Hike/bird trip to Columpio Sunday Aug 13

Bird of the day:  Mexican jay

(photo from Wikimedia Commons; photographer, Alan Vernon)

Eleven of us headed to an area by Zarzamora (above Erongaricuaro) to a place we call Columpio.  The outing was billed as a bi-lingual hike/walk/bird trip so there was a mix of interest among us.  One interest we hadn't considered until we got there:  hongos or mushrooms.  It's that time of year. 

Here's what we saw/heard (not in taxonomic order):

Painted redstart
White-breasted nuthatch
Hepatic tanager
Crescent-chested warbler
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Mexican jay
Yellow-eyed junco
Pine flycatcher
Acorn woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Bewick's wren
American robin
Red warbler
Barn swallow
Gray silky-flycatcher
Brown-backed solitaire
White-tipped dove
Hybrid towhee (spotted x collared)
Brown creeper
Blue-throated hummingbird
Olive warbler
Mexican chickadee
Northern raven
Rufous-capped warbler

Juvenile Mountain Trogon

Earlier this month, Stan and Darnelle came over from the Lake Chapala area to bird with us.  They reported seeing a male Sparkling-tailed woodstar at a feeder in Zirahuen. 

At Columpio, they added a number of new birds to their life and Mexico lists.  The most interesting bird of the day was one that we couldn't immediately identify.  Thanks to several individuals on the Mexico-birding yahoogroup, we've concluded that it's a juvenile Mountain trogon.  I must admit that I wished it to be an Eared quetzal.....

Life bird: Sparkling-tailed woodstar

Wowsers.  I walked out my French doors and glanced at one of the feeders....to spot a new hummingbird species.  Sparkling-tailed woodstar!!

It's an endemic to central Mexico; however, it has been a secret to me.  It wasn't very shy and stayed at the feeder long enough for me to run back into the house for the camera and take several shots. 

Number 393 for my Mexico list and 111 for my yard list. 

Female woodstars (photos by Vince Gravel)

Male in flight (photo by Alex Gordon)

Male in flight (photo by Alex Gordon)

Male in flight (photo by Vince Gravel)

Hugo caught it out of the corner of his eye today, so he added it to his list as well. 

Many thanks to Vince Garvel and Alex Gordon for use of the photos. 

Check out Vince's blog:  http://www.birdsofmexico.blogspot.com/.   At the bottom, there's a place to click for the rest of his collection of amazing photos. 

May 2011 Birding Trip Report

Note:  I'll add photos to this entry soon.  Until then, here's a recent trip report. 

Oh, and in case you've been wondering about my not posting many entries this past year: No, I've not moved on to another pastime - I still live to bird. It's simply a matter of other pressing matters taking up my time this past year - divorce, my mother's failing health, more work to finish my house, visiting friends, etc.

Last month, Hugo guided a visiting birder - George M. from Ontario. I was invited to tag along for the last day and a half. Both Hugo and George got lifers. Although not a lifer, I got a great look at a bird on my BVD list - that stands for Better View Desired bird. Fan-tailed warbler, seen at Arroyo Frio near Pedernales.

We dipped on swifts at the waterfalls south of Uruapan so we headed to Tacambaro, always a treasure trove of birds.

Some changes at Rio Corucha: they've bulldozed a wider road higher up the mountainside. It looks like they're building an alberca (pool) up there or so we were told by some of the blackberry farmers. The trickle of water that used to make its way down the dirt road on the other side of the river is no more. Thus, no butterflies. :-(

The area still produced Banded quail, Black-chested sparrow, Lesser roadrunner, and Golden-crowned emerald. No West Mexican chachalacas - it's been more than a year since we've spotted them in the area.

And no, we didn't spot the mystery raptor, which both Hugo and I say is a Solitary eagle. One day we'll see it again and have a good camera to record the sighting.

Birds seen/heard (150 species):

