10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2019

Between our many residents and migratory species, birding in central Mexico is a joy. But throughout central Mexico, Bluebirds may be either Eastern or Western , year-round. In some parts of Mexico, the same applies for Meadowlarks , although in the end I decided that those in my specific area all seem to be Eastern.

Mexico 137

Mexico United States North America Ethics 137

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2024

Well, 2023 has ended, so it’s time to look back at the past year’s birding. The pleasures of birding are many and varied, so this kind of post always involves a list. I will also return to several birds which have already appeared here. But Morocco’s example is by far the “housiest” of them all.

Morocco 164

Morocco Birds Turkey Mexico 164

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

Having grown up and spent the majority of my birding life in the Pacific Northwest, it was not uncommon for me to see Black Oystercatchers , wandering the rocky shores of the Pacific Ocean. Their solid black bodies, and reddish orange bills, have always been one of the highlights of coastal birding up north.

Mexico 154

Mexico Chile Florida California 154

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

As I mentioned last week, the world seems to have turned upside down lately, at least here in central Mexico. On Tuesday my closest birding buddies, and, of late, my regular companions, wanted to go down to Paso Ancho. The post I’m Birding in the Rain, Just Birding in the Rain first appeared on 10,000 Birds.

Birds 153

Birds Mexico Shelters Species 153

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

For most avian migrants heading south towards Mexico, Central and South America, crossing thru the Arizona desert areas can provide very few water, food and resting areas. If they are passing thru Pima County, and the Tucson area, Arivaca Lake is the last stop for water before crossing the US/Mexico border.

Mexico 131

Mexico Tucson Arizona Ducks 131

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2015

Back in early March, Andrew Spencer asked me if I would like to go birding in western Mexico with him and another friend in May. Before I knew it, it was late May, and I was on the road in Colima, Mexico with Andrew Spencer and Nathan Pieplow on a birding adventure! I could not refuse. Time flew by.

Mexico 171

Mexico Birds Owls Sparrows 171

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2024

This place, called Los Filtros Viejos (the Old Filters) because it used to be Morelia’s main water source, is actually a great place for birding. And there is nothing I can see there that I can’t also see, alongside rarer birds, elsewhere. I love the closeup this bird gifted me.

Mexico 220

Mexico Squirrels Turtles Sparrows 220

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

The Durango Highway is arguably one of North America’s great birding roads due to the great variety of habitats, the spectacular mountain scenery of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the numerous Mexican endemics one can target. There are many dusty side roads in this area, many of which offer productive birding.

Mexico 186

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2024

Back in 2016 one very unexpected bird appeared in the Mexican highlands: an American Flamingo. It took up residence for part of each year in the Parque Metropolitano of the city of León, Guanajuato, to the northeast of Guadalajara and well northwest of Mexico City. But they have not been seen there since May of 2023. Flamingos !”

Mexico 182

Mexico Cuba Chile South America 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2016

There is little doubt in my mind, that the topic of urban birding has been well covered on this and every other birding site. Despite that, I have it in my head to jot down a few of the interesting things about birding here in La Paz, Mexico. This winter time nirvana of birding, is slowly coming to an end.

Mexico 127

Mexico Birds Pelicans Geese 127

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2020

Do you want to help endangered birds? How about helping with conservation of cool tropical birds by listening to innovative electronic music? The brainchild of music producer, bird lover, and environmentalist Robin Perkins, this digital album is his second guide to birdsong.

Costa Rica 224

Costa Rica Nicaragua Cuba Mexico 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. We also have many species that we share with the rest of Mexico, Central America, and/or the southwest of the United States. But, once you bird beyond the U.S.

Mexico 185

Mexico Birds Honduras United States 185

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2024

This week, however, we had visitors, and I had a bird-free Monday. So I had to look to a fellow 10,000 Birds writer for inspiration, instead. Thanks, Jason, for mentioning Trash Birds — even if you used the phrase in an unusual way. Central Mexico has, of course, its own trash birds. This one is a female.

Mexico 210

Mexico Portland Humane Sparrows 210

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Here in Mexico, I can almost always count on Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures to pad each outing’s list by two species. Occasionally I have been lucky enough to see Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures in tropical Mexico. Vultures, you see, are safe birds for smaller creatures. first appeared on 10,000 Birds.

Turkey 188

Turkey California Condor Mexico Meat 188

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Birds of Belize by Steve N. Howell and Dale Dyer and Birds of Costa Rica by Dale Dyer and Steve N. Dale Dyer put in years working on his paintings for Birds of Central America , both in the field and in the museum. Two books, two authors, two countries bursting with neotropical avian diversity. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 203

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. Our company is based in Guatemala but also offers tours in Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico.

Guatemala 238

Guatemala El Salvador Belize Honduras 238

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Now that we have returned to our adopted home of La Paz, Mexico, our bones are starting to thaw out from the trip to chilly Seattle. In addition to the cactus, there is a very diverse amount of foliage that has attracted a surprising amount of birds, despite the fact that there is no standing or available water in the area.

Mexico 100

Mexico Sanctuary Seattle Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

There are birders who watch hawks and there are hawk watchers who bird. Raptors of Mexico and Central America by William S. This is the first identification guide that I know of that covers Mexico (technically North America but rarely included in North American raptor guides) and Central America. Wheeler and William S.

Mexico 155

Mexico America North America Falcons 155

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

I truly do hope I am not tiring 10,000 Birds’ readers too much with my obsession with Michoacán’s ongoing drought, the disappearance of Lake Cuitzeo (Mexico’s 2nd largest lake, in normal years), and our own micro-endemic Black-polled Yellowthroat. But obsessed I am. A Marsh Wren was the first to greet me.

