Birding Sonora

February 19-26, 2005   178 species - see list
Sonoran Odonates

A group of Iowans and ex-Iowans explored the Mexican state of Sonora February 19-26, 2005.  The group was comprised of Bob Cecil, Francis Moore, Kay Niyo, Russ Widner and me.

Saturday, February 19th - We left Phoenix in Russ' Land Rover early Saturday morning and pretty much dead-headed to the border.  Because of significant rains in the southwest, we determined the most prudent route was to stay on the main roads until we got south.  This route did give most of us our first lifer of the trip, however.  Sinaloa Crow was not a tough bird to find in urban areas.  By mid-afternoon we had arrived at Hotel Playa de Cortes, a bit on the pricey side ($81/double) for our Mexican travel standards but a nice hotel with Mexican flavor, great beach access, and good food.

The rest of the day we explored the estuary close by and enjoyed the coastal species of the area.  The estuary teemed with gulls, shorebirds and waders. In the scrub at the edge we saw our only Groove-billed Anis of the trip.  Waders included Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Reddish, Great and Snowy Egrets, and Great Blue, Little Blue and Tri-colored Herons.  We especially enjoyed studying the Yellow-footed and Heerman's Gulls, even though our own Ring-billed Gull was everywhere as well.  The shorebirds were at quite a distance but we did see several Long-billed Curlews and Marbled Godwits mixed in with the numerous peeps.  These appeared to be a mixture of Least and Western but the distance precluded being certain.

Over the bay the gulls and Brown Pelicans circled and a juvenile Blue-footed Booby was a nice surprise.  A Gray Hawk sat on the wire back toward the hotel.  After a great dinner of fresh fish, we enjoyed the sunset over the Sea of Cortez.

Sunday, February 20th - Most of the morning was spent enjoying the seabirds again.  Common Loons dotted the bay and a pool-side Long-billed Dowitcher was a puzzle.  A Brown Booby came in close enough to be photographed while Magnificent Frigatebirds floated high over our heads.

The trip south included a couple of stops along another estuary in Guaymas where we saw more of the same species.  The number of Marbled Godwits was impressive.  From there it was south to Navojoa for the night where we stayed at Motel El Rancho ($39/double).  A bit of pre-dinner birding found us Lark Sparrows, some flavor of Gnatcatchers, and our first Happy Wren.

The Guaymas Estuary	Long-billed Dowitcher	Brown Pelican	Brown Pelican & Brown Booby	Common Loon
Hotel Playa de Cortes	Heerman's Gulls	Heerman's Gull adult	Heerman's Gull 1st winter	Yellow-footed Gull
Gray Hawk	Ring-billed Gull	Groove-billed Ani	Brown Pelican	Snowy Egret

Monday, February 21st - Although Alamos was our final destination for this evening, we started the day with lifer #2 - White-fronted Parrots - noisily making their presence known across the road from our motel.  After a quick breakfast, we found our way to the periferrico around the city and headed towards the Sinaloan border.  About five miles north of the border we turned toward the coast and the villages of Juan de la Barrea and Agiabampo.

Following directions given by some friends from Arizona, we followed a canal on the east edge of Juan de la Barrea back along some fields of tomatillos.  When a large truck blocked our way, we tried the other side and found a field with Gambel's Quail - the only quail of the trip.  A Bendire's Thrasher was in the hedge row.  Further down this narrow dirt road was a road through the dump and its resident Harris' Hawks.  Soon we reached the lake where Doug and Sandy had seen a number of water-related species in the fall.  This time, however, the water was a bit high so there were no shorebirds or waders.  It was a good place to begin exploring the odonates of Sonora, however.

Ring-billed Gulls, Black Skimmer, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Western Sandpipers

Working our way west we came to the village of Agiabampo and some nice coastal birding.  Here we had a number of gulls and shorebirds.  Mangrove Swallows flew around and it was a hoot when some fishermen came into the bay and their boat was immediately innundated with scavengers.

White-fronted Parrot (thanks Kay Niyo)	Harris' Hawk	Crabs on the beach	White Ibis & Ruddy Turnstones	Mangrove Swallows
Roseate Spoonbill	American Oystercatcher	Whimbrel	Wilson's Plover	Black Skimmer

CBC Map of the Alamos Region

After enjoying the shore, it was off to Alamos.  A short stop at a microwave tower halfway between Navojoa and Alamos produced the only Five-striped Sparrow of the trip.  A bit further, the only White-tailed Hawk flew over.  As we pulled into Alamos, we saw the signs for Rancho Acosta which had been recommended as a nice place to stay that had good birding on the grounds.  When we found it, however, the proprietor was not there so we went looking for a place to stay.  Bob got us a couple of rooms at Casa Roberto, a gorgeous old residence in town.  I found it amazing how much was hiding behind the simple walls you see as you wander through town.  I must say it is the only room I have rented that had a fireplace in the bathroom!

