A Day With Antonio Robles
It's hard work searching for birds on your own. There's a lot of planning and research involved. I load up on my birds as much as I can on a trip but by the end of it, I treat myself to a day with a local guide. They have a vehicle. They know things. And they plan a route based on your most desired birds. It's nice just waking up not having to think about structuring your day because someone has already done it for you.
Knowing the groups of birds I needed, I figured that we could do the hard ones first and then go for the easier birds. My target birds were the endemics like Colima Pygmy-Owl, Mexican Woodnymph, Sinaloa Crow, Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Happy Wren and a few others. But I needed help getting the first 2 bird species on that list because they were in locations that were difficult to get to alone. The next time I visit that region, I'll probably rent a car. It all looks very easy to navigate.
female Elegant Trogon feeding young ones nearby
About 2 months before my trip, I began to research Puerto Vallartan birders. I wanted someone local and began noticing the name, Antonio Robles pop up on ebird. I did my research and reached out to a few friends to see if he was indeed a guide. They knew him and said, "Absolutely!" I then reached out to him and he put together an itinerary for the birds I couldn't get to easily.
male Red-crowned Ant Tanager
The first part of our day began in the coastal mountain town of Mismaloya. It had both the primary target birds there. But it's not a place I would bird alone. There was a rocky dirt road inside this dark and humid coastal rain forest. The humidity was high but it was super birdy. And it was here where our studies began. For the first time in my many years observing the Red-crowned Ant Tanager, I was able to see this bird out in the open! It often lurks in dark forest conditions and it's hard to get those clear ID marks.
Happy Wren
My first lifer came in the form of the Happy Wren, named so for its perky song. When we arrived into this forest area at dawn, practically every bird was singing. The 2 most common wrens were the Sinaloa and Happy Wrens. There are 6 subspecies of the Happy Wren and its range covers Sonora all the way down to Oaxaca along the western flank of Mexico making the Happy Wren an endemic to Mexico.
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Our "serious" focus began with the Colima Pygmy-Owl. We heard the first toots of the morning coming from inside the dark forest. While it wasn't a lifer, it was a complete thrill to see this darker version of the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. We were also both surprised to see this owl in the same habitat as the Colima. The call of the Ferrug got the attention of 2 Colima Pygmy-Owls. Both species can call day or night and can be active during the day. I was not ready for what happened next....
Colima Pygmy-Owl
It seems that lifebirds of Western Mexico like to come out at the same time. Both Colima Pygmy-Owl and Mexican Woodnymph showed up at the same time as a response to the calling Ferrug. Mexican Woodnymphs, like many hummingbirds, have territories they defend. It was so hard to pick which bird to document first. So I started with the Colima Pygmy-Owl. I saw the first owl with my bins and was completely shocked by the size. It looked slightly larger than our Elf Owls here in Southeastern AZ. I was so shocked I missed my first opportunity to capture the moment on camera. However, the second owl came into great views and I was able to note the varied toots and interesting chest patterns of this smaller pygmy owl.
Mexican Woodnymph-probably the rarest of the West Mexican endemics
Not much is known about the dark Mexican Woodnymph's range. The reports are sporadic. Many go to San Blas for their lifer but I was in Puerto Vallarta and once again, Antonio really helped fill in the gaps of info on this bird. This is a tight endemic with a much smaller range. As we birded throughout the day together, he went over theoretical areas where the bird MIGHT be breeding. I love that stuff because it means there's a lot more research that needs to be done for this mystery species. And it's people like Antonio and other local birders who are in direct contact with this data. Currently, it's listed as a threatened bird due to habitat loss and deforestation. And as we observed, the bird is not a feeder bird. It prefers a particular plant in a closely vegetated space along a wet corridor. Without that plant, there is no woodnymph. Meanwhile the mosquitoes massacred my legs. When you are intensely focused, you forget about the thousands of mosquitoes sucking you dry. Then when the birds are gone, you realize that you should have worn pants.
