San Blas, Nayarit
Volcan de Fuego, Jalisco (near Colima)
Manzanillo, Colima
November 25-December 6, 1996
by Garry George & Joseph Brooks
joined by Cosmo Bloom, Ed Craven, Dorothy Poole, Pete Shen in San Blas
Field Notes assembled by Garry George
Resources:
Howell & Webb, A Guide to the Birds of Mexico
Novick and Wu, Where to Find Birds in San Blas, Nayarit
Morris & Buffa, Birding Volcan de Fuego, Colima, Mexico, from "Winging
It,"Volume 8, No 8 - August 1996
Wauer, Roland H., A Naturalist's Mexico
Field notes from Joe Thompson
Locations and directions from Jim Hully
November 24
Cosmo picked us up at Guadlajara airport (Delta Airlines rnd trp from LAX $ 323) in a rented six passenger van (Econo Rent A Car, Guadalajara Airport, 011-523-688-5787, $500/wk and be sure and take the insurance) and we drove the four and one half hours to San Blas (Puerto Vallarta airport is actually closer but we wanted to be near Colima for departure) with only one stop by the Nayarit police. As they searched our car we let them know that we were scientists doing important research on local birds and we would be reporting to the world on the Mexican state of Nayarit. I don't know if it made a difference but we weren't shaken down for a bribe or falsely arrested although our car was thoroughly searched. They told us they were looking for ancient artifacts which Americans and Europeans dig up and steal from the area.
We reached the Hotel Garza Canela (011-8523-285-0307) and were greeted by Josefina whose family owns the place and Joseph knew well from his previous stays. Too dark to bird but we went by the house of our guide Chenco (Joseph knew him from previous trips and had sent word through the local hotel and art gallery that we would be there then). Joseph gave Chencho a copy of the Peterson Birds of Mexico in Spanish..
November 25
Picked up our guide Chenco at 6 a.m. and headed for Singayta where we walked the road just past the village that is fragmented by agriculture. On the left open fields and swamps where we saw white faced ibis, crane hawk etc. flying and heard rufous-bellied chachalacas. On the right was fragmented forest where we saw a pair of Lilac-Crowned Parrots fly by, discovered a flock of Orange- Fronted Parakeets and a flock of squeaky Blue-rumped (Mexican) Parrotlets - all three endemics in one location! - enjoyed Citreoline and Elegant Trogons as well as Pale Billed and Linneated Woodpeckers, and couldn't get enough of the gorgeous Black-Throated Magpie Jays.. We played the tape for Rosy Thrush-Tanager while walking and while it was turned off thought we heard one in distant bush. Couldn't make it out, decided it was a Blue Mockingbird from the song and walked on (duh!) but our guide wouldn't leave and kept watching the bush.
Impatiently, we returned for a better identification of the Mockingbird and eventually spotted a patch of rose in the bush and finally realized what we had. Played the tape again and the bird came into a nearby bush where we all had killing looks. Mosquitos, no-seeums and black biting flies, heat and most of all no bird activity drove us back to hotel for lunch and a brief walk to the ponds by the Suites San Blas where Joseph saw a White- Collared Seedeater and we both saw Least Grebe. Afternoon was a boat ride on the San Cristobal River at high tide with Chencho where we got tremendous looks at the Rufous Necked Wood-Rail which Garry spotted among the mangroves. We watched it work its way down the bank. Also, many Mangrove Warblers (bryanti group of Yellow Warbler with chestnut head), Belted and Green Kingfishers, Egrets, Coromorants and Herons. Magnificent Frigatebirds circled overhead. As it got dark we found Boat-billed Herons and the recently split Northern Potoo (from Common). As we circled back on the river to the landing huge flocks of whistling Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flew overhead.
