26 to 29 May 1999
by Michael Delesantro
The mountains of Mexico offer a welcome respite from the heat of the RGV during the summer months. Plus, once the rains begin, there is a chance for some fairly cool weather and some definitely cool birding! Here is a list of species seen on a brief tour through the El Cielo and El Salto areas (and while enroute from the RGV).
Thicket Timanou
Least Grebe
Neotropic Cormorant
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Muscovy Duck
Mottled Duck
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
White-tailed Kite
Common Black Hawk
Harris' Hawk
Grey Hawk
White-tailed Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Crested Caracara
Bat Falcon
Plain Chachalaca
Crested Guan
Northern Bobwhite
American Coot
Common Moorhen
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
Laughing Gull
Rock Dove
Red-billed Pigeon
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground-dove
Ruddy Ground-dove
Blue Ground-dove
White-tipped Dove
Military Macaw
Green Parakeet
Aztec Parakeet
Red-crowned Parrot
Red-lored Parrot
White-crowned Parrot
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Squirrel Cuckoo
Greater Roadrunner
Groove-billed Ani
Ferruginous Pgymy-Owl
Lesser Nighthawk
Common Nighthawk
White-collared Swift
Vaux's Swift
Wedge-tailed Sabrewing
Green-breasted Mango
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Mountain Trogon
Elegant Trogon
Blue-crowned Motmot
Ringed Kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Bronze-winged Woodpecker
Smoky-brown Woodpecker
Spot-crowned Woodcreeper
Northern Beardless Tyrannulet
Greater Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Vermilion Flycatcher
Black Phoebe
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Social Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Couchs' Kingbird
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Rose-throated Becard
Masked Tityra
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Cave Swallow
Barn Swallow
Green Jay
Brown Jay
Tamaulipas Crow
Chihuahuan Raven
Common Raven
Black-crested Titmouse
Verdin
Spot-breasted Wren
Canyon Wren
Brown-backed Solitaire
Clay-colored Thrush
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Grey Silky
Yellow-green Vireo
Crescent-chested Warbler
Tropical Parula
Grey-crowned Yellowthroat
Golden-crowned warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
Scrub Euphonia
Yellow-throated Euphonia
Yellow-winged Tanager
Summer Tanager
Western Tanager
Black-headed Saltator
Crimson-collared Grosbeak
Blue Bunting
Blue Grosbeak
Varied Bunting
Blue-black Grassquit
Yellow-faced Grassquit
White-collared Seedeater
Olive Sparrow
Rusty Sparrow (found dead as a roadkill-not counted)
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Melodious Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
Altamira Oriole
Hooded Oriole
Black-headed Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Michael Delesantro
mdele@worldnet.att.net