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On Sunday afternoon in Parque Los Colomos, most of the species I saw were ones I had seen there the previous day: Lark Sparrow, Rufous-backed Robin, Lesser Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting, Vermilion Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, House Finch etc. There were more Russet-crowned Motmots, too.
However, there were a few new birds, such as Bewick's Wren, Broad-billed and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, and this Canyon Towhee.
Some warblers can be very tricky to ID but the black cap and eye of the Wilson's Warbler make identification easy.
The cactus garden in the park was impressive.
I've seen a lot of bougainvilleas but I'd never before seen one this big.
This particular plant had managed to climb right to the very top of a 130-foot tree.
Lizards and mammals were remarkably scarce in the park except for a squirrel that clearly appreciated the way a young man provided it with water in a bottle top.
Monday Morning
Before work on Monday I explored a small, one-block park near the hotel where I was staying. As I expected, it had plenty of common birds, including Rock Pigeons, House Finches and these Inca Doves.
I was surprised, though, to see that it also had some interesting birds. I hadn't expected to see Vermilion Flycatchers there, and I certainly hadn't expected to see two new life birds: Gray Silky Flycatcher and Blue Mockingbird.
All in all, I really enjoyed my visit to Guadalajara and I hope I'll be able to return there before too long.
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At 8:00 a.m. last Sunday I was standing at the entrance to the Universidad Autonoma, feeling dismayed by large signs that said that unauthorized entry was not allowed and that no photos could be taken without a special permit. However, I decided to try my luck anyway. Carrying my camera in a Randalls tote, I said "Buenos dias" to the four armed guards and strolled past them and onto the campus.
The botanical gardens were just inside the campus gates and I spent the next hour birding and taking photos there, taking care to keep out of sight of the guards.
The gardens were busy with birds, including House Finches, Vermilion Flycatchers (below) and (below) Golden-fronted Parakeets, the latter a life bird for me.
I was delighted to see two more life birds: Aztec Thrush and Thick-billed Kingbird.
I wasn't able to get a decent photo of any of several Broad-billed Hummingbirds that were perching high in yuccas but I was luckier with a Russet-crowned Motmot.
After this, I decided to explore the rest of the campus. Like many streets in Guadalajara, the campus roads were lined with jacarandas and other wonderful trees.
One of the trees had a Plumbeous Vireo.
I noticed that one of the buildings had a number of Cave Swallow nests and I wandered over to take some photos.
Unfortunately, this immediately attracted the attention of two security guards and I was politely but firmly expelled from the university grounds. I didn't really mind this but it made me change my plans for the rest of the day. I had intended to bird the premises of the Jesuit university but I now realized that I was likely to be as unwelcome there as I was at the Universidad Autonoma.
After consulting a map, I decided to walk back to Parque Los Colomos, where I had spent the previous afternoon and had seen plenty of interesting birds. Although the park was bound to be very crowded with local families, I was sure I could find some quiet sections where I could watch birds.
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Since Guadalajara is in a temperate mountainous zone, I wasn't expecting my visit there to produce as many exotic and spectacularly colored birds as I have seen on trips to the Yucatan. However, I was hoping to see one remarkable bird: the Russet-crowned Motmot. In the past, the only Motmot I had ever seen was a single Turquoise-browed Motmot that I got a short look at in the jungle around the ruins at Coba.
Unfortunately, on Saturday four hours of intensive birding in Parque Los Colomos didn't turn up a Motmot. I did see some good birds, though, including several that I rarely get a chance to watch.
I spent a long time watching a Great Kiskadee fussing around and flycatching only 7-8 feet away from where I was crouching amid thick foliage.
A pair of Vermilion Flycatchers brightened up my afternoon.
I had great looks at some Lark Sparrows, one of my favorite sparrows.
A Bronzed Cowbird and a Dusky Flycatcher, while not colorful, were good sightings, too.
The Rufous-backed Robin is a bird that is hardly ever seen in the USA.
I normally have to travel to Arizona to see a Gila Woodpecker.
By 5:30 I was hot, tired, thirsty and hungry. So I decided to head back to the hotel. Perhaps I would have more luck with finding a Motmot the next day, when I planned to visit two different sites.
As I started walking towards the park entrance, a fairly large bird flew into the trees a few yards ahead of me. A Russet-crowned Motmot! I rushed to take a photo before it disappeared. In fact, I needn't have hurried, because the bird wasn't going anywhere and it hopped around in front of me for a couple of minutes.
What a magnificent bird!
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I was lucky enough to have business in Guadalajara on Monday and so I added on the weekend in order to do some birding. I was very impressed by the beauty and cleanliness of the city, which also has a reputation for being one of the safest cities in Mexico. (Drug violence has not reached it and the rate of "normal" crime there is very low.)
I birded one of the many city parks - Parque Los Colomos - for 4 hours on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday I did an hour's excellent birding on the grounds of the Universidad Autonoma before I was asked to leave by security guards: You need a permit to visit and to take photos! I followed up with another 4 productive hours back in Parque Los Colomos; even though the park was very busy with Mexican families, I was able to find plenty of quiet nooks that were full of birds. Then on Monday morning I fitted in a couple of hours in a one-block park near where I was staying and working.
Some of the birds were ones that I often see in Texas, such as Great-tailed Grackle.
Others were ones that I only occasionally get to see in southeast Texas, such as Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Vermilion Flycatcher and Cave Swallow.
There were several species that I normally have to travel further afield to see, such as Lark Sparrow and Great Kiskadee.
Then there were birds that were completely new to me, including the Orange-fronted Parakeet.
The bird that I particularly wanted to find and photograph was the Russet-crowned Motmot. Did I find it? Well, I'll tell you tomorrow or Saturday, when I post further about my Mexico trip. After that, it'll be a few days before I can post the rest of my report, because we're spending the weekend at High Island, hoping to catch the end of the spring songbird migration. With southerly winds forecast, the weather doesn't look favorable for migrants. However, the trip should still be worthwhile since there will be lots of activity at the wading-bird rookery at High Island and we may also fit it a quick tour of Anahuac NWR. Wish us luck!
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I had a good time in Cuernavaca. It's a beautiful city, surrounded by spectacular mountains and with great weather year-round.
Unfortunately, though, I wasn't able to rent a car for my one free day (Saturday) and so couldn't fit in any birding trips. Instead I had to settle for looking for birds in the neighborhood where I was staying and in the city's botanical gardens, the Jardin Borda.Although there were lots of birds around, they were mainly species that are also common in Texas. The street outside my hotel was always busy with House Sparrows, Inca Doves and House Finches.
House Finches
Great-tailed Grackles were everywhere.
For some reason, I had real problems getting my camera to focus well, as you can see from this photos of a pair of Golden-fronted Woodpeckers.
In the mornings and evenings, flocks of incredibly noisy Red-lored Parrots filled the treetops but they were always too far away for photos.
The hotel gardens were surprisingly empty of birds. The only large bird was a very shy Rufous-backed Robin.
I spent a lot of time trying to photograph a pair of Violet-crowned Hummingbirds that hung out mainly in a pomegranate tree, but I could never manage a good photo.
I did a little better with the Barn Swallows that populated the nearby ruins of an ancient pyramid.
While the botanical gardens were very picturesque, the only birds I saw there were Great Kiskadees. One of the Kiskadees seemed puzzled, not to say upset, by its reflection in the gardens' lake.
So, not a good trip as regards birds. However, the Mexicans' love of gardening at least insured that there were plenty of of plants and flowers to look at!
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