El
Cielo
April 11-14, 2007
- Trip Report
An Extension to our South Texas Birding Trip
Wed.
April 11 On to Mexico!
Several of our group had to leave today, but Betty Ann and Mary Kay
came in as replacements for the missing ‘Chachalacas’,
now the official name of our group. With the help of Saul Martinez
and Angel Sanchez, our host and cultural guide for the journey, we
crossed the border with ease and were on our way, passing through
thorn-scrub habitat that was quite green after recent rains. We passed
through small rolling hills, lots of grazing cattle, and some quick
sightings of Couch’s Kingbird, Swainson’s and Broad-winged
Hawks still pouring through, and Crested Caracara. Lunch was delightful,
at the local Mescal Factory, where we had a tour of the distillery,
a delightful set-up in which the high brick walls of the building
were lavishly adorned with local art. One wall pictured religious
art, another ceramic 
plates,
another portraits of colorful people, and another sensuous creations
all involving (and likely inspired by) mescal. In the dark, sweet
smelling room that held barrels of the aging brew, an artist had drawn
pictures of raptors on feathers that were quite remarkable. While
we looked around, they prepared a fine meal for us: warm tortillas,
fresh guacamole, spiced beef, frijoles and Queso Fundo, a delicious
local cheese. Of course we had to try some of the mescal; with this
and a full meal in our bellies, naps occurred as we continued our
journey south. We woke to a brilliant view of the Sierra Madre Oriental,
rising as a verdant background to Ciudad Victoria. The range is still
richly forested here; as we drove south it became more complex with
several ridges in view. Off to the east we saw Gunsight Mountain,
and entered a region of limestone mesas and buttes. At the Guayalejo
River, we stopped for some birding, and found instead a large crowd
gathered to enjoy swimming in the cool clear waters. Despite the commotion,
we found Groove-billed Ani, Masked Tityra, Vaux’s Swift, Plain
Chachalaca, White-crowned Parrot and Green Jay active among the huge
Bald Cypress and willow trees. It was a beautiful, inviting river,
but with an hour’s drive still ahead we elected to press on
to Gomez Farias, a quiet town up the mountainside and our 
lodgings
for the next two nights. Here we enjoyed warm hospitality, two very
tame Ferrugiinous Pygmy Owl, and fruiting trees that attracted Audubon’s
and Altimira Oriole, Yellow-throated Euphonia, Black-headed Saltator,
Masked Tityra, Clay-colored Robin, and a beautiful male Rose-breasted
Grosbeak. Several of our group drew their chairs up for this fruit
tree show, while sipping a cold beer or their cocktail. Others walked
the road at dusk, where the call of Thicket Tinamou was alluring,
and views of Red-lored Parrot were quite fine. Dinner on the patio
was delicious, and after a long day we retired quite satisfied.
Thursday,
April 12 Gomez Farias / Alta Cima
We woke early to the barking call of Mottled Owl, attracted in to
feed by the small town street lights. Our local birding guide Estaban
had seen a Tawny-collared Nightjar when walking down to meet us; and
with his keen ears to assist, we picked up a lot of morning sounds
and wonderful bird sightings at a roadside overlook close to the hotel.
Brown and Green Jays here are equally common; flocks of White-crowned
Parrot called loudly as they flew across the valley, two larger Red-lored
Parrots came by as well. A male Audubon’s Oriole erupted into
lovely song, while later we watched an Altimira Oriole intricately
weave his nest under an overhanging limb. Calls of Thicket Tinamou
were alluring as were the ‘hoot-hoot’ notes of Blue-crowned
Motmot quite numerous below. We returned for breakfast of fresh tortillas,
eggs with ham and beans, served with some of the freshest papaya imaginable.
While sampling the coffee, Betty and Gwyneth discovered a female Wedge-tailed
Saberwing, a large hummingbird attracted by flowers of the garden.
