Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from Neotropical Birding > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Friday, August 11 at 09:57 AM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.

Black Oystercatcher,©David Sibley

11 Aug Brazil: Guajará-Mirim area, RO [Bradley Davis ]
24 Jul Brazil: Fiery-tailed Awlbill at Rio Cristalino, MT [Bradley Davis ]
24 Mar Re: Puerto Vallarta Trip Report - no signature [Blake Maybank ]
24 Mar Trip Report: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico [Blake Maybank ]
23 Mar recent birding in NE Mexico [Martin Reid ]
23 Mar recent birding in Ecuador and Guatemala [Martin Reid ]
20 Feb Photos of Cypseloides lemosi White-chested Swift from Ecuador? [Martin Reid ]
1 Feb highlights of a trip to E Brazil (Ceara, Pernambuco, Sergipe, Alagoas, Bahia) [Yvon Princen ]
1 Feb very distinctive unidentifiable small flycatchter in Len çois, Bahia, Brazil [Yvon Princen ]
8 Jan Unknown nest with eggs in SW Ecuador [Richard Hoyer ]
31 Dec birding journals for Mexico and Belize [Bert Frenz ]
31 Dec Classic Venezuela trip [Stephen Elliott ]
30 Dec Brazil: observations from around Alta Floresta, Nov-Dec [Bradley Davis ]
4 Dec Costa Rica Birding Trip March 2006 [Bill Tarbox ]
22 Nov Peru : Limacoast, Ancash, Huanuco and Junin in october-november 2005 [Yvon Princen ]
15 Nov Re: Imm. Tiger-Heron and attachment problems [Jurgen Beckers ]
14 Nov Imm. Tiger-Heron [Jurgen Beckers ]
13 Nov Re: immature Tigrisoma in Costa Rica [tom jenner ]
12 Nov immature Tigrisoma in Costa Rica [Richard Hoyer ]
30 Aug Banded Waterthrush [Dan Brooks ]
25 Aug Re: Costa Rica: Warnings, Tirades & Trip Report [Paul Coopmans ]
22 Aug BelizeBirdingGuide.com [David Sarkozi ]
1 Aug Costa Rica: Warnings, Tirades & Trip Report [Russell Namitz ]
30 Jul Re: RFI: a day in Bogotá [Paul Coopmans ]
30 Jul RFI: a day in Bogotá [Bradley Davis ]
20 Aug No Subject [Matson Household ]
08 Aug Panama bird list [Jack Windsor ]
11 Jul active harpy nest in Ecuador [Dan Brooks ]
09 Jul Expedition Birding [Gunnar Engblom ]
30 Jun El Cielo Biosphere Reserve [John Arvin ]
19 Jun Robin Clarke in Bolivia [Matson Household ]
17 Jun Re: birding Ecuador [Pepe Rojas ]
17 Jun Re: birding Ecuador [James Hays ]
17 Jun birding Ecuador [Ian Paulsen ]
13 Jun Recent Tamaulipas trip, June 2-6, 2003 (long) [Tim Brush ]
12 Jun May trip report from East Coast of Quintana Roo Mexico [Richard Gibbons ]
28 May Sapayoa [Jack Windsor ]
16 May Honduras and Nicaragua: web pages [Paul Coopmans ]
15 May Honduras and Nicaragua [Paul Coopmans ]
15 May Birdwatching in Mexico [Michael & Susan Carmody ]
26 Apr TR: CHILE & THAILAND [Gruff Dodd ]
28 Mar Mexico Trip Report from March 2003 [David Sarkozi ]
27 Mar Texas Ornithological Society Field Trip to Mexico [David Sarkozi ]
27 Mar Texas Ornithological Society Field Trip to Mexico [David Sarkozi ]
26 Feb FW: Orange-throated Tanager and the Aguaruna Communities [Gunnar Engblom ]
26 Feb Update - Birding the Americas' Trip Report Site [Blake Maybank ]
19 Feb Re: Maroon-fronted parrot [Oscar Carmona ]
19 Feb Maroon-fronted parrot [Kathy Griffith ]
03 Feb Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi Mexico Jan 03 [David Sarkozi ]
26 Jan Black-headed Grosbeak in Belize [Hank Brodkin ]
13 Jan travel journals [Bert Frenz ]
09 Jan Re: Question [Richard Thomas ]

Subject: Brazil: Guajará-Mirim area, RO
From: Bradley Davis <sclateria AT YAHOO.CA>
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 10:47:16 -0400

NEOBIRD,

I spent August 5th to 7th birding in the state of
Rondonia, Brasil. The morning of the 5th (0700 to
1200) was spent birding in logged forest along the
BR-425 a few kilometres south of its junction with the
BR-364 (the main road from Porto Velho to Rio Branco).
The forest can be accessed from various logging tracks
which cross the Eletronorte hydroline corridor and
enter tall, partially logged forest. From there I
continued on to Guajará-Mirim on the Brasil-Bolivia
border at the Rio Mamoré, where I stayed two nights at
the Pakaas Palafitas Lodge, located some 25 minutes
from town. 

Pakaas Palafitas is located at the confluence of the
Rios Mamoré and Pacaás Novos. The lodge itself has a
nice view of the rivers, and I saw both species of
river dolphin in a single afternoon from the lodge
dock. Pakaas has about 2 km of elevated boardwalks
which cut through varzea forest and provide enough
bird activity to fill a leisurely afternoon. Boat
trips from the lodge are also possible, and the
probable highlight is a visit to the river islands
known as Sete Ilhas (the seven islands) up the Rio
Mamoré about 30 minutes. I also caught a ride by car
to spend a morning at a patch of forest that has been
badly degraded from all sides, but still holds a
number of species typical to southern Amazonian
forests including 15 species of antbirds and 7
woodcreepers. However, it seems unlikely that this
community will exist for more than another decade as
the forest appears to be merely a swath between cattle
pastures which follows the course of the road.

The manager of Pakaas, Dayan, appears interested in
attracting more birders. He and the local guide,
Pilim, also mentioned that a visit to the Reserva
Extratavista de Ouro Preto, up the Rio Pacaás Novos,
could be productive.

Without further ado, the avian highlights of my visit.

05 August 2006, forest along BR-425 south of the
BR-364:

Bicolored Hawk (Accipiter bicolor) - an adult flew in
and perched up for 10 minutes near the top of a nearly
leafless tree along the logging track

Cryptic Forest-Falcon (Micrastur mintoni) - heard only

Chestnut-capped Puffbird (Bucco macrodactylus) - 1 at
forest edge of hydroline corridor

Rufous-tailed Xenops (Xneops milleri) - a single bird
briefly joined a large canopy flock, though probably
merely out of convenience, as it disappeared shortly
thereafter while the flock remained in the area for
another ten minutes

Chestnut-shouldered Antwren (Terenura humeralis) - a
pair with same canopy flock

Warbling Antbird (Hypocnemis cantator) - very common;
obviously quite vocally and visually distinct from
forms of the species in the upper Rio Tapajós drainage

White-breasted Antbird (Rhegmatorhina hoffmannsi) - a
single female encountered at a small antswarm

Black-spotted Bare-eye (Phlegopsis nigromaculata) - 3
to 5 individuals at the same antswarm

Rusty-belted Tapaculo (Liosceles thoracicus) - heard
and tape-recorded in tall terra firme with many palms
in the middle storey

Crested Becard (Pachyramphus validus) - a male joined
the large mixed canopy flock

Snow-capped Manakin (Lepidothrix nattereri) - 2 areas
with lekking birds

Fiery-capped Manakin (Machaeropterus pyrocephalus) -
heard a few times

Whiskered Flycatcher (Myiobius barbatus) - a pair with
an understorey flock which formed in front of me as I
taped Rusty-belted Tapaculo

PM 05 August 2006, Pakaas Palafitas Lodge

Long-winged Harrier (Circus buffoni) - a dark-phase
adult seen mid-afternoon from the lodge

Tui Parakeet (Brotogeris sanctithomae) - common in the
varzea

Band-tailed Nighthawk (Nyctiprogne leucopyga) -
hundreds flying down the Rio Mamoré at dusk

06 August 2006, from Pakaas Palafitas, boat to Sete
Ilhas on the Rio Mamoré

Boat-billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) - 1 adult
seen crossing the Rio Pacaás Novos at dusk toward the
Rio Mamoré

Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata) - a single bird at
Sete Ilhas

Orinoco Goose (Neochen jubata) - a pair resting on
rocky shoals at Sete Ilhas

Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica) - 1, Rio Pacaás Novos

Collared Plover - 1
White-backed Stilt - 1
Solitary Sandpiper - 2
Lesser Yellowlegs - 1

at a riverbank at the north end of Sete Ilhas, we
found many psittacids ingesting minerals in
mid-morning:

Dusky-headed Parakeet (60+), Golden-winged Parakeet
(10-15), Orange-cheeked Parrot (3), and 50+ Scaled
Pigeons

Sand-colored Nighthawk (Chordeiles rupestris) -
numerous at Sete Ilhas

Nacunda Nighthawk (Podager nacunda) - 8, Sete Ilhas

White-bellied Spinetail (Synallaxis propinqua) - a
pair seen and tape-recorded in young scrub and cane on
a small river island at Sete Ilhas

River Tyrannulet (Serpophaga hypoleuca) - a pair on
the small river island

Plain Tyrannulet (Inezia inornata) - 4+ on the small
river island, responding in agitation to tape of
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Apparently only an austral
migrant to Amazonian Brasil

Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila
castaneiventris) - a nice male at Sete Ilhas

07 August 2006, strip of forest along a road leading
to various fazendas

Spix's Guan (Penelope jacquacu) - seemingly numerous

Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) - a single
bird flying very high early AM over pastures was
presumably undertaking a long-distance movement; local
guide Pilim insisted that he sees Hyacinths with
reasonable frequency in the area

Spangled Cotinga (Cotinga cayana) - a male at a
fruiting tree

Purple-throated Fruitcrow (Querula purpurata) - a
calling pair responded well to tape and imitations,
flying in and perching above me

Giant Cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus) - sadly, I saw
several individuals flying over the forest in the
morning, presumably commuting between pastures

In spite of the depressing outlook for tall forest in
Rondonia, I nevertheless enjoyed my couple of days.
There are a number of sites in the state definitely
worth checking out still. I would like to thank the
folks from the Brazilian birding newsgroup "birdingbr"
who helped me with site information, particularly
Alyson Melo and Guto. I can also recommend Tomás
Schmitz as an able and accomodating travel agent who
knows a great deal about the state and its birding
possibilities. Contact me privately if you wish to
contact Tomás.

Good birding,

Bradley Davis

sclateria(at)yahoo(dot)ca

__________________________________________________
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Dear NEOBIRD,

Alex Lees and I just returned from a two-night visit
to the Cristalino Jungle Lodge near Alta Floresta,
Mato Grosso. The purpose of our trip was to document
the occurence of Fiery-tailed Awlbill [Avocettula
recurvirostris] at the lodge. The species was first
discovered at Cristalino at the newly-cut overlook on
the Serra trail by Giuliano Bernadon, a guide based in
Chapada dos Guimarães. Giuliano observed the birds on
27 and 29 October 2005 feeding on the red flowers of
terrestrial bromeliads. There were no subsequent
records until a possible sighting in January 2006. The
bird was found again in mid-July by Scott Olmstead and
a tour group, a male bird, once again near the new
outlook. 

