Hot On The Trails

I love this photo.  Serious birders with some serious concentration. L to R  Rich, Martin and Gordon. It reminds me of Charlie's Angels but with birders. 

I couldn't sleep the night before this trek.  After days of cloud forest work, I was beginning to have my doubts about capturing images of the birds out in the field. Could we find some difficult birds on this next trek?  Thankfully we had Tucson's very own Rich Hoyer with us as our guide.  Also joining the crew was an experienced birder by the name of Martin. Things were already looking up, but I knew that this birding trek would be a BIG challenge for me personally. Two extremely important target birds were on the list which included the challenging Blue Seedeater and Belted Flycatcher.  Both are considered top birds in the birding world. 

Overlooking the majestic Sumidero Canyon

This dark trail took us to the edge of a cliff overlooking the incredibly beautiful Sumidero Canyon. How does one focus within such beauty while trying to find some of the most difficult birds on this planet? Martin told me that he had spent decades trying to find this Blue Seedeater.  With Rich as our guide, I knew our chances would be very good for this rare encounter. 

Erodyle Checkerspot/Guatemalan Patch

We walked the trails looking at butterflies and trogons. Rich was, like always, very focused.  Having worked with him before in Tucson, I was familiar with his style of birding.  The man is a genius! And he exhausts my brain from all the information he gives while on the trails. If a bird peeps, he can pinpoint the location and tell you what it is. Me?  I had drool coming out of my mouth. So when I saw a Black Vulture flying above the canyon, I was relieved to find and observe a bird I already knew well:)  The list of birds on this trek was wild and confusing.  Flycatchers were abundant. 

Black Vulture

The weather was cooperative on this afternoon hike but the shadows of the forest loomed over us.  We all bumped the ISO up on our cameras anxious to find the Blue Seedeater. 

A Katydid

The Blue Seedeater called and the group quickly focused on their target bird.  It was flitting around the trees near the seeding bamboo where it feeds.  The bird is not by any means rare, but it has a very tight habitat requirement.  If the bamboo is seeding in the right location, a person has a good chance for spotting this tricky bird. However, the bird is erratic and a tricky one for birders to find.

Blue Seedeater

I spotted the bird with my binos and it flew near the right side of the group for them to take great pictures.  I stood with Martin on the left side.  He, of all people, needed to get photos of this tricky bird.  After all, he had made several attempts to find this bird over his many years of birding treks.  Sometimes a nemesis bird can really play with you.  But the gods were good and the Blue Seedeater flew to our side for excellent views.  I almost wet my pants from excitement:)  It felt good to really observe this incredible bird. 

After everyone had great views of the seedeater, we continued forward on the trail to find a very special flycatcher. 

White-patched Skipper (Chiomara asychis) Thank you to Doug Taron for the ID

Along the way, little birds darted among the leaves forcing us to really stop and look.  A Northern Bentbill(below) made for a lovely sight as it sat in the branches for a few moments before flitting off. 

Northern Bentbill sans tail

I love sparrows, but it seemed that while on our treks within Chiapas, not many people cared to stop and look at them.  My stubborn German side came out and said enough was enough.  When I heard an Olive Sparrow(that I kept calling an Olive Warbler out of habit), I stopped and waited for the bird to make an appearance.  It was VERY close and eventually popped out on the branches for everyone.  Green Jays flew in and distracted everyone. They all wanted to see them instead....but not our poor Olive Warbler Sparrow:)

Olive Sparrow

Our trek was not complete.  We had to find the Belted Kingfisher Flycatcher.  Common bird names for me back home kept screwing up my Mexican bird names.  And Gordon kept correcting my annoying habit of saying the wrong bird names even though I knew what I meant:)  

Grasshopper Species-a nymph of the very diverse genus Melanoplus(thanks Rich and Ricardo Marño-Perez for the ID)

Our first special flycatcher was the Flammulated Flycatcher.  It looked like one of those mariachis birds.  You know....the Ash-throated, Dusky-capped ones!:) It is closely related to the birds of the genus Myiarchus(my-arch-us). Or as I like to mispronounce it.  Mariachis.  Drives people nuts:)

Flammulated Flycatcer

After having nice observations of this special Flycatcher, I noticed what looked like burn marks on the trees.  Turns out that we were actually looking at caterpillars. It was gross and very cool at the same time.  These wormy critters will turn into beautiful butterflies or make a nice snack for someone:)  I watched the Lion King and remember that grubs and caterpillars make for great protein.  So Hakuna Matata all! I think I will pass:)

Blue Morphos Caterpillar-ID thanks to Michael Retter

Let's get serious now.  What about that tricky Belted Flycatcher?  Well, we hit the jackpot and found several!  Again, this is a highly prized gem for the birding world.  It is listed as Near Threatened because the bird is found in fewer than 10 locations in a very small range.  The Belted Flycatcher is suspected to be in decline due to habitat loss within their tight range. Thankfully, Sumidero Canyon is a protected location.  As for the other 9?  I would like to visit them and see what's happening there.

