Birding Puerto Vallarta - Coastline

Several interesting species are easy to see on the coast around Puerto Vallarta.  Snowy Egrets (pictured) are conspicuous, as are other Heron species such as Green, Yellow-crowned Night, Little Blue, Tricolored, Great Egret and Reddish Egret.

Snowy Egret

 If you keep your eyes to the skies, overflying flocks of Wood Storks and Neotropic Cormorants can be seen.  I was lucky enough to see Military Macaws from the beach at Mismaloya and further down the coast at Yelapa.  Blue-footed Boobies were also present at Mismaloya and Yelapa, as were Royal Terns, and the everpresent Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans.

Wood Storks

Birding Puerto Vallarta - Mismaloya

We stayed a couple of days in 'Casa Iguana' in Mismaloya over the weekend.  On the track up from the hotel were some classic species of this stretch of coast in Western Mexico, including Citreoline Trogon and Russet-crowned Motmot (both pictured below).

Citreoline Trogon

Russet-crowned Motmot

Very easy to find were large flocks of Orange-fronted Parakeets, Yellow-billed Caciques and West Mexican Chachalacas.  There were also Golden-cheeked Woodpeckers, Greyish Saltators, a variety of warblers and a showy Ivory-billed Woodcreeper.

Perhaps best of all, though, were screaming Military Macaws flying overhead in the late morning.

Top birding at Presa de la Constitucion

Double-crested Cormorant (right) with Neotropic Cormorants

A massive 83 species at Presa de la Constitucion on Saturday afternoon including a first for Qureetaro, this Double-crested Cormorant (pictured above).  It was one of many great wetland birds (also present were big numbers of American White Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Pintails, American Wigeons, Least Sandpipers, Killdeers etc).

There were 4 Belted Kingfishers in different parts of the reservoir, and all 3 grebes (Pied-billed, Eared and Least).  The raptor count included the ever-present Osprey, as well as a fine juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk.

The best thing about this reservoir is the variety of habitats.  On the south side, the swampy area is perfect for Common Yellowthroats and Marsh Wren, whilst on the north side a small wooded area provides opportunity for species such as Summer Tanager, Greater Pewee and a large variety of warblers.

 

'The Magic Lake' - Presa Vicente Aguirre

This large reservoir in Hidalgo state is a magnet for wintering wetland birds.  I visited it last weekend, and things got a bit silly.  It's a sizeable body of water, and obviously full of fish - supporting a large fishing community and hundreds of American White Pelicans.

American White Pelican

One particular corner of the lake was full of birds.  In a small space, I found 600 White-faced Ibis (harbouring 3 rare White Ibis), 54 Great Blue Herons, similar numbers of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets, 2 Little Blue Herons, several hundred Neotropic Cormorants (as well as 6 rarer Double-crested Cormorants), 10 species of ducks (including hundreds of American Wigeons, Green-winged Teals, and some Lesser Scaup), and the constant presence of hunting Ospreys.

White Ibis 

The Pelicans come into the fishing boats, with Eared Grebes and other waterfowl, allowing exceptionally close views..

Presa Vicente Aguirre is located between the towns of Huichapan and Ixmiquilpan.  It's about 1hour15minute drive from Tequisquiapan, but certainly worth a visit.

Along the Rio San Juan

An early morning stroll along the Rio San Juan yesterday morning was rewarded with 56 species in good numbers.

I had a good nuber of raptors hunting above and around the river (Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Kestrels, Crested Caracaras).

As usual, many, many warblers (70+ Yellow-rumped Warblers, and then a nice mixed flock including Black-and-white, Nashville, Orange-crowned and several Wilsons).

It was also good to pick up Greater Pewee, Blue Mockingbird, Great Kiskadee, many Black-backed Orioles, and good numbers of Woodpeckers (22 Golden-fronted, 1 Ladderback and 4 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers).

Great Horned Owl in Fuentezuelas

Great Horned Owl

A lovely evening in the mountains behind Fuentezuelas yesterday - the highlight of which was this calling Great Horned Owl at dusk.  I've not seen many around Queretaro, but this could be a hotspot for this species.

In the same area, I had fleeting views of an Elegant Trogon, as well as the endemic Blue Mockingbird and several Northern Mockingbirds.  A Warbling Vireo was a nice addition, as well as a surprise Hermit Thrush (odd in this habitat away from forests).

A bit higher up, this area opens into grasslands interspersed with cacti.  Here, I found a few Brewer's Sparrows, as well as Vesper, Chipping, Clay-colored and Lark.

