Grackle Roost..part 2

I stumbled out of La Luna bar at about midnight on Saturday and headed to the cash machine in the opposite corner of the plaza. Despite having entered the roost 4 hours earlier, the Grackles were far from tucked up quietly in bed. They were still squabbling, and as I got closer, it became apparent that it wasn't just Grackles in there. The lower branches of the trees were crawling with Bronzed Cowbirds, House Sparrows and god only knows what else.

Not a pleasant place to be at all, and it was about to get a whole lot worse. A ghostly apparition appeared, silently flying out from the middle of the roost and heading up towards the cathedral. I thought that I must have had one cerveza too many, until I realised that, of all things, it was a Barn Owl clutching a dead young Grackle in its talons.

Bonkers.

Reservoir...immense

I cycled through the rain and wind to Martin Mere to see my first Wilson's Phalarope some time in late summer last year. I remember huddling in the Ron Barker hide with the windows closed to avoid being drenched as the Phalarope showed as a small dot at the far end of the marsh.

I saw my next 1300 Wilson's Phalaropes yesterday afternoon. I finally got round to visiting the reservoir on the Western edge of Tequisquiapan, and as soon as I got there, I was cursing myself for not going earlier. I literally didn't know where to look. Whole sections of the water were covered with vast rafts of Phalaropes, using the reservoir as a feeding station stop off on their migration routes. Absolutely spectacular.

As I launched a huge scan grenade with the scope from the dam, I realised the Phals weren't the only waders in town. A dozen or more Killdeers piped away from the water's edge. In amongst them were a fine selection of smaller American shorebirds. 30 Baird's Sandpipers, and others which were too distant for me to confidently identify in the dying light.

As I got closer to the waters edge, some birds swam out of the reeds. These were much easier to identify. 8 Eared (Black-necked) Grebes were still in their fine summer plumage. 20 American Coots drifted amongst them, and further out, I picked up a flock of 30 Ruddy Ducks. 2 Mexican Ducks were knocking about as well. Formerly a separate species, these are now considered conspecific with Mallards.

It was birding paradise, and, I was again left cursing myself that I didn't have enough time in the evening to complete the circuit of the lake. However, the time of day did allow me close views of 100 Cattle Egrets and a dozen Snowy Egrets flying over the water to their roost site in Park la Pila. A Northern Shoveler was next to zip over my head, and a final scan would yield yet another lifer. A small Least Grebe was skulking along in the shallows amongst the reeds, easily identifiable by its yellow eye and bluey black plumage.

I'll be back there as much as possible over the next month or so, which should see a continuation of the wader passage and a build up of wintering duck numbers.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the camera, but here's a few more shots from around El Sauz.

Black-eared Bushtit posing

Improvised House Sparrow nests, El Sauz

Grackle Roost

I was with friends enjoying some Enchilladas in a restaurant that overlooks the central plaza in Tequisquiapan a few evenings ago when, all of a sudden, it all started to kick off.

A few Great-tailed Grackles flew in to the trees in the middle of the plaza and started to make a bit of a racket. Fair play, I thought. Over the next half an hour, though, they were joined by a continuous stream. I wasn't counting, but suspect that there were well over 3000 Grackles in total. These aren't small birds either, let me tell you. It was as if the trees had been doused in black paint, as the Grackles scrabbled for the best roost sites. So loud were they at times, that we couldn't hear each other speak.

Birds often have communal roosts in town centres, where it is warmer, more sheltered and often predator free. Pied Wagtails in Britain are a good example. There can't be many more spectacular than the Grackle roost in Tequis. though. I'll try and get back there and put a few photos up soon.

Rancid Cowbirds

A party of Bronzed Cowbirds looked on menacingly from the treetops by the Rio San Juan in the town centre today. A bunch of very unpleasant characters indeed.

More pleasing was another roaming party of Bushtits at El Sauz. My 'pishing' intrigued them and they posed up close for some nice shots.

As the Bushtits flicked through the hedges, scores of butterflies fed on the nectar below, including this Western Queen.

