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.

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

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

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.

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.  

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. 

The Two Presas

I showed two representatives of DUMAC (http://www.dumac.org/dumac/habitat/esp/index.htm), a wetland conservation body, around Presas Centenario and Constitucion on Saturday and we had a bumper day, clocking up some huge flocks of ducks, waders and herons, and some really unexpected birds along the way.

The highlights were as follows:

1. Hooded Merganser - This duck is an accidental visitor to Northern Mexico, so we were very excited to find a female at Presa de la Constitucion.  Unfortunately, it stayed in cover for most of the time, so we couldn't photograph it.  However, this is a superb record for Queretaro.

2. Black-bellied Whistling Duck - Considered common and widespread across both slopes in Mexico, Queretaro is our of range for this duck according to the map in Howell and Webb.  Nevertheless, both species of Whistling Duck are renowned for being nomadic.  We found a nice pair at Constitucion.

3. Tricolored Heron - A winter visitor across parts of Central Mexico and recorded once by Pineda-Lopez and Arrelaon-Sannaphre (2010).  The individual we saw at Constitucion, however, represented my first sighting of this elegant heron in Queretaro.

4. Black Tern - We had three American Black Terns passing high over Constitucion.  Following my sighting at Centenario (Hiley 2012), this is apparently only the second documented record of this migratory marsh tern.

5. Long-billed Curlew - This juvenile Long-billed Curlew was at the far end of Presa Centenario, associating with American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts.  This is the first documented record of this species for the state of Queretaro.

6. Green Kingfisher - A fly by Green Kingfisher at Constitucion was an interesting record in as far as it confirmed (along with the presence of Cormorants and Pelicans) that Constitucion is a clean, fish-filled reservoir.  Also, my first sighting of any Kingfisher away from the Sierra Gorda in Queretaro.

Full list to follow.

Two Presas - Species List

Full list of species from Presas Centenario and Constitucion 16/09/12

Scoping waders with David from DUMAC at Presa Centenario

Trying to relocate the Hooded Merganser with Oscar from DUMAC

Killdeer,
Semipalmated Plover - 4 at Centenario
Baird's, Least, Western, Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper,
Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet
Long-billed Curlew - juvenile at Centenario
Wilson's Phalarope

Wilson's Phalarope ball at Presa Centenario

 American Coot, Eared Grebe,
Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall - 2 at Constituction, Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal,
Mexican Duck, Ruddy Duck, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Hooded Merganser
Black Tern
Snowy, Great, Cattle Egrets,
Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, White-faced Ibis,
American White Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant,
Peregrine Falcon, Crested Caracara, Turkey Vulture

Peregrine - the hunter

Northern Raven,
Northern Bobwhite - 2 at Constitucion,
Eastern Meadowlark, Horned Lark,
House, Lark, Savannah Sparrow,
House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Cactus Wren,
Phainopepla, Northern Mockingbird, Canyon Towhee, Abeille's Oriole,
Broad-billed and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds,
Green Kingfisher,
Brown-headed Cowbird, Great-tailed Grackle,
Cassin's Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Starling,
Barn, Tree, Bank, Cliff Swallows

Tree Swallow

Inca, Mourning, White-winged, Common Ground Dove, Feral Pigeon,
Varied Bunting, Vermilion Flycatcher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Ladderback.

Presa de la Constitucion - San Gil

I had an absolute MEGA morning at this reservoir near San Juan del Rio today.  Presa de la Constitucion has the advantage of being up river from the factories of industrial San Juan, and so its waters are significantly cleaner and full of fish than many others  in Queretaro.  Furthermore, it has a good combination of deep water, muddy exposed shores and well-vegetated marshland.  This myriad of habitats allows a greater variety of bird-life to thrive compared to Presa Centenario in Tequisquiapan, for example.

Where to start? After a day in which I photographed 4 species new for the state of Queretaro?  Best to split the birds of Constitucion into categories....

1.  HERONS et al.

A group of 50 Black-crowned Night Herons on a feeding flight early in the morning pointed to local breeding.  Also present in extremely large numbers were the '3 white egrets'.  There were huge numbers of Cattle (200+), scattered Snowy Egrets (20+) and over 50 Great Egrets..

