Birding in Mexico

05/09/2024

Flexible tail: With the new camera technology (actually, it's not that new... as this was achieved with my Canon R5, but the newest generation of cameras will be even more capable where action is concerned), I've been concentrating on capturing Mexico's (and other countries') treasure trove of spectacular birds in flight.

Here, I finally had time to go back to my pre-scouting for my pre-Reserva Chara Pinta - Tufted Jay Preserve scouting effort in the Sierra Madre Occidental about a couple hours inland from Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

Here in the vicinity of Concordia, see a Squirrel Cuckoo of the West Mexican subspecies (which will one day likely be split off as the "Mexican or West Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo") launching into flight, with its long tail flexing against the warm air near the Tropic of Cancer.

The effect is much like that seen while photographing Black-throated Magpie-Jays, which were, coincidentally, also posing in flight for me...

Photographing birds from above with shallow apertures and deep backgrounds can really result in dramatic results such as this one...

I'll post more action shots soon...

03/09/2024

Crested Caracaras and Turkey Vultures like each other. This image from the Spring of 2021 at the Martin Reserve in South Texas is not "Photoshopped."

Over the years, I've been able to witness Crested Caracaras closely associating with both Turkey and Black Vultures in Sinaloa, Mexico, and south Texas, in the United States, as this image demonstrates.

Once, in Mexico, I even noticed a Crested Caracara and Black Vulture affectionately allopreening one another...

31/08/2024

I wanted to go out early this morning to get some bird photography in with soft, pastel light... after doing mostly necessary office work for my clients.

This stately pair of Elegant Quail taken from a very low angle, face-to-face with them, presented themselves, fairly fearlessly, from the perspective from my car... but that still wasn't low enough. I wanted to get them with a pastel green background, rather than against the sandy substrate dotted with grasses, that they were standing on.

I took my chances that they might flush, or slink into the underbrush... but to my surprise and delight they remained in place, preening and feeding a bit.

The species is endemic to Northwestern Mexico, and ranges to quite close to the US/Mexican Border... where there are records (presumably escaped captives raised from eggs... but you never know) from Douglas, Santa Cruz County, Southeast Arizona.

Unlike all other quail in the Americas, the male of this species has a golden quill.

I liked this composition of a pair of Elegant Quail in juxtaposition this morning.

29/08/2024

The migrants are returning to West Mexico and have for a few weeks now.

Though I love my resident Neotropical specialties, I miss the winter residents and migrants, too.

Here, a lovely Louisiana Waterthrush was on the banks of a river that bisects a rancho near Llano Grande, Jalisco, Mexico.

24/08/2024

A yellowthroat of a different color... Or at least a different habitat.

Behold the Hooded Yellowthroat, a Mexican endemic of the upland brushland of the country that does not require or even seek out wetland habitats... preferring dry scrubland, which see the scrub-oak the bird is perched in.

This image was taken in the Sierra de Arteaga, Coahuila, only less than 200 miles south-southwest of Falcon Dam, Starr County, TX, on the US/Mexico border.

One day one of these relatively uncommon Mexican endemics is going to be seen in Texas.

The image was taken on 26 June 2024 and the individual pictured may be the northernmost known individual of its species in Mexico.

14/08/2024

Today, August 14, 2024: A beautiful Happy Wren doing what they seldom do... sing in full view, away from cover.

Luckily I was prepared with my Canon R5 and RF 1200mm f:8L at the ready. And the rest is history.

Mexico has some jazzy-looking endemics, including this species, which is found much of the length of west Mexico, from northern Sonora to Oaxaca.

19/07/2024

On a different subject matter: Here see a detail of this year's Solar Eclipse at Totality, April 8, 2024, as witnessed by our Natural Encounters Birding and Wildlife Photography Tours Clients at Reserva Chara Pinta, about mid-day.

The colors are real, and the image, taken with my amazing RF 100-500mm with an RF 2x Extender attached, rivaling the quality of those I saw published by NASA:-)

As we approached Totality, the mid-morning light, which was very harsh, started to become saturated again... and the birds in the trees... consisting of migratory warbler flocks, and even a flock of beautiful, limited-range, Tufted Jays, were suddenly bathed in very nice photographic light, which see an image from attached, below... which will be added in a few minutes.

