Jalisco, Mexico tour (1 Viewer)

My second trip to Mexico in just over a month, this was part of an organized birding and conservation tour run jointly by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and University of Guadalajara. My primary purpose for joining the tour was the chance to visit a few field stations that I might visit in the future for research. Not all sites that we visited are easily accessible to independent birders, so site-specific information, with a few exceptions, are of limited use for that audience- however, I see few trip reports to Mexico, so I thought I'd add this one to highlight some of the awesome birds that can be found in this region.

18 Jan 2014

We all arrived at the Guadalajara airport in the afternoon without incident, 8 participants and three leaders (2 Mexicans, 1 US), and piled into a large van to head for Autlan. A 2.5-hour drive turned into more like 4 or 5 thanks to Guadalajara (Mexico's second largest city) rush-hour traffic. We had time for a brief stop at the Ayuquila River ~15 km before Autlan- in the fading light, we spotted a Summer Tanager, Rufous-backed Robins, and Black Phoebe. We then checked into Hotel Autlan and had a delicious dinner at Los Candiles.

more to come.

19 Jan

We checked out of Hotel Autlan early and piled into the beds of two pickup trucks for a half-hour drive to Ahuacapan, a village at the base of the Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve. We arrived at the village just as it was getting light and set off down a dirt road leading into some tropical deciduous forest. The place was bustling with birds the whole morning, predominantly migrants but with a good representation of residents as well. Flowering trees attracted a smorgasbord of orioles: Black-vented, Streak-backed, Hooded, and Bullock's Orioles, in addition to a male Orchard Oriole out in the grain field. Violet-crowned, Berylline, and Black-chinned Hummingbirds also visited the trees. The stunning endemic Golden-cheeked Woodpeckers were noisy and conspicuous, and more dashing still were the male Orange-breasted Buntings feeding along the roadside. Gray Silkies, altitudinal migrants visiting from their higher pine-oak breeding grounds, called from the treetops. Shrubbery and a fallow grain field harbored large numbers of seedeaters: Blue-black Grassquit, Orange-breasted and Varied Buntings, White-collared Seedeater, Stripe-headed Sparrow, Blue and Black-headed Grosbeaks. And everywhere we looked were flycatchers- Thick-billed Kingbird in the tallest trees, Greater Pewees, Social Flycatchers, Vermilion Flycatcher by the pond, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and various Empidonax species flitting about- among those conclusively identified were Pacific-slope and Dusky Flycatchers. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher vied for most common bird; other small migrants included Warbling and Plumbeous Vireos, and Yellow, Nashville, and MacGillivray's Warblers. We all had great views of a small flock of Mexican Parrotlets eating figs in a roadside tree. A Bell's Vireo by the pond on our walk back was apparently a good find this far inland.

With so much activity, we walked probably no more than a kilometer in 4 or 5 hours of birding. We made it back to the trucks sometime after noon, had some snacks, and then piled back in for the long drive up the mountains to Las Joyas Biological Station- only about 20 km, but on steep, rough road (and of course many birding stops!). The drive was a bit of an adventure, since we were sitting on benches in the bed of the truck that, it turns out, were not secured, so they frequently tipped forward or backward as the truck jostled around. We quickly climbed out of the tropical deciduous forest and into oak, and then pine-oak, forest. A few brief stops yielded species such as Painted Redstart, Mountain Trogon, Tufted Flycatcher, Hepatic Tanager, and many others. We stopped at a large clearing for a late lunch- some of the biological station staff met us along the road with hot, delicious homemade tacos, and as we ate we watched Black-headed Siskins foraging out in the field on some seeding grass. Then we continued, again stopping occasionally for birds, finding one of the only Grace's Warbler of the trip, plus White-striped Woodcreeper, Slate-throated Redstart, Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush, and White-eared Hummingbird among others. Wilson's and Yellow-rumped Warblers now featured more heavily among the migrant warblers. The ethereal song of the Brown-backed Solitaire cascaded from high in the pines, and a Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo called tantalizingly from a distant tree- but efforts to spot it or draw it in were futile. We made it to Las Joyas at dusk.

Photos: Gray Silky, Groove-billed Ani, Gray Hawk, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Sierra de Manantlan at sunrise.