Belted Flycatcher

After our target birds were found, I could relax a bit and just enjoy the hike.  The stress was over.  Rich did an amazing job and I am grateful to him for all the hard work.  It isn't easy guiding a group of 10 on tight trails.

I know it's not safe, but I wanted to jump.  It probably would've killed me, but have you ever wanted to fly for just for a moment?

On this day, one of MY personal targets came out to play.  The Barred Antshrike was an amazing way to end our hike! 

Sexy Barred Antshrike

He looked at me.  And I looked at him. Then he asked, "Who the hell are all of you?" And took off:)

Bye bye birdie!

The birders then changed into butterfliers.  Yeah, the butterflies stole the show at one point and people were goo goo and gah gah over them.  I learned that if you pee, they will come.  I think it also works with "number two" as well since I could smell something nasty and familiar.  Definitely human and definitely a favorite with the smaller butterflies.  I deleted those pictures:)

This would be the last trek with a full crew before the plague hit the group.  It would take many innocent lives which included my buddy Gordon.  Here we smile one last time together.  It was the final time I would see my British friend Helen(on the left).  Ernie, to my right, would be spared.

On our next journey, I will take you all to some of my absolute favorite birding spots while in Chiapas.  El Ocote took my breathe away.  I wanted to stay there longer, but could we?  Thanks in part to the plague, it appeared butterflies would have much to dine on:) Until next time friends....

Rain Rain Go Away!

A lovely walk in the cloud forests around Tapalapa

The clock ticks.  You either find the life birds or you don't! Some of the most difficult birding happened during our first two days on the trails in the cloud forests around the beautiful San Cristobal de las Casas and Tapalapa. 

Reserva Ecológica Huitepec

On both days, our guides Alberto and Rich, did a great job taking us around the areas.  It was wet, overcast, cloudy, and misty.  We had to keep wiping off our cameras and binoculars to get decent views of the birds.  

Female Mountain Trogon.  The secret to Trogon ID is in the tail. 

From experience, I knew that photography in a cloud forest would have its' challenges, but it still didn't stop me from becoming super frustrated. Everyone's solution, bumping up the ISO, did not work too well thanks to the rain:) I love photography so much and capturing the image of a new bird is essential.  Many of our lifebirds DO NOT have images from these days. Surprisingly, my cell phone took most of the pics you'll see today. 

Rich explains the set up of Sumidero Canyon to the group....in the rain:)

I had never birded with a large tour of 10 people before nor was I used to this "tick" listing. It goes something like this. After your observation window, you get on the bus and pull out the paper and pencil.  At that point, you check off all the birds you saw. Done. It's a different style of birding that is quite opposite of what I do at home. 

Mexican Sulfur-female

In general, birders do well in groups of 3 or 4 people. If there are too many people, the birds tend to stay away. With our group being around 50, we were all divided up into 10 people per day. Our guides had huge challenges on our daily treks. Could they find birds for such large numbers?  Eventually I got the hint, so I stepped back and just used my binoculars to look at the birds.  This group thing was a definite challenge for me.  I'm used to staying in one habitat for a week and freely walking a routine 3 times each day to document the birds. If it rains, I can go back to the same area again when the weather is better and try again. I may not get the highest number of birds but I'll have quality views and observations of the ones I do see. It just proves that birding is a lot more complicated and challenging than it sounds.

We stand tall amongst the Gunnera

I also thought a lot about the crazy stuff I was seeing.  Just a few weeks ago I was walking around in snow for a Ptarmigan.  Now I was in the middle of a gorgeous cloud forest searching for....whatever! What an amazing life! My thought was interrupted as the rain began again.  I pulled out my poncho(not a rain jacket/it's a Wisconsin thing:) and put my camera underneath. 

I fell in love with this Scottish birder. He was a kind man and his English was difficult for me to understand which really intrigued me.  

The group searched for Blue-throated Motmots and Resplendent Quetzals.  These were birds I had seen in Guatemala so I wasn't stressed about getting photos of these two species. But I was concerned about the Pink-headed Warbler, a declining species due to habitat loss. This was my only true target bird. 

Amethyst-throated Hummingbird-the ONE big bird photo from our trek

We were lucky to have Alberto with us as our guide on this trek because he had discovered these warblers on privately owned Zapotec forest land.  The Zapotec and birding community, thanks to Alberto, may one day profit from one another. Birders work everyday to educate the public about protecting habitat.  Alberto made a deal with several of the people on the property to show them that birding can bring in revenue for the group.  In return, they watched us and helped several birders carry their scopes. 