14/07/2024

July 7, 2024: High-speed photography captures a majestic and endangered Thick-billed Parrot launches from its nest cavity in quintessential afternoon light deep within the mountains of northern Chihuahua, Mexico, during the recently completed Natural Encounters Birding and Wildlife Photography Tours/ Birding in Mexico Thick-billed Parrot and Eared Quetzal Expedition, with Quinn Diaz and .

Try to imagine that at this very moment, a scene like this is very likely playing out...

This is just one of the remarkable experiences that reward the intrepid birder-photographer willing to travel just a few hours south of the US/Mexico Border.

Message to join us on next year's excursions to see and photograph this and many other spectacular birds in the mountains of Northern Mexico.

02/07/2024

Another exciting capture from June 29, 2024, on the Beautiful Hummingbird Expedition, this time in Pluma del Hidalgo, in the lofty highlands of the Sierra Mihuatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico.

This image was not captured easily... as the day before our Oaxaca Mixteco group tried to capture the image the afternoon before, but rain intervened, soaking me as I waited, unprotected, for the bird to appear.

Not to be deterred, we returned on the morning of the 29th. And, voila, this endemic, limited-range hummingbird appeared.

With Daniel Garza Tobón.

02/07/2024

One of the most beautiful and photographically illusive gallinaceous birds endemic to West Mexico is the furtive Long-tailed Wood-Partridge, here depicted in requisite detail thanks to a tip by the excellent members of the WhatsApp group of bird photographers' group, Oaxaca Mixteco.

They helped make my dream of capturing this species in archival quality on June 30, 2024... and the reach and exquisite bokeh of my Canon 1200mm f:8L did the rest.

With Daniel Garza Tobon and

Muchisimas gracias a todos .

02/07/2024

One of the most beautiful regional specialties of the highlands of Mexico and northern Central America... the Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo.

Here, photographed with my good friend and colleague Daniel Garza Toban, near Cerro La Cumbre, Oaxaca, Mexico, on our recently completed Beautiful Hummingbird Expedition.

Time is short so I'll send it now.

28/06/2024

Today, June 27, 2024: Success on our Beautiful Hummingbird Expedition:-)

Behold one of Mexico's least-known and possibly rarest endemics... the aptly named Beautiful Hummingbird, perched on a blooming Opuntia Cacti.

Endemic only to arid interior valleys created by a rainshadow that saps the humid, moisture-laden air from the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre del Sur of Chiapas, the species is very locally distributed, and may even be rare and endangered (or even critically endangered)... as I have spent decades in its range without seeing males of the species (until now).

It's late here so I'll post now while giving thanks to Juan Manuel of the Oaxaca Birding and Bird Photography Group, Oaxaca Mixteco, who located a lone blooming agave stalk that was attracting 11 species of hummingbirds, including up to eight (8), yes, eight, Beautiful Hummingbirds, the majority of them males.

This prompted my photographic buddy, Daniel Garza Tabon to jump on our respective planes the day before yesterday to meet up in the City of Oaxaca, with the hope of obtaining an image like this.

That dream came true today:-)

I will post more images and an addendum to this story since this species has so much interest.

This evening we've arrived at Pluma Hidalgo, in the beautiful, tropical-forest-clad Sierra Mihuatlan to photograph another endemic Oaxacan hummingbird... the Blue-capped (Oaxaca) Hummingbird.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story and accompanying images.

Also, don't miss out on the fun and adventure... Contact me to join in our 2025 Endemic Hummingbirds of Mexico expedition, which will take place in May 2025.

24/06/2024

Here is another image of the same Green-striped Brush-Finch photographed along the Durango Highway, only showing the entire bird this time. Such a special bird. Mexico's 100+ endemic species are among the world's most spectacular birds.

24/06/2024

Here, see a phenomenal facial detail of the Sierra Madre Occidental endemic, Green-striped Brush-Finch, taken while simultaneously birding and fleeing Tropical Storm Alberto, in the highlands between El Salto and El Palmito, Durango State, June 20, 2024.

