Colima-Jalisco
November 2011
Private trip for the Raskin Family
Day 1 – After only really getting lost once on the drive into downtown Guadalajara, Rafa and I arrived at the hotel for the Raskin clan ahead of
schedule! With an improved mental map of the layout of downtown Guadalajara, we were out of there in fine fashion any off to do some birding! Our first stops were only an hour out of town at the Sayula and Zapotlan lagoons. Although it was a bit early in migration, we were still treated to good looks at a number of northern migrants at these fine shore birding areas. There were a few Pectoral Sandpipers and lots of Least Sandpipers, along with the usual assortment of waders and numerous duck species. Also in attendance were at least four American Pipits. Then, it was off to Sapotalan Lagoon just outside of Ciudad Guzman where we embraced the reverie while we birded side by side dozens of families enjoying their Sunday afternoon, “domingiando” as they say in Mexico. Nothing like your first look in a spotting scope at a beautiful bird to get you interested in birds…hopefully we made a few new birders out of those kids! We had
good looks at Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds, which is always a nice thing to go over early in a tour, and there were a couple of Vermilion Flycatchers around for eye candy appeal. I was a bit surprised by the unsolicited calls of a number of Soras and we had our first looks at Ruddy Ducks. We ended the day with dinner on the plaza with lots of music and awesome Enchilada Suizas!
Day 2 – We were up early for a big breakfast in our room then on the road by 6:20 a.m.! It was certainly in our favor to have had the time change recently so that it did not get light until 7:00 a.m.! We didn’t waste much time getting up the slopes of Volcan de Fuego, and on to better high elevation habitat. At one of our very first stops we were rewarded with a few birds in a very popular fruiting Bursura tree. It was a trifecta of Tanagers with Western, Flame-colored and Hepatics all doing battle with a trio of Vireo species that included Hutton’s, Warbling and Cassin’s.
Pushing on to even the higher elevations required some technical vehicle traversing and some rather intense landslides and serious rut
maneuvering…and this was after someone had been “working” the road! With only some difficulty and one or two second runs at obstacles, we managed to make it all the way to the park entrance before one final landslide stopped us. This was a great place to do lunch! While Rafa was working his wonder on the lunch, Frances and I had wonderful looks at a Red Warbler darting about, and suffered a bit trying to get decent looks at an incessantly monotonous Blue-throated Hummingbird that would not stop chirping, but we never did find the guy. Re-energized after lunch we all hiked up the road where we encountered our first Gray Barred Wrens, as well as Hermit and Townsend Warblers and a retiring Mountain Trogon.
The fog rolled in kind of heavy and it got down right cold! It seemed like a great time to begin our decent to the lower elevations. This turned out to be a fine idea as we basically stopped every time that we exited the fog where bird activity tended to be excellent! Our best stop had to have been the side road to the microwave tower. On this stop we managed to pull out the highlight of the day! Besides the fact that there were a lot of birds here, the hoots of my Colima Pygmy Owl brought in a very agitated Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo that was content to give us all excellent protracted views! It was great for everyone to get this lifer and it was a bird that I had not seen for a couple of years.
Then we started the drive back to Ciudad Guzman stopping along the way for some fine sunset photos of the volcanos. We had dinner at the ‘Patio’ restaurant just off the plaza.
Day 3 – In the morning I opted for going back up to Volcan de Fuego mostly because it is so much more pleasant to bird than the road up to Volcan Nevado, far less dust and no traffic to speak of…not to mention a lot of great habitat. It is harder to get to really good fir forest, but there is always tomorrow for that!
Our first new bird was an Inca Dove right on the paved road in Atenquiqueon. Once leaving pavement, we made our first stop not more than a mile on to the dirt road. Right out of the car, we had our first new bird for the trip; a family of Stripe-headed Sparrows was hanging around some old corrals and gave us protracted looks and decent photos to boot!
We then made two long stops that took up most of the morning in shady oak canyon areas collecting the birds. Finally, good looks in the scope at Blue Mockingbird! Also had Arizona Woodpecker, a not so accommodating Crescent Chested warbler, Tufted Flycatcher, more Red-faced
Warblers (quickly becoming the most common bird of the tour!), Golden Vireo, nearly annoying numbers of Slate-throated Redstarts, and a Happy Wren that sang itself silly but never came out for us to see.
Then we bolted up the hill for the microwave towers, this time going beyond our Chestnut-sided Shrike Vireo stop from yesterday. Getting out of the van I heard the distinctive calls of a Collared Towhee and with just one quick play of the IPod, we had 4 or 5 birds allowing us fine views and photos!
