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MEXICO -- TAMAULIPAS


22-26 January 2003


by Dave Klauber


In January 2003 I drove from New York to south Texas and Tamaulipas and back – 11 days and 5100 miles. The trip was spontaneous and whimsical – read haphazard and unorganized. I had not planned originally to go to Mexico, but spent Jan 22 – 26 there, motivated mostly by a desire to find Military Macaw, a species I had missed on previous trips. I went solo in my Subaru Forester.

GENERAL COMMENTS

Once again I used Steve Howell’s A Bird-Finding Guide to Mexico supplemented by a few trip reports from Blake Maybank’s website.  The site references in the text refer to the Howell locations (e.g. site 4.1 is the first site in chapter 4). The map used was the Nelles map of Mexico. The weather was relatively mild, in the 50’s or 60’s, except at night in Alta Cima, where it was near freezing at night. The Mexican peso was down to about 10.6 to the dollar.

BIRDS

Species totaled 164, including a few “sp”. The only lifer was Military Macaw, although I may have seen Tawny-Collared Nightjar.

Inquiries about specific species will gladly be answered at:  davehawkowl@msn.com

THE TRIP

January 22 – Drive to Site 4.4, Gomez Farias

After birding at Benson Park in Texas for a few hours, I decided to go to Mexico. I drove to McAllen, Texas to Sanborn’s on Main Street / 10th Street and bought Mexican car insurance about 11:30 AM. It took about 30 minutes and cost $50 ($10,000 worth for 6 days). NOTE – you should have your original documents with you. I had brought photocopies of the title and registration. Sanborn’s advised me that this might not be acceptable at the border, depending on the individual agent. They will not give a refund after the insurance starts. The way around this is to have the insurance start an hour or so after the planned entry time into Mexico. If you are refused at the border, you can phone Sanborn’s and cancel the insurance as long as it’s before the defined start time.

I used the crossing at the Pharr-Reynosa Bridge, off 281 a few miles east of McAllen. I’m told this is less traveled than the other nearby crossings. The Mexican agent at the bridge asked for my originals, but accepted my copies of the title and registration. The process took about an hour. The sequence is as follows. First get your tourist card, which is given at the first building on your right, where they check for declared goods. About 2 minutes walk further south is a group of buildings. The far right Banco is where you go for the car importation papers. First get photocopies of the documents in the copy building, the left most of this complex. You can get copies beforehand, but you will still need to get a copy of the tourist card.

After you get the papers you can pay for the tourist card, if required, or do this later. There are NO money-changing facilities here, but if you drive towards Reynosa (right at an intersection a short distance ahead) in 5-10 minutes you will reach a shopping center on your right that has a bank with a cash machine. There is also supposed to be a bank on the USA side at the border.

From this shopping center I returned back the way I came (west) a short distance, turning right at the road marked for San Fernando. It took about 3.5 hours to get to Ciudad Victoria, and another hour to Gomez Farias. To bypass Ciudad Victoria, about1/4 mile past the first Pemex on the outskirts of town go left towards Tampico, then later take the turn towards Ciudad Mante. En route were Crested Caracara, Kestrels, Couch’s Kingbirds, Eastern Bluebird, Loggerhead Shrike, Chihuahua Raven, and surprisingly several flocks of Cedar Waxwings. It was cloudy and cool the whole way, and I arrived in Gomez Farias at dusk. I stayed at the Hotel Posada Campestre, about 1-2 miles past the town center. I had stayed there 2 years earlier and was surprised to find it cheaper at 200 pesos for a basic room with hot water. I was the only guest. I ate at a local shop/eatery just past the town square as you leave town for about 25 pesos. 

January 23 – Site 4.4, Gomez Farias & Alta Cima

I left before dawn at about 6:50 and drove slowly (no choice!) up towards Alta Cima. Around 7:30 I stopped at a level area in the cloud forest, more than halfway up, with forest on both sides and tall mossy trees. It was damp and cloudy with intermittent fog. After 10 minutes I heard the loud squawk of Macaws and had a pair fly by fairly close. Unfortunately in the poor light I couldn’t see very much color, although I saw the birds well. About 10 minutes later I heard another squawk and caught a glimpse of another pair before they disappeared against the treetops. Both pairs were flying back towards Gomez Farias. A third pair was heard, but fog had set in, and I did not see them. This was my main target bird, and the only Military Macaws for the trip. I had a good mixed flock of assorted warblers, tanagers, and others, but moved on after the fog was thick and the activity slowed down. 

