Birding West Mexico Endemics

Tuesday, January 30: El Tuito/Rancho Primavera
Rancho Primavera

Visit Rancho Primavera, Rancho El Santuario, and the Puerta Vallarta Botanical Gardens areas and local roads

BIRD of the DAY: Military Macaw

Of course our day began with the excellent birding at Rancho Primavera where we always seemed surrounded by birds. A perfect start to a day of amazing birding.



Right after breakfast we drove to El Santuario a wildlife reserve for endangered Military Macaws – it was up a long narrow road in the forest. We had a few good sightings along the way including a tiny Colima Pygmy-Owl perched on a tree branch right over the road – and he just stayed still, watching us take photos of him.



We arrived at the official entrance to the El Santuario hiking trails. Luis got permission to take us here; there is a guard posted to prevent poachers. Then we were off on a trail to view the Macaw nesting boxes. We had some excellent views from a distance, without being intrusive.



Nimali was not able to hike the steep trail so she patiently waited for the group at an observation tower that is under construction in memory of a birder.



Next stop: Botanical Gardens. This was a very special visit. Birds were everywhere.



We even birded while we were at lunch in the restaurant. Our table was beside an open viewing area with feeders below. We sipped our welcoming drinks and birded at the same time.



Barbara and Bill walked down to a crystal clear river which runs through the Botanical Gardens and then they tested their hiking skills on a steep trail.



Late afternoon it was time to leave the beautiful gardens and head back to Rancho Primavera for more birding before dinner.



After some feeder birding we hiked to the pond and Bill and Luis spotted a Purple Gallinule. What a day!



January 30 Birds
Selva El Tuito--Rancho Primavera (acceso restringido), Jalisco, MX
Jan 30, 2018 7:30 AM
Protocol: Incidental
50 species (+2 other taxa)

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 8
Hooded Merganser 1 Male
Neotropic Cormorant 2
Great Egret 1
Cattle Egret 2
Green Heron 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron 5
Turkey Vulture 2
Ruddy Ground-Dove 1
White-tipped Dove 2
White-winged Dove 1
Common Pauraque 1
Vaux's Swift 4
Plain-capped Starthroat 2
Cinnamon Hummingbird 1
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 2
Pale-billed Woodpecker 2
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher (Western Flycatcher) 1
Great Kiskadee 1
Social Flycatcher 4
Tropical Kingbird 2
Thick-billed Kingbird 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Black-throated Magpie-Jay 8
Green Jay 1
San Blas Jay 3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Violet-green Swallow 20
Barn Swallow 2
Happy Wren 1
Sinaloa Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
White-throated Thrush 1
Rufous-backed Robin 1
Blue Mockingbird 1
Louisiana/Northern Waterthrush 1
Nashville Warbler 1
MacGillivray's Warbler 2
Tropical Parula 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 1
Grayish Saltator 6
Stripe-headed Sparrow 4
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Summer Tanager 1
Yellow Grosbeak 4
Yellow-winged Cacique 8
Orchard Oriole 1
Hooded Oriole 1
Streak-backed Oriole 3

Rancho el Santuario, Jalisco, MX
Jan 30, 2018 8:26 AM
Protocol: Incidental
29 species (+1 other taxa)

Turkey Vulture 1
Common Black Hawk 1
White-tipped Dove 1
Colima Pygmy-Owl 1
Calliope Hummingbird 2
Cinnamon Hummingbird 1
Citreoline Trogon 1
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 2
Gray-crowned Woodpecker 1
Lilac-crowned Parrot 1
Military Macaw 8
Olivaceous Woodcreeper 1
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper 1
Tufted Flycatcher 1
Greater Pewee 2
Pacific-slope/Cordilleran Flycatcher (Western Flycatcher) 1
Dusky-capped Flycatcher 1
Social Flycatcher 2
Masked Tityra 1
Rose-throated Becard 2
Warbling Vireo 10
Green Jay 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Brown-backed Solitaire 1
Nashville Warbler 1
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
American Redstart 1
Grace's Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 2
Grayish Saltator 2

Jardín Botánico Vallarta, Jalisco, MX
Jan 30, 2018 12:00 PM
Protocol: Incidental
33 species

Rufous-bellied Chachalaca 2
Magnificent Frigatebird 1
Black Vulture 20
Turkey Vulture 4
Hook-billed Kite 1
Zone-tailed Hawk 1
White-tipped Dove 1
Vaux's Swift 30
Mexican Hermit 1
Plain-capped Starthroat 2
Broad-billed Hummingbird 1
Cinnamon Hummingbird 4
Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 3
Ladder-backed Woodpecker 1
Orange-fronted Parakeet 4
Military Macaw 2
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper 1
Masked Tityra 1
Green Jay 3
San Blas Jay 15
Happy Wren 1
Sinaloa Wren 1
White-throated Thrush 10
Rufous-backed Robin 1
MacGillivray's Warbler 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 2
Grayish Saltator 5
Summer Tanager 1
Yellow Grosbeak 3
Yellow-winged Cacique 14
Streak-backed Oriole 2