Rio Ayutla, Sierra Gorda

This particular spot, near 'Las Adjuntas' south of Conca in the Sierra Gorda, is certainly one of the best spots for birding that I have come across in Queretaro.

I bumped into Chuck Aid, a visiting birder from the States in the morning, and we had a very productive time.  All together, I encountered 60 species.  My personal highlights were Montezuma Oropendola, Masked Tityra and Plain Chachalacas (none of which I've previously seen in Queretaro).  There were a lot of other very good birds to keep us occupied, though, including Squirrel Cuckoos,  several Black-throated Green Warblers, Wedge-tailed Sabrewings, Golden-crowned Warblers, Golden-browed Warbler, Elegant Trogons etc.

Here's a few photos, and below them is the day list.  Incredible spot, and highly recommended.

Squirrel Cuckoo

Plain Chachalaca

Plain Chachalaca  3
Neotropic Cormorant  1
Black Vulture  15
Turkey Vulture  6
Common Black Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Inca Dove  1
White-tipped Dove  3
White-winged Dove  2
Squirrel Cuckoo  2
Wedge-tailed Sabrewing  4
Elegant Trogon  5
Green Kingfisher  2
Golden-fronted Woodpecker  1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker  2
Bat Falcon  2
Tufted Flycatcher  10
Greater Pewee  4
Western Wood-Pewee  1
Black Phoebe  6
Eastern Phoebe  2
Dusky-capped Flycatcher  3
Brown-crested Flycatcher  1
Great Kiskadee  6
Boat-billed Flycatcher  4
Social Flycatcher  4
Masked Tityra  1
Cassin's Vireo  1
Blue-headed Vireo  3
Warbling Vireo  1
Green Jay  6
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  5
Black-crested Titmouse  2
Canyon Wren  4
House Wren  2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  15
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2
Clay-colored Thrush  5
Blue Mockingbird  3
Northern Waterthrush  1
Black-and-white Warbler  2
Nashville Warbler  1
MacGillivray's Warbler  1
Black-throated Green Warbler  6
Rufous-capped Warbler  14
Golden-browed Warbler  1
Golden-crowned Warbler  3
Wilson's Warbler  10
Yellow-winged Tanager  1
Olive Sparrow  1
Lincoln's Sparrow  1
Hepatic Tanager  4
Flame-colored Tanager  1
Altamira Oriole  4
Audubon's Oriole  12
Baltimore Oriole  1
Montezuma Oropendola  1
Scrub Euphonia  3
Yellow-throated Euphonia  2

Remember - for any further information or tours, drop me an e-mail at jontyhiley@hotmail.com

Puerto Vallarta - Jungle Birding El Nogalito

I stayed at the marvellous Casa de los Monos in El Nogalito, run by charming hosts Lorena and Blas. What a fantastic place! The hotel overlooked the jungle valley and was absolutely brimming with birds. Each morning, I had a pre-breakfast stroll, and picked up an amazing collection of top-quality jungle birds.

Small flocks of Orange-fronted Parakeets regularly screamed overhead. They fed on the tree right outside the balcony of my hotel room!

What a tree! I couldn't tell you what kind it was, but I knew that, during my stay, I picked up the following species of birds in it: Masked Tityra (see below), Rufous-backed Robin, White-throated Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Warbling Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Happy Wren, Sinaloa Wren, Greyish Saltator, Wilson's Warbler, Social Flycatcher, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker and an Empid. sp.

El Nogalito is magical. Jungle birding is sometimes quiet, but then there will be a flurry of activity. This happened on my first morning. A Black-and-white Warbler and some Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers were making a racket in the undergrowth. A moment later, I saw why - a gorgeous Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was perched up menacingly close..

On the Friday morning, I walked up to the Jungle Restaurant. En route, I heard a loud 'double-tap'. I thought at first that it might have been a Mexican worker hammering away at something. Then I spotted a huge male Pale-billed Woodpecker smashing away at a tree trunk. All the while, the endemic San Blas Jays and Yellow-winged Caciques torpedoed through the canopy.

Up at the restaurant, I found a much rarer Jay. Despite their status, this group of Green Jays come right up to the tables to feed off scraps.

The best sightings came from my breakfast table at Casa de los Monos. I couldn't concentrate on the food, the birding was so good. Firstly, a Citreoline Trogon alighted at the top of a nearby tree. Trogons are surely one of the finest families of birds, found across Africa and Asia as well as the Americas. The Citreoline is endemic to Western Mexico. My attention was soon drawn to a strange screeching in the sky, though. Two small Falcons were hunting. Once they landed I had plenty of time to get my scope on them and identify them as Bat Falcons!

The final highlight came on the last morning. Out of the corner of my eye I saw two huge birds bombing over the valley. Their sheer size meant only one thing - one of the most sought after Mexican birds, Military Macaws!