Birding Bonanza with Les

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

An Esmeralda mexicana, in Spanish

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

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.....