4-12 September 1998
by Richard Palmer
Friday, September 4 Dick and Troy departed at 6:20 AM from Tucson flying to Hermosillo (Aero Mexico flight 2436) and then to Guadalajara (Aero Mexico flight 105) arriving around 12:00 noon.
Friday, September 4 Joan and Ramsay flew American Airlines from Harrisburg, PA (flight 719) to Chicago to Dallas (flight 2213) to Guadalajara (flight 1623) arriving around 3:21 PM.
Friday, September 4
We picked up a Chevrolet Suburban rental car from National at the Guadalajara airport. The Suburban was a four door with air conditioning but not 4 wheel drive. Most important, the car had fairly high ground clearance which was necessary on the Volcan de Colima road. National Rental Car Company phone number at Guadalajara - (3) 688-5021 Approximate cost 65,000 pesos for the 7 day rental.
Troy and Dick filled out a tourist permit (visa) on the Tucson - Hermosillo flight and had it authorized by customs at Hermosillo. Ramsay and Joan had theirs authorized at the Guadalajara Airport. Customs was cleared by all for the bags at Guadalajara.
We drove south to Ciudad de Colima where we arrived at our hotel for the next few days. It took about 3 hours to drive from the Guadalajara airport, via a tollroad for most of the way. Arrived at the Hotel Los Candiles in Colima around 8:00 PM. Dinner this evening was around 8:30 PM at the hotel. Hotel phone numbers in Colima are (331) 2-3212 or (331) 3-1707 [135 miles total]
Saturday, September 5:
We birded around El Cobano north of Colima this morning. A short drive and there was no need to get up extra early. The grass was wet this early in the day and we were glad we had brought waterproof walking shoes or slip on boots. Chiggers love these grass fields so we prepared before we left the motel for them. We birded the area until around noon when we returned to Colima for lunch. A couple of hours off for lunch and to get some groceries we then we headed for the Rio Salado east of Ciudad de Colima, where we walked some trails along the river in the early afternoon. We allowed time to bird El Cumbre just down the road until early evening when the usual afternoon rains started. Back to the Hotel Los Candiles in Colima for the evening meal . [50 miles total round trip]
Sunday, September 6:
We departed 1 hour before sunrise to arrive at the Volcan de Colima National Park access road at near sunrise. Birded a baranca on old highway 54 just south of the turn off for the Volcan with several species noted. Birded the road from the highway toward the volcan and the birding was good. We brought lots of snacks with us today. No place to get food out here. Arrived back at the motel by 6:00 PM. Cleaned up and went to dinner at 7:00 PM. We did the bird list tonight as we waited for dinner as we did each night. Night at the Hotel Los Candiles, Colima. [120 miles total round trip]
Monday, September 7:
We departed 2 hours before sunrise today for the Volcan de Colima and drove the gravel road we birded yesterday in the dark to arrive at the micro relay tower around sunrise. Brought our lunch with us again. We did a great deal of walking today doing the microondas and the road up to around the 8000 foot level. Left around 4:00 PM and arrived back at Colima by 6:00 PM. Night at the Hotel Los Candiles in Colima. [120 miles total round trip.]
Tuesday, September 8:
Departed just before sunrise toward Manzanillo. We arrived shortly at the small village of Tecolapa on the road to Manzanillo where we birded in the early morning. Birding was not good at Tecolapa as we had intermittent rain the whole time. Continuing on we arrived at Manzanillo on the coast. We birded along some of the lagunas and the coast line from the car as we still had rain showers. We headed away from Manzanillo hopeing the rain would cease toward Playa de Oro. Arriving at the road to Playa de Oro we found the creek was too high to cross. Assuming the water would recede we left this area until later. We returned to the car and headed for the Manzanillo Airport road just a little further west down the main highway. We birded the airport road until noon. Lunch was back toward Manzanillo and we ate at one of the many restaurants along Manzanillo Bay. The afternoon found us returning toward Playa de Oro in the hopes the water had receded, it had not. But just east of the Playa de Oro road was one of the best roads that we found the entire trip. It is called the road to the microondas El Toro. Most of the afternoon was spent carefully birding this road. We returned to Hotel Los Candiles in Colima for the night. [150 miles total round trip.]
