Birding Alamos Mexico: First Impressions

I became fascinated with international birding (and travel) since began to read. Once I became a birder, I remember pouring over the chapter of Kenn Kaufman's Kingbird Highway that detailed the Tucson Five's adventure looking for Eared Quetzals in western Mexico innumerable times as a wide-eyed ten year-old (and several hundred more times in the years since). It was shortly after this that I bought my copy of "the bible" Howe and Webb's The birds of Mexico and Northern Central America and began fantasizing about exploring Latin America and beyond in the realm of the late Ted Parker.

Sunrise over the sub-tropical thorn scrub that is the dominant habitat type near Palo Injerto Field Station and Rio Sitorijaqui. Along the larger watercourses Tropical Deciduous Forest is present, supporting a different (and exciting) suite of birds.

Dec. 15, 2017

It took eleven years for me to finally make my dash across the southern border. In that time the mystique was only increased by the sporadic coverage of our neighbors to the south by American media outlets. Many of my non-birding friends/family were under the impression that crossing that arbitrary political border between the US and Mexico meant I would instantly be captured by the Cartels and subjected to any number of horrifying treatments, Quetzals be damned.

An unusual wintering Golden Vireo (Vireo hypochryseus) near Alamos, Sonora. This bird had been found the day before on the Alamos CBC. Just one of the many things that made my debut international trip to Mexico memorable.

Dec. 18, 2017

I am going to concern this post mostly with those birds seen in the area surrounding Alamos Mexico which is in the southern portion of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is a colonial town that is often touted as being one of the safest in the state. There are a plethora of restaurant and lodging options, and there are some great accessible birding areas nearby. It is more or less the northern limit to the Tropical Deciduous Forest habitat type in the Sierra Madre Occidental, so it is also understood as the northern limit for many tropical species. Several West Mexican endemic species compliment this suite of exciting new tropical birds for the foreign birder.

I met up with Raymond VanBuskirk (a fellow New Mexico birder) at his home in Albuquerque on the evening of December 13th on the eve of our departure. Also riding in Raymond's car was Marcel Such (of Gunnison Colorado). Raymond has done the Alamos and associated Christmas Bird Counts for the past several years and Marcel had done the counts the year before. I played the gringo uninitiated in the ways of Latin American birding and travel. Despite several years of Spanish in school, my communication skills in the language were rudimentary at best. Despite some ribbing for this deficiency, I was relieved to be travelling with these two, who not only were great birders and a blast to be around, but it made negotiating toll booths and other social exchanges much easier (and hilarious when I was forced to use my Spanish skills without their aid).

The three of us left Raymond's house at approximately 3:00 in the morning, making it to the Naco border crossing in AZ at about 9:00 am. After and hour negotiating the crossing (most of this time was spent exchanging currency, the crossing itself and stamping of passports took only 20 minutes and no line!) I got to enjoy my first moments in a country other than the one in which I was born. The mountains I had fondly stared at while birding on the US/Mexico border from the US were now rushing past me as we made our way southward into territory I had only ever been able to scrutinize on a map. It was now all very real and tangible.

The first life bird of the trip I actually "saw" was a Blue Mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) bathing at the El Pedregal bird feeding station on the morning of Dec. 14th.

The subsequent 7 hour drive to Alamos was relatively uneventful from an avian perspective, but I was experiencing a sensory overload. The habitat was much the same as that of southern Arizona and New Mexico until we reached Hermosillo. From here the vegetation began to grow lusher and the Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantean) were replaced with other species of columnar cacti. The mesquite and related scrub species began growing larger and denser, indicating a gradual increase in the annual precipitation as one moves south. We managed to make it to El Pedregal Lodge around 8:00pm.

El Pedregal Lodge is situated on the edge of Alamos and is run by David and Jennifer MacKay. David is the compiler for the Alamos Count as well as an international bird/nature tour guide. Jennifer is the Director of the Alamos office for Nature and Culture International (NCI) and is responsible for facilitating the management plans for the Reserve de Monte Mojino (ReMM; located east of Alamos). Both are incredibly friendly and fun to hang out with, and I would highly recommend El Pedregal for anyone interested in exploring southern Sonora. Not only is it a great place to stay, but David and Jennifer can field questions about where to find certain species, as well as what areas are safe and which are best avoided.

After spending the night sleeping under the stars on the patio at El Pedregal I awoke to the pallid gray light of near-dawn and the sound of a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) hooting in the distance, along with the clang of cowbells. As the sky grew lighter I found a Blue Mockingbird (Melanotis caerulescens) bathing in the bird bath. A vociferous group of Mexican Parrotlets (Forpus cyanoygius) flew overhead and a trio of Black-vented Orioles (Icterus wagleri) bickered noisily, sounding like exaggerated old-time mobsters.