At dusk, there were also a few Lesser Nighthawk.

Curve-billed Thrasher

Warbling Vireo

Rio San Juan, Tequisquiapan

A walk along the Rio San Juan in Tequisquiapan yesterday evening yielded 40 species.  The best birds were an adult Red-shouldered Hawk, a Slate-throated Redstart, and 2 MacGillivray's Warblers.

I saw impressive numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers (80+) and Black Phoebes (19).  Certainly an interesting spot this - I've recorded 132 species there in total, and always seems to throw up some decent birds.

Cascada Chuveje

A really excellent morning's birding last Monday on the track to Cascada Chuveje in the Sierra Gorda.  It's a very beautiful location, and we stumbled on some really interesting species.  

Chuck Aid had heard some Singing Quails earlier, and as I caught up with him, he was studying a fine pair of Olivaceous Woodcreepers.  Bird activity was high, and as well as several Vireos (Blue-headed, Cassin's, Huttons)  and Warblers (Black-and-white, Rufous-capped, Slate-throated Redstart, Painted Redstart, Townsends, Wilson's, Yellow-rumped) we caught up with a fine Rufous-browed Peppershrike.

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

Acorn Woodpekers (at least 10) were a constant feature of the birding here, flying back and forth across the valley with some Ladderbacks present as well.  We were also treated to fly-bys of 2 Broad-winged Hawks.  

Int he more open areas, several Elegant Euphonias were present, as well as family parties of Spotted Wrens and some Rusty Sparrows.

Rusty Sparrow

Additional highlights over the course of the morning included Grey Catbirds, Vaux's Swifts, White-throated Swifts, Greater Pewees and many more.

Presa Jalpan

I had a few visits this weekend to Presa Jalpan, in the heart of the Sierra Gorda.  It's a pleasant spot, and a great place to catch up some birds typical of Tropical Deciduous habitat.

I was fairly surprised to see a Bufflehead on the Presa, in a mixed flock of duck (also present were Ring-necked Ducks, Redheads, American Wigeons, 1 Northern Pintail, Green-winged, Blue-winged Teals and Ruddy Ducks).  Pied-billed Grebes, Least Grebes, Eared Grebes and Neotropic Cormorants were knocking around as well.

In the scrub around the Presa and uptowards Rio Adentro, I bumped into 1 Elegant Trogon, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Phoebes, Golden-crowned Warblers, White-eyed Vireo, Brown-backed Solitaires, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Boat-billed Flycatchers, Great Kiskadees, Social Flycatchers, Spot-breasted Wrens etc etc (full list for both trips below).

Eastern Phoebe

      Full Species List over 2 visits

American Wigeon  4
Blue-winged Teal  5
Northern Pintail  1
Ring-necked Duck  4
Bufflehead  1
Ruddy Duck  3
Pied-billed Grebe  5
Eared Grebe  5
Neotropic Cormorant  4
Great Blue Heron  2
Snowy Egret  1
Cattle Egret  2
Turkey Vulture  6
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Eurasian Collared-Dove  1
Vaux's Swift  100
Elegant Trogon  1
Green Kingfisher  1
Great Kiskadee  4
Social Flycatcher  8
Couch's Kingbird  3
White-eyed Vireo  1
Common Raven  2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  40
Canyon Wren  3
Spot-breasted Wren  4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2
Brown-backed Solitaire  3
Blue Mockingbird  6
Gray Catbird  1
Nashville Warbler  2
MacGillivray's Warbler  2
Townsend's Warbler  1
Hermit Warbler  1
Rufous-capped Warbler  14
Golden-crowned Warbler  1
Wilson's Warbler  6
Blue-gray Tanager  1
Olive Sparrow  1
Flame-colored Tanager  1
Yellow-throated Euphonia  2
Gadwall  3
Green-winged Teal  6
Redhead  2
Least Grebe  3
Roadside Hawk  1
White-tipped Dove  2
Broad-billed Hummingbird  3
Golden-fronted Woodpecker  1
Eastern Phoebe  2
Vermilion Flycatcher  1
Dusky-capped Flycatcher  1
Ash-throated Flycatcher  1
Great Kiskadee  2
Barn Swallow  20
Black-crested Titmouse  4
House Wren  2

Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Orange-crowned Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  1

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

La Trinidad Opal Mines Tequisquiapan

I had a very long walk up to the Opal Mines near Tequisquiapan last week.  This is a popular tourist attraction and the road up goes through some interesting cactus-dominated habitat.  Unfortunately, the weather was poor when I went.  Nevertheless, I found some good birds, particularly at the top when it brightened up a bit.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

It's the closest to Tequis that I have found Rock Wrens.  Spotted Towhees, White-throated Swifts, Blue Mockingbirds, Scott's Orioles and 2 Lucifer Hummingbirds were also very nice to see.

