White-fronted Parrot |
Tropical Kingbird |
Caña Hueca Park |
juvenile Social Flycatchers |
Grey-breasted Martin |
The park itself is lovely for people who love to run. They had this soft padding throughout the area and I have to admit that I didn't mind walking on it:)
Along the way, we found our parrots in large numbers around the park feeding on the various fruit trees.
There were several times when a large seed or fruit almost knocked me out! White-fronted Parrots hid everywhere in the foliage. Sometimes they could be seen out in the open. AND they were ALWAYS heard:)
Groove-billed Ani |
Scrub Euphonia |
Looks just like the leaves |
Green Parakeets |
Green Salsa Chilaquiles |
But then something perked me up. A cow. The cow is a symbol of my Wisconsin roots. It reminded me of where I grew up. The coffee was Mexican and I remembered why I pursued Spanish as my passion. When I mixed the two together, I remembered why I chose Tucson as my home. I will be back Mexico. I have missed you.
On our flight into Mexico City, we flew over the volcano known as Popocateptl near the beautiful colonial city of Puebla. I suffered from a bit of nostalgia. I hiked those mountains. I lived there. I became "me" there. While I saw many birds on this wonderful trip, I couldn't help but think of all of my human experiences in this country. While the guided tours were awesome (as were the people), I won't do them again. Part of the reason I love to bird abroad so much is that I get to know the local people in the area. And that comes from my Spanish training. It enriches the whole experience. Plus when I find a bird, I earn it. No one found it but ME. And that's a life bird earned in my book. I know there will be times when I need to call on someone for help. The Nava's Wren is a perfect example of THE bird I could not find on my own. This trip was amazing and it better defined who I am as a birder. For that I am grateful. And to people like Laurie Foss and Michael Retter(and everyone else!) who put this trip together, THANK YOU! It was flawless. You guys did a great job!
A Giant Swallowtail greets me on my return home to Tucson. This butterfly was laying eggs on my citrus plants in our garden. We all live in an amazing world! |
Great trip for sure, I can hear your enthusiasm in your words. I bet a LOT of us birders would have loved to have been with you!
ReplyDeleteWell that was a lovely round up from your last day there and you eventually saw the PARROTS.
ReplyDeleteA good things must come to an end and you did look well especially after so many birds continual birding. I have a cow milk jug here which my grand children love when they come.
Your clear writing with sufficient details had me wanting to do a bird check list of your sightings as if they were my own! Wonderful, memorable trip for you and I have no doubt that you will not wait overly long to return.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris, it was an awesome trip! I am envious! My favorites are the parakeets and the groove-billed Ani. Great post!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a wonderful trip to Mexico!
ReplyDeleteI love parrots and I enjoyed every one of the photos in this post, particularly those of Parrots.
The creamer pot is cool too.
Have a Happy Week!
Peace :)
Wonderful pictures, but the Swallowtail butterfly is my favourite.
ReplyDeleteHave so enjoyed reading about your wonderful trip, wildlife and experiences :) A lovely last day too - its great to see the variety of birds seen in a more urban environment :) I love the little cow milk jug and that last photo of the butterfly :)
ReplyDeleteI'm also from Wisconsin! Scarlet Macaws have the most annoying squawk I've ever heard. But I'm glad they do. Then you don't miss a sighting. The trip looked amazing. Breakfast is delicious in Central America too.
ReplyDeleteOh, Chris...this was such a sweet post, like a boy returning home, in a sense, and I am sorry you will have to wait to return. I loved the birds! But I also loved the Mexican breakfast and that cute picture of you with the cow creamer! I'm being grandmotherish, right now...sorry. :-) You found some amazing birds just in that park! The Ani of course is so beautiful and tropical but I loved that you found that Grey-Breasted Marton! Looks like the entire trip was amazing, and I loved sharing it on here (and facebook) with you!
ReplyDeleteYou finished on a high Chris. Another great write up. Looks like you found a new birding site at Caña Hueca for all those who are now going to follow your lead. I'm not a fan of parrots and parakeets either but I put that down to regarding them as cage birds even though I know that there are many species in the wild. We don't have any in the UK either so the whole family is difficult to relate to.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoy seeing your trips. Thanks for keeping us along for the ride. The cow pitcher is too cute.
ReplyDeleteGreat birds, terrific photographs, delicious food, fantastic trip! Thank you for continuing to share your adventures! (Totally jealous, of course!)
ReplyDeleteVery nice post, Chris!
Chris, what an amazing trip. I love it that you birded some unbirded places and created a new eBird Hotspot! wonderful! I am glad you explained that food you were eating because I had never heard of it before and couldn't figure out what it was from the picture! I am still playing catch-up on my blog reading and hope to get to the rest of it soon! You will return to this place, I am sure!
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