Two great grey birds - sounds like a terrific site

20 Jan

I emerged from under the cozy blankets into the cold, dark morning and went to the comedor for some coffee. As the first hint of dawn broke over the sky, a Collared Forest-Falcon began calling from deep within the forested valley, and then a nearby group of Crested Guans began to stir. One by one, unfamiliar voices were added to the chorus, although I recognized Brown-backed Solitaire and Gray-breasted Wood-Wren- all these tropical voices seeming incongruous to me against the temperate vibe of the pine-dominated forest around the station. Once it was light enough to see, we spent a little time wandering around the clearing of the station grounds, finding a few specialties such as Collared Towhee and Golden-browed Warbler. While the group was watching some Green Jays, I followed the sound of leaves rustling and spotted a pair of Singing Quail scratching about just off the trail, which obligingly allowed good views for everybody. We then returned for breakfast, and then piled into the trucks for a roughly 5 km drive up the road to an area known as El Almeal.

El Almeal is a prominent overlook within the Sierra, and the path leading from the road to the overlook passes through a brushy clearing that is often full of wildflowers and therefore hummingbirds. These little gems kept us busy for quite a while as they chattered and zipped around, Rufous Hummingbirds common and aggressive, Green Violet-ears calling from display perches, and various drab migrants- female Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds especially, but also a smattering of Calliope. A female Sparkling-tailed Woodstar was a treat to watch as it hovered bee-like with cocked tail. Magnificent, White-eared, and Berylline rounded out the hummingbird spectacle. Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercers were also visiting flowers in the area.

In the late morning we began walking down the road back toward the station. We encountered a few mixed-species forest flocks which included Arizona Woodpecker, Hermit, Red-faced, and Townsend's Warblers, Brown Creeper, White-striped Woodcreeper, Tufted Flycatcher, and Mountain Trogon. The field station staff again met us along the road with a hot lunch, and then they drove us most of the way back to the station. We then walked down a trail through some clearings and second growth, where we had nice views of a male Bumblebee Hummingbird on a display perch and got to hear it give its high-pitched "bomb" call and its namesake wing noise. A group of Red-headed Tanagers in the area was also a nice specialty to find, and a pair of Long-tailed Wood-Patridges crossed the road, giving brief but decent views.

We had a little bit of free time in the late afternoon, so I wandered off down the road on my own and was rewarded with two more endemics: Russet Nightingale-Thrush and Green-striped Brush-Finch, in addition to fabulous views of some more Golden-browed Warblers.

I took rather few photos that day it seems: below, view from El Almeal, Russet Nightingale-Thrush, and agaves at El Almeal.

21 Jan

I got up a little earlier in order to spend the last few minutes of darkness searching for nocturnal birds. I didn't hear any owls around, but up the trail I came across a Mexican Whip-poor-will sitting in the grass, making forays into the air for insects.

This morning was scheduled for a bird-banding demonstration, at a site within walking distance of the station that has been monitored continuously for 20 years. Hummingbirds featured prominently in the captures - including Calliope, Bumblebee, Amethyst-throated, and Rufous. Others caught included migrants (Black-and-white Warbler, Colima Warbler) and residents (Slate-throated Redstart, Dwarf Vireo, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer). The flowerpiercer was a thrill for me to take out of the net, I had never handled one before! The station staff, ever generous, drove up with breakfast and set up tables and chairs to serve us hot coffee and heuvos rancheros.

We had much of the afternoon to ourselves, I hurriedly packed my bags and wandered the grounds in search of more endemics. I found several Golden Vireos, very reminiscent of Wilson's Warbler in structure, behavior, and even call note, but a decent look reveals the typical hooked vireo bill. In a vine tangle just behind the dorms I found a Dwarf Vireo, which stayed put long enough for me to call some people over for a look before it melted back into the impenetrable scrub. Up the hill, a strange song caught my attention and I spotted an Elegant Euphonia - and it was the female that was singing! I tracked down a skulky warbler giving a hard metallic chip and was rewarded with a Colima Warbler, poking its bill into suspended dead leaves. I wandered around an area of dense second growth that typically harbors Slaty Vireo, my top target of the whole trip, but no luck, not even a suspicious scold note- too early in the year for them to be singing I suspect. However, a few more good birds included a pair of Rufous-capped Brush-Finches, a Green-striped Brush-Finch, and several more Russet Nightingale-Thrushes.

We left the station in the late afternoon, stopping on the way down in the dark for a roadside Buff-collared Nightjar. We arrived in Autlan and went out for a late dinner.

