My Reflection

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

After our exciting day out looking for the special Mexican rarities, I took a bus out of Mexico City to my village Chiautempan, Tlaxcala. It had been 9 years since the last visit. It had been too long.

Nashville Warbler

At this point in the trek, I had two objectives.  1) See my dear family and 2) add data lacking in ebird to the Tlaxcala area.  It was here that I was back again doing my solo work. This kind of work has the most meaning for me. 

30 years ago and today

Before I was a birder, I was an explorer.  As a child growing up in Wisconsin, I had always felt the strong pull towards Mexico and the Southwest of the US.  Nearly 30 years ago, I began my journey into unknown worlds and met a woman who would change my life forever. I had been lost, not understanding my purpose in life.  When I met her, everything about my world changed. 

Year after year, I would visit this extended family.  I felt spiritually connected to them ever since our first days together.  I was their "güero" and they were my Mexican family.  They asked me what took me so long to return and visit.  And I couldn't answer their questions right away.  I bought a house, got married, began birding and had family obligations in Wisconsin.  There's simply not enough time in this life to do everything.  

But when I was home in Tlaxcala again, I felt at peace and happy.  Writing these things makes me tear up.  I feel emotions when I am here in this sacred place.  Every time I arrive to my small little town, I choose to walk the streets alone to my Mom's house so that I can breathe the air, watch the people and hear the Spanish.

Our first night together

We have all changed getting older, but what hasn't changed is the love that is expressed to one another in this family.  I am lucky to have two wonderful families.  Dreams lead me to this sacred town as a young man looking for his place in this world.  He was so innocent and naive then. 

Rare in Arizona but very common in Mexico, the Rufous-backed Robin

As we get older, life changes. Now I am a birder. There was barely any data in my town from ebird.  So I pieced together data and mapped out areas to bird.  Together we explored these areas as a family.  It was very personal and special. 

Vegetables......

Between meals and coffees, I sought areas that held birds of interest while collecting data for ebird.  My research and exploration paid off and I was able to add good data to the area about several theories I had. 

My lifer, the skulky Blue Mockingbird

Sometimes I went alone for a detailed study.  And for others, I explored with my family.  They discovered that several areas were quite active.  The lagoons of Acuitlapilco were alive with life. 

The once active volcano of Malinche.  The forests are magical and untouched!

Over the several days there, my awesome sister set up a special trek into the forests on the dormant volcano Malinche with a crew of people. I was able to access a restricted part of the volcano and do a bird survey there. There will be a special post on that trek. 

Cattle Egret at sunset

The heart of all things is family.  I love Mexico. Everything happens for a reason. If we listen to our hearts, we'll accomplish anything. It's okay to be afraid of the unknown. Twice now I have been in the deep parts of Mexico over the past 6 months.  And twice now I have been given insight. I was just a young teenager when I first came to Tlaxcala. I was a kid about to graduate from high school. In Cabo, I saw a reflection of my younger self on board a ship. During this trip, I saw my youngest self staring back at me. Perhaps a sign from something greater, I was meant to see my past mirrored right before my very eyes. 

What a special night with everyone

During this very special night, several high schoolers from the Midwest of the US were invited to our pozole dinner.  There was a young man, in the lower left side of the pic below, who was staying with one of the family's relatives for a homestay.  I looked into his lost eyes with that wide innocent smile and saw myself from 30 years ago sitting on that couch. The poor soul didn't understand a word of Spanish and it was at that moment that I had realized that I had come a long way in my journey. Was I really that innocent?  That young? I was so open to learning and like a sponge, I was ready to absorb every bit of life experience.

Happy moments for a very special night

Perhaps, Mexico is, in a sense, my church. This place makes me feel an abundance of emotion. Our trip to Cabo in October had the same affect on me. Even shopping for vegetables makes me happy. I feel LIFE pulse through my body here.  Why?  How is that possible?

Black-headed Grosbeaks are a permanent resident in Central Mexico

And on this trip, I found purpose.  I could make a difference here and give back to Mexico as the country had done for me. I could help educate and protect the birds of this area while teaching the public about wildlife conservation. It was a strong feeling. So much work needs to be done here and I could be that change. It's not something I can do overnight but I saw opportunity. 