November 26
Early to El Cora Road where we got a quick look at a male Golden-Crowned Sapphire with a forked tail after bringing in a pair of San Blas Jays. A stop at Mecatan Road coffee plantation yielded much that was desired including Gray Silky Flycatcher, Happy Wren, Sinaloa (Bar-Vented) Wren, Yellow-wing Caciques, Ivory Billed and White Striped Woodcreepers all near the big tree in the road. A little further as we came out in the orchards we surprised a family of Lesser Ground Cuckoos crossing the road and got good looks at one surprised and looking back at us in a bush at eye level and good looks of another in a window in low scrub bushes on the right of the road. Elated, we amused ourselves identifying the many species of hummingbirds in the blooming trees including Broad Billed, White Eared, Berylline, Cinnamon, Violet- Crowned, Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds.
Not able to believe our good fortune we hiked back to the van to find a truckload of federales with machine guns surrounding us. It seems a pair of truck hijackers had fled into the plantation while we were there and they thought we could be them. Another search of our vehicle, a few good words from Chencho and we were left alone with our tuna sandwiches to recap our sightings. A stop at the San Blas City ruins yielded a Red-blled Pigeon, Rufous-backed Robin and a Merlin, and a late afternoon tour of the shrimp ponds on Chacalilla Road boosted our trip list with plenty of shorebirds, ducks and waders including a stunning Roseate Spoonbill.
November 27
Departed 6 a.m. for the nearby Cerro San Juan Ecological Reserve which is oak/pine forest climbing to 4500 feet and Rancho Noria, owned by relatives of the Vazquez family which owns Hotel Garza Canela. There are guest cottages for overnight stays (inquire at hotel) but we birded by day. We were delighted by a Sparking Tailed Hummingbird and it's unusual tail which we saw just as we entered the road to the Reserve, good eye-level views of a pair of Rufous-bellied Chachalacas in a tree, an Olivaceous Woodcreeper apparently out of its range, feeding flocks containing up to 15 species of warblers including Crescent-Chested, Rufous-Capped and Golden-Crowned, Red-Headed Tanager, a busy Fan-tailed Warbler, and a few Golden Vireos. At the ranch, the fields gave us flocks including Eastern Bluebirds, Black-headed Siskin and a pair of Streak-backed Orioles. We returned to the hotel where we met with the rest of the group who had arrived from New York and also met Jim Hully who had just arrived from Durango Highway and looks at the Tufted Jay. We grilled him for information of his birding experiences in Mexico and he was not only forthcoming but generous and loaned us his road atlas. We gave him our best directions for his targets.
November 28
Departed 6 a.m. for El Mirador, an overlook, to look for Military Macaw. Chencho had permission from landowners to take a trail on a ridge opposite the road so we wouldn't have to cope with noisy traffic and scope views of green dots in the trees. In the fields on the way in we sptted a Rufous-crowned Ground-Sparrow in a bush, Joseph saw a Black-capped Vireo and we heard Lesser Ground Cuckoos in the scrub but they wouldn't come out no matter how we begged and bargained. We arrived at the viewing spot and could hear Macaws but not see Macaws. Pete and Cosmo took off higher up the hill and whistled and we all went running. Out of breath we caught views of Macaws flying away and then another pair coming down the valley right below us. The colors were staggering and I personally felt that I was watching some ancient Aztec ritual. After a hike back and good looks at a Black-vented Oriole we stopped at Huaristemba (not recommended) and then back to hotel. Late afternoon cruise by Joseph, Garry and Cosmo to Matanchen area along the coast yielded beautiful views, more mosquitos, and a White-throated Flycatcher for Garry.
November 29
Back to Cerro San Juan where everyone oohed and aahed over the best looks at a Blue Mockingbird (Grammy Award for Best Vocal) and a stunning two hour feeding flock which yielded everything we had seen two days before plus a stunning male Flame-colored Tanager.
November 30
Chencho told us that the Purplish-Backed Jays hang out on the river going East in the morning so we went for a cruise with him to find them. No luck although we saw plenty of San Blas Jays and found a lagoon off of the river that was dripping with White and Brown Pelicans and ducks, ducks, ducks. We found a Boat-billed Heron in bright daylight which was a rare treat as the creamy feathers and the contrasting black are even more unbelieveable than at dusk but didn't see anything we hadn't seen before. It was relaxing to just lie back in the boat and enjoy the passage of time and cormorants as the Green Herons honked and flew away. In the afternoon we drove to La Bajada, a banana and coffee plantation, and hiked up the hill. Very slow birding but we had good looks at a Gray Hawk next to a bromeliad in an oak tree, and Garry luckily discovered a male Mexican Woodnymph just two feet off the trail who obliged everyone with long and good looks. The sun set in the ocean as we hiked out of the trail.