Wednesday, September 9
We headed from Colima to just past Manzanillo to bird at Playa de Oro road this morning. The water was still too high to drive the car across and we had to ford the creek on foot up to our knees. The birding this morning was not as good as it was yesterday as it was now hot and humid. We also checked the road to the Manzanillo Airport one more time but added only a couple of species for the trip. Lunch was at Barra de Navidad at a restaurant called Popeye's along the bay. We stopped on the way back to Colima at the San Padrito Laguna near Manzanillo to bird the mangroves for a short time but once again the rains cut our birding short. We hated to leave this area so soon but we returned to Hotel Los Candiles in Colima for the night. [190 miles total round trip.]
Thursday, September 10
This was a one day trip to the mountain town of San Antonio where we birded the Laguna La Maria for most of the morning. Denied access to the Hacienda San Antonio Coffee Finca, we headed up past San Antonio to the town of Nuevo Pueblo San Antonio where we walked the roads around the corn fields at the end of the road. Rain once again forced us to retreat to the car and head back down to San Antonio where we found a new road. It had been built to access the area toward Zapotitlan, Jalisco. This road was good at least for the first 5-10 miles but we were for the most part birding from the car due to the showers. Night at the hotel in Colima. [120 miles total]
Friday, September 11
The group decided to return to the Volcan de Colima today. We left at 5:30 AM and drove the gravel road up to the 8000 foot level where we had quit walking a few days before. Just past here we found the road blocked by a rock slide so we parked the car at a convenient location and walked on up the mountain to about the 10,000 foot level. We returned down the mountain around 2:00 PM hoping to arrive Guadalajara around 6:00 PM. But we found this did not go quite as planned. As we drove down the mountain and rounded a curve a fallen tree blocked the road with no room to get the car around. Luckily the tree had fallen parallel to the road with the trunk next to the inside and only the limbs extending over the road. What should we do? The nearest help was at least 10 miles away and perhaps 20. We decided to try and clear out the limbs. It took us over an hour to do so but we managed to saw through two large limbs and break the rest. A very close fit but we cleared the tree with no damage to the car. We spent the night at the Holiday Inn close to the Guadalajara Airport. [150 miles round trip estimated.]
Saturday, September 12
Flights out to the states.
Joan and Ramsay departed 9:01 AM on American Airlines flight 1588 to Dallas, then flight 2248 to Chicago and then flight 510 to Harrisburg which arrived at 7:32 PM.
Troy and Dick departed 11:00 AM on Aero California flight 500 to Los Mochis and then flight 170 from there to Hermosillo and Tucson and arrived at 1:00 PM .
We had driven 1022 miles in the rented car.
Additional information is available upon request.
Trip List:
9,925 individual birds of 246 species seen:
Least Grebe
Tachybaptus dominicus
2 at Ciudad de Colima
Black Storm-Petrel
Oceanodroma melania
50 in the bay at Barra de Navidad
Blue-footed Booby
Sula nebouxii
2 in the bay at Barra de Navidad.
Brown Booby
Sula leucogaster
1 in Manzanillo Bay.
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
23 mostly at Barra de Navidad.
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
51 mostly near the Manzanillo Airport.
Neotropic Cormorant
Phalacrocorax brasilianus
620
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
8 + in the marshes near the Manzanillo Airport.
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
65 along the coast.
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
8
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
224
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
8
Tricolored Heron
Egretta tricolor
4
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
26
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
1
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Nyctanassa violacea
5
White Ibis
Eudocimus albus
1
White-faced Ibis
Plegadis chihi
13
Roseate Spoonbill
Ajaia ajaja
36, mostly at San Padrito Laguna near Manzanillo.
Wood Stork
Mycteria americana
88
Great Egret
Ardea alba
242
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna autumnalis
15
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
4 at Laguna La Maria near San Antonio, slightly south of normal range.
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
1204 of the diazi race, Mexican Duck.