White-collared Seedeater(Cinnamon-bellied subspecies)

I can't wait another 9 years to visit.  That was too long.  I feel like I have lived here in another lifetime and living and breathing in this region of Mexico is like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes. 

Tlaxcala holds a place in my heart.  The birding here held meaning. On our last day, we headed up to the magical Malinche for one last familial trek. If you visit Tlaxcala, here are several reports from several key and excellent birding hotspots. 
For the Jardín Botánico de Tizatlán, click here and here.
For the Laguna de Acuitlapilco, click here.   
For the Tlaxcalan Zoo, click here. 

The Test of Time

Roads go ever ever on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea;

Over snow by winter sown,

And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

And under mountains in the moon.

    J.R.R. Tolkien-Lord of the Rings

As I explore the life around me, I begin to understand those innermost feelings tucked away deep inside.  Tikal National Park will do that to a person.

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Among the ancient trees with their dark shadows, I began to see.   Every drop of water, moving leaf....every vibration.  By this time on our trip, we were onto the secretive critters!

Spider Monkey.  As he put his back lazily on the branch, his tongue caught of drop of water from the leaves.  Incredible!

I was reminded of my own mortality as I walked among the great Mayan pyramids.  And it kept me present. How many people over the course of time have walked these trails and thought these same things?

Red-brocket Deer

We walked gently on the paths before us under the overcast skies.  So many things crept before our eyes. We were not alone.

Emerald Toucanet

The tour groups were still far off.  "Would we like a tour guide?", they asked. Never.  I am now trained in the way of scouting for wildlife thanks to birding.  We silently walked the ancient paths. And we saw life everywhere!  Will humanity ever learn from the mistakes of past civilizations?  The Mayan civilization collapsed under its own weight.  They didn't just disappear.  Overpopulation was the main reason for their downfall in Tikal.  The rain forest couldn't sustain this large city. It makes me think of today's increasing world population.

Montezuma Oropendula

But my mind was constantly distracted by all the life around us.....hidden in the dark canopy.  It was there!  My friend Lynda did some amazing spotting.  Together we found so many critters.  Meanwhile the tour groups were getting louder in the early morning hours. They were coming our way!

Howler Monkey

Above or below, the creatures of Tikal roamed about us silently.  This wasn't a zoo.  This was wild. And it felt real.

We are so fortunate to have these places preserved so that future generations may witness a piece of history with both its current and former inhabitants.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

We continued our treks into an area known as the "Lost World" or as we say in Spanish, "El Mundo Perdido"

The ruins were covered for centuries and today, archaeologists from around the world continue to excavate new areas.

The incredible part?  Every niche had a different group of birds and mammals!  As the tourists began to filter in more with their loud voices, we countered opposite into the silent corners of the park.

Crested Guan

Some birds silently stalked us like this Collared Aracari.  But a massive group of tourists came by with their loud voices and scared this bird away.  While viewing a Trogon only meters away, a woman and her posse spotted both Lynda and myself observing the birds up close.  She thought it would be fun to "CAW CAW!" at the male and communicate with the pair.  They flew away immediately and I threw the lady a look that could kill.

Collared Aracari

We headed towards the exit after a wonderful morning and afternoon at the park.  The pic below made me smile.

This is one of my favorite National Parks of the world. And it's Guatemala's number one tourist destination.

White-collared Seedeater

I had too many pics from our outing here and so I will break this up into two posts. The second will include a rare falcon sighting!

Social Flycatcher

In so many ways, the ancient Mayan culture was not so different from our own.  It certainly made for an exciting outing.   My friend Lynda introduced me to a new program on my cell phone known as Momentsia.

Ocellated Turkey

Here is a collage using that program with some of the work from Tikal.  My mother told me when I was young that I was the storyteller of the family.  I didn't know what she meant, but while in college, she did a crochet of me and framed it with the word "Storyteller" below. Today it hangs in our humble home. While I review Guatemala, I'll be continuing my adventures in Colorado, Arizona and Wisconsin. With migration happening this month and next, things will become very busy around Southern Arizona. So there's much more to report:)  Birders rarely get to sleep in these days:)

Today's post is linked with Wild Bird Wednesday!