December 1
Everyone but Garry and Joseph departed for Volcan de Fuego around midnight. Garry and Jopseph took their time, stopping at Upper and Lower Singayta where they watched the Rosy Thrush-Tanager again (can you get too much of a good thing?) and spotted a pair of Gray-throated Becards. The road to Guadalajara was unmemorable except for Short-tailed and Red-tailed Hawks which were spotted soaring above the road. We arrived in Colima in the evening and checked into the Hotel los Candiles (011-523-312-3212), over an hour's drive from Volcan de Fuego. We chose a hotel over camping on the volcano but if we had driven instead of flown from the U.S. we surely would have camped.
December 2
Took the Cuota (Toll Road) to the Volcan de Fuego but the directions in "Winging It" were a little difficult for us and we wasted two hours driving back and forth looking for the exit. Finally found it by asking an armed guard at the toll booth (acutally he gave us the wrong directions but we found the right exit for the town of Atenquique on our own). Finally began the tough road (recommend a vehicle with a high clearance) up the side of the volcano. Were delighted to see the smoking cone at the top and took several pictures on the way up. We stopped at the microwave tower for a brief hike and to listen to the Long-Tailed Wood-Partridges, then drove straight to where a dirt mound blocks the road around 4 kilmoters from the top.
We got out and hiked past the mound into the high altitude forest and finally began seeing new birds including Mountain Trogon, Red Warbler, Golden-browed Warbler, and Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer. Feeding flocks yielded Pine Flycatcher, Gray-barred Wren picking through bromeliads, Black-headed Grosbeaks and Ladder-backed and Hairy Woodpeckers. We were treated to a Russet Nightingale Thrush searching for worms on the road just ahead of us, and we followed the thrush for about forty minutes watching it hunt, eat, and hip and hop around ten feet in front of us. It was a great end to a great hike. We saw an Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush calling on the way down and Joseph was lucky enough to spot a Long-tailed Wood Partridge run across the road in front of the van. We got back to the hotel after dark and fell asleep around ten but the drunks in the hotel woke us up at 2 a.m. We were tired and went back to sleep with our earplugs, hoping we could hear the alarm. We did.
December 3
We drove South of the city of Manzanillo and spotted our first Crested Caracaras of the trip feeding on the highway. We drove down Playa del Oro Road to the second group of pilings (like a bridge on land) and parked. We birded what seemed to be a dried river bed of sand and the thorn forest beside it. We saw male and female White Collared Seedeaters and Blue-black Grassquits and a female Orange-bellied Bunting (aka Orange-breasted). As we were leaving Garry saw a flash of color and there was a male Orange-bellied Bunting in an open bush in full sunlight. We had never seen such a beautiful combination of colors on a bunting and were thinking the bird should be called a Golden Macaw Bunting. We watched the bird feed for half an hour before it flew out.
We continued by foot down Playa del Oro road toward the beach through thorn forest and our pishing got us the occasional flycatcher and a small feeding flock including a Flammulated Flycatcher with spectacles that Garry saw. Stupidly we walked under trees with around a hundred roosting Black Vultures but we'll never do that again. We spent the afternoon at La Cumbre, a peak outside of Colima topped by a large statue of the Virgin with a hole in her back from which it is rumored bats fly out at dusk, but we didn't see them.
We birded in the scrub around the hill and walked the road, seeing Black-chested Sparrow, Rufous-naped Wren and a pair of White-Throated Magpie Jays surprised us. At dark we tried our owl and nightjar tapes and right away called in a Buff-collared Nightjar around six feet in front of us. We called in a pair of Balsas Screech-Owls and a Colima Least Pygmy Owl for good looks by 250,000 candlepower torch. We could hear the West Mexican Chachalacas calling in the distance but none came out.
