Birding West Mexico Endemics

Tuesday, January 23: San Pancho
Hotel Casa San Pancho

Visit the San Pancho Estuary and the La Patrona Polo and Equestrian Club, hike the Ahuacatal-Calabazus River Birding Trail

BIRD of the DAY: Pale-billed Woodpecker

Luis soon realized that we would like coffee before our 7am departure for early morning birding. Hotel breakfast did not start until 9am. Luis lives in San Pancho with his family and was able to prepare a cooler of coffee, tea, milk, juices, cups, fruit and snacks. Gracias from all of us, Luis! He was able to keep us happy before the sun rose each morning for the whole trip.



It was a short drive to the San Pancho beach and estuary. Many birds greeted us as the sun rose over the water. This was a perfect setting to begin our birding trip. We saw about 40 species here.



Later in the morning we drove to the grassy/forested polo club at the edge of town. We met some environmental staff and some horse care staff as well as the kitchen staff. Luis says the Polo Club is a major employer in his town. After some on-site birding along the paths, the staff served us coffee and a snack in a large raised outdoor covered patio. A beautiful setting.



After more active on-site birding we had lunch there also. We tallied about 70 species on the polo grounds. We birded a bit more after lunch and then returned to our hotel for a siesta.



Ah.. time for a break. We enjoyed a quick dip in the hotel salt water pool. Bill and Pauline found time to have a cup of tea and compare birding notes.



The guides had planned a bit more birding in the late afternoon – it gets dark very early in the evening so we set out for the Ahuacatal-Calabazus River Birding Trail right after our siesta. It was a narrow river which we had to cross carefully. It paralleled a road. We saw a few new birds. Barbara had a chance to give one of her “Canada” pencils to a little boy riding a donkey.



Tonight we were pleased to meet Luis’ young family who joined us for dinner at a local restaurant.



January 23 Birds
Laguna San Pancho, Nayarit, MX
Jan 23, 2018 7:47 AM
Protocol: Incidental
37 species

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 5
Magnificent Frigatebird 5
Blue-footed Booby 10
Anhinga 1
Brown Pelican 15
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 1
Little Blue Heron 2
Tricolored Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 2
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 8
White Ibis 1
Black Vulture 20
Turkey Vulture 1
American Coot 2
Killdeer 1
Northern Jacana 8
Willet 1
Laughing Gull 3
Heermann's Gull 45
Royal Tern 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 1
Great Kiskadee 2
Social Flycatcher 1
Tropical Kingbird 7
Sinaloa Crow 30
Yellow Warbler 1
White-collared Seedeater 12
Grayish Saltator 1
Yellow-winged Cacique 2
Orchard Oriole 4
Hooded Oriole 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1

San Pancho Polo Fields, Nayarit, MX
Jan 23, 2018 8:42 AM
Protocol: Incidental
71 species (+3 other taxa)

Rufous-bellied Chachalaca 5
Magnificent Frigatebird 2
Great Egret 1
Cattle Egret 4
Green Heron 1
White Ibis 1
White-faced Ibis 7
Black Vulture 25
Turkey Vulture 15
Gray Hawk 2
Killdeer 2
Northern Jacana 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove 6
Inca Dove 6
Ruddy Ground-Dove 5
White-winged Dove 1
Groove-billed Ani 2
Squirrel Cuckoo 1
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 1
swift sp. 1
Cinnamon Hummingbird 1
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 4
Gila Woodpecker 1 Female
Pale-billed Woodpecker 1
Collared Forest-Falcon 1 Calling
Bat Falcon 2 Male and female on radio tower
Orange-fronted Parakeet 6
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper 1
Greenish Elaenia 1
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher (Western Flycatcher) 3
Black Phoebe 1
Vermilion Flycatcher 3
Brown-crested Flycatcher 1
Myiarchus sp. 1
Great Kiskadee 5
Social Flycatcher 2
Tropical Kingbird 7
Thick-billed Kingbird 1
Masked Tityra 1
Bell's Vireo 2
Plumbeous Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 6
Black-throated Magpie-Jay 7
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 15
Purple Martin 1
Happy Wren 2
Sinaloa Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10
Rufous-backed Robin 6
Blue Mockingbird 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Nashville Warbler 1
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
American Redstart 1
Yellow Warbler 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 2
Grayish Saltator 2
Stripe-headed Sparrow 3
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 2
Blue Bunting 2
Blue Grosbeak 3
Varied Bunting 1
Painted Bunting 7
Yellow-winged Cacique 5
Orchard Oriole 1
Streak-backed Oriole 2
Bronzed Cowbird 12
Great-tailed Grackle 20

Arroyo El Ahuacatal--Las Calabazas, Nayarit, MX
Jan 23, 2018 4:20 PM
Protocol: Incidental
37 species (+1 other taxa)

Great Egret 1
Cattle Egret 3
White Ibis 2
Black Vulture 10
Turkey Vulture 5
Eurasian Collared-Dove 4
Inca Dove 2
Ruddy Ground-Dove 2
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 2
Lineated Woodpecker 1
Pale-billed Woodpecker 1
Collared Forest-Falcon 3 Two Heard and one adult seen.
Bat Falcon 1
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher (Western Flycatcher) 1
Vermilion Flycatcher 1
Great Kiskadee 4
Tropical Kingbird 3
Thick-billed Kingbird 1
Bell's Vireo 2
Warbling Vireo 4
Black-throated Magpie-Jay 9
Sinaloa Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8
Rufous-backed Robin 4
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Nashville Warbler 3
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 1
Grayish Saltator 1
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Summer Tanager 1
Yellow-winged Cacique 1
Orchard Oriole 2
Streak-backed Oriole 1