This normally very skulky and furtive species remains hidden in the understory of dense vegetation, but while driving the sinuous Highway 40 (Carretera 40), I noticed a bird fly low in front of my vehicle, as it crossed the road before landing in a thicket on the opposite bank.

As luck would have it... there was a nice pullout where I could pursue the bird with my remarkable RF Canon 1200mm f:8L paired with an RF 1.4x extender, for an effective focal length of 1680mm.

The results speak for themselves where this detail of the species is concerned.

24/06/2024

Behold a beautiful male Flame-colored Tanager that was singing from a lichen-covered oak branch on the grounds of Hotel Chipinque, perched high above the graceful City of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, during the first day of the now-completed Natural Encounters Birding and Wildlife Photography Tours/Birding in Mexico excursion to the region, June 14, 2024.

The northeastern subspecies of this tanager is richer reddish-orange than the northwestern subspecies that regularly makes it to the mountains of Southeastern Arizona each summer.

It's hard to believe this species is common just a few hours south of Laredo, Texas...

If you want to experience sights like this one please contact me by private message to see next year's lineup of excursions to this friendly region.

15/06/2024

June 13, 2024... Natural Encounters Birding and Wildlife Photography Tours/Birding in Mexico's Colima Warblers and Coahuila/Nuevo Leon Specialties Excursion is in full swing. Already this phenomenal action image of a Colima Warbler has been achieved... the fruition of a dream I had to photograph this species when I was a young tween in 1983...

It's late here so I'll post the image and expand on how and where it was achieved when time allows.

I hope you enjoy it.

10/06/2024

With some upcoming excursions to Brazil's Pantanal in the works, I thought I would post this ominous image of a Jaguar in the prime of life peeking out from dense foliage on the banks of the Cuiaba River, Mato Grosso do Sur, Brailian Pantanal, from September 2022.

07/06/2024

A glimpse into the magical understory of the Sinaloan Thorn Forest (a tropical dry forest) cloaking the lowlands of West Mexico.

This forest extends from southern Sonora, Mexico, to the Guanacaste Basin of Northwestern Costa Rica. It is arguably the most biodiverse and endangered (because it is so easily burned for midden agriculture) vegetative association in tropical America.

One of the most spectacular West Mexican endemic birds inhabiting this biome is the near-endemic (I say "near" because there are records of the species in west Pacific Guatemala, as well) and very skulky Red-breasted Chat.

For most of the year they are fairly quiet inhabitants of the interior understory of the thorn forest... but during the spring and summer, the species reveals its true numbers, as they sing consistently.

This beautiful individual was photographed near Mirador Mojoneras, and was photographed within meters of the spot I captured the previously posted Yellow-green Vireo image, on May 5, 2024.

Although these chats resemble Wood Warblers in many respects, they are actually more closely related to cardinals and grosbeaks than warblers, although they are much more insectivorous in their diet than cardinals are.

I was quite pleased with this and several other images of this particular individual, which was joyfully flitting, jumping, and singing within the understory early that morning, so I thought I would share it with you here.

07/06/2024

I saw my first Yellow-green Vireo as a very young birder in June 1981, after I drove from my childhood home in Sherman Oaks, CA, to Falcon Dam, in Zapata county, S.TX… a place that is now effectively—and in my opinion—illegitimately closed to birders since the 9/11 attacks.

Although I’ve seen the species in numerous Latin American countries and two US states since then, I now realize that I really didn’t “see” this beautiful species until about this time last spring, when I viewed it from above in the Sinaloan Thorn Forests on the Jalisco/Nayarit border in Southwestern Mexico.

I was a-gas as I viewed the bird from a perspective where I could look down upon the bird as it foraged and frolicked with a few other Yellow-green Vireos in the treetops, as viewed from a rugged ridge top.

The rich olivine hues on the birds’ mantle, tail and wing feathers were on fire, as were its vivid red irises. I swore then that I would one day get a photograph that shows this species at its colorful best… though I never really achieved that goal until a couple days ago—June 5, 2024, in Puerto Vallarta’s remarkably wild backyard foothills (I’ve even seen Jaguarundi here in broad daylight) near Miridor Mojoneras.