I arrived in the town of Alta Cima about 9 AM. The lone restaurant rents one room for 250 pesos. There is a building opposite the restaurant with a small shop that also apparently has rooms for about 160 pesos, but I stayed at the Hotel Los Pinos about .5 mile up the road for 160 pesos. It’s very basic, with a toilet, a pipe/shower almost over the toilet, and, surprisingly, light supplied by solar electricity and a car battery. The location is excellent, in a mountain meadow surrounded by forest.

En route to the hotel I was surprised to find a very active flock of large birds on the ground along the hill and in the low shrubs – grosbeaks, 3-4 Squirrel Cuckoos, tanagers, orioles, and others, relatively oblivious to me and my vehicle. I made arrangements to get dinner at the restaurant, which closed at 5:00. This was needed so they could get the food. I birded a trail that went to the right, just after a fence that was a minute’s walk after the restaurant, towards my hotel. This went mostly through disturbed forest and pastureland, and looped back to the “main” road.

I returned to the hotel, then took a path directly opposite the hotel entrance that went to the top of the ridge after 10-15 minutes. This is a great view of the area, but I didn’t see any new birds here. I saw two different empid species, one with a green-olive back, and the other grayer, but I don’t know what they were. About 2:30 I walked up the road towards Casa de Piedra. There is also a fairly good view here after about 5 minutes, but I saw no parrots or raptors. I returned to the hotel and valley, waiting in vain for macaws to fly over. I had dinner at the restaurant for about 40 pesos. It got very cold and windy, and the evening was VERY cold and windy. I slept with my clothes on in my sleeping bag and a wool blanket. About 3 AM I woke up and took a short walk with a spotlight looking for any nightbirds. A Texas birder told me there was supposed to be a Potoo and maybe Thickknees here, but I did not see or hear anything except the occasional barking dog. 

January 24 – Sites 4.4 & 4.2, La Pesca

About 7:15, a bit after dawn, I walked up the Casa de Piedra road. I was told that the Casa de Piedra (house of stone) is in fact an uninhabited valley or canyon surrounded by rock walls, but I did not get that far.  I think I walked 2 or 3 km. There was a clearing of sorts after 40 minutes or so that had a small flock of tanagers and warblers. I saw a couple of Blue Mockingbirds and a Smoky-Brown Woodpecker, but nothing out of the ordinary. I returned to the hotel around 10:30, again seeing the local Gray Hawk and Kestrels that patrolled the meadow.

At 11:30 I began a slow descent driving towards Gomez Farias, taking about 2 hours. I stopped again at the level area with the tall mossy trees, and found a good mixed species flock with tanagers and warblers. I saw the only Fan-Tailed Warbler of the trip a bit further up the road. At the roadside shrine was another good flock that detained me for 30-40 minutes. The last good flock was only about .5 km from the road junction at the bottom.

I drove to Ciudad Victoria for a bank and Internet stop, then drove towards La Pesca and the coast. I had dinner at the Restaurante Tampico, a few hundred yards before (south) of the junction for the La Pesca road. Highly recommended, as the food was good and while not cheap, reasonably priced, and with fast service.

It was now dusk (6:15 PM?) and I drove to La Pesca, making a few detours on side roads where I could try for the Tawny-Collared Nightjar, even though it was out of season for them to be calling. Note that Howell says there are many side roads, but the majority of them are gated. I only found a couple without gates. There is one dirt road to the left, or north, marked “Ejido de Capote 3 km”, about halfway to La Pesca, that I tried. I heard nothing calling and got no response to my nightjar tape. I did see a Pauraque in the road that flew across a field.  I tried another road to the left but found nothing.