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
7
American Wigeon
Anas americana
1
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
322
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
83
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
4
White-tailed Kite
Elanus leucurus
8
Snail Kite
Rostrhamus sociabilis
2 seen near the Manzanillo Airport building a nest. This is a range
expansion compared to Howell's book.
Northern Harrier
Circus cyaneus
1
Great Black-Hawk
Buteogallus urubitinga
2
Gray Hawk
Asturina nitida
5
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
2
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
6
Crested Caracara
Caracara plancus
16
Laughing Falcon
Herpetotheres cachinnans
1 heard along the El Toro Microondas road.
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
1
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
Ortalis wagleri
2 seen on the road to Volcan de Colima with full rufous bellies. This
is a range expansion from Howell's book.
West Mexican Chachalaca
Ortalis poliocephala
29 seen various places. Most had a little buffy in the tail spots indicating
intergrades with Rufous-bellied Chachalaca?
Long-tailed Wood-Partridge
Dendrortyx macroura
16 heard only as usual on the road to the Volcan de Colima.
Banded Quail
Philortyx fasciatus
19, good numbers with many seen well along the Volcan de Colima road.
Purple Gallinule
Porphyrio martinicus
5
Common Moorhen
Gallinula chloropus
2
American Coot
Fulica americana
8
Limpkin
Aramus guarauna
16, all along the road to the Manzanillo Airport. This is a range expansion
compared to Howell's book.
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
161
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
2502
Northern Jacana
Jacana spinosa
3
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
15
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
15
Willet
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
20
Spotted Sandpiper
Tringa macularia
9
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
9
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpres
15
Western Sandpiper
Calidris mauri
10
Wilson's Phalarope
Steganopus tricolor
55
Laughing Gull
Larus atricilla
4
Caspian Tern
Sterna caspia
7
Royal Tern
Sterna maxima
1
Elegant Tern
Sterna elegans
3
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
13
Black Tern
Chlidonias niger
230
Rock Dove
Columba livia
131
Red-billed Pigeon
Columba flavirostris
6
Band-tailed Pigeon
Columba fasciata
3
White-winged Dove
Zenaida asiatica
6
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
2
Inca Dove
Columbina inca
117
Common Ground-Dove
Columbina passerina
6
Ruddy Ground-Dove
Columbina talpacoti
88
White-tipped Dove
Leptotila verreauxi
7 heard only - various places.
Orange-fronted Parakeet
Aratinga canicularis
2 not seen well near Manzanillo.
Mexican Parrotlet
Forpus cyanopygius
2 seen well at El Cobano
Lilac-crowned Parrot
Amazona finschi
3 seen flying along the highway near Manzanillo.
Mangrove Cuckoo
Coccyzus minor
2 heard only.
Squirrel Cuckoo
Piaya cayana
4
Lesser Ground-Cuckoo
Morococcyx erythropygus
7
Lesser Roadrunner
Geococcyx velox
3
Groove-billed Ani
Crotophaga sulcirostris
103
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
3
Mountain Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium gnoma
3
Colima Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium palmarum
2
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Glaucidium brasilianum
3 seen well on the El Toro road near Manzanillo.
Mottled Owl
Strix virgata
1 heard on the road to Volcan de Colima near the microondas.
Vaux's Swift
Chaetura vauxi
60
White-throated Swift
Aeronautes saxatalis
218
Golden-crowned Emerald
Chlorostibon auriceps
4
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Cynanthus latirostris
7
White-eared Hummingbird
Hylocharis leucotis
5
Berylline Hummingbird
Amazilia beryllina
12
Cinnamon Hummingbird
Amazilia rutila
12
Amethyst-throated Hummingbird
Lampornis amethystinus
3
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Lampornis clemenciae
1
Plain-capped Starthroat
Heliomaster constantii
7
Rufous Hummingbird
Selasphorus rufus
1
Citreoline Trogon
Trogon citreolus
3
Mountain Trogon
Trogon mexicanus
4
Elegant Trogon
Trogon elegans
3
Russet-crowned Motmot
Momotus mexicanus
2 along the creek at El Cobano.
