VERACRUZ 2014: Day 3 – Coast to Xalapa

Day 3 / Oct 4: Playa Juan Angel; Cardel; Chichicaxtle; Xalapa – University Gardens

Playa Juan Angel

This morning we explored Johnny Angel Beach, a popular birding site with spectacular coastal dunes, thorn-scrub forest, and a small productive estuary at the river’s mouth. The diverse habitats host a variety of avian species to occupy us. We found animated Rufous-naped “Veracruz” Wrens, along with kingbirds, flycatchers and orioles.

Mexican Sheartail undertail

We enjoyed excellent looks at a pair of Mexican Sheartails in particular a male flashing its amazingly long forked tail; these Mexican endemic hummingbirds are found only in central Veracruz and the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. At the river’s mouth, a fish run attracted numerous Brown Pelicans, 5 white-phase Reddish Egrets, and several local fishermen and women casting their nets. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs foraged side by side, providing good comparison views.

White morph Reddish Egret

Back in Cardel we fell into our routine of lunch in the restaurant followed by hawk-watching on the roof. After ogling a few thousand migrating raptors (a bit slow by local standards!), we headed to the Chichicaxtle hawkwatch site to check out their flight numbers. We were not disappointed. In a little more than an hour we had over 20,000 birds, mostly Broad-winged Hawks, with a few early Swainson’s Hawks, and nice looks at two migrating Hook-billed Kites. We shared this great show with biologists from the Institute of Ecology, on a day off from their conference in Xalapa.

Hook-billed Kite

We departed Chichicaxtle in time to drive to Xalapa, check in to our hotel, and even do a little birding at the local university park in the last bits of daylight. Here in the capital city of Veracruz, at elevation 4,250 feet, we added new species that do not occur down on the coast, including Wedge-tailed Sabrewing and Azure-crowned Hummingbird.

We learned of bad weather in the forecast and smiled! Why is that good news? This is because a bit of rain while we are in the mountains may also detain the raptors flight, so when we return back to the coast in 3 days, the flights could be very big! We crossed fingers and looked ahead to more exciting birding in Veracruz.

– Robert Straub