December 4
Joseph's Birthday was celebrated back on the Volcano for a longer hike down the trail by the microwave tower where we witnessed one of the most outstanding feeding flocks of all time. We were on the trail overlooking a small valley when we heard sounds below. Two orioles were chattering at each other, then three rufous-capped brush finches joined in, then Mexican Jays flew in above us, then all hell broke loose and we were surrounded. At one point Joseph spotted a Chestnut-sided Shrike Vireo below us and by the time I got to it it was gone. I thought that I had missed my most desired species of the trip, but Joseph called in another than came right in and looked quizzically at us and I calmed down.
We watched the flock identifying seventeen species of warblers including Olive (new for Joseph) and Colima (new for both), the masked form of Bushtit, worked hard to great satisfaction and identified a Dwarf Vireo!!! from the Hutton's Vireos and Ruby Crowned Kinglets in the canopy, and a Collared Towhee. What a day. We hiked back to the van to find that our camera, warm clothing, sunglasses had been stolen. We hiked up the other trail to the microwave tower and talked to a man who stayed there four days a week by himself. He had seen two workers for Mexican Telephone come by in a white van and we were sure that they must have taken the stuff as they were the only other vehicle on the mountain. He also told us that there were radio-collared mountain lions on the volcano and that one night he had seen a black panther just up the road. We acted impressed but doubted it. Perhaps we were envious. Back in the van and back down the volcano where we called out a Spotted Wren at dusk which Garry saw and Joseph didn't.
December 5
After filling out police reports in the town of Colima we drove back to Guadalajara Airport to turn in the rental van. As we tried to leave we were caught in the "there is damage to the vehicle" scam and since we didn't take the insurance had to leave an open credit card voucher with them, although the maximum limit of the damage was negotiated by me to $600 and the employee signed a statement of such on the contract which can be used by VISA in case of a dispute. Note: always take the insurance, always inspect your rental car carefully and get everything they say in writing.
We boarded our flight and flew back over miles and miles of brown, dry desert to rainy Los Angeles counting our lifers along the way. We talked about and the difference in time and expense of chasing one bird in Arizona compared to seeing that bird and many more in its own habita in Mexico. It made us think about the arbitrary borders in birding and we questioned their importance to us in the future.
TRIP LIST:
Sightings First Location
Taxonomics from Clements Underline=Endemic species (H)=heard only
| COMMON NAME | SCIENTIFIC NAME | WHERE OBSERVED |
| Least Grebe | Tachybaptus dominicus | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Magnificent Frigatebird | Fregata magnificens | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Neotropic Cormorant | Phalacrocorax brasilianus | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Anhinga | Anhinga anhinga | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Black-bellied Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| American Wigeon | Anas americana | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Gadwall | Anas strepera | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Common Teal | Anas crecca | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Cinnamon Teal | Anas cyanoptera | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Northern Shoveler | Anas clypeata | Ponds near Suites San Blas |
| Tricolored Heron | Egretta tricolor | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | San Critobal River, San Blas |
| Great Egret | Egretta alba | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | Singayta, San Blas |
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Nyctanassa violacea | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Boat-billed Heron | Cochlearius cochlearius | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| White Ibis | Eudocimus albus | Singayta, San Blas |
| White-faced Ibis | Plegadis chihi | Singayta, San Blas |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Ajaia ajaja | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Wood Stork | Mycteria americana | Singayta, San Blas |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | Singayta, San Blas |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | Mirador de Aguila, San Blas |
| Crane Hawk | Geranospiza caerulescens | Singayta, San Blas |
| Common Black-Hawk | Buteogallus anthracinus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Gray Hawk | Asturina plagiata | Singayta, San Blas |
| Short-tailed Hawk | Buteo brachyurus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Swainson's Hawk | Buteo swainsoni | La Cumbre, Colima |
| Zone-tailed Hawk | Buteo albonotatus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Crested Caracara | Caracara plancus | Manzanillo, Colima |
