March 18: Steve Howell is back on home turf - Mexico!
- Steve Howell reports in from the field (not the home!) on his spring break to San Blas, just to check that there are still birds in Mexico—and there are! This Streak-backed Oriole was one of 95 species in an unhurried three-hour morning walk near the hotel.
- Rufous-bellied Chachalacas have become much easier to see here in recent years, and tamer. Four walked past my room at the hotel yesterday afternoon and fed on fruit over one of the cabins while people splashed in the pool nearby!
- Black-throated Magpie-Jay is too large to fit in the frame, so here’s just the head.
- A pair of White-fronted Parrots dropped in and landed briefly, just long enough for one camera snap.
- Russet-crowned Motmots are calling a lot more than in winter, and much easier to see!
- In contrast to the colorful birds, this Northern Beardless Tyrannulet was pelting out his song from the tree next to the motmot!
- Lots of weed-eating flocks included some cracking male Varied Buntings.
- And plenty of raptors included this Northern Crested Caracara—and that’s just a summary of 3 hours. Now time to relax, shrimp burger lunch, and back out after a siesta. It will be great when we can start running tours here again!
- Lunch of shrimp burgers and fresh-squeezed limonadas, with an “Australian vagrant” – our Australasian expert leader Susan Myers has joined me to escape the northern winter, her first time in Mexico!
Posted: March 18, 2021