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

La Estacion, the old train station near Erongaricuaro

In March, Hugo introduced me to La Estacion, the old train station near Eronga. His father worked for the railroad for 30 years, so he has spent much time here. His father passed away a few years ago, and there is a special place in Hugo's heart for La Estacion. It is also an especially good place for birds. Each time we visit the area, we find Elegant trogon, an exciting species no doubt for most birders. We also add a new species to our list with each visit. For example, today we watched a family of Slate-throated redstarts. Although not a new species, we were able to watch the adults busily feeding youngsters and teaching them to forage. This was the first time I saw baby redstarts. Without the adults nearby and without the tell-tale fanning of their tails, it would have been a trying time for me to identify the juveniles.

After the photos, you will find a list of all birds we've seen these past months.









Here is a list of species seen at La Estacion since March:

Turkey vulture
Sharp-shinned hawk
Cooper's hawk
Common black-hawk
Red-tailed hawk (dark morph)
Mourning dove
Inca dove
White-tipped dove
Whip-poor-will
Broad-billed hummingbird
White-eared hummingbird
Berylline hummingbird
Blue-throated hummingbird
Elegant trogon
Acorn woodpecker
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Ladder-back woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
White-striped woodcreeper
Tufted flycatcher
Greater pewee
Hammond's flycatcher
Gray flycatcher
Dusky flycatcher
Cordilleran flycatcher
Vermilion flycatcher
Dusky-capped flycatcher
Great kiskadee
Cassin's kingbird
Rose-throated becard
Violet-green swallow
Northern rough-winged swallow
Barn swallow
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Gray silky-flycatcher
Spotted wren
Canyon wren
Bewick's wren
Curve-billed thrasher
Blue mockingbird
Eastern bluebird
Brown-backed solitaire
Orange-billed nightingale-thrush
Hermit thrush
White-throated thrush
American robin
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Bushtit
Mexican chickadee
Mexican jay
Common raven
House sparrow
Warbling vireo
Chestnut-sided shrike-vireo
House finch
Lesser goldfinch
Orange-crowned warbler
Nashville warbler
Yellow warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Black-throated gray warbler
Black-and-white warbler
MacGillivray's warbler
Wilson's warbler
Painted redstart
Slate-throated redstart
Rufous-capped warbler
Yellow-breasted chat
Hepatic tanager
Summer tanager
Western tanager
Elegant euphonia
White-collared seedeater
Cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer
Rufous-capped brush-finch
Spotted towhee
Hybrid towhee (Collared x Spotted)
Canyon towhee
Stripe-headed sparrow
Rufous-crowned sparrow
Rusty sparrow
Chipping sparrow
Lincoln's sparrow
Black-headed grosbeak
Blue grosbeak
Bronzed cowbird
Bullock's oriole (Abeille's)
Black-vented oriole

My friend Bob from Boise

Robert Whitlatch

A couple years ago I met Robert Whitlatch. He contacted me while I was working in Anchorage, Alaska. Yet again another birdingpal connection. Bob is a birder. He is also a writer and a photographer.

I encourage you to check out the following sites:

http://www.blue-sage-moon.blogspot.com/

Since our meeting in Alaska, we have stayed in touch and have become good friends. We have also done some birding together. In fact, we met up in Seattle on election night, where we celebrated the Obama victory together. Oh yeah! He also visited us in Patzcuaro March 11-18.

And boy did we bird - every day from sunrise to sunset. At the end of this posting is a list of the birds seen.

There's nothing like one of Martin's hamburgers after a day's birding - yummy, yummy!

Back in Boise, where his head was still swirling with all he saw and experienced in Patzcuaro, he wrote a story. That story was shared with friends, one of whom passed it along to someone else and, well, his story is being published in the New Jersey Audubon's spring newsletter. His love of birding has also been noticed by his employer, Alaska Airlines, and they too have included an article in their in-house publication.

Birds seen:

Exit to Zamora (from GDL-Mexico City tollroad):

Great-tailed grackle
House finch
House sparrow
Lesser goldfinch
Varied bunting
Blue bunting
Canyon towhee
Bullock’s oriole
Orchard oriole
Yellow-rumped warbler
Groove-billed ani
Blue grosbeak
Indigo bunting
Rufous-backed thrush
Nashville warbler
Wilson’s warbler
MacGillivray’s warbler
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
White-collared seedeater

Blue-black grassquit
Turkey vulture

Golden-fronted woodpecker
Inca dove
Streak-backed oriole
Common yellowthroat
Cattle egret
Great kiskadee

Further down the road toward Zamora:

