Presa Centenario Tequisquiapan - Winter Wildfowl Wonderland

I had a fantastic morning of what I would describe as 'classic' reservoir birding - seeing a fine mixture of waterbirds, shorebirds, raptors and scrub critters. It was probably going to be the last chance to bird the reservoir before my Christmas break, so I ambitiously aimed to cycle the entire way round.

Things started off very interestingly. I headed around the eastern side of the reservoir, and immediately noted a swathe of birds feeding in the exposed mud and shallow reedy patches close to the dam. American Coots and Eared Grebes were to be expected, as were Spotted Sandpipers and Kildeers. A group of 4 Long-billed Dowitchers, though, were a new Mexican tick for me.

Here's 'Ian Dowie' in action:

While this Kildeer piped away nearby:

It was nice to add a new wader to my 'reservoir' list which already includes: Semipalmated Plover, Western Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Kildeer, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Snipe, Spotted Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope and Willet.

The Ducks are another of my favourite families, and, again, La Presa hasn't disappointed. Before today, I had seen Shoveler's (several thousand), Mexican Duck, Ruddy Duck, Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal and Fulvous-Whistling Duck here.

Straight away, I was into 2 of these species...

Better was to come. Halfway around the reservoir, I spotted 3 duck in a sheltered bay. The distinctive head shape gave the game away - these were Canvasbacks allright.

Prolonged scanning of the big Shoveler flock produced further reward - a male Gadwall. Unfortunately, there was also a visitor to the reservoir that certainly isn't on my Christmas card list.

Muscovy Ducks do occur in a wild state in Mexico, but there was no doubting that this character was a nasty inbred farm escapee.

I was soon faced with a new problem. I'd forgotten that on the eastern side of the reservoir, there is a cattle pen very close to the water. The cows aren't the issue here, though. They were guarded by a pack of 6 dogs, who weren't taking kindly to the birdwatcher heading their way. There was only one thing for it, I would have to go Eminem's preferred route - 'round the outside'.

The new route involved trudging through some serious Cacti fields, though. I was soon spiked in every conceivable place. What made it worse was the fact that I was carrying the bike above my head to avoid puncturing the tyres. It wasn't a happy birder that emerged on the far side of the dog gauntlet.

The birds weren't happy either. Something had put up this huge raft of Shoveler.

It wasn't me, nor was it the 2 Turkey Vultures circling lazily overhead. Then the guilty party entered the fray, actually landing within 50metres of me. It was Mexico's National Bird, the Crested Caracara.

A bit further around, I saw 3 Caracaras in the air at the same time, a fine sight. At the far end of the Reservoir, it gets a lot shallower and muddier - perfect for waders. A flock of 70 American Avocets probed alongside Black-necked Stilts, another 40 Long-billed Dowitchers, 4 Stilt Sandpipers, White-faced Ibis and a host of smaller 'Peeps' that were too far away to identify without the scope.

The critters were also keeping me interested. Six species of Sparrows included Vesper, Lark, Clay-coloured, House, Lincoln and Savannah. Flycatcher's included countless Verms, Cassin's Kingbirds and a new species for me, Say's Phoebe.

Here's the complete day list:

Cattle Egret (30 with cows at south end of Presa)

White-faced Ibis (1)

Pintail (in numbers upwards of 500 now)

Shoveler (still several thousand)

Green-winged Teal (400 in shallows)

Blue-winged Teal (300 in shallows)

Gadwall (1 male)

Canvasback (3)

Eared Grebe (100+)

Least Grebe (2 individuals)

Red-tailed Hawk

Turkey Vultures (4)

Crested Caracara (3 at southern end)

Peregrine

American Kestrel (2)

American Coot

American Avocet (flock of 70)

Black-necked Stilt (in huge numbers - 200+ on shores of Reservoir)

Long-billed Dowitcher (1 group of 4, 1 flock of 40)

Stilt Sandpiper (6 feeding with Dowitchers)

Lesser Yellowlegs

Inca Dove

Mourning Dove

Common Ground Dove (1 at south of reservoir, a new bird for this area for me)

Vermilion Flycatcher (common)

Say's Phoebe (south)

Cassin's Kingbird (common)

Loggerhead Shrike (common)

Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher

Cactus Wren

House Wren

Starling (3 drinking at north of reservoir)

American Pipit (6 on shores)

Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler (Common)

Blue Grosbeak

House Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

Clay-coloured Sparrow (large flocks with Lark Sparrows)

Savannah Sparrow (alongside river on southern edge)

Lincoln's Sparrow (alongside river on southern edge)

Great-tailed Grackle

House Finch