A few of the captures: Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Calliope and Bumblebee Hummingbirds, Colima Warbler, Dwarf Vireo, Slate-throated Redstart

Good report, Ovenbird. I have wanted to go to the Pacific side of Mexico for years. Thanks for taking me there!

Steve

22 Jan

In the morning we left Autlan and drove to Cuzalapa, a small village in the shadow of the Sierra de Manantlan, to visit a shade coffee farm and learn about the community women's cooperative. There were birds all over the village as we walked to the coffee farm - Yellow-winged Cacique, Blue Mockingbird, Orange-fronted Parakeet, and many migrants. I had never visited a shade coffee plantation before, and I realize that there must exist a continuum of plantation types that can legally be classified as "shade coffee", but I was surprised at the density and complexity of the forest - at 150 years old, it felt like a true tropical forest. It was fairly quiet, it being late morning at this point, but we did encounter a mixed flock that included Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Yellow-rumped and Wilson's Warbler, and others that remained hidden in the foliage.

After a delicious homemade lunch (and of course coffee), we hit the road for the coast. We stopped at a large roadside wetland, which was teeming with more Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks than I've ever seen in one place. There were plenty of herons and egrets, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Black-crowned Night-Heron, plus White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, and Neotropic Cormorants. A few Northern Jacanas popped out of some distant vegetation, yellow wings flashing.

We arrived at La Manzanilla, a small town on the coast, in the late afternoon, just in time for a boat ride through the mangroves. A Lineated Woodpecker greeted us on the boardwalk, and American Crocodiles lounged in the water beneath. We got in the boats, and as we paddled gently through the mangroves we enjoyed the plethora of birds: Neotropic Cormorants, assorted herons and egrets, and White Ibis to start with. A juvenile Common Black Hawk was perched up in a snag, and didn't even flinch as a group of stunning San Blas Jays flew in to mob it, screaming and hopping about. The chips of Yellow Warblers rang out from within the mangroves, but the only one I managed to see was a northern migrant, not the resident "Mangrove Warbler" (a potential split). A few Green Kingfishers darted out low over the water in front of the boats. As we paddled back in the evening glow, a horde of Bronzed Cowbirds came in to roost, and the Tropical Kingbirds seemed to multiply, apparently also converging from surrounding areas for the night. A few Lilac-crowned Parrots flew overhead, and Ivory-billed Woodcreepers and Lineated Woodpeckers called from the forest. A male Pale-billed Woodpecker gave great views as it came out onto a snag at the forest edge. A Peregrine Falcon powered overhead just as we were arriving back at the dock, topping off a relaxing and birdy evening.

Hamhed said:

Good report, Ovenbird. I have wanted to go to the Pacific side of Mexico for years. Thanks for taking me there!

Steve

Click to expand...

Thanks. It's been high on my list for years, and I hope to make it back soon - especially keen on getting to Oaxaca, additional endemics there plus a chance to catch up on species I missed.

23 Jan

We stayed in the dorms at La Chamela Field Station, and as dawn approached I heard Western Screech-Owl (bit of a surprise here) and Mottled Owl out the window. Our group met in the parking lot just in time to spot a Northern Potoo perched on top of the weather tower, sallying out to catch a few last insects before it powered off into the forest to roost.

The morning was very birdy, full of migrants and tropical deciduous forest residents. Just a few of the highlights included a handful of stunning male Blue Buntings, West Mexican Chachalacas feasting on fallen fruits on the road, a pair of White-bellied Wrens, Citreoline Trogons, and a female Golden-crowned Emerald. After lunch I photographed a roosting Mottled Owl, still sitting where we had left it in the early morning. Gorgeous bird, it looked completely different than the ones I've seen in eastern Ecuador.

24 Jan

Our last day, we left La Chamela before dawn for El Tamarindo resort - some fancy resort tucked away amid a large tract of prime semi-deciduous forest. Many of the birds were the same as La Chamela, but one of the main targets was Flammulated Flycatcher - a true "birder's bird", yet another drab flycatcher but exciting because it was a new genus for me (Deltarhynchus) and another West Mexican endemic. Myiarchis-like in general appearance, but with faint streaking in the breast and much more retiring habits, it took probably 40 minutes to spot a calling bird. Certainly the highlight of the morning for me, but also enjoyable was a male Golden-crowned Emerald with its long, forked tail and glittering plumage, and the general abundance of mixed-species migrant/resident songbirds.

We ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant at the resort, high on a cliff overlooking the Pacific and a golf course (ugh). The ocean was strangely devoid of seabirds aside from the occasional flyby pelicans, but we were treated to a great show of a mother-and-calf pair Humpback Whales not far offshore.

After lunch we went to a coral reef for some snorkeling, which went by way too fast as the splendid display of reef fishes reminded me why I once intended to pursue a marine biology/fish biology career. Too bad I missed the 9-foot(ish) moray eel that another participant saw, but I enjoyed watching the various species of butterflyfish, angelfish, polka-dotted boxfish, etc., or as somebody else put it, "tanagers of the sea".

We wrapped up the trip with an early dinner on the beach in La Manzanilla, and as we waited for our meals we watched the Magnificent Frigatebirds, Royal and Elegant Terns, and Blue-footed Boobies, many right overhead. From there it was a long 5-hour drive back to Guadalajara, with flights home the next morning.

Trip list, 214 species

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Ruddy Duck
West Mexican Chachalaca
Crested Guan
Long-tailed Wood-Partridge
Singing Quail
Least Grebe
Eared Grebe
Blue-footed Booby
Brown Booby
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Neotropic Cormorant
Anhinga
Magnificent Frigatebird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
White Ibis
White-faced Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Wood Stork
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Goshawk
Gray Hawk
Common Black Hawk
Great Black Hawk
Roadside Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Short-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Collared Forest-Falcon
Crested Caracara
Laughing Falcon
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Northern Jacana
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Heermann's Gull
Royal Tern
Elegant Tern
Feral Pigeon
Red-billed Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Inca Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Orange-fronted Parakeet
Mexican Parrotlet
Lilac-crowned Parrot
Squirrel Cuckoo
Groove-billed Ani
Western Screech-Owl
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Mottled Owl
Buff-collared Nightjar
Mexican Whip-poor-will
Northern Potoo
Vaux's Swift
Green Violetear
Golden-crowned Emerald
Broad-billed Hummingbird
White-eared Hummingbird
Berylline Hummingbird
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Amethyst-throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird
Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Bumblebee Hummingbird
Citreoline Trogon
Ringed Kingfisher
Belted Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Acorn Woodpecker
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Lineated Woodpecker
Pale-billed Woodpecker
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
White-striped Woodcreeper
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Greenish Elaenia
Tufted Flycatcher
Greater Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Vermilion Flycatcher
Bright-rumped Attila
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Nutting's Flycatcher
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Flammulated Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Thick-billed Kingbird
Rose-throated Becard
Masked Tityra
Bell's Vireo
Dwarf Vireo
Plumbeous Vireo
Hutton's Vireo
Golden Vireo
Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo
Green Jay
San Blas Jay
Common Raven
Mangrove Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Bridled Titmouse
Bushtit
Brown Creeper
Sinaloa Wren
Happy Wren
White-bellied Wren
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Brown-backed Solitaire
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush
Russet Nightingale-Thrush
White-throated Robin
Rufous-backed Robin
Blue Mockingbird
American Pipit
Gray Silky-Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Colima Warbler
Crescent-chested Warbler
Tropical Parula
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Grace's Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
MacGillivray's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Red-faced Warbler
Painted Redstart
Slate-throated Redstart
Rufous-capped Warbler
Golden-browed Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Hepatic Tanager
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
Flame-colored Tanager
Red-headed Tanager
Blue-black Grassquit
White-collared Seedeater
Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer
Rufous-capped Brush-Finch
Green-striped Brush-Finch
Green-tailed Towhee
Collared Towhee
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Yellow-eyed Junco
Grayish Saltator
Yellow Grosbeak
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Bunting
Blue Grosbeak
Orange-breasted Bunting
Varied Bunting
Painted Bunting
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Black-vented Oriole
Orchard Oriole
Hooded Oriole
Streak-backed Oriole
Bullock's Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
Yellow-winged Cacique
Scrub Euphonia
Elegant Euphonia
House Finch
Black-headed Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow

ovenbird43 said:

Thanks. It's been high on my list for years, and I hope to make it back soon - especially keen on getting to Oaxaca, additional endemics there plus a chance to catch up on species I missed.

Click to expand...

Yes, Oaxaca first... no, Pacific coast... no, Ecuador... Arrggh! The world's so big and my wallet is so small!

Steve

Impressive list & nice report - thanks for posting.