10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

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. Interestingly, Raptors of Mexico and Central America does not cover vocalization. Wheeler and William S.

Mexico 157

Mexico America North America Falcons 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2024

Central Mexico has, of course, its own trash birds. All right, I’ll admit that we also have some more drab trash birds as well. Mexico: where you can find the highest quality trash birds. Fortunately, however, many of our trash birds are just plain prettier than yours.

Mexico 213

Mexico Portland Humane Sparrows 213

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

It did not take long before we had a family group of Tufted Jays right by the side of the road (KM 216) and an uncommon Gray-collared Becard at the same spot. The birds we observed were nesting right into the cliff face. Mexico is great for those who love biogeography! There are not too many photos of Sinaloa Martin.

Mexico 187

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 187

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2018

Not so with our visit to Bosque de Apache NWR in southern New Mexico. My first ever Gamble’s Quail were feeding right next to the picnic area, and alongside the visitors center building, I spotted a thrasher. The second half of the week was spent near the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Here is the Bewick’s Wren.

New Mexico 113

New Mexico Mexico Tucson Arizona 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2024

But once I get back home to Mexico, I will be climbing hills on livestock trails once again. I say that I may someday be unable to climb hills all do heavy gardening, so I am going to do as much of these things right now as I possibly can. I will often walk on the sides of steep slopes, staring at the abyss below.

Birds 193

Birds Livestock Sparrows Mexico 193

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2016

Despite that, I have it in my head to jot down a few of the interesting things about birding here in La Paz, Mexico. Like the old TV commercial says, “But wait, there’s more” Once this water has completed the treatment process, it is then used to flood the agricultural fields right next door!

Mexico 129

Mexico Birds Pelicans Geese 129

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. And it brought friends.

Mexico 209

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 209

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. Still, there are a few notable exception to this rule, even here in Michoacán.

Mexico 331

Mexico Honduras South America America 331

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Now, it is much easier for me to achieve first-time sightings of species in Europe than it is in Mexico, at this point of the game. That’s the Kingfisher at the right; on the left was one of the area’s many European Stonechats. Gee, I hope I got this one right. Next week, we will be back to Mexico.

Spain 174

Spain Mexico Europe North America 174

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Cedar Waxwings have come back to central Mexico. and Canada, Waxwings are clearly an irruptive species for Mexico. And, gee, I do hope I am right. Most years, there are no more than a few dozen reports of this species across the region. This year, the sightings are less, so far. (I I have seen exactly one Waxwing this year.)

Mexico 147

Mexico 2020 2012 Parrots 147

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. You have to know where to look for them.

Mexico 187

Mexico Birds Honduras United States 187

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2022

Jonathan is originally from San Blas on Mexico’s west coast, a birder’s paradise I have yet to visit. Another thing we have in common is that Jonathan understands that eBird, with all of its virtues, is often not the best place to find such great birding sites in Mexico. That’s me on the right.

San Diego 244

San Diego Turtles Mexico Sparrows 244

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2022

Down here in central Mexico, the Canyon Towhee is a constant presence in open areas, including in my garden and around our church. They belong to either the Pipilo or Melozone genera, or perhaps both, as their taxonomy is still a point of contention. The Spotted Towhee (Olive-backed) is a regular in pine-oak and pine forests.

Mexico 200

Mexico North America 2015 Sparrows 200

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Our company is based in Guatemala but also offers tours in Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico. We work closely with Mayan communities where local expert birders are permanently monitoring the forest to know the right time and place to spot our unique birds.

Guatemala 241

Guatemala El Salvador Belize Honduras 241

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

and Canada and winter in northeastern Mexico, while the sedentary wrens of central Mexico, Central America, and South America are now to be identified as Grass Wrens. That’s 100% Barn Owl butt, right there. The name Sedge Wren is to be used for the migratory wrens that summer in the U.S.

Barn Owls 254

Barn Owls Owls Mexico Leopards 254

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

And while it was to be a work (ministry) trip, I had still managed to schedule it right during the migratory peak along these two major corridors. So I am writing these words on Tuesday night in my home in Mexico, rather than waking up in Paris prior to flying to Istanbul. But, alas, the Novel Coronavirus did not respect my plans.

Species 158

Species Mexico Jordan Turkey 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Turkey seems to be having a moment right now. And there are, amazingly enough, direct flights from Mexico City to Istanbul. Believe it or not, we do not see European Starlings in central Mexico. We also have no magpies in central Mexico, which is a pity. So I appreciated this lone Eurasian Magpie making its appearance.

Mexico 147

Mexico Turkey Birds Rights 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Oh, all right, I’ll admit that you could stay at home and still enjoy your Yellow- and Black-crowned Night-Herons.). Fortunately for me, my adoptive land of Mexico is rich in, precisely, double-hyphenates. Except that all those are tropical jungle groups, found mostly on the other side of Mexico from where I live.

Sparrows 132

Sparrows Mexico United States Groups 132

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

Both are beginning to show their reproductive plumage, which is a rare sight here in Mexico. The slightly more numerous Snowy Plovers , however, will stay right here; Lago de Cuitzeo is one of the few places where this species breeds in central Mexico. But this Plover is a Snowy, and will stay right here.

Mexico 162

Mexico Breeding Ducks North America 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Maybe Moss is right, and birds have changed history. As a symbol on all kinds of flags (Mexico, Montenegro, Moldava), and for all sorts of countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe), political parties and organizations (the National Rifle Association), governmental agencies, rock bands, and other things, the Bald Eagle is ubiquitous.