By
8:00 am we were boarding our 4-wheel drive vehicle to head up the
hand-built road into the mountains, our destination after many stops
being Alta Cima, a small community surrounded by fine views of the
mountains. The birding along this route was absolutely exceptional
and decidedly tropical; we found Social and Boat-billed Flycatchers,
Tropical Parula (in abundance!), Squirrel Cuckoo, Rufous-browed Peppershrike,
both Golden-crowned and Rufous-capped Warblers and Barred Antshrike.
Several mountain species were mixed in, such as Flame-colored and
White-winged Tanagers, Crescent-chested Warbler, and the endemic Bronze-winged
Woodpecker. Elegant Trogons are common here, and well over a dozen
birds tempted us by calling quite close to the road. We finally had
one perch on phone wires above our heads for quite amazing views;
later
we were able to compare it well with Mountain Trogon, which perched
cooperatively on limbs of a massive, bromeliad-clad oak. Every stop
held visual treasures; Gwyneth’s Painted Bunting was mixed in
with Blue and Indigo Buntings, and Blue Grosbeak was a treat. So was
the corner where we had glimpses of a secretive Blue Mockingbird,
which to our amazement uttered calls of the Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl in
his mix of tunes! A dark-phase Short-tailed Hawk flew over, followed
by an immature Great Black Hawk before our attentions were drawn to
a calling Olivaceous Woodcreeper. While this one did not cooperate
for views, it drew us into a sighting for some Thicket Tinamou –
such is birding on the road to Alta Cima!
At
the Hotel Pino, we enjoyed a short break, followed by shopping at
the local woman’s cooperative, where hand-embroidered T-shirts
displaying local birds were purchased readily by our group. Estaban
pointed out the streak of a fly-by Azure-crowned Hummingbird, and
at the start of the trail we selected after lunch, we found a mixed
flock that revealed Flame-colored Tanager, Dusky-capped Flycatcher,
Black-headed Grosbeak, Black-headed Siskin, and Wilson’s Warblers.
We
came home to the smiles of our hosts at this small family-run hotel.
They had cold beer waiting for us, followed by a delicious supper
and a chance to catch up on our bird list that had 89 species to date.
Estaban took us out to try for the nightjar and Mottled Owl With the
latter, we had a bird come in and call loudly from a large spreading
tree, close but secretive, and we had to be content marking ‘heard
only’ for this one that night. All agreed that just being out
in the lovely tropical night, with views of four moons of Jupiter
in our scope was quite fine!
Friday,
April 13 Gomez Farias / Road to Las Tecas / Bocamonte Boat Ride /
Mante
Tony and Esteban braved the very early morning to find the Tawny-collared
Nightjar, which finally came in for their inspection. It was a lovely
morning, and we enjoyed another delicious breakfast served alfresco
on the patio with a symphony of chacalacas in the background. We departed
for another morning outing to the mountains, today on the road to
Las Tecas, where we walked on a road with almost no traffic, between
hundred-year-old mango trees and the lush crops of a small farm. Views
of the mountains were grand, and with so many trees and shrubs blooming,
we had to keep our eyes peeled. Birds were everywhere! Our list for
the day would be some 92 species; in the morning they came in fast
and furiously. Right out of the van, we saw White-
winged
Tanagers, both Altimira and Audubon’s Oriole, and Brown Jays,
including juveniles with their bright yellow bills. Walking down the
hand-built road, we heard Thicket Tinamou, and had great looks at
Masked Tityra that proved to be quite common. Continuing on, we fulfilled
Gwyneth’s great hope of seeing a Blue-crowned Motmot by finding
six of these beauties perched in a tree still yet to leaf. We could
hear them first, repeating hoots uttered in unison – wow! They
lingered long enough for all to get scope views. Betty Ann saw an
Audubon’s Oriole arrive, and Crimson-collared Tanager females
came in as well. We continued to get a bit closer, and found a whole
array of species, the most interesting being Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
with its rich rust plumage and wild call. Elegant Trogon called from
all directions – hard to imagine they could ever be so common!