Black-vented Orioles (Icterus wagleri) were one of the regular attendants of the El Pedregal feeders

Dec. 16, 2017

About mid-morning the baggage was sorted and people were distributed into vehicles to make the 2 hour drive over rough dirt roads into ReMM. Three teams were going to be staying in the Palo Injerto Field Station (which is where I was assigned) and another team would be counting the higher elevation area around the pueblo of Santa Barbara (where Raymond and Marcel were assigned).
Upon reaching Palo Injerto I fell in with Jarrod Swackhammer (a fellow New Mexico birder), John Gorey (a birder newly transplanted to New Mexico), and Michael Lester (of Salt Lake City, UT). We would be counting Rio Sitorijaqui together the next day , but for the time being we set about searching the area around the Palo Injerto field station for whatever birds could be found, and there were quite a few.

Tufted Flycatchers (Mitrephanes phaeocercus) while always fun, were absolutely abundant

ReMM- Palo Injerto Field Station, Sonora, Mexico 

From a skulky Five-striped Sparrow (Amphispiza quinquestriata) and Orange-billed Nightingale Thrushes (Catharus aurantiirostris) to flashy Slate-throated Redstarts (Myioborus miniatus), noisy Nutting's Flycatchers (Myiarchus nuttingi), Greater Pewees (Contopus pertinax) and heard only Elegant Quail (Callipepla douglassii), the atmosphere was charged with the exotic possibilities for new birds. This was only furthered by the bickering group of Social Flycatchers (Myiozetetes similis) moving through the trees of the field station and an unassuming Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) seen in some of the scrub forest nearby.
I ended the evening with a Bright-rumped Attila (Attila spadiceus) calling noisily above my tent from the recesses of a citrus tree and several Buff-collared Nightjars (Antrostomus ridgwayi) calling and foraging at my feet. Not a bad way to end my first day of serious Mexico birding!

Buff-collared Nightjar (Antrostomus ridgwayi) sitting atop its favorite perch (though when I shone the light on a different rock it actually flew to that one, perhaps hoping the light would attract insects).

I have a soft spot for nightjars, and this is one of my favorites.

Dec. 14, 2017

The next morning began with breakfast around dawn and the chatter of the Bright-rumped Attila and a Blue Mockingbird near my tent. After a bumpy ride in the back of a pickup truck we began our hike up the main canyon of Rio Sitorijaqui less than an hour after sunrise. This canyon contains a fair amount of Tropical Deciduous Forest (TDF) along the main watercourse which means it harbors a fair number of species tropical species that reach the northern limit of their geographical range in the vicinity of Alamos.

A large impressive slot canyon a short distance from Palo Injerto Field Station (with John providing a sense of scale)

Dec. 15, 2017

After a few hours of hiking we managed to enter the TDF, dominated by large fig trees. Highlights included Ivory-billed Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus flavigaster) and Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow (Melozone kieneri). The hypnotic tinkling of singing Brown-backed Solitaires (Myadestes occidentalis) percolated down from the higher slopes. As we hiked, marauding bands of Lilac-crowned Parrots (Amazona finschi) bombed overhead. The querulous bickering of Black-throated Magpie-Jays (Calocitta colliei) was an impressive albeit ubiquitous soundtrack.

The massive figs and associated verdure added to the tropical feel of Rio Sitorijaqui

Dec. 15, 2017

Ivory-billed Woodcreeper (Xiphorhynchus flavigaster) one of many tropical species that make there way north to the Tropical Deciduous Forest near Alamos MX, and one of the species I had most wanted to observe

Rio Sitorijaqui, Sonora, MX

Dec. 15, 2017

We left Palo Injerto about noon on December 16th and made our way to Alamos. Most of the day was devoted to travel, and once back at El Pedregal, watching the feeders for any new species. Aside for getting our best photo opportunities for Rufous-crowned Ground-Sparrow in the morning before leaving Palo Injerto, a flyover Sinaloa Crow (Corvus sinaloae) was the only life bird I saw today. A stop along a stream (which doubles as a way to rid a small community of its effluent) yielded many species, including more Social Flycatchers, but we failed to find any of Purplish-backed Jays (Cyanocorax beecheii). This is one of the few areas in the Alamos area where this species is seen with any regularity. It was also one of the few potential species I missed on this trip, but with so many other novel species to enjoy this miss was soon forgotten.

This Rufous-crowned Ground-Sparrow (Melozone kieneri) proved quite difficult to photograph, but that was half the fun!

ReMM- Palo Injerto Field Station, Sonora, MX

Dec. 16, 2017

The morning of December 17th began at 2:00 am with rain. By just after 4:00 am our group (including Raymond and Marcel) were making our way up Sierra de Alamos (often considered the southernmost Sky-island of the Sierra Madre Occidental) hoping to make it to the higher elevation habitat by dawn (despite the humidity and intermittent rain). The thick cloud cover meant that first-light was delayed. As the surroundings began to lighten we managed to hear a calling Vermiculated (Middle American) Screech-Owl (Megascops guatemalae). After administering some tape the bird continued to call, getting closer. The monotone trill struck me as being more similar to the Eastern Screech-Owl (M. asio) rather than the two species I am most used to encountering in New Mexico (Western and Whiskered). Around this same time a Colima Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium palmarum) began giving its classic "stair-stepping" toot notes. As someone who is partial to nocturnal birds, these were two species I had been particularly hoping to encounter.

