Drawwater

Bathing Lesser Goldinches, Tequisquiapan

"Sedge-Fund Analyst"

Post-glaushous i spend the rest of the day at Dungeness Point/RSPB and Rye Harbour NR. Two really nice reserves with plenty of summer birding to be done.

The weather wasn't kind, but we know better than to expect nice conditions at the patch.

Here's a selection of the day's shots. 74 species in total, not bad - highlights.

Cuckoo
5 Raptors
Lots of warblers
The glauc
Tern colony

The Sedge Warbler was really obliging, popping up in front of the hide and singing for a good 10 minutes.

The tern colonies at Rye are fantastic with good numbers of breeding Little and more Sandwich/Common than you can shake a stick at.

Fledgling skylark already mastering song flight.

And a barrell roll from the Sanger before my camera ran out of battery.

Dungeness Never Disappoints!

A day off provided a great opportunity to bag the long staying Glaucous Gull in Dungeness.

Down there by 7am and quickly located the character "by the fishing boats". 

More goose-like than gull-like in some respects, he was quite a strange character. Pretty fat with a short tail, but plenty of nice white to make him stand out from the crowd.

What its doing this summer in Kent is anyone's guess but the "glaushous" seems well content to hang around.

Heart-warming!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13814508

Rainy Season

The rains finally arrived in Tequisquiapan on Tuesday, and how!

After 6 months of blue skies, we have been treated to some fierce storms which have started to transform the place..

One of the results has been a softening of the ground at Parque La Pila, resulting in better feeding opportunities for the Egrets nesting there.

Great Egret, Tequisquiapan

A bit more 'urban birding' around the Park yielded some Barn Swallows (below), Starlings, Cassin's Kingbirds, Cattle Egrets, Black-crowned Night Heron, House Finches, House Sparrows, a party of Bushtits, Clay-coloured Robin, Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Great-tailed Grackles.

Barn Swallow, Tequisquiapan

Pena de Bernal

An afternoon visit to the Pueblo Magico of Bernal today.

Pena de Bernal - 3rd biggest Monolith in the World (1 - Gibraltar, 2 - Sugar Loaf Mountain, Rio)

Birds Present:

Vermilion Flycatcher,

Cassin's Kingbird,

Turkey Vulture,

Northern Raven,

Chihuahuan Raven,

Curve-billed Thrasher,

Black-eared Bushtit,

Abeille's Oriole,

Barn Swallow

Curve-billed Thrasher

Recently fledged Barn Swallows

Rio Escanela - Up the River

Rio Escanela

Walking up Rio Escanela to the spectacular Puente de Dios brought some more species of interest. The fabulously named Rufous-browed Peppershrike showed well for all, but refused to pose for any decent photos.

The many American Dippers were more obliging

Also along the river, we found Black Phoebes, Clay-coloured Robin, Black-headed Nightingale Thrush, Magnificent Hummingbird, Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers (just a summer visitor), many Canyon Wrens and overflying Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Ravens.

Sierra Gorda - Rio Escanela Camping

I had a superb camping trip up to Rio Escanela in the Sierra Gorda last weekend with some friends. On the whole, there were a lot fewer birds than last time - when we visited in January, the vegetation was alive with mixed flocks of North American migrants (seehttp://hileybirding.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html).

This time round, breeding Mexican residents were the main attraction. One such bird was this Rufous-capped Warbler, probably on its way to feed its young with a beak full of insects..

From the same family, we also found a Crescent-chested Warbler and a Painted Redstart.

The large Wrens of Mexico form a very charismatic family. At the camp ground, I came across a noisy pair of Spotted Wrens..

And later on, in the undergrowth a skulking Spot-breasted Wren.

Orioles are one of the most beautiful groups of birds out here in Mexico. I was pleased to catch up with a pair of Audubon's Orioles chowing down on some cactus fruit...

There were also plenty of Orange-billed Nightingale Thrushes around the campsite early on.

Other species seen at the camp ground included Violet-green Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, Mexican Jay, Long-billed Thrasher, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Lesser Goldfinch, Black-headed Grosbeak, Flame-coloured Tanager, Rusty Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird (parasitising Canyon Towhee) and White-eared Hummingbird.

Of interest in Tequis

4th June

A few Vaux's Swifts flew over the main plaza last weekend, my first Tequis record of this species.

6th June

For the second time, I watched a Barn Owl fly from the church and take a juvenile Grackle from the trees in the plaza. I guess there is a reasonable chance it is nesting in the church and using the roost for the majority of the nutritional requirements for itself and the young'uns!

San Joaquin

Whilst on a preliminary visit to this area ahead of a school camp, I couldn't help noticing the rich birdlife present. Notched up a few bonus lifers.

Aventura Park has a Hummingbird feeder, which was being frequented by some superb Blue-throated Hummingbrids.

Blue-throated Hummingbirds, San Joaquin

The archaeological site of Teroquilla (spelling?) close to San Joaquin was fascinating, and also held some good birds - Violaceous Trogon and Rufous-sided Towhee being the best.

The dramatic landscape of Maconi waterfall was good habitat for Common Raven, Turkey Vultures, Rough-winged Swallows and plenty of singing Canyon Wrens.

Then it was to the Maravillas Waterfalls, a wonderful wooded valley holding Acorn Peckers..

and bird of the day, a Black-headed Nightingale Thrush which showed for long enough to get a good view through the binocs. I wasn't quick enough to snap away at this rare bird, though.

Who rules the roost?

I wandered down to Parque La Pila this evening to see how well the birds had survived the Cheese and Wine Festival that ravaged the place last week. The Heronry, fortunately, looked still to be in full swing. Plenty of juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons, indicating a successful breeding period for this species.

Likewise plenty of Cattle Egrets in their breeding plumage

It wasn't a peaceful scene for too long, though. These young Night Herons are pretty nasty characters let me tell you, and a fight quickly broke out between one and Spikey, who thought that he ruled the roost.

The Great White Egrets were staying out of it at first...

But then their air squadrons launched some nasty missiles

Causing those caught underneath to take flight...