MEXICO: COLIMA AND JALISCO 2003
“Female Blue Bunting in the bougainvillea, and Black-throated Grey to its left, above the Wilson’s Warbler, right of the Black-and-white, under the Nashville ... oh, Happy Wren above the ... Sinaloa Wren! Rufous-capped Warbler, no, two, left of the wrens, above an ... Olive Sparrow ... Cinnamon Hummingbird - gone! Greater Pewee on the snag above, Western Flycatcher above the sparrow, by the Western Tanager, above the female Painted Bunting next to the MacGillivray’s Warbler and Sinaloa Wren, by the Wilson’s Warbler and Blue-grey Gnatcatcher.” Whew! That was simply a couple of minutes staring at a hot-pink bougainvillea that simply came alive with birds one evening, and which typified the amazingly birdy nature of this part of western Mexico. From cool montane forests alive with hummingbirds to shallow alkaline lakes packed with thousands of waterbirds and swarms of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, from a luminescent white islet swarming with tropicbirds and boobies to a roadside farm corral packed with colorful buntings and grosbeaks, from the flashiness of a male Red-breasted Chat to the reclusive Flammulated Flycatcher, from Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls “doing the deed” in the open to Great Swallow-tailed Swifts scything and arcing over ridge tops - this was another great trip to Colima and adjacent Jalisco. And then, all too soon it seemed like the trip was over.
The first two days were spent in the coastal
lowlands near our hotel - with “pre-tour” San Blas Jays at the airport for some
early arrivals. The Playa de Oro road
produced the usual suite of thorn-forest birds, dominated by Myiarchus flycatchers, and with
Citreoline Trogons, Streak-backed Orioles, Mexican Parrotlets, two male
Red-breasted Chats, electric-bright Orange-breasted Buntings, and dainty
Godman’s Euphonias. Elsewhere there
were hedges and bushes swarming with orioles, Snail Kites eating snails, an
in-our-face Happy Wren scolding and revealing its satin-black gape,
plunge-diving BLUE-footed Boobies, and Cedar Waxwings everywhere. Our third birding day started with calling
pre-dawn Mottled Owls and a Collared Forest-Falcon, followed by flycatching
hummingbirds ranging from Plain-capped Starthroat to Sparkling-tailed Woodstar,
point-blank Citreoline Trogons and Greenish Elaenia, and, with some effort,
amazing views of Flammulated Flycatcher.
After lunch we headed inland to Ciudad Guzmán, at the extreme southwest
corner of the Mexican plateau, and our base for the next four nights.
Three-and-a-half days isn’t really time to explore the diversity of birds and habitats on the Volcanes de Colima, but we made a good effort and missed very little - despite the recent earthquake, which blocked passage to the higher slopes of the Volcán de Fuego. The first morning we picnicked in a clearing alive with hundreds of hummingbirds, plus Pine Flycatchers and Russet Nightingale-Thrush, before working into the forests where highlights included sun-drenched Grey Silkies atop a pine tree, walk-away scope views of feeding Aztec Thrushes, handsome Crescent-chested, Colima, Golden-browed, and Red-faced warblers , White-striped Woodcreepers, Tufted Flycatchers, and Grey-barred Wrens. The lake and marshes at Guzmán in late afternoon were loaded with Yellow-headed Blackbirds (including two albinos), and other notables were a King Rail and handsome male Cinnamon Teal.
Our second volcano day started with good views of Buff-collared Nightjar, and then continued with a mixed-species flock that seemed never to end and included five woodpecker species, stunning Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireos, 12 warbler species, and male Olive Warbler. Also notable were the mysterious Mexican barking tree and an unidentified, far-carrying, quavering song ... an unrecognized species? After a siesta, our afternoon at shallow alkaline lakes packed with tens of thousands of waterbirds provided quite a contrast to the morning. Birds ranged from 1000+ Snow Geese to a pair of Collared Plovers, from a Roseate Spoonbill to flocks of swim-feeding American Avocets, from a vagrant wintering Baird’s Sandpiper to great views of Sprague’s Pipit. Day three started at the OK Corral where there was lots of “stuff” - a farmyard full of brightly colored buntings and grosbeaks, flocks of sparrows (including a fly-in and sit-up Grasshopper!), plus hummingbirds, warblers (both Lucy’s and Virginia’s), orioles, singing Elegant Euphonias, our first Spotted Wrens, and then a belching volcano - pulsing out bursts of steam. A low-circling Grey Hawk, a Blue Mockingbird scoped in the sun, and nest-building Grey-barred Wrens were other notables of the morning. The afternoon could only be an anticlimax, but there was still lots to see, including a foraging flock of Black-headed Grosbeaks, Hepatic and Flame-colored tanagers, and Scott’s and Bullock’s orioles. Our last morning on the volcanoes produced great views of Mountain Pygmy-Owl being mobbed by White-eared Hummingbirds, perky Buff-breasted Flycatchers, both brush-finches, Collared Towhees, Bushtits, and a male Rufous Hummingbird before we retired, reluctantly, to Guzmán for lunch and the afternoon drive to Colima City.