With that intense and super humid morning done, I wanted to somewhat break from the plan. I asked Antonio if it would be okay to go to Rancho Primavera to meet Bonnie Jauregui. I listened to a podcast during my studies around Mismaloya and El Tuito and I remember an interview someone did with Bonnie about the property. Plus so many birders talk about RANCHO PRIMAVERA. This place is a birder's paradise. And home to several Black-throated Magpie-Jays. Imagine that bird going to the feeders! That's why it's THE mascot on the Rancho Primavera sign. Bonnie is a native Arizonan who has lived decades near the town of El Tuito on this incredible bird sanctuary. She is a very kind and wonderful person who made us feel at home. Here is her page. For the podcast, click here. You'll learn all about the ranch and Bonnie's love for the property. She has wonderful cabins for birders to rent. If I had had more time, I would have spent quite a few days there. There's one particular cabin that's right on this pond with Least Grebes and Blue Mockingbirds. I could see myself sitting in the shade with a nice beverage counting birds with friends.
Rufous-capped Motmot at Rancho Primavera
There's a lot of great birding on this ranch. She's got feeders and they live close to town for groceries and restaurant visits. The town, El Tuito, is really cute. I should have probably put this post in 2 parts but I won't have time with our Southeastern Arizona Birding Festival coming up next weekend so I need to write it this week:) In short, for those a little meek on Mexican travel, this is a golden place to feel at home where you can comfortably bird. Bonnie speaks both English and Spanish. When I leave my teaching position, I might actually start putting treks together to bird down there in Mexico. Rancho Primavera would be on the itinerary. It's unique and in some ways slightly comparable to our own Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon, but much much bigger! I only write that comparison because it's easy to access birds there like at the Santa Rita lodge. There's very little effort spotting birds. They are all around you. It's really fun! Anyhow, Antonio and I were super sweaty from the morning's work. The storms were building and humidity was out of control. So we did some walking around the property and also drove around to the cabins. Covid killed so much business everywhere and Bonnie is looking forward to people coming back again and staying there. Do it. You won't regret it.
This is the view from her patio near the bird feeders. I had more pictures but my iphone um......well that's a long story but it was my fault. I'm just glad I have these pictures! Again I am grateful to Antonio for introducing me to Bonnie. That was super important. I think I had Antonio scratching his head sometimes. Were we birding or were we sight seeing? It's my style of birding and also how I guide here around Tucson. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Just don't ask me to find a Montezuma Quail. They never perform on command and only appear when they want to be seen:) Anyhow, it's not just about the birds. It's also about the research and human connections to them. And a little bit of sight seeing in the a/c. I changed my shirt and we said good-bye. Our last trek was to the sleepy hippy town of San Francisco for the fun and easier birds. It would take us an hour or so to get there from El Tuito. But it was a super hot afternoon and the birding got quiet. And that was the perfect time to drive to our next birding location. In Tucson during the summer, you bird in the morning, drive during the hot hours and pick back up later. And you drink lots of water. We had very similar monsoon conditions there.
On our way up, we stopped outside of El Tuito at a junction known as Las Pilas. Antonio heard a Golden Vireo. This was a lifer. I gotta tell you all that the books don't do some birds justice. I wasn't thrilled about this vireo from the drawings in the book. And that's why it's nice having a guide. They motivate you to get that tick. Seeing this bird in real life was way more exciting than reading about it in a book. It's a cool bird and we had a fun stationary stop checking out the intense yellows of this vireo.
And Sinaloa Crows! Everywhere! They were loud and in large groups. They sometimes have a little bend to their back reminding me of dark flying bananas. And if the sun hit them right, they have a purplish sheen.
Sinaloa Crow
We spent a good half hour + looking at these birds. When I'm down in Sonora, I always hope to spy one, but I never do. So for me, it was a special bird that I hope to see in AZ or Sonora one day.