Scott, Alex and I spent from 0600 to 1615 atop the
rocky dome of the Serra trail on 23 July. We
concentrated mostly on the open area behind the new
overlook, but failed to find the bird despite closely
scrutinizing the numerous female Black-throated
Mangoes which were around. Very few flowers atop the
Serra. 

Alex and I resolved to return on the morning of 24
July to spend a couple of hours before returning to
Alta Floresta before lunch. At around 0800, Alex put
me on a small hummer patterned like a female Mango
with a short and straight bill that had a
"funny-looking" tip. Awlbill! Alex confirmed it in the
scope, as the awl bill is difficult to discern even at
close range. Unfortunately, we didn't manage any
photos or recordings. The bird didn't feed once,
though we observed it for approximately 5 minutes. It
appeared to be investigating the orange-red flowers of
a tree on the verge of blooming.

To the best of our knowledge, Cristalino is the first
site for Avocettula in Mato Grosso.

We also had an adult Harpy Eagle [Harpia harpyja]
perched alongside the Rio Cristalino at 1720 on 21
July; a WINGS birding tour saw Crested Eagle [Morphnus
guianensis] from the canopy tower, possibly the same
immature bird which has been seen on and off over the
past 12 months. 

The nesting Harpy Eagle pair in the town of Alta
Floresta are still present, with a 5-month old chick.
The chick is being seen without much difficulty,
though getting views of the adults is hit-or-miss. 

Long-tailed Potoo [Nyctibius aethereus] was also found
in the forest fragment in town in June, and has been
seen at least a dozen times since. A lone Dark-winged
Trumpeter [Psophia viridis] has also been roaming
around in the fragment for several months, but the
fact it is solitary raises questions as to its origin.
The resident Crested Owls are heard most nights at the
Floresta Amazonica Hotel, and can be seen with some
luck or patient (and sparing) use of playback.

good birding,

Bradley Davis
Alta Floresta, MT - Brasil
sclateria AT yahoo.ca

__________________________________________________
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Re: Puerto Vallarta Trip Report

My recent message regarding this report did not contain my personal 
information.   My apologies.

Blake Maybank
author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia"
http://maybank.tripod.com/BSNS.htm

mailto:maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca

144 Bayview Drive,
White's Lake, Nova Scotia
CANADA


-- 
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Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.1/291 - Release Date: 24/03/2006

Hello NeoBird;

I've just completed a very detailed trip report for the Puerto 
Vallarta, Mexico area.  Our group was based there for two weeks 
January 2006, and as this area continues to be ill-served by trip 
reports, I decided to go a bit overboard on this one.

We stayed at a resort 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, in the 
town of Bucerias, Nayarit State.  During our two weeks we made visits 
to the following sites/areas:

State of Nayarit:
         Bucerias
         El Guamuchil
         Laguna de Quelele
         San Sebastian del Oeste
         San Blas
         Islas Marietas (Marietas Islands)
         Rio Ameca
         Punta de Mita

State of Jalisco:
         El Tuito

The report, in particular, provides considerable information 
regarding El Guamuchil, San Sebastian del Oeste, and Laguna de 
Quelele, including maps for the latter site.  I've also created 
provisional species lists for five sites, in downloadable PDF format: 
El Guamuchil, Bucerias, Laguna de Quelele, San Sebastian del Oeste, 
and El Tuito.

I hope this report will provide much needed assistance to anyone 
vacationing in the Puerto Vallarta area, and I think it demonstrates 
that the area is a worthy birding destination in its own right, and 
not merely a budget vacation destination.

The report may be found by going to the following web site,

http://maybank.tripod.com/Mexico/Nayarit-Index.htm

and choosing the Jalisco & Nayarit - Jan 2006 Birding Trip Report.

I welcome any comments, suggestions, mentions of errors, etc.

Safe travels, and good birding,

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Dear All,
FYI I've added a section to my website with pics and information 
about recent birding at Rancho del Cielo in southwestern Tamaulipas, 
Mexico Ecuador:
http://www.martinreid.com/Misc%20website/MX2006index.html
I'll be happy to answer any questions off-group.
Cheers,
Martin

-- 
>Martin Reid
>San Antonio, Texas
>mailto:upupa AT airmail.net
>http://www.martinreid.com

Dear All,
FYI I've added sections to my website with pics and information about 
recent birding in Northern Ecuador:
http://www.martinreid.com/Misc%20website/EC2006index.html
- and the western Highlands of Guatemala:
http://www.martinreid.com/Misc%20website/GUA2006index.html
I'll be happy to answer any questions off-group.
Cheers,
Martin

-- 
>Martin Reid
>San Antonio, Texas
>mailto:upupa AT airmail.net
>http://www.martinreid.com

Dear All,
Please take a look at this web page:
http://www.martinreid.com/Misc%20website/EC2006wchswift.html

  - I'd appreciate any feedback on the photos (and the text) - thanks,
Martin

-- 
>Martin Reid
>San Antonio, Texas
>mailto:upupa AT airmail.net
>http://www.martinreid.com

Dear all,

Underneath I mention the highlights (not the endemics seen by each trip to 
certain places in this region) of a trip to E Brazil with a very international 
group lead by Mark Van Beirs (Birdquest) from 18th of december up to 7th of 
januari in Ceara, Pernambuco, Sergipe, Alagoas, Bahia : 


pinnated bittern (5 ex.) (Uniao dos Palmares, entrance road to Quilombo Park, 
Alagoas) 

Also at the same very wet meadows in Uniao dos Palmares:
Spotted Rail
Ash-throated Crake
Green ibis
Limpkin
A paradise for getting rails in good view

Southern pochard was extremely abundant during our trip (in total we got more 
as 180 ex. with several groups of above 50 ex.) 


Mouse-coloured Tapaculo was heard in the remnant atlantic forest patch in Boa 
Nova, Bahia. Mantled Hawk was seen there as well as in the remnant atlantic 
forest patch in Murici. 


15 fringe backed fire-eyes were very active and gave very good and long views 
at Crasto, Sergipe being attracted by an antswerm. 


At a lake 60 km. east of the crossroad to Lençois (in the direction of Bahia) 
we had excellent views of yellowbreasted crake (thanks to Robin and Richard) 
and rufous-sided crake. 


The forest at Murici is severely threatened because it is not well managed by 
IPAMA. There is illegal hunting and trapping, waste is thrown in it at great 
amounts, there seems to be no guarding at all. In Europe this place should be 
threated as a world heritage reserve and get highest protection on all levels, 
trying to expand and connect it with other remnant forest patches. Not so in 
Alagoas, it seems. 

Several endemics, maybe not occurring anywhere else in the world, are not 
observed overthere the last years. 


For more details, you can contact 

Yvon Princen
pseudo2doces AT yahoo.com

---------------------------------
Disclaimer: http://disclaimer.ovam.be

Dear all,

On our tour in E Brazil and more specially at the crossroad to Lençois from 
the main road to Pai Ignacio (Chapada de Diamantina) we had a very distinctive, 
but nevertheless unidentifiable bird with all the existing guides about South 
America, although 5 people of our group were very experienced with south 
american birds (over 6000 and 7000 species on their world list). 


I give here a description in the hope anybody can solve this problem. Pitifull 
there are no pictures of the bird. 


It was sitting in a bush or top of a small tree at eyelevel along the main 
road, but the main road lays fairly above the environment so that we could scan 
very well mid-level and canopy of the trees of the dry deciduous forest around, 
so I think a mid-level or canopy species can not be excluded. The weather was 
hazy, with sometimes little rainfall. 


We did pishing of Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. A small bird about 13 cm. popped up. 
This description is based on the most alike features, not all details of all 
feathers are noticed. 

The bodycolour was these of a white-lored Tyrannulet, as well as the wings, the 
bird was very prominent spot-winged just like the wings of a white-lored 
Tyrannulet but only the olive-green tinge and the spotted wings matched 
white-lored Tyrannulet. The head pattern was these of a sirystes without a lore 
or a crest, there was no trace of a crest, nor any special markings at the eye, 
there was no whitish at the lore or at the eyebrow. Smoky-headed should have 
been a good name for the bird, smoky-capped and faced also. The bill was rather 
strong for a Tyrannulet, more the bill of a Tody-tyrant. 

The tail was of a normal length, not specially short. Outside the very 
prominently whitish spotted wings and the smoky head there were no special 
features, like white spots in tail, head, etc. 


The bird remained completely silent altough we could observe it for 5 minutes.

If anyone could help us with the identification of this small flycatcher we 
would be very gratefull. 


Kind regards,

Yvon Princen
Belgium
Answers on pseudo2doces AT yahoo.com


---------------------------------
Disclaimer: http://disclaimer.ovam.be

Hi Everyone,

At my webpage http://personal.riverusers.com/~calliope/unknownnest.html 
I have posted three photos of a nest that was along the El Oro Tapaculo 
Trail at the Jocotoco Foundation's Buenaventura Reserve in El Oro 
province, Ecuador on 5 January 2006. The nest was a mossy cup on the 
side of a small tree, about 1.5 meters high, in the wet forest 
understory. The bird flew from the nest before I could see what it was, 
but I did get a glimpse as it fluttered into the undergrowth near a 
stream on set wings and spread tail. The bird was mostly rufous with a 
medium-length tail, and it appeared that the central tail feathers were 
dusky. My initial guesses were some sort of furnariid, such as a 
Philydor foliage-gleaner, Sclerurus leaftosser (though the tail 
appeared to long for this) or Thripadectes treehunter, but the overall 
color was also consistent with a female Immaculate Antbird.

In the event that anyone here will be going there soon, I can give more 
explicit directions to the nest, which I also left with the preserve 
manager, Pedro.

Regards,

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, AZ

Senior Field Leader, WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

I'm leading an RV caravan of birders to Mexico and Belize again this 
winter and I will be writing journals of our birding experiences.  My 
wife will write about traveling and social experiences.  Journals 
from previous trips are on my web site.

Our 65-day trip starts in mid January and will include 48 days in 
Belize.  If you stay on the list after March, you will also get our 
journals for a 70-day birding trip to Alaska, but you can unsubscribe 
if you prefer.

Many of you on Mexico-Birding and Neobird have received our travel 
journals in the past and if you are already on the list group, you do 
not need to subscribe again.

For those that would like to get on the e-mail list, send a blank e-mail to

RVFrenz2-subscribe AT yahoogroups.com

You will receive an e-mail response almost immediately. Follow the 
directions on the return message and your subscription will be confirmed.

This is not an e-mail group to which you can post messages. We are 
the only ones who can post, so you will not be getting more than one 
daily journal message.