I drove to the outskirts of La Pesca. There are a few hotels that cater to fishermen as you get near the town. I stayed at the Hotel Quinta, a few hundred yards after the speed bumps and military/naval complex, for 350 pesos. It was nice with good hot water, right on the river, and with complimentary drunken fishermen who fortunately got quiet by 10:30. The next morning I spoke with the owner, who speaks English well, and he said that later in the year the trees in the hotel parking lot are full of feeding parrots, with yellow and red heads, but not during my stay.

January 25 – Sites 4.2 & 4.1

I set out about 6 AM looking for new roads to explore but returned to the Ejido El Capote road. My headlights picked up the eyes of a bird on a fencepost, but it flew away when I turned to get my spotlight. I’m not sure if it was an owl or nightjar. Once again there were no birds calling, and no response to my nightjar tape. I did finally see a nightjar flying on the edge of my light beams that landed in the road for about 30 seconds. I had a decent look in my high beams, but when I reached to get my spotlight on the passenger seat it flew off. I did not see any white, it certainly was not a Pauraque, and may have been the Tawny-Collared Nightjar. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to see the collar or more detail, and did not note the wing extension onto the tail, although the tail was definitely shorter than a Pauraque’s.

It soon became light and I returned to the hotel. I left the hotel and drove into and past La Pesca, exploring various back roads and beach areas. There were a good variety of waterbirds, with spoonbills actively feeding among others. One road went towards and past a factory, passing marsh scrub. Here I had a couple of Gray-Crowned Yellowthroats, a Sora, and a trip highlight, a Nelson’s Sharp-Tailed Sparrow. I did not find much at the beach and nothing in the ocean other than flyby Pelicans.

At 11:30 I left the La Pesca area and drove north towards Matamoros and the Rio Grande mouth. Note that the beach mentioned in Howell as Playa Lauro Villar is now called Playa Bagdad, although the main road is still called Lauro Villar. About 2 km before the beach is a causeway that had a lot of birds, mostly on the north side, although there was a small flock of Snow Geese, including several Blue Geese, by a building on the right side. I did not have a scope so distant shorebirds were mostly unidentifiable, but there were a variety of Egrets and waders that could be seen. There were a quite a few battered beach restaurants, a few of which were open, but nothing approaching a hotel. So I drove back to Matamoros at dusk, staying at the Hotel Road Runner on the outskirts for 280 pesos, including hot water, an adjacent restaurant (not that great), and cable TV including a porno channel. This is on the Lauro Villar Avenue, so it’s a straight drive to the beach from here. The weather in the afternoon was damp and overcast, with light rain towards the evening.

January 26 – Site 4.1 Mouth of the Rio Grande

Last day in Mexico. I drove out to the beach, with a short unproductive detour at El Refugio en route. There were some Mottled Ducks and Blue-winged Teal in roadside pools and marshes. The Snow Geese were again on the causeway along with Long-billed Curlews. I was looking for Lesser Black-backed Gull, and saw a lone dark backed bird to the north, standing near a few other gulls and waders. Its head was mostly white and it was larger than a nearby Herring Gull, so I wrote it off as “only” a Greater Black-backed Gull. A few hours later at the river mouth I read the Mexico Guide and realized there were no country records for Greater Black-backed Gull. When I returned the bird was no longer there, although I did find a Lesser Black-backed Gull with the Snow Geese on the other side of the causeway. I found out later a Greater Black-backed Gull was being seen in Boca Chica, Texas, just across the river, so I guess this was the same bird.

I drove out onto the beach and the 10-mile drive to the river mouth. I did find several Snowy Plover but no Piping. At the river mouth I pulled out a car that was stuck in the incoming tide, and went back along the river a short distance, but did not see much of note. There were no ducks or loons in the ocean.  I drove back to Playa Bagdad. The sand is fairly hard and can be driven with a normal car. It was a new experience for me to be driving literally at the water’s edge, which often had the hardest sand.