| Laughing Falcon | Herpetotheres cachinnans | Singayta, San Blas |
| Collared Forest-Falcon | Micrastur semitorquatus | Singayta, San Blas |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | Mecatan Rd coffe Plantation |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | San Blas |
| Rufous-bellied Chachalaca | Ortalis wagleri | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit (H) |
| W. Mexican Chachalaca | Ortalis poliocephala | La Cumbre |
| Long-Tailed Wood-Partridge | Dendrortyx macroura | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Rufous-necked Wood-Rail | Aramides axillaris | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Common Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | Ponds near Suites San Blas |
| Marbled Godwit | Limosa fedoa | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Long-billed Curlew | Numenius americanus | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Tringa macularia | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Willet | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Heermann's Gull | Larus heermanni | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Laughing Gull | Larus atricilla | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Caspian Tern | Sterna caspia | Ponds on Chacalilla Rd, San Blas |
| Rock Dove | Columba livia | El Coral Road, San Blas |
| Red-billed Pigeon | Columba flavirostris | San Blas City Ruins |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | Ponds near Suites San Blas |
| White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | Singayta, San Blas |
| Inca Dove | Columbina inca | Singayta, San Blas |
| Ruddy Ground-Dove | Columbina talpacoti | El Cora Road |
| White-tipped Dove | Leptotila verreauxi | Singayta, San Blas |
| Military Macaw | Ara militaris | Mirador de Aguila, San Blas |
| Orange-Fronted Parakeet | Aratinga canicularis | Singayta, San Blas |
| Mexican Parrotlet | Forpus cyanopygius | Singayta, San Blas |
| Lilac-crowned Parrot | Amazona finschi | Singayta, San Blas |
| Squirrel Cuckoo | Piaya cayana | Singayta, San Blas |
| Groove-billed Ani | Crotophaga sulcirostris | Singayta, San Blas |
| Lesser Ground-Cuckoo | Morococcyx erythropygus | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Balsas Screech-Owl | Otus seductus | La Cumbre, Colima |
| Colima Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium palmarum | La Cumbre, Colima |
| Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium brasilianum | Mecantan Road coffee plantation |
| Northern Potoo | Nyctibius jamaicensis | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Lesser Nighthawk | Chordeiles acutipennis | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Pauraque | Nyctidromus albicollis | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Buff-collared Nightjar | Caprimulgus ridgwayi | La Cumbre, Colima |
| Vaux's Swift | Chaetura vauxi | Singayta, Nayarit |
| White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Great Swallow-tailed Swift | Panyptila sanctihieronymi | El Cora Road |
| Green Violet-ear | Colibri thalassinus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Golden-crowned Sapphire | Chlorostilbon auriceps | El Cora Road near San Blas (Howell & Webb call this bird Golden-Crowned Emerald and it is one of the three species split from Fork-tailed Emerald) |
| Broad-billed Hummingbird | Cynanthus latirostris | Singayta, San Blas |
| Mexican Woodnymph | Thalurania ridgwayi | La Bajada |
| White-eared Hummingbird | Hylocharis leucotis | Mecatan Rd coffee plantation |
| Berylline Hummingbird | Amazilia beryllina | Mecatan Rd coffee plantation |
| Cinnamon Hummingbird | Amazilia rutila | Singayta, San Blas |
| Violet-crowned Hummingbird | Amazilia violiceps | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Blue-throated Hummingbird | Lampornis clemenciae | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Plain-capped Starthroat | Heliomaster constantii | Singayta, San Blas |
| Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird | Tilmatura dupontii | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit (Webb & Howell call this bird Sparkling-tailed Woodstar with the Latin name Philodice dupontii) |
| Broad-tailed Hummingbird | Selasphorus platycercus | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Rufous Hummingbird | Selasphorus rufus | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Citreoline Trogon | Trogon citreolus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Moutain Trogon | Trogon mexicanus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Elegant Trogon | Trogon elegans | Singayta, San Blas |
| Belted Kingfisher | Ceryle alcyon | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Ringed Kingfisher | Ceryle torquata | Ponds near Manzanillo Airport |
| Green Kingfisher | Chloroceryle americana | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Acorn Woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus | Mecatan Rd coffee plantation |
| Golden-cheeked Woodpecker | Melanerpes chrysogenys | Singayta, San Blas |