Close to El Sauz, there is an area of freshwater marsh. I saw some white dots scattered across it, so I gave it a good grilling. Most, as expected, were Garde-beoufs, but an Egret with a dark bill and bright yellow feet caught my attention. The Snowy Egret is the American equivalent of our Little Egrets. Quite common by the coast, but only said to be an overwinterer this far inland.

This shot shows a nice comparison between Snowy, with yellow lores and dark bill, and Cattle, with a stout yellow bill.

Birding and running into work

Pictured is one of the large flocks of White-faced Ibis that keep me entertained on the run to work. I've had Black-crowned Night Heron drift across my path as well.

I'm often serranaded by singing White-collared Seedeaters and Blue Grosbeaks, but on Friday, a more familiar voice joined the dawn chorus. It emanated from a group of 5 European Starlings atop some dead trees over the river. The widespread North American population of Starlings originate from a handful of birds introduced in New York.

A check in my guides indicated that Tequis. is still well south of their range, though. Perhaps these birds were the pioneers of a still expanding population.

El Sauz Hinterland

An evening jog into the hills behind El Sauz saw me find a few 5 new birds. Firstly, a Chipping Sparrow deep inside a bush allowed me a few record shots, and then later on in the same spot I found a small party of Lark Sparrows.

Further on as the landscape got more desolate, a large buteo-like raptor rose above a distant crag. Silhouetted against the setting sun, it hovered constantly in the wind making it difficult for me to pick out any diagnostic features. Patience prevailed, though, and I got enough of a view to confirm it as a Red-tailed Hawk - my third raptor of the trip. Much closer, a Canyon Towhee chirped away. I'd seen this drab bird distantly a few times, but was glad to get good enough views to confidently i.d. it.

Another drab bird, a female Phainopepla flew across the track on round, Jay like wings, completing the 5. More common open country birds - Kingbirds, Shrikes and 'Verms' were all present in good numbers, and as I returned home, this Curve-billed Thrasher barked away at me from the rooftop

Monarch

This bright Monarch butterfly was fluttering along the hedgerow between Club de Golf and El Sauz. In the nearby state of Michoacan, they winter in such huge numbers that the sky is said to turn orange and the trees droop under the sheer weight of them!

I snapped this Pipevine Swallowtail enjoying a spot of evening Sun.

The fields around El Sauz also hold lots of open country birds. A pair of White-tailed Kites hovered above, whilst a Cassin's Kingbird perches atop seemingly each of the cactii that dot the landscape.

Loggerhead Shrikes, Vermilion Flycatchers and Golden Fronted Woodpeckers....guarantee.

They're quite hard to miss, as are the Barn Swallows, most of which seem to have left the nests now.

A couple of small Tit-like birds dashed into a nearby tree. They were quite shy, but I picked out a few features and took a quick record shot. Checking the books, they were a party of Black-eared Bushtits, another new species for my Mexico list!

Birding and birthdaying

Ray Mysterio took a trip down memory lane over the weekend, heading up to Oxford to celebrate his 30th birthday. Spending a couple of days around the dreaming spires also allowed me to keep an eye out for some classic birds of the English Summer as we headed out to Wolvercote on Saturday night.

The first wildlife highlight come almost as soon as we sat down for dinner. A rogue Water Shrew charged across the restaurant, much to the discern of the local diners. As this charismatic little hog-nose navigated through the tables and chairs, screams of "mouse", "rat" and "cockroach" echoed all around. Bunch of muppets I thought to myself, before pointing out to the manager that they in-fact had a single case of Neomys fodiens on the loose. Being a protected species, highly territorial, with poisonous saliva and razor-sharp incisors, I gently recommended he did not stamp on it.

