Les studying sparrows at Rio Corucha (south of Tacambaro)
Another mighty tasty burger at Martin's on the south side of Patzcuaro
Les S. from Churinztio, a lovely little town a half day's drive from here, visited us for 3.5 days. Hugo and I met his bus in Zacapu early Monday Aug 24 and delivered him back in time for a midday bus headed home on Aug 27. Hotel Jardin in Erongaricuaro was his resting place when we weren't birding. Believe me when I say he hardly wrinkled the sheets - we saw 144 species!
Here's a new spot in Pedernales
BTW, in Zacapu, they still make ice cream in the traditional way - without vegetable oil that leaves an awful coat on one's palate - ick! I'd willingly drive to Zacapu, and bird along the way, to eat great ice cream in more than 31 flavors there. Just a tip for the foodies out there.....
Les and Hugo in the Tierra Caliente
Here's what we saw during our 3.5 days in the field:
Pied-billed grebe
Great egret
Tricolored heron
Little blue heron
Snowy egret
Cattle egret
Green heron
Black-crowned night-heron
White-faced ibis
Mallard (Mexican duck)
Ruddy duck
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Cooper's hawk
Zone-tailed hawk (juvenile)
Red-tailed hawk
American kestrel
Peregrine falcon
Banded quail
Common moorhen
American coot
Northern jacana
Killdeer
Spotted sandpiper
Rock dove
Mourning dove
Inca dove
White-winged dove
Squirrel cuckoo
Groove-billed ani
Barn owl
Great horned owl
Black or White-chinned swift (in flight without vocalization)
Golden-crowned emerald
Broad-billed hummingbird
White-eared hummingbird
Violet-crowned hummingbird
Berylline hummingbird
Blue-throated hummingbird
Magnificent hummingbird
Black-chinned hummingbird
Calliope hummingbird
Broad-tailed hummingbird
Rufous hummingbird
Allen's hummingbird
Mountain trogon
Elegant trogon
Russet-crowned motmot
Acorn woodpecker
Golden-checked woodpecker
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Northern flicker
White-striped woodcreeper
White-striped woodcreeper
Greenish elaenia
Pileated flycatcher
Tfted flycatcher
Greater pewee
Buff-breasted flycatcher
Black phoebe
Vermilion flycatcher
Great kiskadee
Social flycatcher
Cassin's kingbird
Thick-billed kingbird
Violet-green swallow
Northern rough-winged swallow
Cliff swallow
Barn swallow
Gray silky-flycatcher
American dipper
Gray-barred wren
Spotted wren
Canyon wren
Happy wren
Banded wren
Bewick's wren
House wren
Curve-billed thrasher
Blue mockingbird
Eastern bluebird
Brown-backed solitaire
Orange-billed nightingale-thrush
Ruddy-capped nightingale-thrush
Swainson's thrush
White-throated thrush
American robin
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Bushtit
Mexican chickadee
Bridled titmouse
White-breasted nuthatch
Brown creeper
Loggerhead shrike
Mexican jay
Common raven
House sparrow
Plumbeous vireo
Golden vireo
House finch
Red crossbill
Lesser goldfinch
Olive warbler
Crescent-chested warbler
Yellow warbler
Grace's warbler
Black-and-white warbler
Louisiana waterthrush
Common yellowthroat
Gray-crowned yellowthroat
Red-faced warbler
Red warbler
Painted redstart
Slate-throated redstart
Rufous-capped warbler
Yellow-breasted chat
Hepatic tanager
Elegant euphonia
Blue-black grassquit
White-collared seedeater
Rufous-capped brush-finch
Rusty-crowned ground-sparrow
Collared x spotted towhee hybrid
Canyon towhee
Black-chested sparrow
Stripe-headed sparrow
Rusty sparrow
Striped sparrow
Chipping sparrow
Song sparrow
Yellow-eyed junco
Black-headed grosbeak
Blue bunting
Blue grosbeak
Varied bunting
Red-winged blackbird
Yellow-headed blackbird
Great-tailed grackle
Brown-headed cowbird
Streak-backed oriole
Bullock's oriole
Yellow-winged cacique
Another creature seen up close....and part of the trail we walked through.....