Logger-head shrike
White-tailed

Lake Camecuaro:
Western meadowlark
American kestral
Great egret
Cassin’s kingbird
Bushtit
Canyon wrenBullock’s oriole
Rose-throated becard
Muscovy duck
Vermilion flycatcher
Black phoebe
Cordilleran flycatcher
Hermit thrush
Bewick’s wren
American coot
Eastern bluebird

La Colonia (village on way to Zarzamora – above Eronga):
Striped sparrow
Barn swallow
Brown-headed cowbird
Chipping sparrow
Bullock’s oriole (Abeille's)

Old Road from Zarzamora to Erongaricuaro, including Porton Negro area:
Red crossbill
Buff-breasted flycatcher
Greater peewee
Black-headed grosbeak
Collard-spotted towhee (hybrid)
Blue mockingbird
Lincoln’s sparrow
Acorn woodpecker
Elegant trogon
Painted redstart
Grace’s warbler
Olive warbler
Northern flicker
Black-headed siskin
Pine flycatcher
Mexican chickadee
Black-and-white warbler
Yellow warbler
Black phoebe


Columpio (dip in the road beyond Zarzamora):
Yellow-eyed junco
Slate-throated redstart
Crescent-chested warbler
Brown creeper
Townsend’s warbler
Pygmy nuthatch
Blue-throated hummingbird
Mt. pygmy-owl
Cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer (female)

Ojo de Agua (Tzintzuntzan):
Green heron
Common moorhen
Northern jacana
Spotted sandpiper
Northern waterthrush
Song sparrow
Canyon wren
Common yellowthroat
Black-and-white warbler
Yellow warbler
Black phoebe
Painted redstart
Sora
Bronze cowbird
Snowy egret
White-faced ibis
Black-polled yellowthroat
Cassin’s kingbird
Curve-billed thrasher
Cassin’s vireo

Rio Corucha and Arroyo Frio (south of Tacambaro):
Black vulture
Yellow-winged cacique
Squirrel cuckoo
Stripe-headed sparrow
Thick-billed kingbird
Tropical kingbird
Gray-crowned yellowthroat
Warbling vireo
Orange-billed nightingale-thrush
White-throated robin
Western tanager
Macgillivray’s warbler
Cassin’s flycatcher
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Curve-billed thrasher
Cassin’s Vireo
*Solitary eagle vs. Common black-hawk (I will post separately re this encounter)

Highway between Opongeo and Cerro Burro, near Santa Juana:

Mexican jay
Hairy woodpecker
Mountain trogon
Calliope hummingbird

Cerro Burro:
Horned lark
Pine siskin
Red warbler
Olive-sided flycatcher
Magnificent hummingbird
Steller’s jay
American pipit
Hepatic tanager
White-eared hummingbird
Broad-billed hummingbird
Violet-crowned hummingbird
Calliope hummingbird
Eastern bluebird
Chipping sparrow
House finch
Yellow-eyed junco
Violet-green swallow

American robin

Northern rough-winged swallow
Barn swallow
Turkey vulture
Cassin's kingbird
Golden-browed warbler
Slate-throated redstart
Mex chickadee
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Black-headed grosbeak
Hermit warbler
Black vulture
Red-tailed hawk
Buff-breasted flycatcher
Greater peewee
Collared-spotted towhee (hybrid)

Lake Cuitzeo (north of Morelia):
Lesser scaup
Blue-winged teal
Clark’s grebe
American coot
Ruddy duck
Northern shoveler
Cinnamon teal
Black-necked stilt
American avocet
White pelican
Little blue heron

San Miguel de Allende:
Crested caracara
Northern mockingbird
Cactus wren
Green-winged teal
Mexican duck
Lark sparrow
Black-chinned sparrow
Gray flycatcher
Scott’s Oriole

Laura Kaltenstein's Artwork

Earlier this year, Laura Kaltenstein visited from Sitka, Alaska. In the wintertime, many Alaskans escape the harshness of northern weather (if my memory serves me correctly, it tends to rain sideways in Sitka).

This year, she chose to visit Mexico's Central Highlands for a number of reasons: to practice and improve her Spanish, visit the nearby Monarch butterfly sanctuary, and bird the central highlands. Together we birded around Erongaricuaro, Arocutin, and Tacambaro. We also spent several days birding Lake Camecuaro and Colima (see previous postings).

Unbeknownst to me, Laura is an accomplished artist. Her specialities are beadwork and linoleum block prints.

Here are some photos of her bird-related work. You can also find examples of her beadwork. Check out her website: http://www.lauraalaskaart.blogspot.com/.