Ringed Kingfisher
Ceryle torquata
2
Belted Kingfisher
Ceryle alcyon
6
Green Kingfisher
Chloroceryle americana
2
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
27
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes chrysogenys
39
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Picoides scalaris
16
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
5
Strickland's Woodpecker
Picoides stricklandi
8
Smoky-brown Woodpecker
Veniliornis fumigatus
2
Gray-crowned Woodpecker
Piculus auricularis
6, mostly at Laguna La Maria near San Antonio
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
2 of the red-shafted form.
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
Xiphorhynchus flavigaster
4
White-striped Woodcreeper
Lepidocolaptes leucogaster
12
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Camptostoma imberbe
4 heard only.
Greenish Elaenia
Myiopagis viridicata
10
Tufted Flycatcher
Mitrephanes phaeocercus
16
Greater Pewee
Contopus pertinax
31
Western Wood-Pewee
Contopus sordidulus
1
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
2
Least Flycatcher
Empidonax minimus
1
Hammond's Flycatcher
Empidonax hammondii
1
Dusky Flycatcher
Empidonax oberholseri
1
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis
11
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Empidonax occidentalis
4
Buff-breasted Flycatcher
Empidonax fulvifrons
6
Vermilion Flycatcher
Pyrocephalus rubinus
18
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Myiarchus tuberculifer
8
Nutting's Flycatcher
Myiarchus nuttingi
4
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
24
Social Flycatcher
Myiozetetes similis
25
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Myiodynastes luteiventris
3
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
26
Thick-billed Kingbird
Tyrannus crassirostris
22
Western Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalis
3
Rose-throated Becard
Pachyramphus aglaiae
5
Masked Tityra
Tityra semifasciata
4
Sinaloa Martin
Progne sinaloae
15 from the top of the El Toro Microondas Road.
Gray-breasted Martin
Progne chalybea
5
Mangrove Swallow
Tachycineta albilinea
18
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
3
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
275
White-throated Magpie-Jay
Calocitta formosa
10
San Blas Jay
Cyanocorax sanblasianus
5
Mexican Jay
Aphelocoma ultramarina
26
Mexican Chickadee
Poecile sclateri
8
Bridled Titmouse
Baeolophus wollweberi
6
Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus
18 of the black-eared form.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
11
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
9
Gray-barred Wren
Campylorhynchus megalopterus
13
Rufous-naped Wren
Campylorhynchus rufinucha
17
Spotted Wren
Campylorhynchus gularis
43
Happy Wren
Thryothorus felix
9
Sinaloa Wren
Thryothorus sinaloa
39
White-bellied Wren
Uropsila leucogastra
17
House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
3; 1 Northern, 2 Brown-throated
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
Henicorhina leucophrys
13
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
12
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
14
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
26
Brown-backed Solitaire
Myadestes occidentalis
73
Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Catharus
aurantiirostris
10
Russet Nightingale-Thrush
Catharus occidentalis
2
White-throated Thrush
Turdus assimilis
68
Rufous-backed Robin
Turdus rufopalliatus
30
Blue Mockingbird
Melanotis caerulescens
30
Gray Silky-flycatcher
Ptilogonys cinereus
78
Loggerhead Shrike
Lanius ludovicianus
14
Slaty Vireo
Vireo brevipennis
1 one the road to the Volcan at about kilometer 8.0.
Bell's Vireo
Vireo bellii
2
Black-capped Vireo
Vireo atricapillus
1
Dwarf Vireo
Vireo nelsoni
1 on the road to Volcan de Coliima near the microondas.
Cassin's Vireo
Vireo cassinii
1
Hutton's Vireo
Vireo huttoni
16
Golden Vireo
Vireo hypochryseus
5
Warbling Vireo
Vireo gilvus
1
Yellow-green Vireo
Vireo flavoviridis
21
Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo
Vireolanius melitophrys
11 mostly near the microondas on the road to the Volcan de Colima
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
3
Nashville Warbler
Vermivora ruficapilla
2
Crescent-chested Warbler
Parula superciliosa
60
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia
61 of the aestiva race.