Back to the birds:) We'd get on a bird and it would start to rain!  Come on Mother Nature!  Be nice to us!  The rain did not seem to deter the birds one bit.  There goes another life bird without photo documentation.  After two days of terrible weather conditions, I unfortunately snapped at Gordon from frustration and said, "This is bull$%^!" He just happened to be the unintended victim standing there as I went crazy. I had to let off steam because I'm not one to keep it bottled up inside. Thanks for being patient with me Gordon:)  I couldn't control how I birded and that drove me crazy.  The participants were amazing as were the guides but I couldn't control when or how I was going to bird. My hands were tied.  It's now or never so get your act together buddy. This is your one shot at this bird.  So, as a birder, you are sometimes only given the time allowed and nothing more. This can also be said about our lives.  Do it now because you never know if you'll get another opportunity to do it again. 

Orchids, ferns and lots of air plants

The conditions grew darker and eventually I stopped looking because I didn't want to see anymore life birds without photos.  So the question for myself on this trip was, "Why was a photo so important me?"  There are general categories of birders.  The bird photographer. I am a bit of this especially when it comes to new life birds. The birder(binos and bird). I normally play this role after I've seen and documented most of my life birds.  The tick lister(see a bird and tick it off your list.  Great observations aren't always necessary.) And the target birders(looking for specific birds). There is also a subspecies of the target birder known as THE TWITCHER(chasing a rare bird at any time of day or night; reasoning and logic are thrown out of consideration here:) The photographer in me makes me slow down and really observe the birds.  The binos help me locate the birds for the photo. My most important goal while birding?  Finding the bird and getting the best observations that I can while I'm out in the field.  I memorize their calls, watch their flight patterns and behaviors.  I memorize their habitat, etc etc. 

More rain came and what happens?  A new life bird, the Rufous-browed Wren, makes an appearance.  Of course it does:)

Rufous-browed Wren

The rain ceases until we stop to find some new hummers. And then the rain begins!  A Green Violetear shows up for a beautiful shot.  Meanwhile I navigate my camera as best I can to get the shot. 

Green Violetear

But the main purpose for our trek to this area was to find the Pink-headed Warbler or what the Mexicans call a "Chipe Nevado"(Snowy/Misty Warbler).  It didn't take long before we saw at least 6 of them dance around the branches in the rain.  At one point, one flew right over my head and it was so beautiful. 

We just give up with the cameras and pull out our cell phones:)  Gordon gets up close and personal with this ladybug

The image below is from our guide Alberto. I did not take this picture, but this was one of the warblers we saw:) As you can see, there is rain coming down in the background. It rained 4 of the 5 days for the groups.  On the "sunnier" day, the warblers weren't as cooperative which I thought was an interesting observation.  Isn't this warbler sexy?

Photo taken and used with permission by our guide Alberto Martínez Fernández of a Pink-headed Warbler

This species is listed as vulnerable as it is only found in southern Chiapas and northern Guatemala. The habitat is fragmented and shrinking thanks to......habitat loss. In Mexico, this bird is listed as endangered.  Records that date back to 1898 listed them as a common warbler to the highlands of Mexico.  Today, they can be very difficult to find.  Thanks to the guides and their hard work, we were able to observe these amazing birds.  This was definitely a positive for this whole group birding bit:)

Our crew with Alberto(far left)

Our treks into other areas would yield better photography results but it would still be difficult work ahead.  I hope you join me next time as we explore a very HOT chase into one of the most beautiful areas of Chiapas.  Until next time friends......

Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer...in the rain

Birding Chiapas

Keel-billed Toucan NOT taken in the wild but at the zoo.  It's captive and does not count.  But gods it's a gorgeous bird! To find this bird, go to Palenque, Chiapas. 

Where do I begin?  I suppose from the start, but it will be difficult to incorporate all my thoughts into one post. Over the next several weeks, I'll be covering a lot of different topics from bird photography to group dynamics while birding. In the past, I've always planned and organized my own trips, but for this trek, I let others do it for me.  The allure?  We had great guides lined up for the tours which included some very rare birds on the endemic list.  There were two birds specifically on this trip that were important for me to observe. And one I needed help finding.  

As we flew out into the night skies above Mexico City, I felt homesick for all my friends who live in the surrounding states.  As a younger man, I rented an apartment during a summer in Mexico City, partied in amazing locales, studied at the university in Guadalajara, spent many vacations in Puebla and Tlaxcala, ate at great restaurants and discovered the wonders and beauty of Mexican culture. 