Ash-throated Flycatcher is fairly easy to see around Tequis, but the 10 I found up at La Trinidad represents a good number.

Presa Paso de Tablas

I went to Paso de Tablas last week - a very hot walk through some rugged terrain.  It was definitely worth the effort, though.  I've copied the list below.  The best birds out of that lot were Pyrrhuloxia (pictured), Black-chinned Sparrows and the 6 Green-tailed Towhees (definitely points to an influx),

Pyrrhuloxia (the Desert Cardinal)

It's a good spot, and has the potential to throw up some rarities (e.g. Wood Duck reported here).  Recommend taking lots of suncream and water, though.  And watch out for angry bulls.

Gadwall  1
Mallard  10
Blue-winged Teal  1
Northern Shoveler  300
Northern Pintail  10
Green-winged Teal  2
Lesser Scaup  3
Ruddy Duck  100
Least Grebe  1
Pied-billed Grebe  1
Eared Grebe  2
Neotropic Cormorant  2
Great Egret  1
Turkey Vulture  2
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  3
American Coot  40
Killdeer  1
Spotted Sandpiper  6
Inca Dove  15
Common Ground-Dove  20
Mourning Dove  1
Broad-billed Hummingbird  4
Violet-crowned Hummingbird  1
Green Kingfisher  1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker  2
Ladder-backed Woodpecker  1
American Kestrel  1
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet  1
Gray Flycatcher  3
Dusky Flycatcher  5
Eastern Phoebe  1
Vermilion Flycatcher  10
Ash-throated Flycatcher  2
Cassin's Kingbird  4
Loggerhead Shrike  2
Common Raven  1
Barn Swallow  40
Verdin  1
Canyon Wren  3
House Wren  1
Bewick's Wren  2
Cactus Wren  6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  20
Curve-billed Thrasher  2
Northern Mockingbird  15
American Pipit  1
Phainopepla  1
Orange-crowned Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  6
Wilson's Warbler  1
Chipping Sparrow  2
Clay-colored Sparrow  10
Black-chinned Sparrow  2
Lark Sparrow  30
Lincoln's Sparrow  2
Canyon Towhee  8
Green-tailed Towhee  6
Pyrrhuloxia  1
Blue Grosbeak  2
Varied Bunting  2
Black-backed Oriole  1
House Finch  10
Lesser Goldfinch  2

50 shades of Grey

A great week of local birding was capped off by a fine adult Grey Hawk soaring over the Rio San Juan in Tequisquiapan on Friday at about 2.30pm.  This raptor is out of place on the Mexican plateau, but not unheard of, with various reports coming from Mexico City   I was left kicking myself for not taking my camera out with me as I biked into town.

I went back to try and dig it out, but was unsuccessful.  Did turn up a Greater Pewee, though, which is unusual away from pine woods.

Elegant Trogon!

Despite all of the good birds I've seen recently around Tequisquiapan, today brought a new high - a magnificent male Elegant Trogon in the mountains above Fuentezuelas.  I found this bird putting on a show in some tall trees at the base of a cliff over a small stream.

Elegant Trogon

Elegant Trogon

Over the course of a 3 hour walk throughout this undisturbed part of Queretaro, I bumped into other fantastic species.  The Trogon was sharing the cliff face with Northern Cardinals, many Northern Mockingbirds, Phainopeplas, and a nice selection of Warblers including Virginia's, McGillivray's, Nashville and Black-throated Grey.

Northern Cardinal (male)

Virginia's Warbler

In the more scrubby parts of the walk, I found another many Scott's Orioles, Grey Flycatchers and lots and lots of Sparrows (Brewer's, Chipping, Clay-colored, Lark, Vesper, Lincoln's, Canyon Towhees and another Green-tailed Towhee).  

50 species in total.  Definitely be returning soon.  

Robbie Owler. Burrowing Owl in Tequisquiapan

The run of good birds seen around Tequis continued yesterday as I stumbled upon this Burrowing Owl on the edge of town.  

