[wisb] Mexico Rpt

From: "Seegert, Greg" <gseegert@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Wisconsin Birding Network <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:37:34 -0500
Cold Wisbirders
A few days ago I returned from a week plus in the Mexican State of Oaxaca with 
a small group of IL Birders.  We spent a couple days in the dry interior 
valleys near Oaxaca City, one day in the pine forest highlands at about 
10,000', 2 days in the lowland rain forest (i.e., jungle) and two days driving 
between areas (lots of slow, windy roads), with a few stops in between.  I 
liked the jungle best because not only was diversity highest but I could hear 
most of the birds, even with my poor hearing.

The group saw/heard about 300 spp.  I saw 227 including 85 life birds.  
Non-bird highlights were visiting the ancient ruins at Monte Alban, seeing a 
Tule tree that is the largest in the world (diameter was about 45'), seeing 
from the road and  later flying straight over the 3rd highest mountain in N 
America and eating fried grasshoppers....very crispy, I used them as a garnish 
on many main dishes.

Some of the more diverse or interesting groups (with a few of the better spp in 
those groups listed) were ..


*         26 warblers---but nothing I hadn't seen before

*         20 flycatchers...best were N bentbill, tufted, and sulfur-rumped

*         12 Cardinalids....red-headed tanger, red-crowned ant-tanager, 
red-throated ant-tanager, black-faced grosbeak

*         9 blackbirds...black-cowled oriole, yellow-tailed oriole, and 2 
oropendolas

*         7 thrushes...2 solitaires and russet nightingale thrush

*         14 hummers...a little disappointing with only one being a big, highly 
distinctive one (long-tailed hermit)

*         10 hawks and falcons....black hawk-eagle, collared forest falcon

*         8 pigeons and doves...blue ground-dove

*         7 woodcreepers... plain xenops, scaly-throated foliage gleaner

*         9 wrens...Boucard's, Sumichrast's ... all 9 were new to me

*         5 owls (heard only)...spectacled, mottled, vermiculated

*         7 woodpeckers... golden-olive, chestnut collared, pale-billed

*         4 thrashers...ocellated

*         4 trogons...black-headed, Mt, violaceous, collared

*         7 jays...dwarf, unicolored

*         5 tanagers...common bush , crimson-collared, black-throated shrike, 
blue-gray, yellow winged

*         3 saltaters

*         About 10 sparrows.....1 grassquit, 2 seedeaters, 1 seedfinch, 3 
towhees and bridled sparrow

*         6 finches, with 4 euphonias....scrub, elegant, yellow-throated, 
olive-backed

For a short period, my nickname was flowerpiercer because I found 2 
cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercers before anyone else had one.

Plus some things that didn't fit into any large groups, such as white-collared 
swift, blue-crowned motmot, N emerald toucannet, black-faced ant-thrush, white 
collared manikin, bananaquit,  rufous piha, black-crowned tityra,  long-billed 
gnat-wren, squirrel cuckoo and gray-silky FC.

The one disappointing group was parrots...only Aztec and mealy (others in the 
group got distant flybys of 3 other spp)

Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it
Greg Seegert
Deerfield, IL








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[wisb] Mexico Rpt

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