Some examples of her beadwork:

Lapel pins

Purses

Super Dulce Birding in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

Hugo and I drove from Patzcuaro to Monterrey to spend the weekend birding with Adrian Ganem Sada and Rene Sada. These guys are "super dulce" birders!

Many, many thanks to them for their hospitality, incredible birding skills, not laughing at me for frequently performing the lifer dance, and mentoring and including Hugo into the Mexican birding circle.

I would also like to thank Jesus Fernando Cerra Luna for giving me permission to add some of his photos. He is a Super Mega Dulce photographer whose website is http://www.birdsandpictures.com/. My dream is to one day introduce him to the birds in our area. Come on down, Fernando.

Dwarfed by the canyon walls

We drove from Cola de Caballo to Los Lorios with a lunch stop at nearly 11,000 feet for higher elevation birds and a breath-taking view of the valley below. Today we birded La Estanzuela State Park.

Lunch stops don't get much better than this

No birding day is complete without elote smothered with mayonaise and chili

Species seen or heard:

Thicket tinamou (heard)
Turkey vulture
Black vulture
Gray hawk
Short-tailed hawk
Zone-tailed hawk
Red-tailed hawk
American kestrel
Plain chachalaca
Rock pigeon
Band-tailed pigeon
Mourning dove
White-winged dove
Common ground-dove (heard)
Inca dove
White-tipped dove (heard)
Maroon-fronted parrot

Yellow-billed cuckoo (heard)
Ferruginous pygmy-owl
White-throated swift
Broad-billed hummingbird
Buff-bellied hummingbird
Blue-throated hummingbird
Black-chinned hummingbird
Broad-tailed hummingbird
Elegant trogon
Green kingfisher
Blue-crowned motmot
Acorn woodpecker
Golden-fronted woodpecker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Golden-olive woodpecker (heard)
Cordilleran flycatcher
Say's phoebe
Great kiskadee
Sulphur-bellied flycatcher
Cassin's kingbird
Gray-collared becard
Violet-green swallow
Barn swallow
Gray silky-flycatcher
Canyon wren
Spot-breasted wren
Carolina wren
House wren (brown-throated)
Long-billed thrasher
Curve-billed thrasher
Western bluebird
Brown-backed solitaire
Russet nightingale-thrush
Clay-colored robin
American robin
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
Mexican chickadee
Bridled titmouse
Black-crested titmouse
Pygmy nuthatch
Green jay
Brown jay
Mexican jay
Common raven
White-eyed vireo
Yellow-green vireo
House finch
Pine siskin
Lesser goldfinch
Olive warbler
Colima warbler
Tropical parula
Painted redstart

Golden-crowned warbler (performing a wounded-bird display that we all agreed was the bird experience of the trip)

Hepatic tanager
Flame-colored tanager

Photo by Wayne Colony, San Miguel de Allende

Yellow-faced grassquit
Rufous-capped brush-finch
Olive sparrow
Spotted towhee
Chipping sparrow
Yellow-eyed junco
Crimson-collared grosbeak

Northern cardinal
Blue bunting
Blue grosbeak
Varied bunting
Great-tailed grackle
Bronzed cowbird
Hooded oriole
Audubon's oriole

Introducing Victor Hugo Valencia - Bird Guide Extraordinaire

Victor Hugo Valencia

I have mentioned, and will be mentioning more often, Victor Hugo Valencia. I didn't meet him through birding; he came to us because we needed a good tile setter and several people recommended him to us. When he toured our house and discussed our needs, he interjected the conversation to ask me if I liked birds. At the time, I thought this an odd thing to ask and assumed someone had told him that if he simply talked about birds, he'd get the job. After all, everyone around here knows that I am nuts about birds and birding.

Well, for Hugo, birds are also his passion. He came to work the next day with binoculars in hand as well as a National Geographic field guide, both unusual items for residents of this area. During lunch hours, he often can be found with one of my many bird books.

He has become my birding pal and co-guide of the Patzcuaro Bird Guides. His skills are quite exceptional, especially his knowledge of local birding locations, command of the English language, and birding by ear. Moreover, there are few who can match his ability to find a bird.


In his own words, here is his introduction:


Hi, my name is Victor Hugo Valencia Alberto, but most people know me by Hugo. I am from the small town of Erongaricuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. In Purhepecha language, Erongaricuaro means "place for waiting." I married Lupe who is also from Eronga. We have a beautiful little girl named Mariana. She is four years old. Now my wife is expecting our second child.


