Monday, September 21, 2009

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.....