Presa Paso de Tablas

Presa Paso de Tablas is located a few miles North-east of Tequisquiapan and can hold some interesting birds, particularly when after February/March when Presa Centenario gets drained and the wintering ducks need to relocate.

Throughout the winter, though, it holds reasonable numbers of ducks and waders, with the main duck species being Northern Shovelers, Pintails and Ruddy Duck, and the main waders being Spotted Sandpipers, Black-necked Stilts and Least Sandpipers.  

Xander's visit brought him in close contact with this Spotted Sandpiper and Ruddy Duck.

The surrounding scrub and woodland at Paso de Tablas is undisturbed, and can also hold some decent species.  Ladderback (below) and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers are fairly common, as are other typical  desert birds (Cactus Wren, Canyon Towhee, Phainopepla, Northern Mockingbird (below)).

 In the woods here, I've had birds which are rare in the rest of Tequisquiapan, such as Great Horned Owl, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler and Hermit Thrush.

It's a wild and scary place at times, where fighting bulls are reared, wild dogs roam freely and corpses of dead cows litter the shoreline.  If you're brave, though, there are plenty of rewards to be had!