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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eitanaltman" data-source="post: 553003" data-attributes="member: 35507">Check those ID's...Mike - You should be a little more careful about your identifications.  Unless you confused your Yucatan or Belize lists with your Puerto Vallarta list, I can count at least TWENTY birds (marked in bold in the quote block) that you've listed that don't occur anywhere near the PV region.  Most of these are south/central american birds that only appear in the southern parts of Mexico or the Yucatan, or are strictly eastern Mexican birds (Brown Jay, Buff-Bellied Hummer, Cave Swallow).Rufescent Tiger-Heron and Common Potoo don't even occur in MEXICO, let alone Puerto Vallarta!!  Several others, like Sierra Madre Sparrow or Black-Chested Sparrow occur close enough that I suppose they COULD have been seen in Nuevo Vallarta, but are pretty unlikely.This should be a lesson to utilize the RANGE MAPS included in a field guide in addition to the color pictures when determining the identity of a particular bird.  Knowing what's SUPPOSED to be there is an important factor in bird ID's.  In many cases, you've obviously confused similar-looking species that would NEVER be confused if you had looked at the maps (for example, Hooded Oriole vs. Yellow-Backed Oriole; Northern Potoo vs. Common Potoo; Blue-Black Grosbeak vs. Blue Grosbeak; or any of the Ground-Doves, blackbirds/cowbirds, or flycatchers/tyrannulets).  If you only look at the pictures -- especially with a confusing field guide like the Edwards book -- it can seem like you've just seen a Tropical Pewee, but it is important to utilize all of the information available to you.Not trying to rain on your parade, but you will become a better birder and get more out of the hobby (not to mention avoiding needlessly alarming various local birdwatchers!) by paying attention to all the factors in an ID.  Good luck and happy future birding!</blockquote>

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