After a sumptuous feast of Spit-Roast Chicken in the fabled Trout Inn by the meandering, meadow-weaving upper reaches of the Thames, we took a post-prandial. Classic summer birding was on the menu for desert. A pair of Common Terns hawked the river, Grey Wagtails chased across the weir and a Common Sandpiper zig-zagged downstream. A late dusk chorus of passerines filled the air. Greylag and Canada Geese, Mute Swan and Mallard dotted the landscape, while a Reed Bunting piped up in a nearby bush.

A trip to Dungeness is planned for Friday. I hope a few hours at The Patch will give me some inspiration for my business plan. Best case scenario; lifers and clarity. Worst case scenario; birds.

Cactus Jack

I moved into my new flat on Las Chapulines, Club de Golf, and there have already been some interesting visitors in and around the place. This

noisy Cactus Wren dwarfs the Wrens we get back in the UK.

He's not a pleasant character at all!

Other birds that have frequented the garden and surrounds include Great-tailed Grackles, Curve-billed Thrashers, Lesser Golfinches, House Finches and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers.

Every morning and evening, large flocks

of Cattle Egrets fly to and from roost sites. The skies at dusk and dawn also hold large flocks of White-faced Ibises, though I've yet to discover their destination.

The larger Great-White Egret regularly stalks one of the ponds on the golf course.

On a walk around the Club de Golf complex, I found a few interesting species. Finally, a Hummingbird stayed still long enough for me to identify it as White-eared. I also found White-winged and Mourning Doves alongside the more common Inca Doves. Some White-coll

ared Seedeaters fed in tall grass alongside a lake, and as I watched them, a Spotted Sandpiper nipped across and bobbed along the edge in its distinctive summer plumage.

Overhead, I had fine views of this White-tailed (Black-shouldered Kite), a fairly common raptor over open ground.

The only other raptors I've seen so far were Turkey Vultures sharing the skies with White-throated Swifts, near the Grutas de Tolontongo in Hidalgo state.

Water Fountain

Before moving in to my permanent flat over here, I had a last opportunity to enjoy the close views of birds coming to the water fountain. This male Lesser Goldfinch found a place to drink between the House Sparrows, and later, a fine House Finch popped in.

Early Doors

Birding on a new continent brings different challenges and different rewards.

The challenge - most of the birds here I've never seen before (i.d. nightmare!)

The reward - most birds I've seen are lifers!

Most of the first 2 days have been spent settling in, meeting people, etc, with very little spare time. The moments to myself that I have had, though, have allowed me to start getting to grips with the birds here. The Vermillion Flycatcher (at the top of the page) is fairly common. It had the honour of being my first confirmed Mexican lifer! I've noticed 4 males and 1 duller female around Tequis.

The next was this Inca Dove. I believe they're common throughout Mexico close to human habitation. The water fountain that it is drinking from is right outside my (temporary) bedroom window and has allowed me phenomenol views, not just of the Doves, but also the more familiar Passer domesticus.

After a while, some Lesser Goldfinches turned up. The female of the species is pictured here. Like with the Vermillion, the male is a lot brighter.

I've seen Great-tailed Grackles frequently. They're long tail and social behaviour reminds me of Magpies from the UK. We had a tour of the school yesterday and the Grackles were lined up on the roof. I also noticed Barn Swallows nesting in school. I'd guess the reason for the late breeding (compared to UK) is that they are taking advantage of the insect abundance during the rainy season.

There were some big storms this afternoon actually. I had a walk down to the San Juan river once they'd cleared up, and, as well as finding a flock of 50 Lesser Goldfinches, managed to add 3 more lifers to my budding Mexico list. First, a Golden fronted Woodpecker hurtled overhead, before landing on a bare tree and showing nicely. Underneath it, I picked out something that looked very similar to a Great Grey Shrike. It was actually a Loggerhead Shrike, the only Old World Shrike to be found in Mexico.

A fine male Cassin's Kingbird also showed well, perched up on a distant cactus - classic Mexican birding!

More news to follow...

Change of Direction

As a result of my recent move to Mexico, this blog will now focus on my latest sightings from in and around Queretaro. I'll be living in Tequisquiapan, and look forward to taking the opportunity to explore the local, regional and national avifauna.