| Gila Woodpecker | Melanerpes uropygialis | Singayta, San Blas |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus varius | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Ladder-backed Woodpecker | Picoides scalaris | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Strickland's Woodpecker | Picoides stricklandi | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Gray-crowned Woodpecker | Piculus auricularis | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Lineated Woodpecker | Dryocopus lineatus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Pale-billed Woodpecker | Campephilus guatemalensis | Singayta, San Blas |
| Olivaceous Woodcreeper | Sittasomus griseicapillus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Ivory-billed Woodcreeper | Xiphorhynchus flavigaster | Mecatan Rd coffee plantation |
| White-striped Woodcreeper | Lepidocolaptes leucogaster | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet | Camptostoma imberbe | Ponds near Suite San Blas |
| Greenish Elaenia | Myiopagis viridicata | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Tufted Flycatcher | Mitrephanes phaeocercus | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Greater Pewee | Contopus pertinax | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Western Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| White-throated Flycatcher | Empidonax albigularis | Matanchen, San Blas |
| Pine Flycatcher | Empidonax affinis | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher | Empidonax difficilis | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Buff-breasted Flycatcher | Empidonax fulvifrons | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Vermilion Flycatcher | Pyrocephalus rubinus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Dusky-capped Flycatcher | Myiarchus tuberculifer | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Nutting's Flycatcher | Myiarchus nuttingi | Playa del Oro, Manzanillo |
| Flammulated Flycatcher | Deltarhynchus flammulatus | Playa del Oro, Manazanillo |
| Tropical Kingbird | Tyrannus melancholicus | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Cassin's Kingbird | Tyrannus vociferans | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Thick-billed Kingbird | Tyrannus crassirostris | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Social Flycatcher | Myiozetetes similis | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Great Kiskadee | Pitangus sulphuratus | San Cristobal River, San Blas, |
| Gray-collared Becard | Pachyramphus major | Singayta, San Blas |
| Rose-throated Becard | Pachyramphus aglaiae | Singayta, San Blas |
| Masked Tityra | Tityra semifasciata | Singayta, San Blas |
| Mexican Jay | Aphelocoma ultramarina | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| San Blas Jay | Cyanocorax sanblasianus | El Cora Road, San Blas |
| Green Jay | Cyanocorax yncas | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Black-throated Magpie-Jay | Calocitta colliei | Singayta, San Blas |
| White-throated Magpie-Jay | Calocitta formosa | La Cumbre, Colima |
| Sinaloa Crow | Corvus sinaloae | Singayta, San Blas |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo | Vireolanius melitophrys | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Black-capped Vireo | Vireo atricapillus | El Mirador, San Blas |
| Dwarf Vireo | Vireo nelsoni | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Hutton's Vireo | Vireo huttoni | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Golden Vireo | Vireo hypochryseus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Solitary Vireo | Vireo solitarius | (Cassin's) Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Gray-Silky Flycatcher | Ptilogonys cinereus | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Eastern Bluebird | Sialia sialis | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Brown-backed Solitaire | Myadestes occidentalis | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush | Catharus aurantiirostris | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Russet Nightingale-Thrush | Catharus occidentalis | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| White-throated Thrush | Turdus assimilis | La Bajada |
| Rufous-backed Robin | Turdus rufopalliatus | San Blas |
| Blue Mockingbird | Melanotis caerulescens | Singayta, San Blas |
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Spotted Wren | Campylorhynchus gularis | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Rufous-naped Wren | Campylorhynchus rufinucha | La Cumbre, Colima |
| Gray-barred Wren | Campylorhynchus megalopterus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Happy Wren | Thryothorus felix | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Sinaloa Wren (Bar-vented) | Thryothorus sinaloa | Singayta, San Blas |
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit (We saw Brown-throated House Wren which Howell & Webb split to Troglodytes brunneicollis) |
| White-bellied Wren | Uropsila leucogastra | Playa del Oro, Manzanillo |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | Singayta |
| Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima (Black-eared form) |