Our destination was Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas. This is a state I have never visited before so it was on the top of my list of places to explore. Instead of cultural study, as I usually do, I focused solely on the wildlife and natural parks found around the area. 

Tiger Longwing

Rain forest birding is some of the MOST difficult birding out there.  On our first day in Tuxtla Gutierrez, we were all anxious to get out into the field again and find birds!  On this trip, my friend Gordon got a taste of birding in the tropics for the first time and it was fun to be there with him as he experienced a bit of international birding.  We had many birds to find and so we headed out to the local zoo in Chiapas.  As I've previously mentioned about zoos, they are great places to find local birds within an artificially created safe zone. The birds I present to you all today are wild birds that hung around the zoo(minus the Keel-billed Toucan).  Don't ask me what critters they had in their cages because I won't remember:)  I was more interested in the wild bird population living on the property. 

Plain Chachalaca

Many of our new birds were ground birds like the Plain Chachalaca above.  Around southern Mexico and Guatemala, grouse make for a tasty treat. This is why the Ocellated Turkey is listed as Near Threatened. When I first went to Mexico, I discovered that the country, when compared to other Spanish speaking countries, had been terrible maintaining their wildlife populations. Some states, like San Luis Potosí, had wiped out montane forests. Similar experiences/observations in other Mexican states had me concerned. While hunting may have subsided a bit, it appears habitat loss has become the number one issue for this country. It's also an issue in many parts of the world including the U.S. (but more on that in a few weeks.) With that said, Chiapas has set aside large tracts of rain forest habitat and they currently are working on mangrove restoration along their beaches. The trash issue also seems to be a lot less than I remember!  These are all great things and I hope it continues. 

Plain Chachalaca chick

How about the birds?  Featured above are pics of a Plain Chachalaca.  I was so excited to see these "new" birds. I remember having one perch on my shoulder in Panama, but it was not wild. 

These birds were common and observed on many of our treks around Chiapas. 

Zoomat entrance

Our stop at Zoomat was productive and exciting. Our visit perhaps made us a bit cocky with our cameras.  Birds seemed easy and cooperative to document.  This would NOT be the case for the rest of our trip:) Difficulty level for birding this area: Easy. 

Crested Guan

The next bird featured is the Crested Guan.  I had seen this bird before in Guatemala and this was the ONLY time we saw this bird in Chiapas.  But in the zoo, the birds casually hung in silence above picnic tables or near restaurant stands making me think that they enjoy scraps:)

I think the iguana above was part of the zoo display, but I really don't know.  These large reptiles hang out in many different locations.  On another trek we spotted two of these large lizards in the wild at a local park.  

Green Jay

Also at the zoo?  Green Jays!!!!!!  WOW!  In Chiapas, the Green Jay has yellow eyes.  And on this trip, I learned that the Green Jays in Texas have dark eyes.  Something new I didn't know!

 Fatima Peacock (Anartia fatima)

Wrens in the Neotropical world are awesome.  They have beautiful songs and wonderful coloring. This Banded Wren was a thrill!

Banded Wren

Also very common to the Chiapas landscape?  Russet-crowned Motmots. We had plenty of opportunities to see these birds on many of our outings. 

Russet-crowned Motmot

How about a crazy bird?  This was another bird that was only seen at the zoo.  The Great Curassow is listed as vulnerable due to habitat loss and overhunting.  Here at the zoo, it casually walked the grounds without the fear of either.  Look closely at the pic below to see a young bird walking with the mother. 

Female Great Curassow with chick

It was comical watching people eat at the picnic tables with these large birds walking around them. 

Male Great Curassow versus human butt

I noticed that two of the birds at this zoo had bands on them.^  

Finally today folks, I want to share MY bird of the day along with the endemic black Agouti from the photo below.  I was SO excited to finally see the skittish White-tipped Dove out in the open.  These birds are often heard but rarely seen. It was a bird I already had on my life list but one without photo documentation. It appears that several zoo scraps were enticing enough to lure a couple of these secretive birds from the dark forest. 

White-tipped Dove and Agouti

I could have smacked the birder who said that he wasn't really interested in "doves". "They're drab and boring." I mean...I get where he's coming from here, but still, this is no ordinary dove! It's not often you see these birds so I observed for as long as I could.  Pretty epic moment!  I'm not sure I need to go to Texas anymore after this visit;)

My journeys will continue over the next several weeks.  I'll be sharing thoughts on the pros and cons of guided tours, listers, photography, and of course focusing on some of the most amazing places we stopped to bird. I'll also be featuring beautiful butterflies in several of my posts from Chiapas. So let's get this party started. Until next time friends.......