Bert Frenz
Birding Guide & RV Wagonmaster
mailto:bert2 AT bafrenz.com
http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/ 

Dear NEOBIRD,

We visited the Alta Floresta region of northern Mato
Grosso from November 11-25, spending time at the
Floresta Amazônica Hotel in Alta Floresta, the
Cristalino Jungle Lodge, and Pousada Thaimaçu in Pará
state.

Interesting observations included:

Agami Heron - 1 seen on the 23rd at Lagoa #1 at
Pousada Thaimaçu.

Zigzag Heron - several heard calling daily at
Cristalino before dawn; a female spotlighted along the
Rio Cristalino on the 21st.

Tiny Hawk - 1 seen at Cristalino in the bungalow
clearing, 20th.

CRESTED EAGLE - a young bird seen flying through a
canopy gap on the Taboca trail at Cristalino around
2PM on the 16th; seen again perched and in flight
later the same afternoon from the Tower.

The volunteer guide at the lodge now (Dec) saw a dark
morph adult near the Tower last week.

Harpy Eagle - a pair still present in the forest
fragment at the Floresta Amazonica Hotel.

Cryptic Forest-Falcon - only heard twice in 9 days at
Cristalino.

Russet-crowned Crake - 1 seen near the lodge at
Cristalino, 21st.

Bald Parrot - several small groups heard at Pousada
Thaimaçu on the 23rd along the Serra do Angelim trail;
a group of 8 seen in flight by the Rio Cururu on the
24th in the morning, and finally we found a pair
perched in late afternoon along the Rio São Benedito.
The guides at Thaimaçu know the bird's call and
habits.

Crested Owl - a pair heard nightly around the Floresta
Amazonica Hotel in Alta Floresta. Seeing them is a
more difficult task.

Striped Owl - I heard this species once on the grounds
of the Floresta Amazonica Hotel in early December.

Brown Jacamar - 5 seen from the Rio Cristalino near
the Amazona Kawalli trail on the 18th. 1 seen on the
24th at Thaimaçu from the Rio São Benedito.

Rusty-breasted Nunlet - a pair observed at close range
for some 10 minutes on the 23rd at Thaimaçu, in low
white-sand forest of the Serra do Angelim trail. The
ssp here is presumably simplex; the birds closely
resembled photographs of the species found on Arthur
Grosset's excellent website: www.arthurgrosset.com,
which are the Atlantic forest ssp.

Chestnut-throated Spinetail - vocal near bamboo on the
Taboca and Haffer trails at Cristalino, but always
difficult to see even with playback.

Point-tailed Palmcreeper - 2 birds heard distantly at
the buriti palm swamp on the road from Alta Floresta
to the Rio Teles Pires and Cristalino

Glossy Antshrike - common along the Rio Cristalino and
a couple of pairs found at Lagoa #1 at Pousada
Thaimaçu.

Manu Antbird - a single bird seen and heard on the
Taboca trail at Cristalino, and at least two pairs
recorded on the Haffer trail.

Spotted Antpitta - 1 bird seen crossing the Haffer
trail after I heard it snapping its bill.

Fiery-capped Manakin - a pair seen at Cristalino on
the Cacau trail, but vocally more abundant at
Thaimaçu, especially on the Serra do Angelim trail.

Dusky-tailed Flatbill - 1 seen and heard in bamboo on
the Haffer trail at Cristalino on the 16th.

Tooth-billed Wren - a group of 3 or 4 seen at
Cristalino from the Tower on the 14th.

Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak - 2 or 3 seen on most
visits to the Tower at Cristalino.

Weather in November was mostly hot and humid, but we
had very little rain. That said, the rains have been
intense this December here in Alta Floresta. 

Happy New Year to all,

Bradley Davis
Alta Floresta, MT - Brasil
sclateria AT yahoo.ca








	

	
		
__________________________________________________________ 
Find your next car at http://autos.yahoo.ca

Hello All!

I am planning a trip to Costa Rica March 10 - March 19, 2006. I have a 
well-known and highly regarded personal Costa Rican guide arranged to help 
us locate target birds and logistics. There is room for up to 10 members 
on this trip and I am looking for folks interested in joining us. Costs 
will vary depending on the number in the group. I have a break-down 
available. If you are seriously interested you may contact me at 
btarbox AT encorebank.com and I can send you the details. Confirmations must 
be made no later than Jan 14, 2006.

Best regards and good birding!

Bill Tarbox

Dear all,

I just returned from a eighteen days tour trip in the above mentioned part
of Peru with assistance from Kolibri Expeditions (Naturetrek) (Wilson,
Alexandro, Fabrice Schmitt, Gunnar Engblom)

Beside one bad event: an armed robbery at Paraîso lake (about 100 km
northwest of Lima along the coast in the direction of Trujillo) which cost
us 11/2 day, some belongings (gsm,tape-recorder), rufous-bellied spinetail
and peruvian tern (the worst part of it, looking afterwards) it resulted in
the following sightings :

Büller's albatross, during the pelagic the 6th of november
Peruvian Martin, during the trek to San Damian (the area for rufous-bellied
spinetail), as well as Piura Chat-Tyrant.
Taczanowski's Tinamou between Aija and Huaraz on the high pass near the
small water reservoir escaping downwards in the direction of the village
(flushed several times, once after full sighting from only 5 meters
distance).
Jeltski's Chat-Tyrant and Ancash Tapaculo way down from LLagunuco lakes
Golden-spotted ground dove in the beginning of the St Eulalia road coming
from the Chicklo marshes (diademed sandpiper-plover, white-bellied cinclodes
and rufous-bellied seedsnipe)
Ornate Tinamou between Junin and the Chicklo marshes
Junin grebe
Rufous-browed Hemispingus amongst all the other localised endemics at Bosque
Unchog.
And many more during a too short stay at the Paty trail and in Tingo Maria.

More information can be obtained on my mail-adress pseudo2doces AT yahoo.com

Kind regards,

Yvon Princen
Nieuwstraat 93
3200 Aarschot
Belgium



---------------------------------
Disclaimer: http://disclaimer.ovam.be

Hi All,

At the following URL I've placed a couple photos of an immature 
Tigrisoma tiger-heron, seen yesterday in an unlikely area for any 
tiger-heron not far from Monteverde, Costa Rica. I lack the experience 
and field library to determine whether it is Rufescent (T. lineatum) or 
Faciated (T. fasciatum). Any comments are welcome.

http://personal.riverusers.com/~calliope/tigrisomasp.html

Thanks,

Rich
---
Rich Hoyer
Tucson, AZ

Senior Field Leader, WINGS, Inc.
http://www.wingsbirds.com
---

Greetings all

We just received from a Wildlife Rehabilitator a Northern Waterthrush found in 
Montgomery Co., Tx (Spring) on 5 May 2005, banded plastic left green 83. 


Anyone have any idea who / when / where this bird was banded?

thanks and good things
dan

-------------------------------------
Daniel M. Brooks, Ph.D.
Curator of Vertebrate Zoology
dbrooks AT hmns.org      (713) 639-4776    Fax (713) 639-4767
the Houston Museum of natural science
One Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, TX  77030-1799     

More about Brooks:
http://www.hmns.org/exhibits/curators/daniel_brooks.asp?r=1

Assembling the African Wildlife Hall:
http://www.drdantime.netfirms.com/index.html

At 00:20 01-08-05 +0000, Russell Namitz wrote:
>While I was taking pictures 
>and letting other tourists have gorgeous scope views of these wonderful 
>birds, I was about a block away from the car (still in sight, though).  
>After 15 minutes of taking photos, we returned and found the back door 
>unlocked and our bags stolen.  Good-bye Leica binoculars, iPod (with CR bird 
>songs), cash, passport & toothbrush, etc.! 

Russ,

A good way of avoiding to loose cash is to sow pockets on the inside of
your trousers. I've carried around money that way over twenty years of
travelling, and never had any money stolen. You could either carry a
passport on you, or put it some place in the car (e.g. under the seat)
where it is much less likely a thief will run off with it ..

But yes, back in the late eighties/early nineties I suffered similar car
theft in Costa Rica too, and I've had much less trouble in Colombia where
I've travelled ten times, with the only incident being a jack stolen out of
my car. The easiest way for people to avoid hassle in Costa Rica is to go
on an organized tour.

Best regards, Paul

I've been working on a new web site, http://www.belizebirdingguide.com/ for
over year now and not got a lot done.

In the mean time I've discovered wiki, a collaborative web site system
where, in general, any person can edit any page. One example of wiki is the
free on-line encyclopedia http://www.wikipedia.org

I've converted BelizeBirdingGuide.com to a wiki web site. This means anyone
who has something to add to the web site can. Simply register as a new user
and after you've been activated you can update pages.

There are some rough spots on the site still, but the page updates are
working well.  I'm working on getting ride of the random color changes the
pages make and giving the site a more distinctive look. Right now image
uploads are not working, but should be soon.

So please check it out, there will be a lot of updates from me in the next
few days. If you have knowledge of Belize to share I look forward to
collaborating with you and learning from you.


David Sarkozi
Houston, TX
713-412-4409
See my website www.BelizeBirdingGuide.com

Hello all~

My friend Bob Schwaller and I recently returned from a June/July birding 
trip in Costa Rica (independent, not a tour).  It was my 3rd trip to Costa 
Rica, so the "wish list" was smaller, but exponentially more difficult.  
Needless to say, we had only reasonable luck.

Before I begin, I would like to say that this message is not intended to 
discourage people from visiting Costa Rica.  It is a wonderful place with 
boundless opportunities. We've all heard about how friendly & polite Costa 
Ricans (ticos) are.

WARNINGS:
1) My rental car was double due to taxes (even from the quote from 
expedia.com)
I witnessed three other couples go through the same ordeal at the "Take 
Advantage" counter.
2)  Do not leave valuables in a rental car, even if locked.
3) Avoid Playa Hermosa area (south of Jaco).
How many times have I read #2 in books, trip reports  & on signs?  I can't 
remember.  We were very good and left our bags in our hotel room or in the 
trunk while traveling.  However, there was one day of travel where we had 
our daypacks on the back seat.  I parked and inquired about the cost of some 
cabins in Playa Hermosa and then 8 Scarlet Macaws flew in and started 
feeding on fruiting trees along the highway.  I couldn't resist...I brought 
out the digiscoping stuff and locked the car.  While I was taking pictures 
and letting other tourists have gorgeous scope views of these wonderful 
birds, I was about a block away from the car (still in sight, though).  
After 15 minutes of taking photos, we returned and found the back door 
unlocked and our bags stolen.  Good-bye Leica binoculars, iPod (with CR bird 
songs), cash, passport & toothbrush, etc.!  Later at the police station, we 
met some guys who had the same thing happen to them 3 hours earlier.  The 
next day at the US embassy we met another couple who had been robbed in the 
same way (they locked their car too) at the same place & at the same time as 
us (when the macaws flew in).  Bottom line: don't stop or slow down in Playa 
Hermosa.  I don't think birders are specifically targeted as this is big 
surfing spot and basic tourist stop.