We
entered a quiet valley where a farmer worked trimming his future nopalitas
(prickly pear cactus grown for food); quiet in every sense other than
birdlife – here we found a spectacular Lineated Woodpecker,
a pair of Rose-throated Becard building their nest, Canivet’s
Emerald, Collared Forest Falcon calling loudly, and a Crane Hawk fly
overhead. Several species were nest building – the Altimira
Oriole, Boat-billed Flycatcher and Social Flycatchers were all busy
collecting nest material. We had to tear ourselves away to collect
our bags and head on to a promised boat trip from Bocamonte.
We
descended in elevation to drive through more typical tropical dry
forest, where Pink Poui trees were at their height of bloom. In a
small park we met our boat captain and started on a short trip down
the clear waters of the Rio Frio River. Huge Montezuma Bald Cypress
arched over the waters; we soon found Pale-billed Woodpecker and an
Elegant Trogon. Gliding down the waters, Estefan spotted a Sungrebe,
and to our amazement we all got good views. Other highlights were
a group of three Boat-billed Heron, and on a well-exposed tree limb
over the river, a Bare-throated Tiger Heron. We had a Green Kingfisher
flash by, but wanting better looks, we made one last stop at the Naciamento
– birthplace of the river where extensive wetlands provide excellent
habitat. To our delight we had close-up views of Northern Jacana,
Roadside Hawk, and a bird new to our guide – Purple Gallinule.
Several Least Grebe were swimming in the canal, and Tony spotted another
tropical species – Variegated Squirrel, feeding on a fruiting
tree. This place was magical; we left only to take a shower, freshen
up, and be ready for a dinner prepared by the staff of Saul Martinez
at the Guacamayas Campestre Resort in Mante – a feast featuring
shrimp, fresh oysters, and really delicious chile rellenos. Over the
bird list, we recounted our adventures – what a great journey
south into Mexico!
Sat.,
April 14 La Servilla Canyon / C. Victoria Natural History Museum /
Return
Saul prepared a lovely breakfast buffet for us and Estafan had a wonderful
last morning planned for us for birding in a canyon of lovely sculptured
limestone, with large cliffs on either side, reminiscent of the Texas
Hill Country with its huge Bald Cypress, but here in Mexico, much
lusher. Since we had tried for almost two weeks now to have good looks
at Green Kingfisher; Estafan understood this and took us to a sure-bet
location. Here in shallow pools of the river, our little green gem
posed for perfect scope views. Watching it roam up and down this green
oasis was lovely. Even more 
memorable,
perhaps, was seeing Muscovy Duck in the wild. We found three right
away, roosting in large branches of a red-barked Gumbo Limbo tree
on a hillside forest of tall Senita cacti and other almost leafless
vegetation. One flew right over our heads, another group perched in
high branches on our side up the canyon. Looking up, we watched a
steady stream of migrating raptors, Swainson’s and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, as well an Osprey. As if to claim full ownership, the resident
Bat Falcon perched boldly on a dead tree of the ridgeline, a great
parting sighting for us as we headed north.
For
a break along the way back to the States, the very modern natural
history museum in Ciudad Victoria was fun for us to explore and most
impressive in its high-tech, interactive approach. A large flock of
Cedar Waxwing called from trees on the grounds; and en route home
we had spectacular looks at a White-tailed Hawk at 
close
range. The border crossing was slow, and the hotel they planned for
us in McAllen unappealing, but these were small things, easily fixed
another time. Our whole trip to El Cielo had been a joyful revelation
of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the Tamaulipas Bioregion of Mexico.
We discovered just how easily we could find ourselves in the tropics.
Our hosts were well-prepared and at each location we were greeted
with delightful hospitality. Our species total for this short visit
was impressive, 165 species; and we certainly can’t wait to
return! In all we saw 230 species of birds, and had a grand time doing
it! Our El Cielo extension logged in at 173 species.
Photos:
all photos credited to Tony Beck, and many more of his images can
be seen at: www3.sympatico.ca/beck.tony/;
all other photos by Peg Abbott.
Close
This Window