On the road back to Matamoros, I detoured a few kilometers before El Refugio, south towards a river. There was a flock of ducks on the water, with Redhead, Widgeon, and others. I had lunch at a very nice restaurant on Lauro Villar Avenue, a bit west of the Hotel Road Runner, called Restaurant Mariscos de la Rosa. It was apparently only seafood, and the food was excellent. The weather was damp and overcast and I decided to return to the USA. At the Matamoros border crossing is a large marshy pond that had a good variety of waterfowl – Coot, Moorhen, Lesser Scaup, both Grebes, and others. I left Mexico about 1:30 PM on a gray, rainy, cold day.

TRIP LIST:

 

SPECIES

 

 

Common Loon

Gavia

immer

Least Grebe

Tachybaptus

dominicus

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus

podiceps

American White Pelican

Pelecanus

erythrorhynchos

Brown Pelican

Pelecanus

occidentalis

Neotropic Cormorant

Phalacrocorax

brasilianus

Double-crested Cormorant

Phalacrocorax

auritus

Great Blue Heron

Ardea

herodias

Great Egret

Ardea

alba

Snowy Egret

Egretta

thula

Little Blue Heron

Egretta

caerulea

Tricolored Heron

Egretta

tricolor

Reddish Egret

Egretta

rufescens

Cattle Egret

Bubulcus

ibis

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax

nycticorax

White Ibis

Eudocimus

albus

Roseate Spoonbill

Ajaia

ajaja

Black Vulture

Coragyps

atratus

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes

aura

Snow Goose

Chen

caerulescens

American Wigeon

Anas

americana

Mottled Duck

Anas

fulvigula

Blue-winged Teal

Anas

discors

Northern Shoveler

Anas

clypeata

Northern Pintail

Anas

acuta

Redhead

Aythya

americana

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya

collaris

Lesser Scaup

Aythya

affinis

Osprey

Pandion

haliaetus

White-tailed Kite

Elanus

leucurus

Northern Harrier

Circus

cyaneus

Gray Hawk

Asturina

nitida

Harris's Hawk

Parabuteo

unicinctus

Roadside Hawk

Buteo

magnirostris

White-tailed Hawk

Buteo

albicaudatus

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo

jamaicensis

Crested Caracara

Caracara

plancus

American Kestrel

Falco

sparverius

Plain Chachalaca

Ortalis

vetula

Northern Bobwhite

Colinus

virginianus

Sora

Porzana

carolina

Common Moorhen

Gallinula

chloropus

American Coot

Fulica

americana

Black-bellied Plover

Pluvialis

squatarola

Snowy Plover

Charadrius

alexandrinus

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius

semipalmatus

Killdeer

Charadrius

vociferus

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus

palliatus

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus

mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra

americana

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa

melanoleuca

Willet

Catoptrophorus

semipalmatus

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis

macularia

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius

americanus

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria

interpres

Sanderling

Calidris

alba

(Short-billed)? Dowitcher

Limnodromus

?

Common Snipe

Gallinago

gallinago

Laughing Gull

Larus

atricilla

Ring-billed Gull

Larus

delawarensis

Herring Gull

Larus

argentatus

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Larus

fuscus

Great Black-backed Gull

Larus

marinus

Gull-billed Tern

Sterna

nilotica

Caspian Tern

Sterna

caspia

Royal Tern

Sterna

maxima

Forster's Tern

Sterna

forsteri

Rock Dove

Columba

livia

Red-billed Pigeon

Columba

flavirostris

Mourning Dove

Zenaida

macroura

Inca Dove

Columbina

inca

Common Ground-Dove

Columbina

passerina

Blue Ground-Dove

Claravis

pretiosa

White-tipped Dove

Leptotila

verreauxi

Military Macaw

Ara

militaris

Squirrel Cuckoo

Piaya

cayana

Common Pauraque

Nyctidromus

albicollis

Tawny-collared Nightjar ???

Caprimulgus

salvini

Broad-billed Hummingbird

Cynanthus

latirostris

White-eared Hummingbird

Hylocharis

leucotis

Magnificent Hummingbird?