I love my family so much. I am teaching Mariana about birds, like my father used to do with me. He used to take me fishing and camping in the mountains when I was young. This is why I love Mother Nature and am curious about birds. Having this opportunity to be a bird guide is a dream come true. I feel so lucky to meet the great persons Georgia and Chuck Conti. She has become my teacher. I want to thank her very much for helping me and showing me more about birds.


Well, this is my history. We will be so happy to take you out birding and have a good time.

Hugo doing what comes natural: helping someone get on a bird.

Photo taken at a recent outing of the Patzcuaro Bird Club.

Birding Colima's Two Volcanos

During the first week of February, I accompanied Laura Kaltenstein of Sitka, Alaska, to the volcanic region of Colima. We visited a number of sites listed in Howell's guidebook and, thanks to Wayne and Susan Colony of San Miguel de Allende, we thoroughly enjoyed Agua Dulce.

Plumes erupted fairly often during our three-day stay

Such beauty! It aches to be climbed.

Laura is in this hedge, really

We didn't have to move far to see birds at Agua Dulce.

As dusk arrived, we drove toward the village of Agua Dulce simply to check it out. On our way back down the hill, we spotted a nightjar along the road. Our look at the bird was curtailed when a car approached. Luckily, Laura was a sport and didn't mind going a ways further and turning around to try to relocate the bird. We did find the bird and had ample time to study it until another car disturbed us. Back in my car, we drove a bit and turned around for another try. We spotted the bird again and had really good looks at it. That's when we discovered that we'd been looking at two different species, not the same bird: a paurauque and buff-collared nightjar. What a double treat for us!

136 species seen:

Least grebe

American white pelican

Neotropic cormorant

Great blue heron

Great egret

Little blue heron

Snowy egret

Black-crowned night-heron

White-faced ibis

Blue-winged teal

Cinnamon teal

Black vulture

Turkey vulture

Osprey

Sharp-shinned hawk

Gray hawk

Short-tailed hawk

White-tailed hawk

Red-tailed hawk

American kestrel

Peregrine falcon

Crested guan (what a racket they make!)

Long-tailed wood-partridge (another lifer for me)

Common moorhen

American coot

Spotted sandpiper

Caspian tern

Inca dove

Thick-billed parrot

Lilac-crowned parrot

Squirrel cuckoo

Groove-billed ani

Paurauque

Buff-collared nightjar

Green violet-ear

Broad-billed hummingbird

White-eared hummingbird

Cinnamon hummingbird

Violet-crowned hummingbird

Berylline hummingbird

Magnificent hummingbird

Citreoline trogon

Mountain trogon

Yellow-bellied sapsucker

Ladder-backed woodpecker

Hairy woodpecker

Gray-crowned woodpecker

Tufted flycatcher

Greater pewee

Least flycatcher

Hammond'd flycatcher

Cordilleran flycatcher

Buff-breasted flycatcher

Black phoebe

Vermilion flycatcher

Dusky-capped flycatcher

Great kiskadee

Social flycatcher

Tropical flycatcher

Cassin's kingbird

Rose-throated becard

Violet-green swallow

Northern rough-winged swallow

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Gray silky-flycatcher

Gray-barred wren

Spotted wren

Canyon wren

Happy wren (finally I got to see this bird - a loud one at that)

Bewick's wren

House wren

Blue mockingbird

Eastern bluebird

Brown-backed solitaire

Swainson's thrush

Rufous-backed robin

Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Bushtit

Mexican chickadee

Pygmy nuthatch

White-breasted nuthatch

Loggerhead shrike

White-throated magpie-jay

Mexican jay

Common raven

House sparrow

Dwarf vireo

Cassin's vireo

Hutton's vireo

Warbling vireo

Golden vireo

House finch

Pine siskin

Lesser goldfinch

Olive warbler

Orange-crowned warbler

Nashville warbler

Crescent-chested warbler

Tropical parula

Yellow warbler

Yellow-rumped warbler

Black-throated gray warbler

Townsend's warbler

Hermit warbler

Black-and-white warbler

Northern waterthrush

Common yellowthroat

Wilson's warbler

Red warbler

Painted redstart

Slate-throated redstart

Rufous-capped warbler

Golden-browed warbler

Yellow-breasted chat

Hepatic tanager

Summer tanager

Red-headed tanager

Rusty-crowned ground-sparrow

Collared towhee

Stripe-headed sparrow

Chipping sparrow

Lark sparrow

Lincoln's sparrow

Yellow-eyed junco

Black-headed grosbeak

Blue bunting

Blue grosbeak

Lazuli bunting

Indigo bunting

Varied bunting

Painted bunting

Yellow-headed blackbird

Great-tailed grackle

Streak-backed oriole

Bullock's oriole

Yellow-winged cacique