4) Road from Paso Real to San Vito is extremely pot-holed and slow

5) Road from Interamericana to Rincon de Osa is extremely pot-holed and 
slow.
Curiously, the road from Rio Rincon to Puerto Jimenez (at least the first 
10km) is gravel and not too bad.

Many Ticos were very helpful and upset as theft is giving their country a 
bad name.

TIRADE:
Ok, so we got charged double for the rental car.  Not a good start.  Then, 
following traffic, I passed on a double yellow and I got pulled over and 
almost lost my license for a week.  Emotional roller-coaster. Then getting 
robbed in Playa Hermosa.  Then we have to go to the US Embassy and while 
there, we almost get our car towed because we parked on a yellow curb. Don't 
trust anybody wearing an orange safety vest..it's a scam for parking.  Our 
car was hooked up and off the ground as we came out of the embassy.  The 
tow-truck driver was very stoic, but the policeman was nice and let us go. 
Whew! Another emotional roller-coaster.  Then in the next 2 consecutive 
days, I locked the keys in the car.  Frustrating experience at La Selva with 
poor birding.  Since we weren't guests at La Selva, we weren't allowed to 
walk the paths without a guide.  We paid for a "birding tour," but it only 
lasted from 6 to 8am.  Very dissatisfying for $35 per person.  And then 
there's Bosque de Paz lodge.  With a great birdlist, we decided to visit and 
walk the paths (again for $35 per person, but without a guide).  I did not 
make a reservation with a credit card, but asked via email if I could show 
up on the desired day and pay with cash.  Vanessa (one of the owners) 
emailed me and said that would be fine.  So, I showed up the night (5pm) 
before to confirm our morning walk and was told that we did not have a 
reservation.  Then Vanessa's husband (the other owner) came out and told me 
that they were full and that we could not walk the paths.  In fact, it was 
impossible to walk the paths without a reservation or stay at the lodge.  Oh 
yeah, they had one more room left due to a cancellation, but we couldn't 
have it.  So I guess we were out of luck.  A bit of a frustrating 
experience...especially since this ecolodge caters to birders and bird 
groups.  I'm not sure why this happened this all happened, but I seriously 
doubt I will ever return to Costa Rica...I certainly will not visit Bosque 
de Paz.  The whole trip would have still been great if we had had good luck 
with the birds, but we only had reasonable luck.  We had a trip list of 442 
with 11 of those being heard only birds.  I saw 35 lifers and heard another 
4 that would have been new.  I hope I'm not being a cry baby; the whole 
thing just leaves a sour taste in my mouth everytime I think about it.

TRIP REPORT:
We visited during the rainy season (I've done this in Ecuador as well), but 
this shouldn't deter the visiting birder.  There are pros & cons to each 
season.  Birds weren't as concentrated as in the winter, but many were 
conspicuous while feeding young.  If interested, you may view my trip report 
at Blake Maybank's website below.

http://maybank.tripod.com/CentralAmerica/CostaRica/CostaRica-06-2005.htm


Safe travels & good birding,
Russ Namitz
Coos Bay

At 01:23 30-07-05 -0400, Bradley Davis wrote:
>Dear NEOBIRD,     a birding guide with vehicle I could contact to visit
>are
>
>as
>ointerest
>inhe
>capital
>area:
>La
>Florida,
>Laguna
>de
>Peopalo,
>or
>others. Like
>I say,
>it's
>hard to
>pass
>up the
>chance
>to
>bird, but
>in
>this
>instance
>I'd
>prefer
>to
>leave
>logistics
>to
>a
>professional
>given
>the
>inherent
>fficulties
>ofoving
bout
>in
>Colomb
>without
>reliable
>local
>aice.  
>Onday I'll
>visit
>the
>country
>for a
>few
>weeks or
>months to do
>it justice;
>for
>the
>moment, a
>day
>will
>have to
>suffice.
>    Many
>thanks
>in
>advance.
>
>
>yours
>sincerely
>


Bradley,

I would go to LPP in the morning and hit La Florida or La Conejera in the
morning.

Cheers, Paul

PS - the above contortion of the original text happens when people write in
that dreaded HTML format rather than plain text

Dear NEOBIRD,
 
I potentially will have a full day available in August on a stopover en route 
to São Paulo, and have difficulty passing up the possibility of a day's birding 
in the Bogota area. Could any list members recommend a birding guide with 
vehicle I could contact to visit areas of interest in the capital area: La 
Florida, Laguna de Pedropalo, or others. Like I say, it's hard to pass up the 
chance to bird, but in this instance I'd prefer to leave logistics to a 
professional given the inherent difficulties of moving about in Colombia 
without reliable local advice. 

One day I'll visit the country for a few weeks or months to do it justice; for 
the moment, a day will have to suffice. 

 
I'd appreciate any advice you could give me.  Many thanks in advance.
 
yours sincerely
 
Bradley Davis
Kingston, Ontario - Canada


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 

search neobird Pearman

Cabanas Burbayar Lodge near the Nusagandi reserve has just advised that they
have available a bird list of the area.  This is where I went last April to
see the Sapayoa.

I'm sure Jessica at Burbayar will send you a copy of the list.  The e-mail
address is;

burbayar AT cwpanama.net

active harpy nest in Ecuador!

If you're interested in seeing this, contact Mercedes Rivadeneira: 
mrivaden AT pi.pro.ec 


-------------------------------------
Daniel M. Brooks, Ph.D.
Curator of Vertebrate Zoology
Houston Museum of Natural Science
1 Herman Circle
Houston, TX 77030-1799

dbrooks AT hmns.org

PH- 713-639-4776
FAX- 713-639-4767

            Birders

Sorry if you get repeats of this message. I have finally finished the
checklist ("listing with a purpose") which lists all red data book
species and endemic bird area species in the world (as defined by
BirdLife International) and assigns to each one of them a score based on
their BirdLife Stauts. The principal idea is that if listers
concentrated more on the birds listed in this list and specifically on
the birds with high scores - the globally most threatened or least known
ones, it would have considerable impact for conservation of the most
threatened birds and create incentives for local sustainable development
with this avi-tourism as principal motor.

I have sent mails regarding this idea previously on this list and won't
take the space to explain it in detail, but take a few minutes and go to
the site where the documents giving the reasoning and the point system
are kept.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/expeditionbirding
Click files
Click score system


Here are the files for "Expedition Birding intro" for the rules.
And the Excel file with the total list with scores
There is also a file with notes to the Excel list.

In the folder "My best birds" you can add your own list of birds you are
proud to have seen as well as tell the world about your current
expedition birding score.

Like all listing, this is just a game. In the end most people on this
planet does not care about what birds you have seen. However, if your
listing nerve can get you to go for the birds in the world that most
need our attention, you can indeed feel the pleasure of "listing with a
purpose".

Imagine if we could persuade ABA to include Expedition Birding points in
their annual updates! Imagine if the birding listing software makers
would include the scores-system in their programs! Then we could really
start talking about the conservation power of world birding.

Check it out!

To subscribe:  send an empty mail to
expeditionbirding-subscribe AT yahoogroups.com


Cheers

Gunnar


Gunnar Engblom-Lima, Peru. Birdwatching in S. America. tele/fax +51 (0)1
476 50 16 cel: 9643 77 49 or 99007886
Kolibri Expeditions-Expediton Birding to the Endemic and Threatened
Birds.
Marvelous Spatuletail Tours-Spectacular Birding and Great Comfort.
Webpage:  
http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com Email:
 kolibriexp AT telefonica.net.pe.
Birding Peru e-group:  
birdingperu-subscribe AT yahoogroups.com Trip reports, recent sightings,
travel tips, travel partners, range extensions, identification help,
etc.  
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Birdingperu

I again had the privilege of leading the birding activities on the Gorgas
Science Foundation's annual birding trip to the Rancho del Cielo Biological
Station ("the station" hereafter) at 1300 m. in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve 
in 

southwestern Tamaulipas, Mexico. The trip was 22-28 June. Most birding was done
in the vicinity of the station except for an all day trip to the abandoned
sawmill of La Perra, near the top of the ridge at 2000 m. Birding ranged from
there down to about 1600 m. on foot. All birding was above 1100 m., thus the
lowlands around Gomez Farias, which receive a lot of attention (deservedly) 
from 

birders were not sampled at all. The lowest areas visited were the milpas of
San Pablo, an abandoned settlement about 1 km. south of the station. There a
series of former corn fields in various stages of regeneration provide breaks 
in 

the forest and allow certain lowland species to occur above their usual
elevation limits.

This trip is enlightening because most of the Reserve is relatively
inaccessible to visitors due to the extremely rough terrain of the karst 
topography. 

Only one reasonably good road climbs the sierra to the ejido of Alta Cima at 
900 

m. Some highly disturbed lower cloud forest may be found there, but most of
the primary cloud and wet pine-oak forest is beyond the reach of all but the
most intrepid.

In general most species had just passed the peak of song and many were
attending young in nests. Only a few fledged juveniles were following parents. 
In 

this regard the season was a couple of weeks behind last year's due to the fact
that the rainy season started around June 1 this year instead of in mid May as
it did last year. The initiation of breeding by many species is tied to the
onset of the first showers of the season.

Selected species accounts:
Thicket Tinamou - well past peak song. A handful of birds called mornings and
evenings near the station but were silent during midday (not so when
breeding). We flushed one bird on the brecha (fire break) that surrounds the 
station. 


Great Black Hawk - a pair was seen flying southward over the abandoned
settlement of San Pablo. This site is not far in a straight line from Alta Cima
where I have seen this species on several recent visits. Buteogallus urubitinga
ridgewayi, the Middle American form, is vocally, morphologically, and in 
habitat 

preference distinct from the nominate form in South America, where Great
Black Hawks are virtually always river sand bar birds. The fact that both forms
occur sympatrically in central Panama strongly suggests that they are distinct
species.

Ornate Hawk-Eagle - one display-sang in the forest adjacent to the station
one evening and flew over in response to playback to sing from the other side.
It was heard singing overhead on two other days and flew from the forest low
across the compound and back into the forest on another occasion. This is the
first indication that the species might be breeding locally in the station
vicinity. Another nest was found at the edge of the forest at the base of the
mountains opposite Rancho Cielito on the Rio Sabinas in previous seasons.

Singing Quail - clearly finished nesting. Singing was infrequently heard,
usually distantly. Two groups seen in forest were family groups with 
independent 

young.

Military Macaw - a pair (the same?) flew by without stopping on two different
mornings.

White-crowned Parrot - a pair nests around the station every spring. They
were being followed by a grown juvenile.

Tamaulipas Pygmy-Owl - there were 3-4 pairs resident in the immediate
vicinity of the station. Spontaneous singing was limited to pre sunrise so 
breeding 

was winding down. They were still quite responsive to imitation and provided
some great digiscope opportunities.

Mottled Owl - a pair maintains a day roost in a dense, vine hung area behind
the dining hall. These are complacent about daytime viewing and also provided
some nice digiscope images.

White-collared Swift - a single bird was seen from the mirador (overlook) at
the station. No breeding sites are known closer than near El Naranjo, about 50
miles south, however, the species nests in sinkholes in other karst areas
(e.g., Sotano de las Golondrinas near Cd. Valles). Sinkholes (sotanos) are
abundant in El Cielo. In early April 15 or so were seen above Alta Cima.