Tuesday, February 22nd - After a quick trip to Rancho Acosta to secure lodging for tonight, it was off toward the Rio Cuchujaqui where we presumed we would find the best birding.  Just south of town the road splits three ways and we took the left fork up through the thorn scrub.  Before long we started seeing birds - Nutting's Flycatcher, Gray Hawk, and our first spectacular Black-throated Magpie-Jays.

The road was a bit rough but we eventually came to Arroyo Cuchujaqui which led us down to a delightful area along the river.  Along this side road we found Greater Roadrunner.  Soon after we parked, a Great Black Hawk came out circling over the area, it's two white tail bands obvious.  Not long after another hawk began circling and this one was a Common Black Hawk.  If only they had been joined by a Solitary Eagle...

The river narrows here and is very rocky and picturesque.  Broad-billed Hummingbirds and Plain-capped Starthroats fed on the hillside along with Black-capped Gnatcatchers and a myriad of Myiarchus flycatchers which we eventually sorted into Ash-throated, Nutting's and Dusky-capped.  We all had great looks at an Elegant Trogon but, true to form, had to resort to the book to remember which tail pattern belongs to which species.

Most of the group walked on down to the bridge while I shot photos of the interesting lizard shown below and began looking for dragonflies as things got warmer.  Some of the bugs were familiar from the southern US but one dragonfly in particular was pretty intriguing.  At times it would perch so close to my feet that the camera couldn't even focus.

More driving through the thorn scrub convinced us that birding was getting slower in the heat of the day so it was back to town to enjoy some of the village.  We needed more coffee but a perusal of the market found one three-pound can and lots of Nescafe.  Since Rancho Acosta serves breakfast, this was not a big problem for now.

Back at the motel we birded the grounds and found numerous "Audubon's" and Orange-crowned Warblers as well as a Hooded Oriole.  All of a sudden there was a big racket and a flock of Mexican Parrotlets came in to roost for the night.  They were just TOO cute.  They appeared to cuddle in closely on the branches.  The photo below shows only a few of the eight or nine that were packed into that particular spot.  We also visited with a couple from Arizona who had just purchased property in Alamos.  They had a map for the Alamos CBC and promised to bring us a copy that night.  That would prove to be very helpful the next couple of days.

Enough restaurant food!  We finally got to sample street tacos, one of our favorite Mexican culinary delights.

Wednesday, February 23rd - With CBC map in hand, we headed toward another access point for the Rio Cuchujaqui - Arroyo El Mentidero.  The wash had a small stream and before heading to the river we explored the upstream side.  One of the first birds we encountered was Wilson's Snipe.  Varied Buntings, mostly young males, were found in several places but perhaps the biggest surprise was the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron which looked quite out of place in a desert wash.  Hummingbirds included both Broad-billed and Violet-crowned.

A walk down the other direction brought us to a delightful low-water crossing of Rio Cuchujaqui.  The rock outcroppings kept us from exploring very far in either direction but it was a beautiful place to just hang out.  The walk down produced a few birds such as a wintering McGillvray's Warbler.  The trickle of stream and intermittent pools of water were great for various species of odonates.

So far we had not seen an oak/pine habitat so the afternoon was devoted to trying to find some.  We headed north of town and were encouraged by a couple of logging trucks.  Our road, however, seemed to stay in the valley and the pines looked to be far off in the state of Chihuahua.  Our wanderings back led us up Arroyo Aduana and a gourmet restaurant in the small village of Aduana.  Dinner tonight was certainly unlike our normal Mexican fare.

While sitting on the patio this evening, we all reacted simultaneously to the sound of a Buff-collared Nightjar in the field behind the motel.  With high-powered lantern in hand, we gradually crept closer and closer to the sound.  One shot from that mega-watt lantern killed the neighbors' mercury vapor light much as a thunderstorm in Iowa will do.  Francis saw birds flying around a yard light but the rest of us had to be content with the sounds of this elusive nightjar.

