Hualtulco, Mexico Bird List (1 Viewer)

This list is mainly from the Bahia Chahue area, but yesterday I wandered in the beautiful Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park and added a few. One was a lifer: Russet-crowned Motmot. I went there hoping for that! We will be leaving Hualtulco the first week in March so this list is a work in progress.
Bahia Chahue is at 15 degrees 45 min. N and 96 degrees 07 min. W

1.Neotropic Cormorant
2.Brown Pelican
3.Magnificent Frigatebird
4.Great Blue Heron
5.Snowy Egret
6.Great Egret
7.Green Heron
8.Little Blue Heron
9.Tricolored Heron
10.White Ibis
11.Black-bellied Whistling Duck
12.Blue-winged Teal
13.Black Vulture
14.Turkey Vulture
15.Osprey
16.Common Black Hawk
17.Grey Hawk
18.Roadside Hawk
19.Peregrine Falcon
20.Crested Caracara
21.West Mexican Chachalaca
22.American Coot
23.Collared Plover
24.Killdeer
25.Black-necked Stilt
26.Solitary Sandpiper
27.Herring Gull
28.Laughing Gull
29.Royal Tern
30.Inca Dove
31.White-winged Dove
32.Ruddy Ground-dove
33.White-tipped Dove
34.White-fronted Parrot
35.Orange-fronted Parakeet
36.Groove-billed Ani
37.Lesser Ground Cuckoo
38.Cinnamon Hummingbird
39.Doubleday’s Hummingbird
40.Ruby-throated Hummingbird
41.Citreoline Trogon
42.Russet-crowned Motmot
43.Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
44.Lineated Woodpecker
45.Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
46.Least flycatcher (ID on BirdForum)
47.Empidonax sp
48.Great Kiskadee
49.Social Flycatcher
50.Tropical Kingbird
51.Vermillion Flycatcher
52.Brown-crested Flycatcher
53.Nutting’s Flycatcher
54.Ash-throated Flycatcher
55.Dusky-capped Flycatcher
56.Northern BeardlessTyrannulet
57.Gray-breasted Martin
58.Mangrove Swallow
59.White-throated Magpie-Jay
60.Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
61.White-lored Gnatcatcher
62.Rufous-naped Wren (humilus)
63.Banded Wren
64.Rufous-backed Thrush
65.Yellow Warbler
66.Black and White Warbler
67.Waterthrush (not sure if Northern or Louisiana)
68.Scrub Euphonia
69.Blue Grosbeak
70.Northern Cardinal
71.Orange-breasted Bunting
72.Blue Bunting
73.White-collared Seedeater
74.Olive Sparrow
75.House Sparrow
76.Great-tailed Grackle
77.Brown-headed Cowbird
78.Bronzed Cowbird
79.Yellow-winged Cacique
80.Altamira Oriole
81.Hooded Oriole
82.Orchard Oriole
83.Spot Breasted Oriole
84.Streaked-back Oriole

There should be a pygmy owl on that list, but as the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. :C I saw it when we first arrived. I had spent some time on the net looking for birds of Hualtulco to give me an idea of what I might see. One of the first sites I found had a picture of a Colima Owl and I thought how neat it would be to see one of those. I didn't get to spend much time on the net and failed to notice there was also a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl in the area. When I saw the bird I thought, a Colima Owl!! My owl list is really crummy so I was thrilled. I didn't see the bird well and only got two really bad photos, so when I got back to the boat and found that two pygmy owls were in the area I was not able to list the bird. I'm pretty sure it was Colima because I did see the tail and it was very short. I didn't notice the banding pattern though and that would have nailed the ID. I do remember thinking the tail looked gray and whitish and not reddish, but it was in the shadows. It was brought to my attention by the activity of other birds; they were harassing it. I saw the tail first as it hung down from behind the branch the bird was on. The tail was tick-tocking like a motmot and was connected to a fat little body. My first thought was puff bird until I moved the bins up and saw an owl face. I took a few shots with the camera and got the bins back up, but it took off before I could get a good look. I have been back multiple times with no luck. There is construction going on across the sidewalk from the site and I wonder if it is gone. There are also a bunch of feral cats in the same little square of wild area.

For comparison: http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=478030
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ferruginous_Pygmy_Owl (The second image is from Mexico though east)

Niels

Thanks for those, Niels. I wish they could help me. I read the guide book and went on line to browse photos, but it didn't do me much good because I didn't see what I needed to see. If I had known to look for: spotted vs. streaked crown, or tail pattern, I would most likely have a positive ID. I was so surprised to see an owl after traveling up the body that I didn't see anything but owl eyes! I was convinced I had a Colima because I didn't know there was a similar bird. I read that the Colima lacked the bold scapular spots that the Ferruginous has and one of my photos shows rather prominent white spots, but I keep going back to the tail and I just don't think it was long enough or barred enough; but I'm not positive. The word ferruginous doesn't help much because the bird can be "gray-brown to rufous". The streaking on the sides and breast seems to be so variable also. I just didn't register things well enough. I seem to be doing a lot of that these days. I should have some warblers and vireos on the list, but I've been too slow to see them well enough to ID. I have a lack of focus or a lack of something. While writing a post for my blog, I reflected that part of the reason for my lack of focus or passion or inquisitiveness; whatever this slowness is, is that the Grand Adventure is over for me. We have about 350 nm left to go to finish the circumnavigation. Part of me is already living a normal life as a live-ashore. I keep thinking of what I need to do when I get home.

I don't think these are good enough to put on the ID forum, but here are my two 'through the branches' shots. After looking at your examples, Niels and looking at the scapular spots, I'm leaning to Ferruginous.

Five more birds for the list. I can't believe I failed to list the Yellow-throated Warbler. It was a lifer for me. I see spotted sandpipers every day and left it off! I thought I had a Cassin's or Blue-headed Vireo also but I have decided it was another Bell's with a bit bolder supraloral stripe than usual.

Grayish Saltator
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Yellow-throated Warbler
Bell’s Vireo