The remains of an old homestead along the Sierra de Alamos trail. This ruin lies approximately 3 miles from the trailhead and is at the base of the TDF and higher elevation habitat along the trail, signifying a shift in the avifuana (from the thorn scrub that dominates the lower elevations)

Dec. 17, 2017

As the surroundings slowly lightened, our group stopped to eat at the ruins of an old homestead. The rain had more or less ceased, but the heavy steel-gray clouds hung low and all of the vegetation was saturated. The dawn chorus was slow to start, only adding to the brooding atmosphere. A White-striped Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes leucogaster) called from the verdant hillside nearby but went unseen. We continued our hike up the mountain, but by the time we reached a saddle the wind was howling and we were in the clouds, cutting the visibility down to only a few feet. Birding was difficult, but we managed to turn up a few interesting high-elevation species, including a few Rusty Sparrows (Aimophila rufescens) and Raymond picked out a flock of brightly colored Black-headed Siskins (Spinus notatus) on the other side of a canyon. Interestingly enough, all of the birds in this flock appeared to be handsome adult males.

While ironically not a life bird, having such an intimate encounter with a pugnacious Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus aurantiirostris) at Palo Injerto was another highlight of the trip

Dec. 14, 2017

While the bird activity may have been somewhat depressed by the weather (or at least our ability to detect them), the experience was quite memorable, and I managed to see quite a few new birds.

View from Sierra de Alamos in the afternoon 

as some of the clouds began to break up

Dec. 17, 2017

After making our way back to El Pedregal in the mid afternoon (a little over 12 hours after waking up that morning) we received word that one of the groups (which included Lauren Harter and David Vander Pluym) had found a Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscalus) at the Alamos dump. This is the third record of the species for all of Mexico (as far as our research revealed) and likely the first substantiated with photographs. It was also a first state record for Sonora. News of the discovery spread among the CBC participants and, birders being birders, we piled into a van and quickly trundled off to see this vagrant. We discovered it doing much the same thing it had been doing earlier in the day; feeding on refuse amid acrid clouds of smoke from burning trash with a large flock of Bronzed Cowbirds (Molothrus aeneus). The high-pitched bickering of several dozen Sinaloa Crows (Corvus sinaloae) added the appropriate amount of exotic flair to the odd scene. This excitement was ramped up the next day after returning to the dump so those who hadn't seen it the day before could twitch it. After relocating the grackle we left and made our way back to Alamos proper. On the way a majestic looking Crane Hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens) flew across the road and alighted on a nearby fence post, allowing for close study and great photos. Certainly a serendipitous encounter, especially after I had missed one seen by others on the drive to Palo Injerto several days before. We also stopped and hiked a short way up Aduana Arroyo which has been a locally reliable spot for wintering Rufous-crowned Motmot (Motmotus mexicanus) in the past. While we came up empty on our Motmot quest, any real disappointment vanished (for me anyway) when we managed to relocate the Golden Vireo (Vireo hypochryseus) that had been found by the group that covered this area for the Alamos CBC the day before. This handsome Vireo is not usually seen this far north in the winter months (or in the summer months for that matter), and was a species I have always wanted to see after pouring over its illustration in the field guides. We also relocated the continuing Black-capped Vireo (Vireo atricapilla) in dapper alternate plumage. From here we said farewell to the Tropical Deciduous Forest and headed north and west to Hermosillo where we would help with the Christmas Bird Count there (and sample some of the birdlife on the Sea of Cortez).

The Crane Hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens) is another "tropical" species that reaches the northern limit of its expected western range in Alamos, Mexico

Dec. 17, 2017

The birding around Alamos, Mexico was a great primer for what Mexico (and the Neotropics) have to offer. While many species were new to me, also present were a number of neotropical migrants and SE AZ "specialties" with which I was already familiar. I look forward to exploring the mountain habitat around Yecora and areas south of Alamos soon. The culture and friendliness of the people of Mexico was wonderful, and a breath of fresh air after the political divisiveness facing the United States the past year. I had spent quite some time in advance of this trip preparing myself for identifying those species that were going to be new to me; not only by sight, but also by sound. I was pleasantly surprised by how well I managed to do. While it took longer than I may have liked, I am glad I finally managed to break on through into international birding and I can't wait for my next foreign adventure!

Not the greatest photo, but I would be horribly remiss if I didn't include at least one Black-throated Magpie-Jay (Calocitta colliei) photo in a trip report for Western Mexico! 

ReMM- Rio Sitorijaqui, Sonora, MX