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia
2 of the bryanti race, Mangrove Warbler.
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Dendroica nigrescens
30
Townsend's Warbler
Dendroica townsendi
51
Hermit Warbler
Dendroica occidentalis
9
Grace's Warbler
Dendroica graciae
4
Black-and-white Warbler
Mniotilta varia
31
Northern Waterthrush
Seiurus noveboracensis
1 heard.
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
4
MacGillivray's Warbler
Oporornis tolmiei
1
Gray-crowned Yellowthroat
Geothlypis poliocephala
3
Wilson's Warbler
Wilsonia pusilla
45
Red-faced Warbler
Cardellina rubrifrons
15
Red Warbler
Ergaticus ruber
18 of the form with the white face, higher elevation on the Volcan de Colima
road.
Painted Redstart
Myioborus pictus
10
Slate-throated Redstart
Myioborus miniatus
50
Fan-tailed Warbler
Euthlypis lachrymosa
1
Rufous-capped Warbler
Basileuterus rufifrons
18
Golden-browed Warbler
Basileuterus belli
35
Olive Warbler
Peucedramus taeniatus
6
Scrub Euphonia
Euphonia affinis
1
Elegant Euphonia
Euphonia elegantissima
23
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Habia rubica
2
Hepatic Tanager
Piranga flava
16
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
5
Red-headed Tanager
Piranga erythrocephala
6 near Nuevo San Antonio
Rosy Thrush-Tanager
Rhodinocichla rosea
5, 2 pair on the El Toro Microondas road, 1 on the Playa del Oro road.
Grayish Saltator
Saltator coerulescens
14
Blue Bunting
Cyanocompsa parellina
9
Blue Grosbeak
Guiraca caerulea
4
Orange-bellied Bunting
Passerina leclancherii
19
Dickcissel
Spiza americana
6 heard flying over
Rufous-capped Brush-Finch
Atlapetes pileatus
8
Green-striped Brush-Finch
Buarremon virenticeps
13
Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow
Melozone kieneri
30
Collared Towhee
Pipilo ocai
13
Canyon Towhee
Pipilo fuscus
5
Blue-black Grassquit
Volatinia jacarina
76
White-collared Seedeater
Sporophila torqueola
56
Ruddy-breasted Seedeater
Sporophila minuta
14, along the road to the Manzanillo Airport.
Blue Seedeater
Amaurospiza concolor
1 of the Slate-blue form on the road to El Cumbre near Ciudad de Colima.
Cinnamon-bellied Flower-piercer
Diglossa baritula
9
Black-chested Sparrow
Aimophila humeralis
2, El Cumbre
Stripe-headed Sparrow
Aimophila ruficauda
89
Rusty Sparrow
Aimophila rufescens
11
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
10
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
25
Eastern Meadowlark
Sturnella magna
7
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
300
Bronzed Cowbird
Molothrus aeneus
15
Orchard Oriole
Icterus spurius
1
Hooded Oriole
Icterus cucullatus
1
Black-vented Oriole
Icterus wagleri
3
Audubon's Oriole
Icterus graduacauda
4
Streak-backed Oriole
Icterus pustulatus
22
Yellow-winged Cacique
Cacicus melanicterus
27
House Finch
Carpodacus mexicanus
4
Black-headed Siskin
Carduelis notata
37
Lesser Goldfinch
Carduelis psaltria
8
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
39
Dick Palmer (Trip leader and compiler.)
PalmerRD@aol.com
Green Valley, AZ
Members of the trip:
Mr. Troy E. Corman
8852 North 13th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85020-3019
TCorman@gf.state.az.us
Mr. Ramsay Koury
123 Old Ford Drive
Camp Hill, PA 17011-8399
RKoury123@aol.com
Mr. Richard D. Palmer (Trip leader and compiler.)
370 South Avenida de las Sabinas
Green Valley, AZ 85614-4701
PalmerRD@aol.com
Ms. Joan Renninger
174 Brownstone Park
Hummelstown, PA 17036-9283
jerenn@juno.com