Some birds require special work. On a trek to find the very endangered Thick-billed Parrots of Madera, Chihuahua, several birders, lead by David MacKay of Solipaso tours, joined together to hopefully get a glance at these rare birds.
a riparian area in Chihuahua
It's about a 9 hour drive into the state of Chihuahua from Tucson. David met us in Tucson and off we went to Mexico. We took breaks along the way and birded until we reached Madera. I had never been in the state of Chihuahua due to safety concerns so this was an exciting opportunity for many different reasons.
the grasslands and mountain ranges of Chihuahua are breathtaking
On this trek, I thought about how sad it was that we had to really plan well for this trip. Wouldn't it be great if we could all just bird freely anywhere we wanted without concern about our safety? Over the years, this trip had been cancelled due to a violent political and cartel uprising. Then covid happened, slamming the door shut on any opportunity to see these Thick-billed Parrots. I have lived, studied and traveled all over Mexico, but there are some states or areas within those states that you avoid. During our trek there, corrupt police officers looked for any way to extort money from our group. David is familiar with their antics and was able to avoid any issues. It's exactly how I thought some of the trip would go. I am so thankful he was there to guide us and get us into some amazing bird patches without all the headaches. I am not as patient as he is:) And in Mexico, patience is everything!
the beautiful archeological site of Cuarenta Casas
I didn't have any checklists in the state of Chihuahua so I was looking forward to seeing what we could find. I was especially looking forward to birding in the upper elevations. In Chihuahua, this is where the rare birds in Arizona show up as common in their natural range. One such species is the often difficult to photograph Mexican Chickadee. Several birds of significance during our trek there were the super rare Pinyon Jays. They have a tiny disconnected range that is only found in a couple locations. That was a really good add to my Mexico list. And I finally added Scaled Quail! But those Mexican Chickadees stole the show.......
Mexican Chickadees with their long beards
On our second day, we began to climb in elevation and see Mexican Chickadees everywhere. In the US, Mexican Chickadees can only be found in the Chiricahuas of southeastern Arizona. Many ABA listers visit Portal with aspirations to see these birds like in the photo above, but they don't always play nice. Often they are high up in the trees never staying in one place for more than a couple seconds. So these observations were a real treat. It was the most common bird on the trip.
a really nice stretch of housing
We headed to an archeological site known as Cuarenta Casas(literally 40 houses) where the cliff dwellers from the Mogollon culture used to live. It also happened to be a great place to bird!
Dave took us on a bird tour searching for those specialty species known to exist in this forested area. The Bushtits have black masks around their face. They are quite striking. Cuarenta Casas had a lot of habitat similar to our own in southeastern Arizona where a birder can find Red-faced and Olive Warblers along with Hepatic Tanagers.
We ate lunch at Cuarenta Casas. I loved Dave's choices for sandwiches. There were always plenty of fresh veggies to snack on. It hit the spot.
"Take only photos, leave only footsteps"
Eventually we arrived in the strange town of Madera where we'd spend 2 nights. The weather was drizzly around this area. It rained and everything was a tad muddy or under water. The temps were also amazingly cool. It made for really enjoyable birding.
Mexican Chickadees followed us wherever we went. When a bird presents itself like this, you take the opportunity to observe and listen as much as you can. With this chickadee not being a regular bird in my daily life, I really studied them as much as I could. I knew them. I've taken people to see them in Arizona and Central Mexico, but never have I had views like this!
It was on the 3rd day into this wild and crazy forest with roads often covered with water or streams crossing that we began our searches for the rare Thick-billed Parrot and Eared Quetzals. After the breeding season during summer, birds often disperse with their young ones OR their young ones leave the area to explore on their own. This day trip would be challenging for us all. We did a lot of hiking in this incredibly wet montane forest. I could have unfolded a chair and sat along one of the many streams to just relax. I was glad that the cooler temps have returned. But we had a job to do!
David knew all the spots to visit as he has done this trip for many many years. It was fun learning about the various species of birds that could be found in this area. The road was sometimes rough. Sometimes it was muddy. During one particular adventure, the van got stuck. I think of the times as a guide that my own van had been stuck. The memories resurfaced. In one flashback, I told our driver NOT to go up the snow covered slope and he did it anyway! I remembered the panicked birders, even though I kept my calm and tried my best to keep them calm. After that experience, I told the Willcox festival(run by the city at the time) that I would not be returning to help them out the following year. Another time, we were up in the Cascade Mountains driving on ice for ptarmigans doing a study. Nothing activates IBS like a good sliding off the cliff scare! However, David kept cool, calm and collected. His energy was calming. During several hair raising moments on our trek, I was very glad that he was there. He emanates cool vibes. And we slid the van out of that nasty mud pit! I wish I had taken a pic! And no Mountain Trogon for our efforts!