White-eared Hummingbird - one nice male at La Perra.

Azure-crowned Hummingbird - one or two visited station feeders, but they are
strongly dominated by the superficially similar (though much larger)
Wedge-tailed Sabrewings.

Amethyst-throated Hummingbird - common around the station and above. At least
5 different males visited station feeders. A female was seen feeding on Agave
flowers at 2000 m. at La Perra.

Blue-throated Hummingbird - La Perra

Magnificent Hummingbird - a single male visited blooming Agapanthus every few
minutes at the station but never visited the feeders.

Bumblebee Hummingbird - the star of a summer visit to the higher elevations.
This species is abundant at La Perra and displaying males seem to be every few
yards. Males perch up on the tips of shrubs in regenerating clearings around
the old sawmill site (abandoned in the 70's). Great digiscope opportunities.

Smoky-brown Woodpecker - a pair wandered around the whole station area, being
seen daily.

Olivaceous Woodcreeper - an unusually frequently seen species. Usually rather
uncommon, but about 8 were seen including one at about 1800 m. below La
Perra, a high elevation for this species.

Ivory-billed Woodcreeper - generally common. One pair was feeding young in
the nest in a space within the roof of one of the station cabins. Their food
begging calls were miniatures of the "laughing" calls of the adults.

Spot-crowned Woodcreeper - not seen anywhere. I am beginning to suspect that
some montane species are edging their ranges upward. It is risky to
hypothesize on few data but this species used to be about as common as 
Ivory-billed at 

Rancho del Cielo. In recent years I have found none there, but have still been
finding them higher up. We saw none at all this trip. Maybe it was just a
fluke.

Barred Antshrike - fairly common in the milpas de San Pablo in dense regrowth
several years old. This is one of the tropical zone species that moves into
clearings as they appear in higher elevations.

Tufted Flycatcher - not present at Rancho del Cielo as formerly. Still common
at La Perra. See remarks under Spot-crowned Woodcreeper.

Brown-capped Vireo - very common above the cloud forest in the 1600-2000 m.
area. Only a few were found around the station.

Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush - abundant and distributed about every 150
yards in the open understory in mature primary cloud forest. Not found in 
second 

growth or edge situations. This population is migratory and is absent from
the region for about 8 months of the year.

Black Robin - one male well seen and tape recorded in wet pine-oak forest at
1900 m. Another possibly heard (fairly far from the previous bird but possibly
the same individual). This species is rare but regular in the higher
elevations of El Cielo.

Olive Warbler - a family group was in pines at about 1800 m.

Slate-throated Redstart - several were seen near La Perra. The similar
Painted Redstart is found in the drier pine oak forest on the west slope.

Golden-browed Warbler - these pretty warblers are very common in wet pine oak
forest at 2000 m. down to about 1700 m. They winter at lower elevations.

White-winged Tanager - several pairs were seen from 1100 m. up to the station
but not higher. All males were in first year plumage with red heads and necks
shading to yellow on the body.

Hooded Grosbeak - families were just beginning to form as young were
fledging. These roamed throughout the forest at all elevations visited.

John Arvin
Mission, Texas

Dear colleagues:

I am looking for contact information for Robin Clarke in Buena Vista,
Bolivia. The phone number I used two years ago is not recognized as a
working number.

Please reply off line.

DOM

David, Christine, and Erin Matson (Nicole at college)
2024 Fairway Drive
Suffolk, Virginia 23433
d.matson AT charter.net

Que no haya novedad

Ian,

One of the great things about birding Ecuador is the
fact that you can cover a lot. But the time could be
the main factor

I will strongly recommend him to contact Birdecuador
and they could help him for sure in planning the trip.

The options are a lot. Papallacta, Huango, Cabañas de
San Isidro, Cordillera de Huacamayos. The rainforest
in Sacha or La Selva Lodges,And finally as Jim
suggested, Podocarpus area and Cuenca.

I hope it helps




=====
Pepe Rojas
Naturalist and Birding Guide
Peru,Ecuador and Bolivia
Quito, Ecuador
Eubucco AT yahoo.com

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!
http://sbc.yahoo.com

Depends on how much time he has.  Highlights might be:  stay at
Tandayapa Lodge and bird both uphill (Bellavista) and downhill
(Mindo).  Go to Cotopaxi National Park and/or Papallacta Pass for the
high altitude specialties.  All these are close to Quito.  Then spend
a few days at one of the Amazon basin lodges, e.g. Sacha or La Selva.
If he has lots of time, head south to Cuenca and Podocarpus National
Park.

--Jim Hays

>HI ALL:
>  A friend of mine will be birding in Ecuador next month, I was wondering
>what places he should bird in Ecuador in July?
>
>--
>Ian Paulsen
>Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
>AKA: "Birdbooker"
>"Rallidae all the way"


--
**********************************************************************
Jim Hays                                                 jhays AT post.harvard.edu
3381 W. Foxes Den Drive                         (520) 903-1634
Tucson AZ 85745

HI ALL:
 A friend of mine will be birding in Ecuador next month, I was wondering
what places he should bird in Ecuador in July?

--
Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
AKA: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way"

Apologies for any duplications, but perhaps some on this list will be 
interested in a message I recently posted to Mexico-Birding. 


Regards,
Tim Brush

 The following is a summary of a trip I made to the Ciudad Victoria area of 
Tamaulipas recently, about 150 miles SSW of the border at Reynosa. I was 
accompanied by my son Johnny (age 13) and Dave Krueper, an excellent birder and 
biologist from Albuquerque, New Mexico, with much experience in Arizona and 
western Mexico. Although we did as much birding as possible (and saw some great 
birds), the main purpose of the trip was to do a quick survey of riparian 
forests along the Rio Corona, to try to ascertain the status of selected 
breeding bird species of conservation concern (see note at end for further 
information). 

 Since we were mainly interested in the breeding status and habitat of certain 
species, I tried to estimate numbers of birds and breeding status of as many 
species as possible. Bold-faced species below include species of conservation 
concern in southern Texas, more common species whose breeding status in 
Tamaulipas (or Mexico) is poorly known, and species at or near the edge of 
their range (not completely consistent). 

 The weather was, as expected hot during the day (mid-90s--low 100s F) and warm 
at night (upper 70s-low 80s F) but some heavy showers later in the trip 
provided some relief and much needed rainfall in some areas.Times below are 
military style, Central Daylight Time, the time in force in both the Mexican 
and Texan segments of our trip. 


The trip:

Monday, June 2, 2003: Travel from Edinburg, Texas, to Ciudad Victoria, via 
Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge. Crossing and getting our papers was easy 
and pretty quick (<1 hr.), on this non-holiday Monday morning. Whilw waiting, 
we found an active Western Kingbird nest under the roof of the open-sided 
vehicle check area--the two stub-tailed youngsters being fed by adults 
confirmed the nesting of this species in Tamaulipas. 

 After clearing customs and getting the vehicle permit, we headed south at 
about 09:00 toward Ciudad Victoria, stopping to bird at about 12:30 at the 
Highway 101 bridge over the Rio Corona (hereafter called the Highway 101 
bridge). We saw a couple of Gray Hawks on the way down, in the scrubby, rolling 
countryside south of San Fernando. We checked into the Paradise Inn Motel, on 
the northeastern side of Ciudad Victoria. This was to be our headquarters and 
restaurant for the next four nights, and it was (as before) very satisfactory 
and convenient (we brough coffeemakers in order to get an early cup or two 
before heading out each morning, since the restaurant did not open until 7:00 
AM). In the late afternoon/early evening, we drove out toward Presa Vicente 
Guerrero, a large reservoir northeast of Ciudad Victoria. It can be reached by 
taking the old highway from Highway 101 less than a mile north of the Highway 
101 bridge and then driving about 9 miles to the old bridge site at the Rio 
Purificacion, at the end of the road. Highlights here included a good look at a 
Mangrove Swallow, confirming what we had Byron Stone, Johnny, and I had seen 
here in December 2001. More expected were single pairs of Sulphur-bellied 
Flycatchers and Tropical Kingbirds looking for nest sites. We confirmed the 
nesting of European Starling at the reservoir (and in this part of 
Tamaulipas??) by seeing adults enter a cavity several times with food. A couple 
of Hooded Orioles flew over the desert-like scrub near some of the 
fishing/hunting lodges scattered around. 

 We then drove to and birded towards sunset along the Rio Corona near Ejido 
Miraflores, northwest of the town of Guemez and just a few mile downstream from 
the Highway 85 bridge over the Rio Corona. We saw three Red-billed Pigeons (not 
as common as expected on the trip), and heard/saw a Pauraque after dark in the 
scrub away from the river near Guemez (no luck with Tawny-collared Nightjar on 
the entire trip, but we did not do a lot of night-birding). In Guemez we saw 
two Chimney Swifts-- of course a common bird in the eastern USA, and even 
breeding in the Lower Rio Grande Valley now, but there are no breeding records 
for Mexico that I know of. We were to see (and eventually hear) these 2-3 birds 
repeatedly foraging over Guemez and nearby houses, when we passed through 
Guemez on other days--see especially June 5 below. 


Morning of June 3, 2003: Rio Corona, from the Highway 101 bridge upstream about 
1 mile, and back (06:25-10:30). The Rio Corona was quite low, basically as 
expected given the continuing dry season. We crossed fairly easily at several 
spots, avoiding the densest areas of poison ivy, and birding mainly in the tall 
stand of Montezuma bald-cypress (cypress for short) and other trees along the 
river. Highlights included: Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, which I heard "roaring" 
and Dave and Johnny saw as it flushed and flew upstream. We saw 3-5 Muscovy 
Ducks--as John Arvin has noted, the species seems fairly common along several 
rivers in southern Tamaulipas, and the Rio Corona was no exception. We heard 
one definite Collared Forest-Falcon, after being fooled by a distant peacock 
heard downstream from the bridge. Surprisingly, we had no Red-billed Pigeons 
this morning, but White-tipped Doves and Common Ground-Doves were common, and 
there some Mourning Doves and Inca Doves--as expected given the surrounding 
agricultural fields and pasture lands. We repeatedly heard a couple Rock Doves 
"singing" under the Highway 101 bridge, suggesting nesting, but we did not 
investigate further. The only psittacids today were two Red-crowned Parrots, 
heard on the way back downriver (this species was to be more numerous in the 
canyons we visited on the following days). At least two Yellow-billed Cuckoos 
called, and we saw one Groove-billed Ani (in the scrub right near the bridge). 
Greater Roadrunners were seen regularly, one or two wherever in thorn-scrub 
occurred along the road (not in riparian forest itself). 

 At one point, we saw about 10 Vaux's Swifts, foraging not far overhead, above 
the river. We did not hear them call this day, but noted the shorter, less 
pointed wings which seemed less "swept-back" than the Chimney Swifts we also 
saw on the trip. The only hummingbird we positively identified on the whole 
trip was Buff-bellied Hummingbird (we saw only 1-3 per morning, but given the 
general scarcity of suitable flowers this seemed about right). 