Bald Eagle 149

Bald Eagle Montenegro Campaign Turkey 149

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Yet they also bring up questions, which I’m going to talk about right now before diving into the specifics of the guides themselves. Steve Howell has spent decades of experience in the field studying the birds of Belize, Costa Rica, and especially Mexico. Two issues came to mind immediately when I examined my reviewer copies.

Costa Rica 206

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 206

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2021

That highest spot is in the middle of Mexico’s Cerro de Garnica National Park. Most guide books warn you that this hummer’s colors usually look dark to black unless the light catches them just right. What they may not tell you is that my photos lose sharpness when I do get the right light.

2014 183

2014 California Mexico Rights 183

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2019

The first can be found from Mexico to Panama, while the second is endemic over a fairly large part of eastern Mexico. The Altamira Yellowthroat can only be seen in a small area of northeastern Mexico, and is something of a Holy Grail for Mexican birders. The Bahama Yellowthroat lives, well, on a collection of Bahaman islands.

Mexico 189

Mexico Bahamas South America Panama 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2021

Here are some of the wonderful birds of Mexico’s Hot Country: I’ll start with a bang: What could be better than a Russet-crowned Motmot ? (I A tropical tree called Jocote ( Spondias purpurea ) is in full fruit right now, so almost all of these birds’ ivory bills were dyed a light pink color. But enough about me!

Mexico 169

Mexico Blackbirds Sparrows Owls 169

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2019

And, alas, heat is one thing Mexico’s Pacific coast has in excess. It was created by Mexico’s government in the last century as an industrial and port city, and has all the lack of charm those attributes suggest. But it does have a very modest hotel right by the water, which made it easy for me to bird at the break of dawn.

Mexico 125

Mexico Alligators ALA 2019 125

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2019

This one, seen at Lake Cuitzeo in central Mexico, makes me think of a giraffe wearing a tuxedo: Now, most of the time this middling photographer can only hope to get a clear photo of a bird, not too far away, and at a good angle. Finally, the late-comer decided to let the stick’s rightful owner take his place.

Giraffes 189

Giraffes Spain Abandon Abandoning 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2021

By the time the Terra ships we expect the automated ID to work very well in North America and Northern Mexico, and we will expand it throughout the Americas, the UK and Europe, and then across the globe.” ” Wow, right? But also, what’s that about a Kickstarter?

North America 259

North America Science America Europe 259

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2024

Work brings me regularly to Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, northern Mexico. It must face the sun at the right time of day, the material needs to be good for excavating but not too soft to avoid collapsing tunnels, it needs to be steep, and the list goes on and on. Several of my clients sponsor a project right near the parrot cliff.

Parrots 154

Parrots Woodpeckers Industry Fast Food 154

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2021

A very vocal (though not too visible) family of Steller’s Jays turned up, which was a shock, because here in central Mexico I had never before seen this conifer-loving species below 2900 m (9500 ft). They look different when the right light catches them from the front. This Grace’s Warbler was showing off in Pino Real.

Louisiana 260

Louisiana 2000 Mexico Groups 260

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2019

Back in November of 2017, I travelled to the tourist town of Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s west coast, to sing in a Christian event. Still, a birder’s gotta bird, so I made sure I would have one morning to check out someplace right there in town. Yes, I sing. You can find my music on YouTube under the name of Pablo Lewis.

Mexico 115

Mexico Birds 2017 Pelicans 115

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2019

Another one of the shining examples of this is the actual proximity to Mexico, and the Sea of Cortez especially. If you look draw line straight up a northern biased line thru the Sea of Cortez, the normal path of a hurricane in the Sea of Cortez, it would run very nearly right thru Southeast Arizona.

Arizona 144

Arizona Tucson Seattle United States 144

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2020

But the Kentish Plover was sheltering its young under its body, and the Little Ringed Plover was incubating an egg — right in the middle of downtown Madrid! Mexico has a good number of greenish or rusty Woodpeckers. I live in Mexico! Since those were both firsts for me, they earned a place on my 2019 list.

Austria 144

Austria Spain 2019 Birds 144

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2017

As the dog days of summer descend upon us here in Mexico, many of our avian residents have bailed out and headed back north to avoid the summertime heat. I have never encountered the white morph birds here in Mexico, so we have very little problem with identification, that you might find with the all white birds.

Mexico 100

Mexico Birds Protection Dogs 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2019

Please study the above photo, which I took a half hour from my home in Morelia, Mexico. In central Mexico, “Spotted” Towhees seem to hybridize freely with Collared Towhees , forming what is known as an intergrade. But the sides are still rufous. Can you see the problem? Dear scientists: I know Towhees are complicated.

Mexico 113

Mexico America Species Birds 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2019

But for the past 25 years, I have lived in Mexico’s state of Michoacán. On my first trip there, I had the good luck to find the best sites right away. The first is a true endemic, found only in southwestern Mexico, while the second can also be seen in Central America. I don’t have to tell you which sparrow is which!

Mexico 114

Mexico Birds Nevada Sparrows 114

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

It is also fascinating to see how similar Old World trogons look to their New World relatives, right down to the same flamboyant color patterns. Here in the highlands of central Mexico, we can see (rather easily, as I mentioned above) two trogons: the Mountain Trogon , and the Elegant Trogon. Wikipedia has been used.).

Mexico 178

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 178

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

In extreme wet-dry climates like the one we have in central Mexico, those first summer rains are absolutely magical. Look to the right… A bit more to the center… There, just right. And it wasn’t a passing shower; no, it was the kind of rain that suggested that our summer monsoon season might be starting.

Owls 161

Owls Investigation Mexico Collecting 161