Our near midday walk down the road from the microwave was slow, so we jumped in the van and moved down to the main road for a nice ‘green’ lunch at the junction.
The afternoon turned out to be a lot of ‘birding’, but not a lot of ‘bird watching’! It was very slow with only a few new birds here and there, including shabby looks at another Mountain Trogon. But we did have a nice walk and we did run into a group of Mexican Jays which has very recently been split into Trans volcanic Jay. We ended the day once again with dinner at the ‘Patio’, this time with yesterday’s promised Chiles en Nogada that were not really worth waiting for!
Day 4 – In order to get some more time in the fir forest, today we went up Volcan Nevado. It is a good move going up this road during the week as I think only two or three cars passed us the entire morning. The weekend would be an entirely different experience with hoards of folks headed up to beat the heat. Our first stop was to enjoy a massive chorus of Green-Violet Ear Hummingbirds, content to be clicking away along with lots of White-eared and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and there was even a Calliope or two getting in on the fun. Walking the abandoned two tracks was relaxing and abundant with birds. Once again we got quick looks at Red Warbler, our only Grace’s Warbler, a couple more Collared Towhees, as well as our first Mexican Chickadees of the tour.
Then it was up to the fir forest and the massive flower packed ditches that make up the habitat near the entrance to the national park. Here we got our best looks at Gray-silky Flycatchers and a surprise visit from a very interested Cinnamon-bellied Flower-piercer, a bird that can be very difficult to find on the volcanos. Then it was time for the next BIG surprise of the day! Driving along I happened to notice a slight movement on the right hand edge of the road, immediately I recognized it as a Long-tailed Wood-Partridge that quickly made its way off the road and into the brush. I pulled over quickly and got out the Ipod. After only a couple of blasts, a small group of Wood-Partridges started calling on the opposite side of the road! I warned everyone to watch the other side of the road because I knew that the separated member wanted to be in the comfort of friends! Within seconds, the one that I had seen wandered out on to the road ran out into the middle of the road, stopped briefly for us to get binos on, and then ran to hook up with the rest of the covey! Fantastic! They were quick yet satisfying looks at this interesting and difficult to see central Mexican endemic!
We picnicked within the boundaries of the park, grateful for another one of Rafa’s outrageously good salads. Right after lunch an unsolicited
Mountain Pygmy Owl started calling in the distance. We never did get a look at him but it was good to know they are up there!
It was a 3 hour drive to Autlan this afternoon and we made one stop along the way for some agricultural field birding, after Rafa noticed that there were a lot of raptors around. Sure enough, we ended up seeing White-tailed Kite, Swainson’s Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon within only a few short minutes. One big surprise was having a small covey of Northern Bobwhite dart across the road as we were headed back to the main highway. At the highway, I pulled over for a minute so that we could drink up some wonderful views of Groove-billed Anis feeding in someone’s yard!
It had been a great day of birding, if not a long one! I was a bit tired and should have been paying better attention, but they call them accidents for a reason. I had been through that intersection many times before and I knew it was unsafe and unintuitive, so I should have been more alert. Instead, I missed the not so obvious red arrow and made a left hand turn in front of a speeding Volkswagen. Boom….my first car accident ever! Fortunately, only my pride and the Volkswagen were seriously hurt, and the insurance adjustor and the police were efficient and very understanding. The cop didn’t even give me a ticket and he expressed to me that this was hardly the first time that there was an accident this intersection. Not a great way to end the day, but fortunately all was well.
Day 5 – This morning we made the short drive out of Autlan and up into the Sierra Manitatlan and the crest of the mountains and Puerto de Los Mazos, an area I refer to as the enchanted oak forest. Right out of the car we were treated to a very accommodating Blue Mockingbird and a small mixed flock that included Cassin’s Vireo, Happy Wren and Black-and-white Warbler. Just as we were getting ready to move on, I saw a weird movement in the bush and Rafa called Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow! Sure enough, with just a bit of coaxing the bird gave us a limited but good show, the only one we would have on the entire trip!
We walked a good long way this morning birding hard the entire way. Some of the spoils included good looks at Flame-colored and Summer Tanager, Plumbeous Vireo, Rufus-capped Warbler, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Arizona, Ladder-backed and Gray crowned Woodpecker. We also eventually got great looks at a Colima Pygmy owl after a couple of hours of frustration trying to nail his location down!
Once the birds slowed down it was time for butterflies with numerous species seen and a couple actually identified, I am guessing that the late
summer rains (unfortunately in the form of major hurricanes) have extended and improved the numbers of butterflies this year.
