2012 Tour Narrative
In Brief: From a perched point-blank Eared Poorwill (showing his ears!) and a sun-loving Slaty Vireo to a mountain meadow alive with countless hummingbirds to a tranquil tropical palm canyon; from a bold male Rosy Thrush-Tanager to unconcerned, eye-burningly bright Orange-breasted Buntings; from great views of Mottled Owl and Balsas Screech-Owl to kick-boxing Spotted Wrens and road-crossing Long-tailed Wood-Partridges; from a handsome male Red-breasted Chat in lowland thorn forest to brilliant Red Warblers in highland fir forest; and from great guacamole picnic lunches to an “endemic” chocolate shop and friendly people everywhere – this year’s Colima and Jalisco tour was full of rich memories.
In Detail: Everyone arrived in time for a leisurely but bird-filled walk near our hotel, featuring great views of bathing King Rails and Sora, a good selection of shorebirds, and an obliging Sinaloa Wren that Eve drew our attention to while we were distracted with Painted Buntings and Bell’s Vireos. Our first morning was spent in thorn forest along the Playa de Oro road, starting with a male Red-breasted Chat only minutes after getting out from the van! Followed by West Mexican Chachalacas, Citreoline Trogons, endearing White-bellied Wrens, Lilac-crowned Parrot, a vagrant Yellow-throated Vireo, good studies of 4 species of Myiarchus flycatchers, and a striking Forrer’s Leafwing, and amazing White Morphos for the butterfly fraternity. After lunch and a siesta we birded in and around town, where a good selection of waterbirds included Reddish Egret, Royal and Elegant terns, Black Skimmers, and a hybrid Glaucous-winged x Herring Gull! Our second birding day started with a great Mottled Owl and continued steadily with male Blue Buntings, Plain-capped Starthroat, tiny Golden-crowned Emeralds, and a wonderful pair of Rosy Thrush-Tanagers followed by another Flammulated Flycatcher. After lunch it was time to largely kiss Myiarchus goodbye and head inland to Ciudad Guzmán, at the extreme southwest corner of the Mexican plateau, and our base for the next three nights.
Two-and-a-half days isn’t really enough time to explore the diversity of birds and habitats on the Volcanes de Colima, but we made a good effort and missed little. Our first volcano day started, appropriately, with a Colima Warbler, followed by Collared Towhees, Russet Nightingale-Thrushes, Pine Flycatcher, Red Warblers, flowerpiercers, wrens, orioles, and siskins. We spent a wonderful hour watching Aztec Thrushes along with Brown-backed Solitaires and other species feeding on the distinctive Shefflera fruits, with the occasional interruption for Mountain Trogons, both species of brushfinches, and more Red Warblers - ah, the “hardships” of birding in Mexico! The afternoon produced flocks and then more flocks of warblers and other things, including White-striped Woodcreepers and fancy-faced Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireos, a nice selection of orioles, and a vagrant Yellow-throated Warbler. Our second day started with great views of Eared Poorwill followed by coveys of Banded Quail, wonderful studies of numerous sparrows - in the open and in beautiful light (!) - plus buntings, kick-boxing Spotted Wrens, numerous Blue Mockingbirds, the recently split Transvolcanic Jay (which responded strongly to calls of Arizona jays!) and the unsplit Dickey’s Orioles (which cared not one iota for the songs of the supposedly conspecific Audubon’s Oriole). Oh, and what amazing views of the volcanoes… The lake at Guzmán in late afternoon offered a contrast with a good variety of waterbirds, swarming flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and a handsome male of the poorly known Abeille’s Oriole. The third morning we worked our way between brushy fields and humid pine-oak-fir forest. Birds varied accordingly from Long-tailed Wood-Partridges, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and elusive Green-striped Brushfinches to Acorn Woodpeckers, a cute Buff-breasted Flycatcher, and an eponymous Lesser Roadrunner on the lesser road. And then it was time to head on to the tropical heat of Colima City, but not before a surprise vagrant Red-breasted Merganser on the lake in Guzmán!
Our first afternoon outside Colima City started with remarkably tame and simply stunning Orange-breasted Buntings, followed by great views of Black-chested Sparrows and elusive Rufous-naped Wrens. Colima Pygmy-Owls, cold beer, and chips marked a spectacular sunset, after which we found an obliging Balsas Screech-Owl in record time and headed back to celebrate with a great dinner. Birds the next morning included a good selection of woodpeckers (6 species) and vireos (7 species, including a stunning Slaty), a surprise Wood Duck, and a beautiful male Red-headed Tanager, before a restful siesta. Afternoon birding featured Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, perched Orange-fronted Parakeets, and a serendipitous 11th-hour Russet-crowned Motmot. The next day, a few people took advantage of the great museum in Colima while the rest of us enjoyed another bird-filled morning, with more Elegant Trogons, Black-capped and Golden vireos, Flame-colored Tanagers, and a Collared Forest-Falcon grappling with a Gray Hawk! Our drive back to the coast featured ice creams and cryptic Zone-tailed Hawks, before relaxing (and swimming for some) as the Pacific surf lapped on the beach below our rooms. Our last afternoon at the airport marshes we enjoyed watching some now-familiar birds, including flashy Mexican Caciques and Great Kiskadees, and also found a number of “new” species, including Roadside Hawk, Red-billed Pigeon, and flocks of Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters. All-in-all a wonderful trip, was it only a week of birding? Thanks to all for making this such a memorable and bird-filled experience. Are there birds in Mexico?
Steve Howell
Updated: April 2012