| Gray-breasted Martin | Progne chalybea | Mirador de Aguila, San Blas |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | Singayta |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Matanchen, San Blas |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Bridled Titmouse | Parus wollweberi | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Black-headed Siskin | Carduelis notata | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Cassin's Finch | Carpodacus cassinii | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Olive Warbler | Peucedramus taeniatus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata | Mirador de Aguila, San Blas |
| Nashville Warbler | Vermivora ruficapilla | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Virginia's Warbler | Vermivora virginiae | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Colima Warbler | Vermivora crissalis | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Lucy's Warbler | Vermivora luciae | Playa del Oro, Manzanillo |
| Tropical Parula | Parula pitiayumi | Singayta, San Blas |
| Crescent-Chested Warbler | Parula superciliosa | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia | Singayta, San Blas (Including Bryanti race called Mangrove Warbler) |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | Dendroica pensylvanica | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Black-throated Gray Warbler | Dendroica nigrescens | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| Townsend's Warbler | Dendroica townsendi | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Hermit Warbler | Dendroica occidentalis | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Grace's Warbler | Dendroica graciae | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Mniotilta varia | San Cristobal River, San Blas |
| American Redstart | Setophaga ruticilla | Singayta, San Blas |
| Northern Waterthrush | Seiurus noveboracensis | Ponds near Manzanillo airport |
| MacGillivray's Warbler | Oporornis tolmiei | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | Ponds near Manzanillo airport |
| Hooded Warbler | Wilsonia citrina | Singayta, San Blas |
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | Singayta, San Blas |
| Red-faced Warbler | Cardellina rubrifrons | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Red Warbler | Ergaticus ruber | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Painted Redstart | Myioborus pictus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Slate-throated Redstart | Myioborus miniatus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Fan-tailed Warbler | Basileuterus lachrymosa | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Golden-crowned Warbler | Basileuterus culicivorus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Rufous-capped Warbler | Basileuterus rufifrons | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Golden-Browed Warbler | Basileuterus belli | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | Singayta, San Blas |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | Huaristemba |
| Black-chested Sparrow | Aimophila humeralis | La Cumbre, Colima |
| Stripe-headed Sparrow | Aimophila ruficauda | Singayta, San Blas |
| Collared Towhee | Pipilo ocai | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Rusty-crowned Ground-sparrow | Melozone kieneri | Mirador de Aguila, San Blas |
| Rufous-capped Brush-Finch | Atlapetes pileatus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Rosy Thrush-Tanager | Rhodinocichla rosea | Singayta, San Blas |
| Flame-colored Tanager | Piranga bidentata | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Hepatic Tanager | Piranga flava | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra | Singayta, San Blas |
| Western Tanager | Piranga ludoviciana | Mecatan Road coffee plantation |
| Red-headed Tanager | Piranga erythrocephala | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Blue-black Grassquit | Volatinia jacarina | Playa del Oro, Manzanillo |
| White-collared Seedeater | Sporophila torqueola | Playa del Oro, Manzanillo |
| Cinnamon-bellied Flower-piercer | Diglossa baritula | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Grayish Saltator | Saltator coerulescens | Singayta |
| Blue Bunting | Cyanocompsa parellina | Playa del Oro near Manzanillo |
| Varied Bunting | Passerina versicolor | Volcan de Fuego, Colima |
| Painted Bunting | Passerina ciris | Playa del Oro, Manzanillo |
| Orange-bellied Bunting | Passerina leclancherii | Playa del Oro, Manzanillo (called Orange-Breasted Bunting by Howell & Webb) |
| Yellow-winged Cacique | Cacicus melanicterus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Streak-backed Oriole | Icterus pustulatus | Singayta, San Blas |
| Hooded Oriole | Icterus cucullatus | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Bullock's Oriole | Icterus bullockii | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Black-vented Oriole | Icterus wagleri | Mirador de Aguila, San Blas |
| Audubon's Oriole | Icterus graduacauda | Cerro San Juan, Nayarit |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | San Blas |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | Manzanillo Airport |
249 SPECIES
Garry George
garrygeorge@msn.com
los angeles