Getting back to the van was pretty funny. As I rounded the corner walking ahead of the rest of the group, I encountered a pick-up truck loaded with comically over-armed Special Forces of the state police! Apparently, they were waiting for someone who had a key to open the gate to the microwave tower. Always a bit intimidating at first to come face to face with highly armed individuals, but quickly it became obvious to them that I was hardly a threat and they were all honestly interested in all the equipment I had and how I use it to help find and see birds! They were all really nice guys. Little did I know when leaving them that in the parking area where I had left the van, I would find another dozen or more police vehicles, and even more highly armed cops meeting for a joint training exercise! It was pretty funny as all of us arrived at our van and waited for the driver of a truck or two to be moved so that we could actually get out of there!
We were all pretty hungry at this point so we made a dash downhill, now into tropical habitat, searching for a good lunch spot. Lunch ended up being at a rather unceremonious location perched on a high ditch under a fig tree full of robins. The culinary skills of chef Rafa garnered far more attention than the trash filled ditch that was our dining area!
After lunch it was hot and not too birdy, but we made a stop at Laguna Rosario where we pulled out a bunch of ducks in a rather distant pond and a few White-collared Seedeaters that were working ditch.
Just before arriving in Barra de Navidad, I thought it might be a good idea to do a little scouting trip up the Arroyo Choncho where we would be spending the morning tomorrow. It was pretty hot, but we managed to get looks at Louisiana Waterthrush and Lilac-crowned Parrots before calling it a day and heading into town!
We had a great dinner tonight at El Manglarito with lots of fun discussing the mango ice cream.
Day 6 – This morning it was back up the hill to the Arroyo Choncho and had some really great birds. Super looks at San Blas Jays, Golden-crowned Emerald Hummingbird and a lifer Ovenbird for Francis! We did a lot of walking on the old dirt road, way past the small lagoon at the top where we were included with a big mob on a Pygmy Owl. Things got quiet on the way back down but it was a wonderful morning.
Back at the hotel we relaxed with a picnic in poolside at the hotel and David helped me out with a bottle of Cabernet! Once the sun cooled down and our nap was over, we were off for the airport road and a nice afternoon of wetland birding that included three species of kingfishers and lots of waders.
On the way back to town we stopped to buy fruit for the following day’s breakfast and got a
chance to be closely involved in a Mexican goat round up, complete with a boy and his kid! Once again we had a really nice dinner at El Manglarito.
Day 7 – This morning we packed up the van and were out of the hotel early for a date on the Playa del Oro road, a good twenty minutes from the hotel. We ended up having to work really hard for most of our birds and a couple were only heard, including the Flammulated Flycatcher that came ever so close but remained hidden in the bush. We did have good looks at Yellow-winged Cacique, Scrub Euphonia, Blue Bunting, Orange-breasted Varied and Painted Bunting, as well as Botteri’s and Clay-colored Sparrow.
Today Rafa set us up a great lunch in the shade of a huge rubber tree where we were treated to looks at a pair of Citreoline Trogons and Tropical Parula.
The Playa del Oro road eventually makes its way through a nice big stand of intact dry tropical forest and then ends up at a fantastic beach! It was all far too tempting for David and I and soon we were both in the waves (substantial ones too!) enjoying a bit of body surfing in the absolutely perfect temperature water!
After a refreshing afternoon swim, it was off to Manzanillo and on up to the bustling city of Colima. Apparently there is no economic crisis here! The place was amazingly busy and everywhere we looked there was new construction and lots of affluence spread around, much more than most other places in southern Mexico!
Day 8 – In an attempt to milk the most possible birding out of the tour, I opted for one last drive up Volcan de Fuego, but this time on the moist Pacific side. We got out of the hotel well before first light and made our first stop in the dark at the village of San Antonio. We were hoping for owls as I went through the realm of possibilities on the Ipod, but unfortunately we got no responses.
Our one big stop was at Laguna Maria where we competed with a Christian revival group for space in the park. Birding was a bit slow so we were off once again back down the mountain and made one fantastic stop hoping for a Green-striped Brush-finch that never appeared. We did however get killer looks at a very accommodating Fan-tailed Warbler, more Collared Towhees and marauding group of Rufous-capped Warblers.
Happy with the mornings results, we were off for lunch and then on to Guadalajara.
It was great to get back to the west central volcanic belt with such a fun loving and interesting group after a couple of years being away! Thanks to Rafa for all his hard work and to the group for having the idea to do this private trip. I hope to travel with you all again very soon.
The Volcanos at Sunset
Training new bird guides
Volcan del Fuego
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Collared Towhee
Gray Silky Flycatcher
I love these long drives!
A very cooperative Arizona Woodpecker
This Colima Pygmy Owl gave us the evil eye!
We had lots of San Blas Jays
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Orange-breasted Bunting