Hutton's Vireo
We tried for Eared Quetzals and had no luck. Not even a squawk. However, on this hike along a mountain stream, we heard what sounded like children laughing in the distance. It got louder and louder! The parrots! A loud pair flew over our heads and got everyone excited. We hadn't reached their area where they roost at night so we were thrilled to see them earlier in the day during our hike.
Another awesome bird, the Tufted Flycatcher, showed up in great numbers. I have seen this bird often but they can be tricky to photograph as they like to perch high up. In the pic below, I spied one eye level during a break. I had a bit of a laugh because they usually have a million branches in front of them. Or they are in really wet rainy weather. Imagine angling your camera high up while drops of water fall and smudge the lens! I lucked out this time around.
Tufted Flycatcher
These old aspens high up were incredible. The Thick-billed Parrots, as I've mentioned before, like to roost in these trees. Like the great pyramid of Giza, the ancient holes created by the likely extinct Imperial Woodpeckers reminded us of what used to live in these forests. The parrots continue to use these ancient holes to nest but as the decrepit trees begin to fade, so do their nesting sites. Today, large boxes have been put up to encourage nesting and word has it that they are using them. It's a similar strategy being used with the Military Macaws in the Puerto Vallarta/San Blas area.
Throughout the forest, Yellow-eyed Juncos made an appearance. They are common birds for us on Mt. Lemmon, but I couldn't resist taking a pic of this bird in great light.
Yellow-eyed Junco
Sometimes the forest had a haunted feeling to it. Sometimes it was eerily quiet. This is not a place I'd want to be alone. We searched and searched for the parrots again but it was so quiet. For a brief moment, I was reminded of the quiet forest on the island of Maui, Hawaii years ago. Honeycreepers used to fill the forests with their sound just like the Imperial Woodpeckers used to do in these forests. There was a bit of sadness to it all. Will the Thick-billed Parrots survive? Or will they disappear from these forests in the near future as these grizzled trees fade with age? I hope not. It was an incredible feeling to see these birds flying and calling over our heads.
And while we never did see the Thick-billed Parrots again that day, the trek was so worth it. These Thick-billed Parrots below are at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. On that particular day when I took their pics, I was studying their vocalizations.
Thick-billed parrots are classified as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. At one time, the Thick-billed Parrots' range extended northwards to southern Arizona and New Mexico and south to Venezuela. Today, the birds are only found in higher elevations of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains in northern Mexico in about a 6,000 acre stretch of forest. Researchers estimate that there may be less than 2,500 individual parrots left in the wild.
Texas Horned Lizard
As the world's human population continues to grow and the need for the consumption of land for housing and agriculture increases, we are watching populations of species being pushed out of their territories into extinction. Logging in this area continues as does the illegal pet trade. Further more, old nest holes created by the extinct(most likely) Imperial Woodpecker are disappearing due to aging trees or trees being logged. Nest mites have also contributed in nest failure. The silver lining here is that conservation teams are putting up large nest boxes where the parrots may nest. Click here for a video on these birds.
As for the Imperial Woodpecker? Like the Ivory-billed Billed Woodpecker, there are some that hold out hope that these woodpeckers still exist. However, their territory is not safe to explore due to major cartel activity in the area. There is a book out detailing a birder's quest to find this most likely extinct species. The difference? The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is now considered extinct, but due to the dangers and limited access on the range of the Imperial Woodpecker, it has not been classified as extinct because more research needs to be done. Some hold out hope that the birds may still be on cartel lands. The last recognized sighting of this woodpecker was in 1956 in the state of Durango. Check out this ancient video. It's a haunting memory of what was. As humans, we need to do better. Can we save the Thick-billed Parrots? Or is it too late?
For a birder, there is a lot of effort and money that can go into these special trips. This trek was one of them. These smiles below were made possible thanks in part to David MacKay's excellent planning and understanding of the area. I would never do this trek alone. A few decades ago, it was safer to explore but today, it's not an area I would venture alone. Again, I've traveled much of Mexico. This is not an area I would explore alone. The same goes for the Sierra Madre Sparrow that I went to see years ago near Mexico City. Having local guides with their knowledge and experience helps make observing these birds easier. Too much has happened in this area over the past few decades not to be cautious. Therefore, it is an area on the map that is not heavily ebirded or just simply birded. There are still a lot of unknowns.
Even with all the obstacles, the forest was a magical place. As I grow as a birder, I understand better the fragile balance of it all. I'm not sure I'll ever be back down there again. It took 5 years to schedule and reschedule this trip. In fact, during the covid year, our trek to the parrots was cancelled and I used that money to buy ceiling beams. Today those beams are in our bedroom and I have a good laugh.
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