 We heard at least four Elegant Trogons calling in the riparian forest, and had 
a good look at one. Ringed (1-2) and Green Kingfishers (3-5) seemed still able 
to forage in the remaining pools and riffles--we saw one juvenile of the 
latter, indicating local breeding (as expected). We saw and heard no motmots 
this morning, perhaps due to a general lack of fruits in this section of the 
river (the gum bumelia trees that were abundantly fruiting along the upper Rio 
Corona were generally fruitless here). Golden-fronted Woodpeckers were common, 
with one pair entering and leaving a cypress cavity with food, and there were 
1-2 Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. 

 There were about 8 Northern Beardless-Tyrannulets, with one bird chasing 
another out of a tree, indicating a possible territorial encounter. We also 
heard a dawn song right at the Highway 101 bridge, and I saw one pair exploring 
ball-moss clumps for potential nest sites. We saw only about three Social 
Flycatchers. of which one pair was bringing food to a nest high in a cypress 
right at the Highway 101 bridge. Great Kiskadees, Couch's Kingbirds, and 
Rose-throated Becards, and Altamira Orioles also brought food to nests in the 
same or adjacent trees. We saw or heard at least three pairs of Sulphur-bellied 
Flycatchers, one of which we saw carrying food (Dave was interested to see them 
at such low altitudes, since in Arizona they nest in mid-elevation mountain 
canyons). Brown-crested Flycatchers were seen in small numbers. We found 5 
Rose-throated Becard nests, at least four of which were active. There were two 
pairs that did not seem associated with nests (that we could find), so perhaps 
not all birds have built nests yet. 

 We saw/heard only 1--2 White-eyed Vireos, Green Jays, and Long--billed 
Thrashers this morning. They are all common breeders (and permanent residents) 
in southern Texas, but the scarcity of dense thorn-scrub or thorn forest may 
explain their rarity. 2-3 Chihuahuan Ravens and Brown Jays were heard and seen. 
We had one singing Yellow-green Vireo (which Dave later saw carrying food), in 
an area with scattered large cottonwoods. Northern Rough-winged Swallows seemed 
to be nesting under the Highway 101 bridge, judging by the repeated comings and 
goings of 8-10 birds, but we saw no nesting Cliff, Cave, or Barn Swallows. 
Spot-breasted Wrens and Clay-colored Robins were both very common along the 
river this morning. I saw one robin carrying food to a nest, and another 
full--grown juvenile. 

 Tropical Parulas were also quite common, and we saw one family group, in which 
two full-grown, begging juveniles were fed by a female. Perhaps one of the more 
surprising birds of the trip was a singing male Prothonotary Warbler, singing 
and foraging in cypresses above a stagnant pool. The habitat was superficially 
very like some southeastern USA breeding habitat--whether this bird would be 
better classified a late migrant or out-of-range territorial male is hard to 
say, but it did stay in the same 50 meter stretch of river for at least 45 
minutes. Another possibly out-of-range breeder (but one known to breed in the 
northern plateau region of Mexico) was Summer Tanager. We saw one brilliant 
adult male this morning, heard another bird singing and a different one 
calling. At least 3 Blue Buntings sang, and we saw one brilliant male, and a 
Blue Grosbeak sang repeatedly (at the Highway 101 bridge). 

 We found three Altamira Oriole nests, all active, and 2-3 birds not associated 
with known nests. 3 of the 4 Hooded Orioles were associated with the Highway 
101 bridge, and I saw an old nest hanging from the underside of the bridge 
(evidently attached to a small wire protruding from the cement). We only heard 
one Audubon's Oriole this morning, but it is always hard to tell with this 
secretive species how many one may be missing. We saw/heard 3-4 Bronzed 
Cowbirds and 2-3 Brown-headed Cowbirds--the latter is sometimes shown in field 
guides as being absent from northeastern Mexico in the breeding season.3-4 
House Sparrows were associated with the Highway 101 bridge, and we saw one male 
carrying food up to a hidden site high overhead. 


Late afternoon/evening of June 3, 2003: 
 After the much-needed lunch/shower/siesta break back at the motel in the 
mid-day heat, we headed up Route 85 from Ciudad Victoria to explore 
Parque/Balneario El Tigre, a canyon in the upper Rio Corona watershed. The 
drive from Route 85 is about 18 miles in all, with many speed bumps (topes) as 
one passes through various ejidos (small towns) and the Hacienda Santa Engracia 
hotel, a nice-looking establishment where tour groups often stay (we did not 
have time to check it out). We arrived at park entrance at about 16:45 and 
walked upriver less than a mile on the dirt/rock road, past the swimming hole. 
Highlights of this brief visit were Melodious Blackbird (in the trees at the 
park entrance) and at least 4 Thicket Tinamous singing in the tropical scrub 
covering the canyon walls. We had known about the blackbird being present, but 
did not yet know that John Arvin had heard tinamous around here, back in April. 
We heard and saw enough other "tropical" birds to whet our appetite for the 
next morning, so we returned back to the motel, counting 33 Altamira Oriole 
nests along the road back to Route 85--all but 5 were hanging from power lines, 
but we documented the use of exotic Norfolk Island Pine as a nest site by the 
species. 


Morning of June 4, 2003: Parque/Balneario El Tigre, 06:45-10:55: We left the 
motel at 5:30 and reached the park entrance at 6:45, via the same route through 
the ejidos that is mentioned above--on the way back we saved 30 minutes by 
returning via another road, that connects to the heavy truck route (periferico) 
around Ciudad Victoria (this road is called the "Carretera Interrejidal A 
Caballero" (Interejidal highway to Caballero) where it leaves the northwestern 
part of the periferico, west of Route 85). 

 We estimated that we walked about 1.5 to 2 miles along the well-maintained 
dirt road up the canyon, crossing the river three times on little causeways (at 
one of these crossings, the river was underground). Tall Montezuma bald-cypress 
dominated the river-banks much of the way, with scattered sycamores, which 
eventually became more common and extended further upstream than the cypress. A 
few strangler figs and mala mujer (a stinging, nettle-like plant common in the 
Gomez Farias area) gave a definite tropical feel, and dense tropical scrub 
(different than the thorn-forest on the nearby coastal plain) extended up the 
steep canyon walls. There were some cliff faces and a few caves and crevices. 
Fruit was in abundance, in contrast to the lower Rio Corona we visited 
yesterday: several large gum bumelia (Bumelia/Sideroxylon lanuginosa) trees had 
fruits, some of which had already fallen, and a red fruit from an unidentified 
tree was common. At least one of the few strangler figs (Ficus cotinifolia?) we 
saw had fruits, which attracted robins, parakeets, plus a tityra and a grosbeak 
(crimson-collared). There were a few scarletbush (Hamelia patens) shrubs in 
bloom, but nothing extensive for hummingbirds. 

   Highlights here included:
   6 Thicket Tinamous (some overlap with the evening before); 
    3-4 Muscovy Ducks, plus a female with 6 recent hatchlings;
   one Bat Falcon, calling as it flew up-canyon;
 a "singing" Crested Guan, which gave its honking call as it ascended high into 
a cypress early in the morning (and was harassed a bit by a Brown Jay; 

 a probable Ruddy Quail-Dove, unseen, but singing slowly (5X/30 seconds) a 
somewhat drawn-out, fading "whoooah;" 

 about 25 (or more) Green Parakeets, at various points along the canyon, 
including a small number leaving the roost near the entrance early; 

 at least 12 Red-crowned Parrots, more scattered than the former, in groups of 
2-4; 

    3 Squirrel Cuckoos, one singing, one calling, and one seen carrying food;
    6 Buff-bellied Hummingbirds;
    10 singing Elegant Trogons; scattered along the canyon;
 20-24 Blue-crowned Motmots, heard almost constantly, mostly in pairs but one 
family group of 6 in one tree (one carried food to another); 

    1 Bronze-winged (Golden-olive) Woodpecker (the only one of the trip);
 one probably Lineated Woodpecker nestling, in large cxavity high in dead pecan 
snag (we tentatively identified, by its swept-back crest, unlike the more erect 
crest of the Pale-billed, but this assumes that large juveniles would be 
similar to adults in this feature); 

    5 Boat-billed Flycatchers;
    4 Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers;
 10 Rose-throated Becards (at least 4 nests, 3 in sycamores and one in a 
cypress); 

    1 Masked Tityra (male, seen well but briefly near a strangler fig);
    16 Brown Jays (unusual only in number);
 1 Common Raven (its deep call and large size were distinctive, compared to the 
Chihuahuan Ravens on the coastal plain); 

    8-10 Yellow-green Vireos (all singing males); 
   18 Tropical Parulas (singing males, mainly in cypress);
 15 Golden-crowned Warblers (all singing males, except 2 juveniles and one 
female in a family group, and another pair building a nest near some rocks on a 
wooded slope); 

   2 singing Rufous-capped Warblers (one the steepest, most barren slopes);    
 a pair of Fan-tailed Warblers (nice look in a rocky section right along the 
road-side) 

   3 Blue Buntings (all singing males);
   1 Crimson-collared Grosbeak (seen by Dave at the fruiting strangler fig).
   3 Melodious Blackbirds;
 4 Great-tailed Grackles (nice to see so few--all were down in the picnic area 
near the park entrance); 

 one female Bronzed Cowbird (along the streamside near an Altamira Oriole 
nest); 

   3 Altamira Orioles (extending well up into the sycamores); and
 10 Audubon's Orioles (calling and singing, especially in the upstream 
sections). 

 This canyon seemed pretty untouched, except for a mine entrance, the 
little-used road itself, and a few other park visitors. We wanted to go further 
in, but turned around as it got hot and bird activity began to dwindle. We saw 
two Gray Hawks in the scrub/pasture mosaic on the way back to Ciudad Victoria 
(we consistently saw one or two per day, in various spots, most of which I 
don't mention in this report, but none in the canyons themselves). 


Late afternoon/evening of June 4, 2003: A heavy thunderstorm prevented us from 
exploring Peregrine Canyon, near Ciudad Victoria, so drove a circuit up 85 to 
El Barretal, east to Nueva Padilla on Route 101, and back to Ciudad Victoria. 
We saw only two Altamira Oriole nests in the 20 miles between Barretal and 
Nueva Padilla. This parallels the Rio Purificacion throuhgh a drier, less 
wooded lanscape than the above-mentioned 18 miles that had 33 nests. We briefly 
(17:20-17:40) stopped to bird along the Rio Purificacion in scattered scrubby 
willows with a couple of cypress, only seeing White-winged, Inca, and Common 
Ground-Dove, Blue Grosbeaks, and other species typical of more disturbed 
habitats. At the Highway 101 bridge over the Rio Corona (17:50-18:18), we saw 
two Brown-crested Flycatchers bringing food into the end of a horizontal pipe 
under the bridge. A female and subadult male Hooded Oriole brought food to a 
nest under the bridge, while a female and adult male attended two juveniles 
underneath another bridge section. We tried to drive up into Peregrina Canyon, 
seeing a Chaetura swift in Ejido La Libertad along the way, but thought better 
of it since some water was flowing across the road. A couple of White-tailed 
Kites foraged over fields around Ciudad Victoria, perhaps stimulated by the 
heavy local rains. 