These foothills ring with the sound of this species each spring and summer, and are home to a wide assortment of regional endemics and specialties… including endemic Red-breasted Chats and Flammulated Flycatchers, which are quite common during the singing season (now), though you might not think they are present in mid-winter.

In my pursuit of birds, planet-wide, I’ve found that the best way to see and photograph birds to advantage—though it is often not easy—is to photograph them at an angle where you can see them the way birds see birds… at an angle where you can look at them from above.

My goal of having this species show off how beautiful it really is, at an angle that lets it do so, was achieved a few days ago, which see…

Enjoy.

31/05/2024

As the song goes... a lighter shade of pale:

Behold what might very well be the world's only white, well sort of, Common Black Hawk, here captured on May 6, 2024, during Natural Encounters Birding and Wildlife Photography Tour's very exciting Chiapas Birding Hotspots expedition.

This leucistic (partially albino) individual was first brought to my attention several months ago by my friend Pablo Baldovinos, who operates the remote but quite comfortable and nice Centro Ecoturistico el Castaño lodge, at Costa Verde, Reserva Biosfera Encrucijada, Chiapas, Mexico:-)

Muchisimas gracias, Pablo!

While touring the mangrove waterway of the Rio San Cristobal, our excursion encountered this amazing individual... apparently the male of a nesting pair, where the female was a normally plumaged individual.

I will be interested to see how the young turn out... though they will most likely all be normally plumaged individuals.

This fantastic image was taken using my Canon Mirrorless R5, paired with the RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L, with the companion RF 2x Extender attached, for an effective focal length of 1000mm, hand-held while on a moving watercraft on the river.

I love unusual plumages in birds, and this one really does take the cake. Enjoy:-)

31/05/2024

It's hard to get detail when photographing (or even seeing) birds with black plumage... especially in shaded confines when that plumage contrasts with a red crown and sky-blue back, as with the amazing Long-tailed Manakin, seen here and photographed during the now completed Natural Encounters Birding and Wildlife Photography Tours' Chiapas Birding Hotspots Expedition, at Reserva Biosfera Sepultura, Arriaga Foothills, Chiapas, Mexico.

This, arguably one of the most spectacular looking of the manakins, which is saying something... is fairly common in the steep and deep stream bottoms at Sepultura, where they perform elaborate and acrobatic nuptial displays all year long.

The male (shown) has two long, filamentous streamers jutting down from its tail, and this is the only species in the family with such long streamers.

They are often heard but not very frequently seen because they prefer the shaded interior of steep-sided barrancas.

Luck was with us on our visit, May 4, 2024, when this and several other individuals in varying plumage stages (full adult males and females, eclipse plumage males, and immature birds) were visiting a fruiting tree, along with several Rose-bellied (Rosita's) and Orange-breasted buntings, Streak-backed Orioles, and even Northern Beardless Tyrannulets, etc.

I can remember the first time I had the pleasure of seeing this amazing bird in Costa Rica over a decade ago during a fam trip organized by my good friend Michel Aranda of NEO Travel (Neotropical Expeditions), then again at Sepultura that same year... It was the fruition of a dream I had when I first saw this species in the original 1973 Peterson edition of A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico... but the photographs left much to be desired.

Little did I know that I would have to wait another decade and a half for cameras and lenses to advance to the point where it was possible to get great detail on this and other neotropical species, without having to resort to using a flash.

Please see the previous post of Rose-bellied (Rosita's) Bunting from the same expedition, though photographed the evening before this manakin posed for the camera.

26/05/2024

Here, see a Thicket Tinamou cryptically frozen in understory vegetation near Pizota, in the remote backcountry of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, Mexico.

The species

12/05/2024

I haven't been able to post new imagery lately because of a heavy tour and consultation schedule in Mexico and Guatemala... however, during the expedition many novel images have been captured, for instance....

One of the hardest neotropical birds to get a clear photograph of... especially without tangled vegetation getting in the way.

For years,

29/03/2024

The world of birds Is the world we should care for...
Let's go birding my friends!
😃😃😃

26/03/2024