Bolillos, birds, bugs, and beauty in Tacambaro-Pedernales

Monday's outing was fabulous, and I cannot wax more eloguently than Bruce Cox who summarized the day in the following words (see photos at the end):

"A spectacular day, yesterday. Whether an ardent "birder" or simply a day-venturer, many of you may not yet know about one of the best kept secrets of Patzcuaro and central Michoacan: day trips with Georgia Conti and her co-leader Hugo.

Begun early, the day's first stop was a local bakery not far from Don Chucho's for steaming bolillos. We couldn't wait to savor with a crunch-crunch any longer than the bakery's street-front where Georgia offered butter and jams from the back or her SUV. Then off to the south and Tocambaro where we visited utterly wonderful and spectacular sites that offered us a number of area birds. The second site, a bit past Tocambaro and hidden in a box canyon, waterfalls streaming, was a balneario/restaurant where serveral of us, for the first time, repeatedly saw a Russet-crowned Motmot. Tasty tortas, cervezas, and chips... and lively discussions brought a wonderful trip to a finale........ no wait, more birds, another Motmot.......... and a raven seen from the highway back to Patzcuaro. Other feathers identified were: Happy wren, Blue-black, Sulphur-bellied flycatcher, Rusty-crowne ground-sparrow, juvenile Eastern bluebirds, and a Hepatic tanager.

Note: several of the most jubilant venturers had never been birding before..... and living and traveling in this area will never be the same for them. I think."

Birds of the day:

Hepatic tanager
Eastern bluebird
Barn swallow
White-breasted nuthatch
House finch
Acorn woodpecker
Olive warbler
Chipping sparrow
Grace's warbler
American robin
Black vulture
Blue mockingbird
Vermilion flycatcher
Blue-black grassquit
Golden vireo
Happy wren
Bronzed cowbird
Sulphur-bellied flycatcher
Russet-crowned motmot
Rufous-backed robin
Magnificent hummingbird
Berylline hummingbird
Black-vented oriole
Rock dove
House sparrow
Curve-billed thrasher
Canyon wren
White-throated thrush
Great kiskadee
Rusty-crowned ground-sparrow
Great-tailed grackle
Groove-billed ani
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Cassin's kingbird
Inca dove
Common raven