Morning of June 5, 2003, along the Rio Corona immediately downstream from Ejido 
Miraflores, 06:40-09:15: In this location, orchards and limited upland forest 
adjoin the cypress woodland and disturbed scrub along the river. We could walk 
along a lightly traveled forest road for about a mile, with "river" access at 
various points (the river itself was mainly dry, with scattered pools). 

 Generally, the birdlife was similar to the lower stretch, but with a greater 
abundance of "orchard" and scrub species. For example, we heard 8 Blue Buntings 
and had a total of 5 Crimson-collared Grosbeak, with our only White-collared 
Seedeaters (2) and Yellow-faced Grassquit (singing male) of the trip. There 
were 2 Gray Hawks, 5 Red-billed Pigeons (the largest number at any one spot), 7 
White-tipped Doves, 5 Audubon's Orioles, 8 Great-tailed Grackles (mainly 
flovers), 5 Bronzed Cowbirds, a Brown-headed Cowbird (plus an Olive Sparrow 
nest with three BH Cowbird eggs), 4 Lesser Goldfinches, two Yellow-billed 
Cuckoos (one carrying food-Dave), and three Northern Cardinals. Tropical 
Parulas were still common (15 singing males plus a family group with two 
juveniles fed by a silent male). 5 Blue-crowned Motmots, a Squirrel Cuckoo, and 
an Elegant Trogon gave a more tropical feel, while a calling Summer Tanager and 
Cooper's Hawk (calling) provided a more temperate zone flavor. We found three 
becard nests and one Altamira nests, but the dense scrub prevented access in 
several areas. 

 9:45-10:30--Back at the Highway 101 bridge, Johnny saw a molting male Summer 
Tanager, and we confirmed the presence of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (actually 
long known as a breeding resident in northeastern Mexico, but now absent as a 
breeder from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. A bird was calling here on 
June 2, but its presence in the same area confirms that it is probably a summer 
resident here (are they restricted to the tallest forest in this area, or is 
there some other habitat feature they are responding to?). 

 On the way back to Ciudad Victoria, we saw three Altamira Oriole nests in 
about 8 miles of road in an area dominated by citrus, with some thorn-rest, 
between Guemez and Highway 85 (Subida Alta). In the late afternoon, we briefly 
explored Peregrine Canyon, seeing one Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl entering and 
leaving a cavity in a large, dead pecan. In Ejido La Libertad, we saw and heard 
one Vaux's Swift. Encouraged by that, we drove back to Guemez (again!), where 
we saw 3-4 Chimney Swifts and heard one. We returned to the motel by 18:55 for 
dinner. 

    
Morning of June 6, 2003, the upper section of Los Troncones Park in Peregrina 
Canyon, 6:35-10:45: 

  
 We parked just before the first river crossing, waded across and headed up the 
road (the same place we started yesterday afternoon). Peregrina Canyon is 
similar to El Tigre, but the former has higher cliffs and a bit more human 
impact (a few cows, and a somewhat greater number of people than El Tigre). 
Peregrina seems a bit narrower, and there are fewer tall trees, but the same 
tree species are present. We noticed huipilla at Peregrina--it is a spiny 
ground bromeliad known to be used by tinamous. It may have been present at El 
Tigre, but higher up the canyon walls. We walked almost two miles upstream, 
wading the stream in 5 places. 

 Bird highlights included one Thicket Tinamou (calling; we never did see one 
anywhere); a family group of 2 adult and 2 juvenile Bat Falcons (very 
cooperatively perched in plain view near a big cliff face); 6 Ferruginous 
Pygmy-Owls (one breeding pair at the same spot as yesterday, plus 4 other 
calling birds); 16-20 Red-crowned Parrots (moving around a lot, so hard to 
estimate); 6 Boat-billed Flycatchers (one pair at a nest); and three 
Yellow-green Vireos. We heard and saw several Blue-crowned Motmots, including 
two that flushed from burrows. Altamira Orioles and Rose-throated Becards 
nested here in small numbers. Saving the best to mention last, we were excited 
to see a Collared Forest-Falcon fly downstream in plain view, harassed by some 
Brown Jays. The falcon was a light-phase bird, apparently of the "creamy white" 
variety (see Howell and Webb). 

 After driving back to the motel and checking out, we headed north to the 
border. In the yucca grasslands between Jimenez and San Fernando, we were 
surprised to see a mated pair of American Kestrels, harassing a molting 
subadult Gray Hawk. Kestrels nest in the Mexican highlands but not in 
southernmost Texas or northeastern Mexico, to my knowledge. Our southernmost 
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on the return trip was at KM 169, just a few miles 
south of San Fernando--thereafter they were fairly common all th way to the 
border. The only Western Kingbirds were a pair at KM 87 of Highway 97, about 12 
miles south of Reynosa, and back at the border crossing, where the juveniles 
had left the nest and the nesting material had been completely removed. We 
finally saw a Cliff Swallow, at the Mexican end of the Pharr-Reynosa bridge, 
within about a mile of the Rio Grande. We stopped to return our visas and car 
permit, taking about 45 minutes in all to get back to the U.S. side (at about 
17:15). 

 It was a great, very productive trip, and thanks to Dave Krueper and Johnny 
Brush for being excellent traveling companions. I definitely want to return to 
El Tigre and Peregrina Canyon, as well as the lower Rio Corona, and perhaps 
other canyons in the Sierra Madre Oriental (does anyone have directions to 
Novillo Canyon, supposedly right near Ciudad Victoria?). The isolated Sierra 
San Carlos looked interesting--the northeasternmost Mexican mountain range, 
getting up to oak (and pine?) forest only about 100 miles southwest of Reynosa 
(and less explored even than the Sierra de los Picachos near Cerralvo, Nuevo 
Leon, and Falcon Dam). 


 This study was part of an ongoing study funded by the U.S. Geological Survey's 
"Species-at-Risk" Program to look at species which have declined but are not 
yet (and hopefully will never be) threatened or endangered. My particular 
interests were Altamira Oriole, Audubon's Oriole, Rose-throated Becard, 
Red-billed Pigeon, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, 
Tropical Parula, Green Parakeet, and Red-crowned Parrot--species whose status 
has changed positively or negatively in South Texas and probably northeastern 
Mexico. 

   If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.

Regards,
Tim Brush
Department of Biology
University of Texas-Pan American
1201 West University Drive
Edinburg, TX 78541
(956) 381-2921
tbrush AT panam.edu

      Neobirders,

         Below is a trip list and rough estimate of abundance and status for
a two week period of time spent in Quintana Roo during a Coral Reef Ecology
class.  I am aware of only one controversial sighting of a Collared Plover.
Steve Howell specifically writes that this speices does not occur on the
Yucatan Peninsula.
      Please feel free to contact me with comments or questions.

      Richard Gibbons




      Punta Allen Peninsula near Boca Paila, Quintana Roo, Mexico
      May 13-27, 2003
      Observers: Allen Chaney, Kristin Chaney, Wesley Tunnell, Elizabeth
Smith, David Hicks, Richard Gibbons,
      Maria Brayfield, Benjamin Chen, Jeffery Landgraff, Kyle Klootwyk,
Chanda Jones, and Anko the Wonderdog

      Abundance: 1-common, 2-fairly common, 3-uncommon, 4-rare
      Status: B-breeder, P-probable breeder, O-observed
      Status modifiers: n-nest, m-nesting material, f-fecal sac,
s-song/drumming, e-encountered, d-distraction display
      Habitats: B-beach, D-fixed dune community, M-mangrove, L-lagoon,
O-overhead


      Common Name Latin Name Abundance  Status Habitat
      Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis 1 Oe B
      Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus 2 Oe B, L
      Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus 2 Oe B, M, L
      Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens 1 Oe O
      Great Blue Heron Ardea herodius 1 Oe B, M, L
      Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor 2 Oe M, L
      Cattle Egret Bubulcus i. Ibis 2 Oe O
      Green Heron Butorides virescens 1 Oe M
      White Ibis Eudocimus albus 1 Oe M
      Black Vulture Coragyps atratus 1 Oe O
      Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura 1 Oe O
      Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture Cathartes b. burrovianus 2 Oe O
      Osprey Pandion haliaetus 1 Bn B, M, L
      Common Black-Hawk Buteogallus anthracinus 1 Bn D,O
      Laughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnans 2 Oe D
      Plain Chachalaca Ortalis betula 1 Ps D
      Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola 3 Oe B
      Collared Plover Charadrius collaris 4 Oe B
      Wilson's Plover Charadrius wilsonia 3 Oe B
      Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia 2 Oe B
      Sanderling Calidris alba 1 Oe B
      Laughing Gull Larus atricilla 1 Oe B, O
      Royal Tern Sterna m. maxima 1 Oe B, O
      Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis 1 Oe B
      Least Tern Sterna antillarum 1 Bn B
      Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina 1 Ps D
      White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi 1 Ps D
      White-fronted Parrot Amazona albifrons 2 Bn D
      Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus 2 Oe D
      Pauraque Nyctidromus albicollis 3 Oe D
      Vaux's Swift Chaetura vauxi 1 Oe O
      Canivet's Emerald Chlorostilbon canivetii 3 Oe D
      Buff-bellied Hummingbird Amazilia yucatanensis 3 Oe D
      Cinammon Hummingbird Amazilia rutila 1 Oe D
      Black-headed Trogon Trogon m. melanocephalus 1 Ps D, M
      Golden-fronted Woodpecker Centurus aurifrons dubius 1 Bn D, M
      Yucatan Woodpecker Centurus pygmaeus 2 Bn D
      Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus 4 Ps D
      Barred Antshrike Thamnophilus doliatus 1 Ps D
      Yellow-bellied Elaenia Elaenia flavogaster subpagana 3 Oe D
      Carribean Elaenia Elaenia martinica remota 3 Oe D
      Common Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum cinereum 2 Oe D, M
      Tropical Pewee Contopus cinereus 2 Oe D
      Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer 1 Oe D
      Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus 1 Bn D
      Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus 1 Bn  D
      Boat-billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitangua 1 Ps D
      Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis 1 Ps D
      Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus 1 Ps D
      Couch's Kingbird Tyrannus couchii 1 Ps D
      Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus 4 Oe D
      Mangrove Swallow Tachycineta a. albilinea 1 Oe M,O
      Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica erythrogaster 1 Oe O
      Yucatan Jay Cyanocorax yucatanicus 1 Oe D
      Spot-breasted Wren Thryothorus maculipectus 1 Ps D
      Clay-colored Robin Turdus grayi 2 Oe D
      Black Catbird Dumetella glabrirostris 1 Bm D, M
      Tropical Mockingbird Mimus gilvus 1 Ps B, D, M
      Mangrove Vireo Vireo pallens 2 Ps D, M
      Yucatan Vireo Vireo m. magister 2 Ps D
      Black-whiskered Vireo Vireo altiloquus 4 Oe D
      Mangrove Warbler Dendroica petechia bryanti 1 Ps M
      Bananaquit (caboti) Coerebaflaveola caboti 2 Bm D, M
      Scrub Euphonia Euphonia affinis 2 Ps D
      Yellow-throated Euphonia Euphonia hirundinacea 1 Ps D
      Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus 4 Oe D
      White-collared Seedeater Sporophila torqueola 1 Ps D
      Melodious Blackbird Dives dives 2 Oe D
      Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus 1 Ps D, M
      Bronzed Cowbird Molothrus aeneus 1 Ps D
      Black-cowled Oriole Icterus dominicensis prosthemalas 3 Oe D
      Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus 1 Bn D
      Altamira Oriole Icterus gularis 2 Bn D
      Yellow-billed Cacique Amblycercus h. holocericeus 2 Oe D

I would like to thank all the folks that responded to my request for
information about the Nusagandi area in Panama. We stayed at "Cabanas Burbayar" 
Apr 

11-17, 2003 which is near the reserve.  We located the Sapayao the day after
we arrived.  Burbayar is a great place to stay for birders.  The rate was
$50.00 USD per day which included pick up at the airport or hotel in Panama 
City, 3 

excellent meals per day, Sixtoe the local guide was also included in the
price.  Sixtoe has an eye and an ear that is par excellance.  We told him the
habitat that the bird prefers and he took us to a suitable habitat and "lo and
behold" there was the Sapayoa....