The storms were coming and time was limited. Black-throated Magpie-Jays flew over our heads with their long tails. For such large birds they were hard to locate in the trees! There were so many distracting birds. And of course, the Rufous-bellied Chachalaca also showed up at the same time. AGAIN! Two lifers zipping around us all at once. I will say the Magpie-Jays are easy to hear and see fly over you but once they're perched, they disappear into the shadows. The chachalacas however are a different story. Loud and always on the edge of human boundaries:)
We searched for the woodcreeper and at one point, Antonio had a Golden-crowned Emerald but I never saw it. There were too many good birds coming at us the entire time so unfortunately? I dipped on those 2 species but I'll pick them up on the next trip to San Blas for the mountain species. The important part was that we had fun and saw our targets. He was always looking as was I. But because I don't often see the birds there, because they're rare in AZ, or they were new, I was caught up documenting those new birds and their sounds as best I could. Which means, you always dip on one or two if you're doing the observations right.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca
On a side note, the Red-crowned Ant Tanager reminds me of a Hepatic Tanager minus the red crown and lack of liver patch on the cheek.
Lastly, while I had seen the West Mexican Euphonia on my own, I was finally able to get a pic of one with Antonio. As the name suggests, it's also a tight endemic to the region. There are so many species of EUPHONIA that all look alike. It often feels like I'm looking at the same bird during my travels....yellow-throated, yellow-crowned, violaceous, thick-billed, West Mexican.....They all look the same:) I apologize to the euphonia fans out there. It's a beautiful bird but these yellow and blue euphonias all start looking the same after awhile. I should lie to you all and say that I was excited to see this bird, but in honesty, this was my least favorite lifer of the trip. An Inca Dove came out at the same time as the euphonia and I got distracted by the Inca Dove. Or a Black-bellied Whistling Duck would fly over.....and there are thousands there......and I'd get distracted by the ducks. I had to really focus on this one. Isn't that terrible? But it's honest.
West Mexican Euphonia
We finished at this birdy spot and headed off to eat at a family restaurant that served shrimp. It began to rain and it was really really nice having dinner with Antonio. I want to thank him for a fun day out. I didn't have to stress about transportation times or melting in the humidity. There was one area where I thought we would float down the river because the river had overtaken a driveway but we didn't. I'm such a worry wart sometimes. I laugh and think about me stressing out with Khanh on those mountain passes in Washington or myself on Carr Canyon Road in the Huachucas. Or my vehicle breaking down at Apache Lake on the San Carlos Reservation. It's good to have someone push you out of your comfort levels sometimes. I highly recommend Antonio Robles for guiding. He's great. He speaks English for people who don't speak Spanish and quite simply is good at what he does. He also likes crocodiles and works with them as well. You can find him on ebird and on Facebook. Both Antonio and Mark Stackhouse have done counts together. They've birded together. The only difference is that Mark is up in San Blas and Antonio is down in Puerto Vallarta. Thank you Antonio for a fun day out! And by the way, both are fantastic birders. I have some birder friends who are avid Mark Stackhouse fans in Arizona:) Either way, great people doing great things for their communities and birds. 
At the end of my journey, I racked up 16 new lifebirds with 5 great observations of birds I had seen before covering the "better views desired" category. My journey isn't over in Mexico. I have several more posts to write but those won't be finished until after the festival. I will be guiding for Southeastern Arizona's Birding Festival happening August 10th to August 14th. Hopefully some of you will be able to make it. On Saturday, I'll be with my buddy Hollie as we talk about and study breeding sparrows, like Cassin's and Botteri's, in the grasslands. You'll also get a chance to view the newly split(finally!) Chihuahuan Meadowlark and add that to your life list. On Sunday, we're down in Wilcox. Hopefully there will be some water to count waterbirds. But we'll be looking for some other goodies like Scaled Quail. The event brings in thousands of birders every year. If you haven't done so in the past, check us out. Tucson Audubon is awesome and we'd love to see you there at the Double Tree Hotel by Reid Park.
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