The tropical heat of Colima came as a change
from the cool of the volcanoes. Our
first afternoon we worked for birds and were rewarded by great views of
White-throated Magpie-Jays, Rufous-naped Wrens, and handsome Black-chested
Sparrows. A dark moon contributed to unresponsive
Balsas Screech-Owl and Colima Pygmy-Owl (both heard and not seen), but
point-blank views of Buff-collared Nightjar were appreciated. Other highlights around Colima City in the
next two days included Black-capped, Dwarf, and Slaty vireos (making 10 vireo
species in 24 hours!), endearing Spotted Wrens that wouldn’t go away, good
looks at dawn-feeding thrushes, Blue Mockingbird in the sun, Great
Swallow-tailed Swifts (“seen only”), a Colima Pygmy-Owl that came in
(finally!), Gray-crowned Woodpecker, Elegant Trogon, Mottled Owls (heard and
seen), Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls “doing the deed,” and the bird-filled
bougainvillea.
Our drive back to the coast featured stops to
see a variety of waterbirds plus a nice adult Zone-tailed Hawk and close-up
Crested Caracara. A restful afternoon
by the ocean (with boobies and frigatebirds sailing over) and an AMAZING
green-then-blue-flash sunset accompanied by a spectacular roost flight of 1000+
Grey-breasted Martins set us up for a great dinner and a good sleep. The pelagic trip was hot and sunny, with
gentle seas and lots of the expected Brown Boobies and Red-billed Tropicbirds,
plus a Pomarine Jaeger and some good views of Humpback Whales and Spotted
Dolphins. Our last afternoon at the
airport marshes was dampened slightly by a gusty wind but we enjoyed great
views of Snail Kites and Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters, as well as Lesser
Nighthawks and a Pauraque that weren’t eating enough mosquitoes! All in all a wonderful trip, was it only ten
days of birding? Thanks to all for making this such a memorable and bird-filled
fun experience.” By Steve Howell.
Column 1 = number of days recorded
Column 2 = greatest daily total
H = heard only
(H) = mostly heard but seen at least once
E = Mexican endemic
|
Least Grebe |
2 |
2 |
|
Tachybaptus dominicus |
|
Pied-billed Grebe |
3 |
2 |
|
Podilymbus podiceps |
|
Clark's Grebe |
1 |
1 |
|
Aechmophorus clarkii |
|
Red-billed Tropicbird |
1 |
80 |
|
Phaethon aethereus |
|
Brown Booby |
4 |
3500 |
|
Sula leucogaster |
|
Blue-footed Booby |
2 |
3 |
|
Sula nebouxii |
|
American White Pelican |
3 |
120 |
|
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos |
|
Brown Pelican |
4 |
100 |
|
Pelecanus occidentalis |
|
Neotropic Cormorant |
6 |
50 |
|
Phalacrocorax brasilianus |
|
Anhinga |
3 |
5 |
|
Anhinga anhinga |
|
Magnificent Frigatebird |
4 |
50 |
|
Fregata magnificens |
|
Least Bittern |
2 |
1 |
H |
Ixobrychus exilis |
|
Great Blue Heron |
6 |
15 |
|
Ardea herodias |
|
Great Egret |
