Vanishing Lands

Will this road into a protected reserve be a blessing or a curse?

The whole purpose of my trip to Chiapas was centered around our El Ocote trek.  There were several birds endemic only to a small region of Mexico and two of them were on this day trip.  During our time out in the field, I'd hear many people use the word endemic(specific to one area/location).  There was "endemic" as in the "regions between Guatemala and Mexico".  And then there was "ENDEMIC" meaning only found in a narrow band within a small part of Mexico.  Two birds, the Nava's Wren and Long-tailed Sabrewing, were the main reasons I returned back to Mexico.  I needed help finding the Nava's Wren.

I have several strategies I utilize when birding new areas.  1. Research my area for endemic birds like the Florida Scrub-Jay in.....Florida:) And 2. Find them first.  Everything else will fall into place. The endemic species on our planet really face an uphill battle.  And like the Florida Scrub-Jay, these birds could face extinction within the near future due to habitat loss and fragmentation of their habitat. This fragmentation can lead to the birds being "trapped" and confined within one area where they won't be able to breed with other populations. The good news is that there are people listening and work is being done to protect some of these areas like the Ocote region.   But just how well protected are these "biospheres"?

White-winged Tanager

And this got me thinking at a very deep level.  Why are we, as people, allowing greed and capitalism to destroy these incredibly beautiful areas?  It would be easy to blame Mexico for their semi protected wildlife nature reserves.  We found bananas growing in the middle of the forest.  There's a road cut through this mountain range that they are planning to make into a highway.  This highway cuts into the very endangered Nava's Wren territory.  They breed and nest within limestone caves(some along the road) and like many birds, they prefer to remain secretive in the dark forests within this very specific habitat. My experiences abroad have shown me that highways allow people access into these areas so that they can slash and burn the intact forest.  And along with the wood material/farming/cattle land that comes from this act, they will also poach the creatures that live in these protected areas. I could shake my finger at Mexico for being reckless. 

Stripe-throated Hermit

But it isn't just Mexico is it?  It's here in the US, Great Britain, Australia, Nicaragua and pretty much happening all over this planet. Who am I to judge Mexico when we have a mining operation attempting to infiltrate our sacred Santa Rita mountains here in Southern Arizona?  Or the suburb with an Italian flare that will take MORE water from what's left of our precious San Pedro river near Sierra Vista! And while in Mexico, I heard talk of a canal going into Nicaragua that was secretly passed by their President.  Apparently China is paying for the construction and it has already begun.  This would cut into Lake Nicaragua and across large tracts of pristine forest while dislocating thousands of indigenous people.  Ecosystems are in jeopardy. The lake is freshwater and obviously the ocean is not. And with China basically running the canal, I see lots of terrible things happening. Nicaragua doesn't have the money or resources to clean up natural disasters and yet, they are agreeing to put this canal into THEIR country.

When we visit these very special places, I try to memorize every little detail because I know it will change.  The deeper into the life bird realm you go, the more you discover about the world around you.  I am an observer. When I chose this life several years ago, I realized that I could one day face the inevitable  possibility of a bird going extinct from my life list. There is profound sadness in that realization.  Today's trek was a mixed bag of the good and bad. 

Long-tailed Sabrewing

The weather conditions were again not so great on this morning so my pictures are not as crisp as I'd like them to be.  Our first special bird of the day was the Long-tailed Sabrewing.  I was glad to have Martin with us on this trek.  He was a book of knowledge and experience.  Again I learned lots from this wonderful man. 

Slate-colored Solitaire

The Long-tailed Sabrewing is an endangered bird found naturally around the Isthmus of Tehuantepecin of southeastern Mexico around the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and west Chiapas(where we were). This bird's population numbers have been declining due to habitat destruction.  

Blue-black Grosbeak

We spent a good amount of time observing this bird feed from the Birds of Paradise in the area. Martin pulled out his scope and we all had great looks at this large sabrewing.  

Crimson-collared Tanager

As we continued on, the group noticed Bananaquits in the area.  I scratched my head for a moment before spotting a stretch of banana plants along the road.  Then it all made sense. This road is just the beginning of exploitation. 

On a positive note, the area was deemed as a protected space for our next bird, the Nava's Wren.  I enjoy hummingbirds like the next person, but wrens and sparrows and terns and cryptic birds get my blood flowing.  Our wrens in the Americas(yes, the US is included:) are spectacular.  So we continued onwards.  My heart started beating rapidly for this one. 

Black-faced Grosbeak

We had a wonderful guide by the name of Michael Retter(works with the ABA) who did a great job locating one of the wrens.  This was definitely a bird where I needed a guide!  Patience is a virtue.  And in the darkness, one bird followed us.  We saw glimpses here and there.  One of Martin's eyes squinted from concentration.  The man of much travel had another lifebird on this trip that he desperately needed to observe. Our fingers twitched above the capture button of our cameras.  But we would not rely on the automatic to focus.  It was manual here on out. 

Olivaceous Woodcreeper

Distractions were constant. We patiently stood.  And stood some more.  The wren was calling.  But birds like the Red-billed Pigeon(below) flew over our heads. Focus Chris.  You are given only this time and nothing more. My finger trembled over the trigger.  My ears tuned into the call and located the bird hiding in the foliage.  But my eyes!  These damn eyes!  It is my one true limitation as a birder.  Being blind in one eye and poor sight in the other really messes up my chances for spotting birds in dark conditions.  But I sure can hear them.  