Thursday, February 24th - Arroyo Aduana was the primary destination for this morning.  Just after turning off the highway, we found what was undoubtedly the bird of the trip - Red-breasted Nuthatch.  This is a looonnngg way south for this species, even in an irruption year.  Fruiting figs attracted a variety of birds including Rufous-backed Robin, White-fronted Parrot and Streak-backed Oriole.  Purplish-backed Jays flew across in front of us, but even with a quick stop of the car they disappeared almost immediately.  This must be an incredibly tough bird to photograph!  To perhaps make up for this frustration, a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl teed up for great photo ops.

After birding the arroyo, we were still in search of some higher country.  The nearby microwave road seemed the best possibility so we wandered through miles of thorn scrub in search of the steep road to higher places.  The bird of most interest along the way was Lineated Woodpecker.  The hope of finding some oak woodland petered out at the gate but we were entertained by some local folks loading their truck with rock from the mountain.

The last stop of the day was a short walk beyond the dump.  The target was a Russet-crowned Motmot and a wet area at the base of a large fig tree looked promising.  The area looked very promising but we found few birds on this late afternoon.  With a vow to return in the morning, we headed for town and more street tacos.

Rio Cuchujaqui	Mexican Parrotlets	Zebra-tailed Lizard	Thorn Forest at the Rio Cuchujaqui	Bridge over the Rio Cuchujaqui
Rio Cuchujaqui	Bare-throated Tiger-Heron	Cecil at the Rio Cuchujaqui	Vermilion Flycatcher	Rio Cuchujaqui
Devil's Tower South?	Black-throated Magpie-Jay	Elegant Trogon	Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl	Kapok Tree

Friday, February 25th - One more morning in Alamos. The staff at Rancho Acosta were very accommodating for our early departure by having fresh coffee and warm muffins available early this morning.  We started at the dump about a mile from our hotel where Turkey and Black Vultures were numerous.  They were joined by a few Sinaloa Crows.  At the end of the road, we again walked beyond the gate in search of a motmot but there would be no joy this morning. Even with the small pool of water at the base of the fig tree, the area was incredibly quiet.

Before leaving the Alamos area we again sampled the two river accesses to the Rio Cuchujaqui.  Once again we saw Bare-throated Tiger Heron, many Myiarchus flycatchers, and a Sinaloa Wren who would answer our tape but never make itself visible.  We finally got a glimpse of Rufous-bellied Chachalaca as a couple flew across the river.  The highlight of the morning was a group of Purplish-backed Jays flying across the road in front of us.  Once again they disappeared before we could get great looks.  New trip birds included Green Kingfisher, Warbling Vireo, and Thick-billed Kingbird.

By mid-day the stop at the microwave tower was pretty unproductive.  The only sounds were of the ubiquitous Verdin.  After lunch of pollo asado we headed for the resort area of San Carlos, just northwest of the city of Guaymas.  The Creston Motel was touted as a good value ($35/double) but I prefer water in the morning!

Saturday, February 26th - The morning had an inauspicious beginning when the water at the Creston Motel refused to run.  We had been unable to find ground coffee to use with Russ' coffee maker so no shower and no coffee makes for grumpy people.  Thankfully a restaurant just down the road had good cinnamon rolls and coffee so everyone began feeling a bit better.

We birded our way out of San Carlos and found a few trip birds in the coastal wetlands - Killdeer, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, and a few other puddle ducks.  From there it was north to Hermosillo, and hoping that the rain had subsided a bit, we headed through the valley of the Rio Sonora.  Although the tempatures kept dropping and sprinkles greeted us from time to time, we did manage a good look at a teed up and singing Rufous-winged Sparrow at one roadside pull-off.  This place looks great for odonates and I hope to get back here someday!

As we drove north we hoped for some oak woodland species, but the wind and cold kept everything fairly quiet.  The best we could do was a small flock of Mexican Jays and an occasional Chipping Sparrow.

As advertised, the crossing at Naco was quick but we found that our Sonora-only permit could only be cancelled at the station back in Nogales.  Our route home now included a short backtracking to the entry station in Nogales to cancel our car permit.  Rather than returning to Phoenix by 10:00, we made it back to the airport by about 1:00 AM where Bob and Francis waited for a 6:00 AM flight back to Des Moines.

The state of Sonora has a wide variety of habitats and we didn't even get to sample the high country.  February may be one of the hardest months for getting a long list of species.  Most species are not yet nesting and a number of specialties have not returned yet from the tropics.  As a rule things were fairly quiet.  On the other hand, we ended with a decent list of Sonoran species for a week in unfamiliar territory.