Desert Birding

Below are some of the better photos I took this morning from the desert near Vizarron.  Lots of Rock Wrens present and 2 Greater Roadrunners (pictured).  Other highlights included my first Black-throated Sparrow, several Canyon Wrens, Blue-throated Hummingbirds, American Robins, Hepatic Tanagers, and many more.  The full list is up on eBird.

Presa Centenario - Waders Building

High water levels at El Centenario at the moment and some marvellous waders.  A little look around the far end on Wednesday evening and I found some huge flocks of Wilson's Phalaropes (2000+), as well as lots of Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets and 15 Baird's Sandpipers.

Also present here were 2 Fulvous Whistling Ducks and 1 Bank Swallow in with hundreds of Barn Swallows.

Bentsen State Park and Cimarron Club - Texas

I'm up across the border in Mission, Texas, at the moment and took the opportunity to see some excellent wildlife this morning.  The Lower Rio Grande Valley has a lot of specialist species which, although common in Mexico, are difficult/impossible to find in the rest of the U.S.   Such species include Green Jay (pictured below), Olive Sparrow, Altamira Oriole, Clay-colored Robin and Plain Chachalaca.

Queretaro Birding website opens

This blog will continue to run with occasional updates.  However, we have opened a new website with more regular updates and more features.

Please continue to read this blog and also check out the new site

www.queretarobirding.com

Thanks.

Trip Report - Presa de la Constitucion and Huimilpan Range

A superb day of birding on Saturday with Mary Gustafson from Texas saw us take in a good variety of habitats and score with some excellent species.

We arranged a 5.30 pick up in Queretaro, and got to Presa de la Constitucion for first light.  This reservoir usually throws up some interesting birds, and it delivered again - as the sun rose, 8 Wood Storks landed in the shallows of the reservoir, feeding with lots of Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets and Black-crowned Night Herons.  Out on the spit, we picked up 2 Ring-billed Gulls, 3 American White Pelicans and 1 Franklin´s Gull.  In the surrounding fields were 8 Northern Bobwhite, and singing Horned Larks, Savannah Sparrows and 2 Botteri´s Sparrows.

Wood Stork

Next up was the ´Canyon San Juan´, a spectacular location which is home to breeding Cliff Swallows.  We also had Violet-green Swallows here, as well as Loggerhead Shrikes,1 more Botteri´s Sparrow, Phainopeplas, 2 Blue Mockingbirds, many Canyon Towhees, Canyon Wrens and a Red-tailed Hawk on the cliffs.

Some nice roadside stops between the Canyon and Laguna de Servin yielded Gray Silky-Flycatchers, Western Wood-Peewees, Chipping, Rufous-crowned, Black-chinned and Striped Sparrows, breeding Yellow Warblers, Green Kingfishers and some more common species.

As we headed into the forests, the birds got even better.  Countless singing Pine Siskins were trumped by 2 Black-headed Siskins.  At various points, we also had Hepatic Tanager, Olive Warbler, Crescent-chested Warblers, Slate-throated Redstarts, Painted Redstarts, Brown-throated House Wren, Spotted Towhees, Yellow-eyed Juncos (common), Common Ravens, American Robins, 2 obliging Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrushes, Acorn and Hairy Woodpeckers, 8 Black-headed Grosbeaks, Brown-backed Solitaires, and Pine and Cordilleran Flycatchers.

A few brief stops near Huimilpan on the way back allowed us to catch up with Cactus Wren and White-eared Hummingbird, and finish the day with about 90 different species.

Huimilpan Range

Before rain stopped play last night, we explored some spots near Amealco on the Queretaro/Michoacan border.  Some spectacular scenery in this neck of the woods, including a spectacular Canyon through which the Rio San Juan runs on the far side of Presa de la Constitucion.  A brief stop here produced breeding Cliff Swallows as well as Northern Rough-winged Swallows and Violet-green Swallows.  It also held a good number of Phainopeplas.

Further on, after turning off the San Juan - Amealco road towards Huimilpan, we stopped at a riverbed and found good numbers of Gray Silky Flycatchers with Western Wood-Peewees and a good variety of other residents.  Also along this road were several Striped Sparrows.

We headed up the Laguna de Servin access road, but only just reached the forest edge before a heavy down pour began.  Still had time to pick up a beautiful Olive-sided Flycatcher, a pair of Hepatic Tanagers, several Black-backed Orioles, Canyon Towhees, Western Wood-Peewees, 1 Yellow-eyed Junco and a few other bits and bobs.

On the way back to Tequis, a brief stop at Presa de la Constitucion revealed 3 lingering American White Pelicans, 1 Great Blue Heron, many Black-crowned Night Herons (they breed nearby), Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets, 2 Laughing Gulls  and 6 Ring-billed Gulls.  

Spring Sightings

Some highlights (camera-less and photo-less) over the last few months have included....

Presa de la Constitucion - Still over 60 American White Pelicans in early May, with a similar number of Neotropic Cormorants.  A few Laughing Gulls with 6 Ring-billed Gulls, but best of all an adult summer Caspian Tern.  In the scrub, 2 Northern Bobwhites and a surprising MacGillivray's Warbler.

Presa Centenario - In early May, there were over 1000 Wilson's Phalaropes and excellent numbers of Black-winged Stilt and American Avocet.  Still some wildfowl hanging around - Shovelers, Pintails, lots of resident Mexican Ducks and Ruddy Ducks, and some Gadwall and American Wigeon.  Mid-May, there were 4 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and 1 Black Tern with huge Barn Swallow migration.

Tequisquiapan - Quiet now with just resident birds remaining.  Many are feeding young.  In early May, however, I did see a Bell's Vireo and Warbling Vireo together, obvious migrants.