Mexico 206

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 206

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

It was apparently all the way back in 2012, when I was first getting back into birding after a 30 year hiatus, that I took a sad little picture, with my sad little camera, of a cute little bird that seemed to not show up anywhere at all in my field guide. My birding buddies from the forum/chat include quite a few more biologists.

Birds 162

Birds Mexico California Spain 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

in the Casa Tangara dowii lodge as I was taking my observation position next to a glass wall, overlooking the bird feeders in the misty cloud forests of Costa Rica. And now I hold in my hand the truly modern, in the best sense of the word, “Birds of Costa Rica” by Dale Dyer and Steve N. Howell, published earlier this year.

Costa Rica 235

Costa Rica El Salvador America Belize 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2023

I believe that I have birded in a pretty wide range of places: ten countries, on three continents, and counting. And, having birded now in such western Mexican coastal cities as Acapulco, Ixtapa, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Puerto Vallarta, I have spent my fair share of time in dry tropical forests. And not many of my wishes were denied.

Mexico 161

Mexico Woodpeckers South America Species 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2024

Last week, I failed to produce a post, because I was getting ready to spend a week in Mexico’s tropical state of Tabasco. So I was delighted when the Seminary grounds turned out to host at least 6 of these beautiful birds. We were happy to experience three birds of prey on this jaunt.

Barn Owls 198

Barn Owls Mexico Parrots ALA 198

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

In 2022, the 10,000 Birds eBird Collaborative submitted 1,837 checklists from 9 countries ( Australia , China , Costa Rica , Mexico , Saint Lucia , Serbia , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and the United States ) and observed 1,273 species. The Collaborative life list increased to 4,140.

Saint Lucia 188

Saint Lucia Costa Rica United Kingdom Trinidad 188

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Walking along a dirt track next to a prairie, my friend and I were on the look-out for different sparrow species when a large bird suddenly darted into the clearing. In fact, they are central to many Mexican and Native American spiritual beliefs, and have been named the state bird of New Mexico.

New Mexico 101

New Mexico Mexico Coyotes Rattlesnake 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

Not so with our visit to Bosque de Apache NWR in southern New Mexico. Nearly 30,000 of these acres is set aside as dry wilderness habitat for other birds, animals and other various living creatures. We returned to the visitors center to look around inside, have some lunch, and do a little birding while we there.

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Tucson Costa Rica 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2020

But that time, I was shocked to find that about half the birds I had expected were missing — along with half the lake. Lake Cuitzeo is Mexico’s second largest lake, and its uniformly shallow waters make it a powerful magnet for dabbling ducks and shorebirds. But in Mexico you certainly can. Which is a good thing.

Rights 260

Rights 2017 2020 Blackbirds 260

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2022

Last week, I wrote about my recent trip from my current home of Morelia, Mexico to my childhood home of the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, and how several species can be found in both places, in spite of how far apart they are, and yet look quite different in each place. west coast and in central Mexico.

Mexico 187

Mexico San Francisco California United States 187

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2023

And since I suspect there may be others out there who, like I, feel something of a personal connection with 10,000 Birds’ regular writers, I feel the need to explain my absence. If asked, we would answer, “We’ve come from Mexico.” and Mexico won’t allow them to be shipped here. I’m sorry.

Mexico 175

Mexico Morocco Cuba Jordan 175

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2020

Most of this travel was in Mexico, but I also visited different regions of the U.S., But here is the truly tragic part: I was not birding during those years! These goods, purchased with Mexican silver, would then be transported overland through Mexico City, and shipped from Veracruz to Spain.

Birds 158

Birds 2006 Mexico Morocco 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2020

I have commented before in my posts that most of our Warblers here in central Mexico never actually warble. southwest, but it is a permanent resident in western Mexico and parts of Central America. The adorable Red Warbler lives only in Mexico. The post Warblers that Warble appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

Mexico 328

Mexico Honduras South America America 328

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2017

Most long time birders, at some point in their birding career, spent time at a wastewater treatment plant. The La Paz, Mexico waste treatment plant is actually quite near to town, mostly due to the residential growth creeping closer and closer. The amount of insects that are prevalent is, I am sure, a huge one.

Ducks 113

Ducks Mexico Livestock Bears 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2021

After 38 years of life in Mexico, I rarely have the sort of stomach trouble tourists supposedly get here. My first trip into non-touristy Mexico, I was so worried about the Tijuana Two-Step that, let’s just say, I had the opposite problem for a week. It’s always nice when Mexico gets its due.

Mexico 263

Mexico Groups Birds Species 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2022

In March 2022, the Collaborative submitted 184 checklists from 4 countries ( Costa Rica , United States , Mexico , and the United Kingdom ) and they included 637 species. Mexico ranks sixth on the Collaborative’s country list with 425 species observed. However, the state of Michoacán is well-birded, with 335 species observed.

Costa Rica 186

Costa Rica United Kingdom United States Mexico 186

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2020

When it comes to one’s most exciting bird sightings, of course, it all comes down to context. I wouldn’t change my central Mexican endemics for any other region’s birds. So my favorites for 2019 includes a good number of birds that are rather common elsewhere, but were firsts for me. I live in Mexico!

Austria 143

Austria Spain 2019 Birds 143

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2021

The trees that occur, that thrive in such places are various species of mangroves and as is typical of so many other tropical microhabitats, mangrove forests have their own suite of birds. This Myiarchus is a bird of mangrove forests, at least in Costa Rica. This small, pale bird of the mangroves it’s all that common.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Birds Protection Panama 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

We might have limited space but we make up for it with a massive amount of biodiversity including well over 900 bird species on the official Costa Rica bird list. With good reason, lots of birders visit Costa Rica and we also have a good sized local birding community. However, the latest addition wasn’t any of these.

Costa Rica 204

Costa Rica Latvia Albatross Netherlands 204