Burrowing Owl

There were also 2 Pyrrhuloxias in the same spot, and the now usual selection of Sparrow (Clay-colored, Lark, Grasshopper, Brewer's, Vesper).  Both Chihuahuan and Common Ravens over with a  White-tailed Kite.  Plenty of other stuff as well, including this Vermilion Flycatcher at dusk

Vermilion Flycatcher

Wet morning Vermilion

Vermilion Flycatcher

Fancy a brew?

It was Sparrow-tastic on the outskirts of Tequis yesterday, where I found a nice bit of scrubland.

The pick - my first Brewer's Sparrows. But they certainly weren't alone.  Also knocking about in a short stretch were Grasshopper Sparrows, loads of Vesper Sparrows, Lark Sparrows and Clay-colored Sparrows.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Brewer's Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

It was arguably even better a day before when I found a cheeky Pyrrhuloxia.  Only the second 'Desert Cardinal' I've seen, and certainly the first in this part of Queretaro.

Rio San Juan - The new River of Raptors?

Left my house this morning to see a big raptor circling in the distance over the Rio San Juan.  Didn't quite look right for the commoner species, so I dashed back to get my bins and camera and drove down to explore further.

I straight away locked onto a couple of raptors - Crested Caracaras perched high up.  Great birds, but not top draw.  Next an American Kestrel mobbing the Caracaras.  Again, not bad.

Lower down in the same tree, though, was the original raptor - showing well and confirming my initial thoughts of Common Black Hawk.

Common Black Hawk

An exceptional bird for this part of Queretaro.  While there are a few plateau records, this species is primarily a bird of the slopes and lowlands - where it is commonly found along rivers and lakes.  

Things got even better when another raptor started mobbing the Black Hawk - a fine juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Another rarish species here, though probably fairly regular in winter.  I've previously seen a couple at Centenario.  This species hunts along rivers and swamps.  After buzzing the Black Hawk, it perched up getting mobbed in turn by the angry American Kestrel.

My species list along the Rio San Juan is now up to 122.  These exceptional raptors go to the top of that list, alongside the likes of Broad-winged Hawk and Dickcissel. 

Green-tailed Towhee at Presa Paso de Tablas

We had a look around the Mesquite Forest at Presa Paso de Tablas on Saturday morning.  It is an interesting habitat, and threw up a few interesting species.

It certainly seems to be the best spot for Northern Cardinal around Tequisquiapan.  I've had a few here over the years, and there was a fine male on Saturday.

Northern Cardinal

The highlight, though, was undoubtedly this fine Green-tailed Towhee. I've never had one round here, and there's only one eBird record, dating back to 1995.  With little observer coverage in the state, though, they could well be overlooked.  Green-tailed Towhees range over most of Mexico in winter, so Queretaro is well within range.  

Green-tailed Towhee

Some other decent birds in the enchanted forest included 4 Summer Tanagers, 1 Western Tanager, 1 Black-throated Grey Warbler, and several Ladder-backed Woodpeckers and Golden-fronteds.

Los Claustros (Rio San Juan)

Little afternoon stroll along the banks of the Rio San Juan today.  Yet again, I locked onto a great mixed species flock.  This one had 1 Black-and-white Warbler, 2 Black-throated Grey Warblers, 2 Nashville Warblers, 2 Townsend's Warblers, 3 Wilson's Warblers, several Yellow-rumped Warblers, 1 noisy Plumbeous Vireo, 1 House Wren, several Blue-grey Gnatcatchers and a Broad-billed Hummingbird.

Away from that excellent flock, it was fairly quiet - just an Orange-crowned Warbler, a Black Phoebe and a Western Wood Pewee of note.

River of Raptors

 A few weekends ago, I went to Veracruz with Valentina to see one of the most magnificent wildlife spectacles imaginable - the migration of the North American birds of prey.

A massive percentage of North American raptors pass over a small corridor of land on the Veracruz coast each Autumn.  Mississippi Kites pass through in mid-September, followed by masses of Broad-winged Hawks in late-September.  Later on it's the turn of Swainson's Hawks and Turkey Vultures.  This is without mentioning the other goodies like Ospreys, Peregrines, Aplomado Falcons, Hook-billed Kites, Northern Harriers, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks and Zone-tailed Hawks.  In total about 5 million raptors move through each autumn.

We caught the peak of Broad-winged Hawk migration.  The flocks below contained about 40,000 birds..