Xander will continue to chronicle his sightings from Northern France on a new sister site -http://northfrancebirder.blogspot.com/.

These sister sites will help the writing appeal to more specialist audiences in each country.

I've changed the header photo to a stunning Vermillion Flycatcher taken outside my bedroom earlier today.

Final Day

I celebrated my last day in England with a day trip to Dungeness with Mark. Big rain on our way down, but never mind.. the wind was favourable and conditions were looking good for migrants down at the Bird Observatory and the 'Patch'.

We parked up by the lighthouse and started flogging the scrub and brambles around the Observatory. The early signs were promising - singles of Wheatear and Stonechat, and plenty of Pied Wagtails on the shingle. Things were hotting up in the brambles as well - we picked up c. 10 'fresh' Willow Warblers, 2 Garden Warblers, plenty of Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat. 2 Tree Pipits flitted around before heading on towards the Channel.

As we headed towards the beach, a Sparrowhawk dashed around the Power Station and we found a couple of Black Redstarts around the cottages. Towards the Patch we headed as the clouds started to darken and the rain started to fall. A juvenile Black Tern was a nice surprise blogging along with a typical marsh tern flight pattern. It was vastly outnumbered by Common and Sandwich Terns. Within 10 minutes of seawatching at the patch, we'd also found 2 Little Gulls, 2 Kittiwakes and 2 Mediterranean Gulls. Graceful Gannets effortlessly passed by a bit further out to the sea, whilst underneath them Harbour Porpoises and a Seal bobbed about.

The weather was by now particularly inclement, and we took shelter in the concrete block. Unfortunately the shelter wasn't particularly effective - the rain and wind flew in through the windows horizontally. Things got even worse when we realised we were sharing the hide with a very nasty customer indeed. The foul stench finally persuaded us to give up the Skua hunt and head to the more pleasant climes of the RSPB centre.

On the drive in we saw a Heron flying through the drizzle. Closer inspection revealed it was one of the Purple Herons that have successfully bred here this summer. Other highlights around the reserve included: Hobby, Marsh Harrier, Dunlin, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Little Egret, Sedge, Reed & Cetti's Warblers and Yaffle.

Poor weather denied us a massive list, but it was still a good way to 'go'. I suspect the birds on the next blog post will be a bit more exotic!

Black Hill

Ascended Black Hill in the Peak District with some old friends today. There were some interesting birds to be seen on the few occasions the rain ceased. At least 8 Kestrels hunted along the Pennine Way, and we caught a few glimpses of a big female Peregrine.

On the deck were plenty of Meadow Pipits, a Wheatear, hordes of juvenile Goldinches, and perhaps best of all, we disturbed a Red Grouse from the bleak peatland. There was also plenty of evidence of parties of Swifts filling up in preparation for their journey South.

Owl Run

I found a nice calling Little Owl whilst running down Harrock Hill on Bannister Lane this evening. They've been spotted in the vicinity before, but it's been a few years since I've seen one around these parts.

Little Owls were introduced into Britain in the 19th century from the continent, where they are much more common. Both of these were taken in Turkey earlier this year. The birds east of the Euphrates (RHS) have a much more rufous colour than those further West (Left).

Canal ramble

It's been a quiet August in terms of birding and blogging. I've been taking it easy preparing for my Mexican jaunt...so from next Wednesday, expect the blogs to be coming thick and fast!

A few of us did manage to have a pleasant walk around Parbold yesterday evening, though, and were rewarded with lovely views of a stunning Kingfisher jetting from barge to barge at dusk on the canal in the village.

Just prior to that, we had an obliging Yellowhammer perched up and singing heartily away in the dying light. So bright and vivid were it's colours that one of our party mistook it for a Parrot! A Whitethroat flicked away underneath it, and the canal was full of this year's Mallard ducklings preparing for life on their own.

I had a couple of Willow Tits at the bottom of Wood Lane last week. This red-listed bird constitutes quite a rarity nowadays.