Eugenes

fulgens

Mountain Trogon

Trogon

mexicanus

Elegant Trogon

Trogon

elegans

Belted Kingfisher

Ceryle

alcyon

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Melanerpes

aurifrons

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Picoides

scalaris

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Veniliornis

fumigatus

Bronze-winged (Golden-olive) Woodpecker

Piculus

rubiginosus

Ivory-billed Woodcreeper

Xiphorhynchus

flavigaster

Barred Antshrike

Thamnophilus

doliatus

Tufted Flycatcher

Mitrephanes

phaeocercus

Greater Pewee

Contopus

pertinax

? Empid Flycatcher

Empidonax

?

Eastern Phoebe

Sayornis

phoebe

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus

rubinus

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Myiarchus

tuberculifer

Great Kiskadee

Pitangus

sulphuratus

Social Flycatcher

Myiozetetes

similis

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus

melancholicus

Couch's Kingbird

Tyrannus

couchii

Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius

ludovicianus

White-eyed Vireo

Vireo

griseus

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo

solitarius

Rufous-browed Peppershrike

Cyclarhis

gujanensis

Green Jay

Cyanocorax

yncas

Brown Jay

Cyanocorax

morio

Tamaulipas Crow

Corvus

imparatus

Chihuahuan Raven

Corvus

cryptoleucus

Common Raven

Corvus

corax

Black-crested Titmouse

Baeolophus

atricristatus

Spot-breasted Wren

Thryothorus

maculipectus

House Wren

Troglodytes

aedon

Gray-breasted Wood-Wren

Henicorhina

leucophrys

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Regulus

calendula

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Polioptila

caerulea

Eastern Bluebird

Sialia

sialis

Brown-backed Solitaire

Myadestes

occidentalis

Clay-colored Robin

Turdus

grayi

White-throated Robin

Turdus

assimilis

American Robin

Turdus

migratorius

Gray Catbird

Dumetella

carolinensis

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus

polyglottos

Long-billed Thrasher

Toxostoma

longirostre

Blue Mockingbird

Melanotis

caerulescens

European Starling

Sturnus

vulgaris

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla

cedrorum

Gray Silky-flycatcher

Ptilogonys

cinereus

Orange-crowned Warbler

Vermivora

celata

Crescent-chested Warbler

Parula

superciliosa

Tropical Parula

Parula

pitiayumi

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Dendroica

coronata

Black-throated Green Warbler

Dendroica

virens

Gray-crowned Yellowthroat

Geothlypis

poliocephala

Wilson's Warbler

Wilsonia

pusilla

Fan-tailed Warbler

Euthlypis

lachrymosa

Golden-crowned Warbler

Basileuterus

culicivorus

Rufous-capped Warbler

Basileuterus

rufifrons

Summer Tanager

Piranga

rubra

Flame-colored Tanager

Piranga

bidentata

White-winged Tanager

Piranga

leucoptera

Yellow-winged Tanager

Thraupis

abbas

Yellow-faced Grassquit

Tiaris

olivacea

Olive Sparrow

Arremonops

rufivirgatus

Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow

Ammodramus

nelsoni

Song Sparrow

Melospiza

melodia

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza

lincolnii

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus

sandwichensis

Grayish Saltator

Saltator

coerulescens

Crimson-collared Grosbeak

Rhodothraupis

celaeno

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus

ludovicianus

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus

melanocephalus

Blue Bunting

Cyanocompsa

parellina

Indigo Bunting

Passerina

cyanea

Varied Bunting ?

Passerina

versicolor

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella

magna

Melodious Blackbird

Dives

dives

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus

cyanocephalus

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus

mexicanus

Bullock's Oriole

Icterus

bullockii

Audubon's Oriole

Icterus

graduacauda

Yellow-billed Cacique

Amblycercus

holosericeus

Lesser Goldfinch

Carduelis

psaltria

Hooded Grosbeak

Coccothraustes

abeillei

House Sparrow

Passer

domesticus


MAMMALS

Javelina/ Collared Peccary
Squirrel (Red-bellied?)
White-nosed Coati
Dolphin or Porpoise sp (all gray – leaping from the ocean waters by La Pesca)


Dave Klauber
davehawkowl@msn.com