Great Egret

 More surprising was just how many Great Blue Herons were present.  At least 40 were present, including a group of 11 feeding together in the shallows and a couple more in nearby fields.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Three American White Pelicans loafing in the shallows were a pleasant bonus, as were the masses of Neotropic Cormorants.  The presence of pescivores such as these two indicated that the Presa was full of fish..

American White Pelicans and Neotropic Cormorant

There were a few groups of White-faced Ibis present as well, but best of all was this 1st year ROSEATE SPOONBILL seen here with a large group of Cormorants.  Roseates are strictly coastal birds in Mexico, with very few inland records.  This young bird is a long way from where it should be.  

Neotropic Cormorants and ROSEATE SPOONBILL

Roseate Spoonbill close up

To follow...Swallow Spectacle, Ducks and Waders and Passerines!

YUCATAN April 2011 - Ux Mal

A cultural visit to the spectacular Mayan ruins at Ux Mal threw up some more birding opportunities.

We stayed in the nearby SACBE Bungalows, which are located in some great gardens. Needless to say, some campground birding yielded great results.

I was enjoying watching a variety of Orioles and some vocal Lemon Green Vireoes, when what was probably the bird of the trip scattered the lot, ghosting through the canopy and perching up in a tree. It was a Collared Forest Falcon, a bird which, whilst being easily heard, is notoriously difficult to see. Unfortunately, it scarpered before I could whip my camera out.

The car park of the Ux Mal ruins was alive with activity at dawn, including Blue-crowned Motmots, Melodious Blackbirds, Orange Orioles, Greyish and Black-throated Saltators, Clay-coloured Robins, Green and Yucatan Jays.

Up above the site, Cave Swallows, Barn Swallows and Purple Martins filled the skies.

Birds weren't the only wildlife at these ruins. Iguanas were everywhere, acting like they owned the place..

It wasn't long, though, before my eyes were back to the skies, as a fine adult Crane Hawk drifted by. In the ruins themselves, Cave Swallows were nesting.

Then, a glimpse of one of the most colourful of Mexico's birds, a Turqoise-browed Motmot, displaying its exquisite tail feathers...

Club de Golf

Had a little walk along the river by Club de Golf this afternoon. A scorching hot day, but it still threw up some good birds. There are plenty of House Wrens in Club de Golf now, and I managed to add a new Wren to my list. On the wall of one of the houses scurried a Wallcreeper like bird. It had a bright white throat and a rufous belly, making it a Canyon Wren, a classic bird of arid country.

I had some Clay-coloured Sparrows in the shrub and, later on, a Vermillion Flycatcher perched up for a photo. Never tire of these colourful guys.

At the river, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers crashed through the canopy, and a couple of Black Phoebe's were fly catching just above the water.

Vallarta next up.

Magia del Pasado, Queretaro

I returned to the Magia del Pasado gardens in Queretaro late on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, the place was slightly busier, and consequently the birds were not as showy. There was still plenty on offer, though. This Broad-billed Hummer finally stayed still for me.

In the conifers, I was quickly in to a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Yellow-rumped Warblers were everywhere. I must have counted around 30 across the park. An elusive little blighter high in the canopy was less easy to identify, but I eventually got good enough views to confirm that it was a Nashville Warbler. This Wilson's Warbler was a little more amenable.

By the water fountain, a Summer Tanager and an Oriole took a quick drink with some House Sparrows. Unfortunately, the Oriole took off before I could get proper views of it through the bins. I was luckier later on when a House Wren dashed around the bushes.

Birding in these lush gardens makes a pleasant change from the semi-desert of Tequisquiapan. Off to Puerto Vallarta on Sunday night. It should be an amazing birding experience - jungle, mangroves, coast, mountains, you name it!

The Butcher Bird

Had a short evening stroll from my place just now. I picked up a handy 20 species. A month ago, 15 would have been tough to recognise lifers for me, but it's nice now to be able to roll them off as they chirp away or fly by.

A pair of Spotted Sandpiper patrolled the edges of this marsh,whilst the odd American Coot danced through the reeds.

As dusk approached, the trio of Egrets took to the sky and bombed towards the roost in Parque de Pila. Cattle mainly, but Snowy and Great were also there in reasonable numbers. I also picked up the trio of Doves; Inca, Mourning and White-winged.

Though they're common birds round these parts, you won't find me complaining about good views of Flycatchers, Kingbirds and Cactus Wrens. Nor of Hirundo rustica for that matter.

And who can argue with having the Butcher Bird perched up on your aerial