March 30: Steve Howell sends another update from San Blas, Mexico.
After 18 days in San Blas, Mexico (our regular tour is only 9 days!), Steve Howell reluctantly dragged himself away. The highlight of his stay was a small group of White-fronted Swifts one morning, a species described only in 1992 (!) and seen in life only a handful of times ever!
For the non-swift aficionados, there was plenty of color, including this Golden Vireo...
Groups of sociable Mexican Parrotlets...
And lots of Lineated Woodpeckers.
Elusive species included a confiding Lesser Ground-Cuckoo
And, after 40 minutes of patient sitting, a stunning Spotted Rail finally peeked out.
One of the San Blas signature birds, Boat-billed Heron, showed well (even if it tried not to!)...
And a remarkable record count of 39 Northern Potoos may have been due to dry season conditions concentrating birds along the river.
Speaking of records, along with Luke Seitz and Maili Waters (down in Mexico on a three-month trip), Steve helped set a new Big Day record for Mexico—290 species on 27 March, including Eared Poorwill (number 286)…
And a stunning fly-over Laughing Falcon…
But not including Surfbird, which had been a regular migrant in preceding days—the joy and unpredictability of birding!
Posted: March 30, 2021