A windy day meant that work was cancelled a week last Thursday, providing an opportunity for me to see if the gales had blown in any species of interest. Presa de la Constitucion is one of the most likely spots to pull in a rarity (past species of interest include Ross's Geese, Sprague's Pipit, Willet, Roseate Spoonbill, Hooded Merganser), so I headed there mid-morning.
It didn't take too long for me to lock onto a mega. Scanning through the flocks of migging Barn and Cliff Swallows, I locked on to two
Red Phalaropes bobbing up and down on the middle of the lake.
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| Red (Grey) Phalaropes |
There's an old Queretaro record for this species, but according to eBird, it's only the 2nd record in Mexico away from the Pacific coast.
Plenty of Gulls were present as well, so I hacked round the reservoir in the face of strong wind and hailstone to see if I could dig out anything else. I was rewarded with this fine
Caspian Tern, seen here with 2
Ring-billed Gulls.
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| Caspian Tern |
The Presa kept giving - next up, amongst 3
Laughing Gulls was a fine immature
American Herring Gull. Perhaps first for the state again, and definitely one of few records from central Mexico.
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| Herring Gull |
I had about 80 species in total - showing the diversity held by this great birding spot. The most abundant bird around the lake, though, was the
Yellow-rumped Warbler. They winter in massive numbers in this part of Mexico, but rarely pose for photos as pleasingly as this one.
