pronatura Noroeste.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s trying to \u201cfill the holes\u201d of research on a peninsula better known for its beaches and marine life, where he says most research and conservation efforts go toward the sea.<\/p>\n
Elf owls are relatively common in Baja California Sur but endangered in the U.S. state of California \u2014 so spotting one is a particularly special experience for Marr\u00f3n\u2019s San Diego colleagues.<\/p>\n
Once they spot one perched in a nearby tree, a hushed giddiness falls over the group.<\/p>\n
After the expedition, we caught up with Marr\u00f3n to learn more about his life and work.<\/p>\n
When did your love of nature begin?<\/p>\n
My parents are very connected with nature. My dad was born on a ranch, and my mom was born in a coastal community of fishermen. But that kind of interest, at least that I remember, came from me naturally. Like, I went into the backyard and there were ants, and I wanted to know where they live, what they eat.<\/p>\n
I did some stuff I probably shouldn\u2019t have\u2026 My mother was very protective, and she didn\u2019t want me to go outside the house, so I didn\u2019t have access to other ants. I\u2019m not proud of this, but I arranged ant fights at school. I told the other kids to bring their own ants from their house. For them, it was to see them fight. For me, it was to see if they recognized each other, even if they are the same species.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t have books; I didn\u2019t have access to the internet. Now I know that it was not the best way to discover that, but I was curious.<\/p>\n
How did birds come into the picture?<\/p>\n
I started with the bird lab at the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur when I was a marine biology student. They invited me to go with them on a field trip to Guerrero Negro, and I fell in love with the locality, with the landscape, with the birds and with the work that they were doing there.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sut-l-NAT-expedition-18A.jpg\")
A Xantus\u2019s hummingbird drinks nectar from a plant in the Sierra de las Cacachilas on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. The hummingbird is endemic to the region. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
The first time that I went to Guerrero Negro, there were thousands of shorebirds and hundreds of ducks. Birds everywhere. When I was a kid, a dream that I had was to go into the field and say, like, \u201cThis bird is that, this one is that\u201d \u2014 this was the first time I saw someone doing something like that.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your favorite part of the job?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s basically everything about exploring. There are a lot of places in Baja California Sur that have not been touched \u2026 and different places in the state where I really need answers. All my life has been about exploring.<\/p>\n
We spotted an elf owl in the Sierra de las Cacachilas. What other unique birds have you spotted in Baja California?<\/p>\n
If I answer that, I will be here for hours. I\u2019m not just an ornithologist, but I\u2019m also a birder, and I really like to go and look at very unique birds. All the time in the field has given me the opportunity to see birds such as the marsh sandpiper, or the sharp-tailed sandpiper that was the second one recorded in Mexico. I\u2019m lucky to see a lot of cool stuff.<\/p>\n
Every time I see an owl, it\u2019s just fantastic. I think I appreciate it more when I get to work with them<\/a>. When we worked with the gray vireo in the northern mountains in the peninsula, or when I wrote an article<\/a> about the Magnificent frigatebirds population declining, or when we were working with Belding\u2019s yellowthroated warblers through the San Ignacio Oasis \u2014 it\u2019s when I really have a connection.<\/p>\n You\u2019d think that all ornithologists are birders at heart.<\/p>\n All ornithologists have to go birding, and all the birders have a little bit of ornithology in them. But the real thing is that technically, ornithology is the science \u2014 you study with the scientific method, and you have hypotheses.<\/p>\n There are a lot of ways to do ornithology, but there are infinite ways to do birding \u2014 because birding is about enjoying and connecting with nature. So when you enjoy it, if you go and look for rare birds, if you go and see the common birds, if you want to take pictures, if you want to see those that nest in your area, or whatever you want to do, it\u2019s just for you.<\/p>\n You said during the expedition in Las Cacachilas that calling to the birds and trying to capture their attention is like a dance. What\u2019s the process to find and call them?<\/p>\n When I am by myself, most likely I don\u2019t call them. I prefer not to interfere with nature. But I will when I really want to confirm a rare species, when I want a picture of an endemic bird that we don\u2019t have enough records for, or when I show someone who is learning.<\/p>\n Usually you can do one or two things. You go with general calls \u2014 like \u201cpishing\u201d is calling for small birds \u2014 to try to attract birds when they are in their territory, even with the migrants. Or you can try, for the specific sound, something that attracts them, like we did with the owls.<\/p>\n Bringing science to kids and younger generations is important to you and your work at Pronatura Noroeste. How are you and Pronatura Noroeste working to bring more kids to the outdoors?<\/p>\n What we want to do is try to bring the researchers to the young people, especially in communities outside of La Paz. When I was a kid, I never had the chance to know that was a possibility. And what we want to do is let girls, boys, whoever has an interest know that they are able to do that.<\/p>\n![\"Nestling](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sut-l-NAT-expedition-17A.jpg\")
Nestling Xantus\u2019s hummingbirds in the Sierra de las Cacachilas on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Ana Ramirez \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n