7 |
200 |
|
Ardea alba |
|
Snowy Egret |
6 |
100 |
|
Egretta thula |
|
Little Blue Heron |
5 |
2 |
|
Egretta caerulea |
|
Tricolored Heron |
5 |
10 |
|
Egretta tricolor |
|
Cattle Egret |
9 |
1000 |
|
Bubulcus ibis |
|
Green Heron |
5 |
1 |
|
Butorides virescens |
|
Black-crowned Night-Heron |
5 |
5 |
|
Nycticorax nycticorax |
|
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron |
4 |
2 |
|
Nyctanassa violaceus |
|
Wood Stork |
4 |
7 |
|
Mycteria americana |
|
White Ibis |
4 |
50 |
|
Eudocimus albus |
|
White-faced Ibis |
6 |
1000 |
|
Plegadis chihi |
|
Roseate Spoonbill |
1 |
1 |
|
Platalea ajaja |
|
Fulvous Whistling-Duck |
1 |
12 |
|
Dendrocygna bicolor |
|
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck |
1 |
4 |
|
Dendrocygna autumnalis |
|
Snow Goose |
1 |
1010 |
|
Chen caerulescens |
|
Green-winged Teal |
3 |
1500 |
|
Anas crecca |
|
Mexican Duck |
2 |
25 |
|
Anas platyrhynchos diazi |
|
Blue-winged Teal |
4 |
500 |
|
Anas discors |
|
Cinnamon Teal |
3 |
1000 |
|
Anas cyanoptera |
|
Northern Shoveler |
4 |
10,000 |
|
Anas clypeata |
|
Gadwall |
1 |
20 |
|
Anas strepera |
|
Lesser Scaup |
2 |
20 |
|
Aythya affinis |
|
Ruddy Duck |
3 |
4000 |
|
Oxyura jamaicensis |
|
Black Vulture |
10 |
150 |
|
Coragyps atratus |
|
Turkey Vulture |
10 |
40 |
|
Cathartes aura |
|
Osprey |
6 |
2 |
|
Pandion haliaetus |
|
Snail Kite |
2 |
4 |
|
Rostrhamus sociabilis |
|
Northern Harrier |
2 |
3 |
|
Circus cyaneus |
|
Sharp-shinned Hawk |
3 |
1 |
|
Accipiter striatus |
|
Cooper's Hawk |
2 |
1 |
|
Accipiter cooperii |
|
Common Black-Hawk |
1 |
1 |
|
Buteogallus anthracinus |
|
Gray Hawk |
7 |
7 |
|
Buteo nitidus |
|
Roadside Hawk |
2 |
1 |
|
Buteo magnirostris |
|
Short-tailed Hawk |
5 |
7 |
|
Buteo brachyurus |
|
White-tailed Hawk |
1 |
1 |
|
Buteo albicaudatus |
|
Zone-tailed Hawk |
3 |
1 |
|
Buteo albonotatus |
|
Red-tailed Hawk |
7 |
4 |
|
Buteo jamaicensis |
|
Crested Caracara |
5 |
5 |
|
Caracara cheriway |
|
Laughing Falcon |
2 |
2 |
H |
Herpetotheres cachinnans |
|
Collared Forest-Falcon |
2 |
1 |
H |
Micrastur semitorquatus |
|
American Kestrel |
9 |
20 |
|
Falco sparverius |
|
Peregrine Falcon |
4 |
1 |
|
Falco peregrinus |
|
West Mexican Chachalaca |
4 |
2 |
E |
Ortalis poliocephala |
|
Long-tailed Wood-Partridge |
3 |
8 |
H E |
Dendrortyx macroura |
|
Ruddy Crake |
2 |
1 |
H |
Laterallus ruber |
|
King Rail |
2 |
1 |
(H) |
Rallus elegans |
|
Sora |
3 |
1 |
(H) |
Porzana carolina |
|
Common Moorhen |
3 |
15 |
|
Gallinula chloropus |
|
American Coot |
4 |
500 |
|
Fulica americana |
|
Limpkin |
2 |
4 |
|
Aramus guarauna |
|
Black-bellied Plover |
1 |
1 |
|
Pluvialis squatarola |
|
Collared Plover |
1 |
2 |
|
Charadrius collaris |
|
Snowy Plover |
1 |
4 |
|
Charadrius alexandrinus |
|
Semipalmated Plover |
2 |
8 |
|
Charadrius semipalmatus |
|
Killdeer |
2 |
20 |