Broad-winged Hawks, Veracru

Broad-winged Hawks

The 'river' in full flow

One of the great things about the viz-migging here is the comfort in which you can watch the birds.  One of the main watches is from the top of the Hotel Bienvenido in the town of Jose Cardel.  You can lay back with a cold one whilst watching the streams of raptors pass overhead.  We also got lucky with big movements of Anhingas (below), as well as many Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and other passerines.

Anhingas

In the afternoon, things tend to heat up at Chichicaxtle, a site about 10km inland from Cardel.  This is a great spot, with an observation tower, a shop and an informative visitor centre.  Lots of education programmes and good stuff going on here.

Rio San Juan, Tequisquiapan

Evening walk along the Rio San Juan on Tuesday in Tequisquiapan gave a few nice birds.  Not loads and loads of Warblers yet, but I did get onto a flock which contained Nashville, Black-and-white, Black-throated Grey, Townsend's, Wilson's and Yellow-rumped.

Black-throated Grey Warbler

 A nice surprise was a Belted Kingfisher and a pair of Green Kingfishers.  Suggests that the river has a few fish in it.

Green Kingfisher

Many Broad-billed Hummingbirds were present, as well as 1 Violet-crowned and 1 migrant Ruby-throated.  Other local specialities easy to pick up at this spot are Clay-colored Robin and Black-backed Oriole.

Full list as follows:
Cattle Egret  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Spotted Sandpiper  8
Inca Dove  10
White-winged Dove  40
Mourning Dove  6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Broad-billed Hummingbird  5
Violet-crowned Hummingbird  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Green Kingfisher  2
Golden-fronted Woodpecker  2
American Kestrel  2
Black Phoebe  5
Vermilion Flycatcher  8
Dusky-capped Flycatcher  1
Cassin's Kingbird  5
Loggerhead Shrike  1
Barn Swallow  20
Bushtit  4
Canyon Wren  1
Bewick's Wren  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  6
Clay-colored Thrush  6
European Starling  8
Black-and-white Warbler  1
Orange-crowned Warbler  1
Nashville Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  6
Black-throated Gray Warbler  1
Townsend's Warbler  1
Wilson's Warbler  10
White-collared Seedeater  1
Clay-colored Sparrow  8
Blue Grosbeak  4
Great-tailed Grackle  30
Black-backed Oriole  4
House Finch  2
Lesser Goldfinch  10
House Sparrow  2

Presa de la Constitucion, San Gil, Queretaro

An evening walk around a very full Presa de la Constitucion with Paul Bentinck last Thursday was fairly productive despite the water levels being too high for any waders.

It's a great spot for Herons, and we locked onto several Great Blue Herons and a Green Heron as well as all 3 Egrets and about 50 Black-crowned Night Herons (mainly juveniles).  The Herons tend to congregate in the marshy area of the Presa near the Fiesta Americana hotel.  Also in this area we found a Northern Jacana, some hunting White-tailed Kites and an Osprey, whilst in the rushes were some Common Yellowthroats.

Many of the wintering warblers have arrived in Queretaro now, and we saw and heard lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Wilson's Warblers, as well as a migrating Yellow Warbler.  A flock of Groove-billed Anis entertained us, and other highlights included a stunning male Hooded Oriole (as well as several Black-backed) and a Great Kiskadee (rare in this part of Mexico).

Broad-billed Hummingbird.  We also connected with the endemic Violet-crowned

Laguna de Servin October 2015

Excellent morning's birding with Valentina and Paul Bentinck (who motivated me to Blog again!) yesterday up the road to Laguna de Servin in the pine-oak covered mountains near Amealco.

Some great sparrows in the open country on the way up - Striped, Savannah (pictured), Vesper and Clay-colored.  Also some nice groups of Horned Larks (pictured), as well as Blue Grosbeaks, American Kestrels and a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Horned Lark

Savannah Sparrow

The real highlight was getting into some mixed Warbler flocks - the best one of which included Townsends, Hermits, Slate-throated Whitestards, Painted Redstarts, Crecent-Chested, Wilson's, Orange-crowned and a cracking Red Warbler (as well as Bushtits, Hermit Thrush, Gray Silkies and a Broad-winged Hawk circling lazily overhead). 

Further up, we got into a big group of Woodpeckers, including 6 Acorn and 4 Hairy.  They were associating loosely with some Elegant Euphonias, Plumbeous Vireos and a Flame-colored Tanager. 

Red Warbler

Townsend's Warbler

A cracking day out - 53 species in total - was finished off with nice views of Olive Warblers  and Greater Pewee.