Sixtoe now nows where to go......   The e-mail for Burbayar is
Burbayar AT cwpanama.net

Enaki Osaba and Jessica Young are superb hosts.....

ps:  Folks that would also like an opportunity to see and hear Howler monkeys
will get a kick..

pss:  Swallow-tailed kites were moving through, we lost count at 60 +

Jack Windsor
Lufkin, Texas

Hi all,

Following my request it turned out there are the following web pages worth
looking at:

http://www.birdinghonduras.com
http://www.avesnicaragua.org

Cheers, Paul

Hi all,

Does anyone have any recent birding info on Honduras and Nicaragua?

Cheers, Paul

Paul Coopmans
coopmans AT ecnet.ec

I am passing along this important message from Barbara Mackinnon de Montes.

Please use her email address if you chose to respoond to her request.
Michael Carmody

Mensaje en español abajo.

Greetings to everyone who enjoy birdwatching in Mexico. I need your help. I
will be giving a conference June 3rd in Mexico City at the National Forum
for Adventure and Ecotourism organized by the Secretary of Tourism of
Mexico, and it occurs to me that this is a wonderful OPPORTUNITY for
everyone to contribute to making birding in the future more enjoyable for
all. 

What I would like to know is:
What are you major complaints about birding trips in Mexico? (prioritorize
please) 
What would you like to see in the way of infraestructure, information and
services?
Be as brief or as long-winded as you want... but please do it fast!! Please
note country of residency.

MANY THANKS TO ALL,
Barbara MacKinnon de Montes
Mérida, Yucatán
barbaram AT sureste.com
 
Saludos a todos que desfrutan la observación de aves en México. Nececito su
ayuda. Estoy invitada a dar una conferencia sobre el tema de la observación
de aves en México el 3 de Junio en el D.F. en el Foro Nacional de Turismo de
Aventura y Ecoturismo organizado por SECTUR. Me occure que ese sería una
magnífica OPORTUNIDAD para que todos nosotros hacemos una contribución para
mejorar muchos aspectos de la actividad para el futuro.

Que quiero saber es:
Que son sus principales quejas sobre viajes en México para practicar la
observación de aves? (Por favor a prioritizar sus comentarios.)
Que le gusta ver en relación a infraestructura, información y servicios?
Sea tan breve o tan larga que quieren...nada más que me da su respuesta el
más pronto posible. Les pido que anotan su país en que residen.

Mil gracias a todos,

Barbara MacKinnon de Montes
Mérida, Yucatán
barbaram AT sureste.com

Hi

I have now completed a report on our trip to Chile in November 2002, and
have almost completed a report on a trip to Northern Thailand in February
2003.

If you would like either or both of these, please let me know.

Cheers.

GRUFF DODD
Barri, Cymru/Wales
gruff AT doddg.freeserve.co.uk

Sorry about the photos in the TOS trip report I posted yesterday, worked
fine here is the old story...


I've fixed things (I think) you can view the report with the pictures at:

http://www.texasbirds.org/field_trips/mexico_032003_report.html


David Sarkozi
Vice-President, Texas Ornithological Society
Houston, TX
713.412.4409

Greetings,

I've posted the trip report for the TOS field trip to Northern Mexico to
the TOS website, www.texasbirds.org click on field trips for the report and
trip list


David Sarkozi
Vice-President, Texas Ornithological Society
Houston, TX
713.412.4409

Greetings,

I've posted the trip report for the TOS field trip to Northern Mexico to 
the TOS website, www.texasbirds.org click on field trips for the report and 
trip list


David Sarkozi
Vice-President, Texas Ornithological Society
Houston, TX
713.412.4409


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Dear all

For several years Kolibri and Manu Expeditions have successfully been taking
eco-tourists into the Imazita/Penas Blancas areas for the purpose of birding
and specifically to see the Orange-throated Tanager. Always fraught with
uncertainty, last year the Aguarunas in the locality of Penas Blancas
indicated they were not yet ready to accept eco-tourists, so we, at their
request, stopped visits to the area which would have been downright impolite
if not dangerous. Over the last few months Gunnar Engblom and Barry Walker
have been in contact with community leaders of a different community (which
has excellent birding and Orange-throated Tanager) with the aim to stimulate
ecotourism in the area. The local community have agreed to cater to and
warmly accept visitors in order to develop an eco-tourism project. The
principle providers of bird tours to the Wetmorethraupis area - Kolibri
Expeditions and Manu Expeditions - have agreed to jointly promote this site
through the non-profit organisation Association INCASPIZA. Both companies
will supply tours including the site. Independent travellers who wish to
travel to the area independently or tour providers that want to include the
site in their itineraries can contact either company to coordinate a visit.
It is imperative that all travellers to the area do co-ordinate visits in
advance.
Asociación INCASPIZA still has an opening for a volunteer to conduct a
complete bird survey in the area. Please contact Gunnar Engblom or Barry
Walker regarding this position.


Gunnar Engblom
Kolibri Expeditions
Email: kolibriexp AT telefonica.net.pe 
Webpage: http://www.netaccessperu.net/kolibri
http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com 


Barry Walker
Manu Expeditions
e-mail: Adventure AT ManuExpeditions.com 
www.ManuExpeditions.com 
www.BirdingInPeru.com 
www.ManuWIldlifeCenter.com 

Re: Update to "Birding The Americas" Trip Report Site

Over the past few months I've been steadily adding reports to the site, as
well as some direct links to reports residing on other sites.  The new
reports are from the Caribbean, South America, United States, and Mexico.

The URL is:

http://www.birdingtheamericas.com

On the site's Welcome page there is a link to a page listing all the
reports added in the past six months.

I welcome feedback, and, as always, new trip reports.

Safe journeys and good birding,

Blake Maybank
White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada
maybank AT birdingtheamericas.com

Hi Kathy,
The best spots for Maroon-fronted Parrots are south of Monterrey, more
specifically above Cola de Caballo on the road up towards what birder's call
the highrise. There is a dirt road that turns west towards Saltillo and goes
through Los Lirios and Boquillas-the cliff face on your left are the nesting
cliffs and the parrots can be seen and heard anywhere along that road
towards Saltillo.

They can also be seen at San Antonio Las Alazanas located on the highway
just south of Saltillo and east of the highway where the road to San Antonio
dead ends.

These 2 spots are described in detail in Howell's A Birdfinding Guide to
Mexico-I hope this helps.

Oscar Carmona
hookbilledkite AT hotmail.com
Huntsville, TX



Borderline Birder-One who birds along the border, not one whose skills are
borderline.





>From: Kathy Griffith 
>Reply-To: Kathy Griffith 
>To: NEOBIRD AT LISTSERV.UH.EDU
>Subject: Maroon-fronted parrot
>Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 07:57:02 -0600
>
>Where are the closest locations from the Texas border where
>Maroon-fronted Parrots have been seen? I know a place out of Ciudad
>Victoria and one near Monterrey. Does anyone have specific directions to
>these and possibly others? Thanks.
>Kathy Griffith
>Corpus Christi
H

_________________________________________________________________
Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail

Where are the closest locations from the Texas border where
Maroon-fronted Parrots have been seen? I know a place out of Ciudad
Victoria and one near Monterrey. Does anyone have specific directions to
these and possibly others? Thanks.
Kathy Griffith
Corpus Christi

A Trip Report and Trip List of the Texas Ornithological Society Field Trips
to Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi January 2003 has been posted to the TOS
website, www.texasbirds.org


David Sarkozi
List Owner, NEOBIRD
Houston, TX
713-412-4409

Mark -
I forgot to mention that on January 23 in the morning on the Tapir Trail at
Pook's Hill I saw an adult male Black Grosbeak.  We just now noticed it
seems to be unrecorded for Belize???
Lee - are there any records?

--------------------
Hank Brodkin
Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
hbrodkin AT earthlink.net
SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association (SEABA)
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html
"Butterflies of Arizona - a Photographic Guide"
by Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin
http://home.earthlink.net/~hbrodkin/book.html

Neo-birders,

My wife and I are again leading an RV caravan of birders and non-birding
companions through Mexico and Belize.  We write daily journals of our
experiences during the trip, including birds, birding, border crossings,
traveling, etc.  This 65-day trip is scheduled for January 13 to March 18,
2003.

You can read about past birding trips on our web
site:  http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/

You can subscribe to receiving our forthcoming daily journals.  To get our
journals, send a blank e-mail to

RVFrenz-subscribe@egroups.com

You will receive a response almost immediately. Follow the directions on
the return message and your subscription will be confirmed.

This is not an e-mail group to which you can post messages. We are the only
ones who can post, so you will not be getting more than one daily journal
message (although several day's journals sometimes get bunched together if
we can't find a phone line).

You may unsubscribe at anytime by following the directions provided in each
email.

Michael, and others.

I suggest you visit http://www.bsc-eoc.org/links/links.jsp [part of the Bird
Studies Canada website].

There you can download checklists for pretty well any
region/state/territory/country of the world! Fantastic! I used one recently
for Belize and found it incredibly useful, although I did find a few minor
errors. If you download a list, with a bit of manipulation you can soon turn
it into a spreadsheet for easy field use.

Richard Thomas, UK

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Guenther, Michael E. [mailto:GUENTHME@TUHS.TEMPLE.EDU]
> Sent: 09 January 2003 17:30
> To: NEOBIRD@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
> Subject: Question
>
>
> Does anyone out there have or know where I can get a
> checklist to the birds
> of St. Lucia?
>
> I know  about Allan Keith's book, but I was more just looking
> for a list of
> birds that have been recorded on St. Lucia.
>
> Thanks.
>
>         Michael Guenther
>         Delaware County, Pa
>