Red-billed Pigeon

Then a miracle happened.  The shadow moved into an open dark space and delighted the group of birders. 

Nava's Wren

Even I could see the bird!  I focused the best I could on the wren while he skulked from within his dark layer.  It was now or never! And during our excitement, I tried to keep my hands steady on my binos. Within a few moments, the bird disappeared into the darkness again. 

It felt good.  Everything else after this trek was gravy.  But I was left sad after the observation. Does this bird have a chance? The Nava's Wren has a restricted range in easternmost Veracruz, one site in Western Chiapas(that would be us) and two in eastern Oaxaca. This bird is listed as Vulnerable due to its' limited range. Sometimes it's not that the bird is hunted or poached; it's just that it naturally has a small population that is vulnerable to human encroachment. While land has been set aside for these birds here in Chiapas, we also observed that farming has infiltrated this particular spot. Just what exactly defines a "protected" area?  Hopefully some lines will be drawn to help keep this region TRULY protected. So for now I throw this question out to the international community?  Are there natural areas in your part of the world that people are trying to develop but shouldn't?

That Sinking Feeling

Northern Bobwhite hanging out in some of my favorite kinds of plants...Agaves and Mother-In-Laws Tongue(or at least a variety of it)

During the week, I had been looking forward to the day trip to El Ocote. There were some very special birds in this area that I had wanted to observe better.  Apparently, there was a huge sinkhole full of nesting Green Parakeets and a pair of Bat Falcons hanging out in this huge crater sized locale. 

The minute we arrived into this area, my heart began to beat quickly.  Was that a Northern Bobwhite I heard?!!!  I scrambled out of the van and was astounded by several of these ground birds casually singing out in the open.  This was a bird I thought I would never see and yet here, this "black headed" subspecies hung out singing its' "BOBWHITE!" song. Things were already looking pretty good.  So many birds were calling from different areas that I didn't know where to begin.  

Boat-tailed Flycatcher

Meanwhile back in the van, our birding group began to drop like flies.  Sometime during dinner the night before, the participants ate or drank something deadly. It literally created a massive $*^t storm. We got up for the trek early in the morning and my beloved Helen, in her most British and polite way, told us that she would not be joining us.  It got Helen!  Meanwhile on the other day trips, the plague began to hit and take out many of the birders in their vans. One man couldn't control himself and ran into the bushes.  Another man crumpled to the ground because he lost his strength.  And yet another, fell madly ill and passed out in the back for the entire trek.  What was going on?! Everything after Wednesday night changed the energy of our tours for the rest of the week.  

Fine-lined Hairstreak, Arawacus sito. Thank you Doug Taron for the ID This butterfly is CRAZY. The "tentacles" at the end of this butterfly kept moving and I thought there was something wrong with the butterfly, but it's a distraction mechanism!!!!!  The head is actually opposite and "moving tentacles" are a distraction for predators.  EPIC BUTTERFLY!

Martin was with us again on the trip and we set out to explore this AMAZING place! I really liked hanging out with this guy. Both of us had the same ideas about where we should focus our attentions.  My life bird at 600 was the Green Parakeet and I still didn't have any decent photo documentation.  But here in the sinkhole, I had an opportunity to see several thousand of them!  Their voices echoed from within the rock walls. 

Couch's Kingbird

I did not have enough time in this location so I had to really pick and choose the birds I wanted to see. If I had the time?  I would have rented a room in one of their stone cabins and spent a week there.  I would have eaten at the restaurant and studied the ancient markings on the inside of the sinkhole's walls. But I only had a couple hours. So time was ticking again. Black-headed Saltator or view the mass of parakeets around the sinkhole?  The sinkhole won.  Thousands of these birds live there and at dawn they create quite the spectacle as they spiral out of the hole. 

The Elf, Microtia elva

I ran up the stairs and stood at the edge looking down.  It was something special. 

"Sinkhole of Parrots" 

While waiting for a flock of Green Parakeets to rise from the pit, I watched an Altamira Oriole hang out in the subtropical vegetation. 

Streak-backed Oriole

Then it began.  The rise. A choir of squawking parakeets circled from below the pit slowly rising in a swirl until they were eye level with our birding scopes and cameras. 

Green Parakeets

Their brilliant green made a dramatic statement against the muted rock face.  

A little abstract bird art.  I was feeling a bit creative in this magical location

Eventually the birds would land and we would get to see them better. 

I felt guilty so I returned back to the van and checked up on our fallen.  Two were feeling better, but the other was out stone cold. Please let him be sleeping. 

Holcosus chaitzami, Taxa Teiidae, Sauria or common name Chaitzam's Ameiva/Not much is known about this lizard

When we arrived back to our hotel that day, we were greeted by lots of unpleasant stories.  One person was escorted to his room because he could not walk.  I heard some people calling it a case of the "turista" while others declared it to be "Montezuma's Revenge."  Either way, I felt terrible for the group.  I also discovered that Helen had returned back home to Britain:(  I never got to say good-bye to her.  Dinner that night was reduced to half and would continue to diminish by Friday night.  For many, their last supper would be spent elsewhere. 

I could not afford to get sick.  These last two days were my biggest days yet.  I had never birded the Pacific lowland habitat and it was the single biggest highlight for me besides this trek to El Ocote.  So I'm already organizing a future trek to these areas again with a trip to Palenque and Belize in mind.  As for the sick? Well I'm happy to report that everyone is feeling better again.  Stay tuned for more....