Great egret

Snowy egret
Cattle egret
White-faced ibis
Mallard
Lesser scaup
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Sharp-shinned hawk
Red-tailed hawk
Banded quail
Common moorhen
Northern jacana
Black-necked stilt
Killdeer
Greater yellowlegs
Spotted sandpiper
Least sandpiper
Rock pigeon
Mourning dove
Inca dove
White-tipped dove
Squirrel cuckoo
Groove-billed ani
Lesser roadrunner
Northern pygmy-owl
Ferruginous pygmy-owl
White-naped swift
White-throated swift
Golden-crowned emerald
Broad-billed hummingbird
White-eared hummingbird
Violet-crowned hummingbird
Berylline hummingbird
Blue-throated hummingbird
Magnificent hummingbird
Plain-capped starthroat
Mountain trogon
Elegant trogon
Belted kingfisher
Green kingfisher
Russet-crowned motmot
Acorn woodpecker
Golden-cheeked woodpecker
Yellow-bellied sapsucker
Ladder-backed woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker
Northern flicker
White-striped woodcreeper
Greenish elaenia
Pileated flycatcher
Tufted flycatcher
Olive-sided flycatcher
Greater pewee
Pine flycatcher
Cordilleran flycatcher
Buff-breasted flycatcher
Black phoebe
Vermilion flycatcher
Dusky-capped flycatcher
Ash-throated flycatcher
Nutting's flycatcher
Great-crested flycatcher
Brown-crested flycatcher
Great kiskadee
Social flycatcher
Sulphur-bellied flycatcher
Cassin's kingbird
Thick-billed kingbird
Rose-throated becard
Northern rough-winged swallow
Barn swallow
Gray silky-flycatcher
Gray-barred wren
Spotted wren
Canyon wren
Happy wren
Bewick's wren
Marsh wren
Curve-billed thrasher
Blue mockingbird
Easter bluebird
Orange-billed nightingale-thrush
Russet nightingale-thrush
Hermit thrush
White-throated thrush
Rufous-backed robin
American robin
Bushtit
Mexican chickadee
Bridled titmouse
White-breasted nuthatch
Brown creeper
Steller's jay
Mexican jay
Common raven
House sparrow
Plumbeous vireo
Hutton's vireo
Warbling vireo
Golden vireo
Chestnut-sided shrike-vireo
House finch
Lesser goldfinch
Olive warbler
Orange-crowned warbler
Nashville warbler
Crescent-chested warbler
Yellow warbler
Yellow-rumped warbler
Black-throated gray warbler
Townsend's warbler
Common yellowthroat
Black-polled yellowthroat
Gray-crowned yellowthroat
Wilson's warbler
Red warbler
Painted redstart
Slate-throated redstart
Fan-tailed warbler
Rufous-capped warbler
Golden-browed warbler
Hepatic tanager
Summer tanager
Western tanager
Elegant euphonia
Blue-black grassquit
White-collared seedeater
Cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer
Rufous-capped brush-finch
Green-striped brush-finch
Rusty-crowned ground-sparrow
Hybrid towhee (Collared x Rufous-sided)
Canyon towhee
Black-chested sparrow
Stripe-headed sparrow
Rusty sparrow
Chipping sparrow
Song sparrow
Yellow-eyed junco
Black-headed grosbeak
Blue grosbeak
Red-winged blackbird
Western meadolark
Great-tailed grackle
Bronzed cowbird
Streak-backed oriole
Black-vented oriole
Scott's oriole
Yellow-winged cacique

New Nesting Boxes

On a recent trip to/from the States, I picked up two pre-made nesting boxes - on sale no less.

They were rather plain so I asked my neighbor Francis if she'd beautify them with some of her artwork. She and husband Roldofo Rodriguez make much sought after art - large and small chests, shadow boxes, crosses, benches, and hummingbird earrings are just some of the articles they make.

Here are the finished boxes.......

Detail of the box in the side yard.

Note: the banner, birds and flower heads are raised from the box; the flower stems and leaves are painted onto the box.

It's installed in cozy corner where I can watch it from inside the house.

This one is in the front yard.

A wren - I am hoping for a Spotted wren - moved in within a couple hours of installation!

Of course, there's always a pair of birds who want a different home. Canyon wrens recently fledged a brood from the space under the umbrella of this patio heater.

Orange-billed nightingale-thrush x 3

I had three events involving Orange-billed nightingale-thrushes in short order yesterday.

The first was on the cover of ABA's North American Birds quarterly journal, vol 64: no 4, 2011, that arrived in my monthly mail packet from Seattle. No, I didn't go to South Dakota last year to add this species to my ABA list. I've got them in my yard here on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro.

The next happening was a flutter of excitement out my kitchen window. I'm not sure what was going on. Two birds flew onto my window ledge and were flapping at each other, while making all sorts of racket. I thought they were fighting. One was an adult Orange-billed, the other was a juvenile. See photo above.

The adult flew away to a nearby tree, then flew off into my neighbor's garden. The juvenile sat on my window sill for some time, allowing me to get this photo before it, too, flew off.

The third is a norm at this time of year: Orange-billed nightingale-thrushes in my yard sing constantly. They start at the crack of dawn and don't stop until dark. And I mean they sing throughout the day. Mind you, they are not easy to see - they tend to sit still and you have to be lucky to catch some movement to locate them. Yet, once heard, you will not forget their song.
Check out www.xeno-canto.org for recordings of this species.

Jazz and Jizz

Jazz Tival 2011 happened in Morelia late last week, and I joined friends for the closing concert by Bobby Watson.

Here's a little known secret about me: I took 27 credits of African-American music at the University of Minnesota in the 70s. My life was greatly influenced by professors Geneva H. Southall and Reginald T. Buckner. Another teacher at that time was Percy Hughes, my mail carrier and very gifted saxophonist, who knocked on my door one day to ask why I, a white girl, was listening to all those spirituals and Kansas City swing (answer: homework assignment). Of course, I should also mention my father, George Birkett, who played trombone at Precidio. By listening to his extensive jazz record collection, my appreciation of jazz was launched.

Bobby Watson has quite a history. He's a saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator. Oh, let's not forget his association with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. (Here's another secret about me: I spent an afternoon at Horace Silver's home where he fed me and a friend tuna fish on melba toast and played the piano for several hours. But, that's another story.)

Saturday was a lovely, warm evening, and the concert was held in the courtyard of the Casa de Cultura. Several thousand people were in the crowd. The musicians came on stage, the music started, and, lo and behold, fireworks burst overhead. It just doesn't get much better than this.

Except that I caught sight of a bird flying over the domed building.

That's where 'jizz' comes into the picture. In a split second or two, I knew it was an owl. My mind very rapidly went from pigeon to owl, ruling out nighthawk along the way.

Jizz - what is it? To me, it's the overall impression of a bird. That impression runs the gamut of shape, posture, flight style, size, color, location, habitat, time of day, etc. And that summation of information helps narrow my options, especially when I get only a brief glimpse of a bird....at night. Based on what I saw, I could conclude that I saw an owl; I couldn't tell you what genus (although I highly suspect it was a barn owl).

Jazz and Jizz - what a combination of two loves of my life. What a night it was.