Day 10 / Oct 11: UNAM Biological Station; Laguna Sontecompan; Los Mangos We spent the morning exploring the lush rainforest habitat of the UNAM Biological station. This expansive reserve, founded in 1967, belongs to the Institute of Biology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). It protects an array of threatened and diverse wildlife species,…

Day 9 / Oct 10: Las Barrancas; Tlacotalpan; Nanciyaga   Today we said our final farewells to Cardel and the famous hawk-watching sites, to trek southward into an entirely different region. Our goal was to explore the savannah and dry forest at Las Barrancas, looking for several specialty birds. Driving down a flat, open road,…

Day 8 / Oct 9:  Villa Rica; Quiahuiztlan; Cardel; Chichicaxtle   We started early this morning, heading up the coast to Villa Rica. Away from the highway, the quiet road was lined with pastures, mangroves and forest patches, hosting a variety of interesting birds including a close Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Common Black Hawk.    …

Day 7 /  Oct 8: Rancho El Mirador; Chichicaxtle After yesterday’s amazing raptor flight with nearly 200,000 birds reported streaming through the region, we deferred our focus on hawks today, and headed up the mountains to the El Mirador Ranch and coffee finca, situated at elevation 3,000 feet. There we met our gracious host Jorge…

Day 5 / Oct 6: Las Minas; Los Humeros; La Joya Today we explored the higher regions around Xalapa, finding many new species and some Mexican endemics in lovely conifer and mixed-wood forests above 6,000 feet elevation.     Only about 30 minutes drive from Xalapa we arrived at our first site, La Joya. This…

Day 6 / Oct 7: Chavarillo; Cardel; Chichicaxtle; Rio Escondido   On our last morning in Xalapa we visited the small town of Chavarrillo, situated just below the city in elevation. This slightly lower, drier location yielded new birds for our trip list. We were accompanied by my friend Alvaro, who guided us through the…

Day 4 / Oct 5: Xalapa -Macuilteptl Park; Anthropological Museum; Xico-Texolo Waterfall   Our first full day in Xalapa, the capital city of Veracruz, dawned clear and bright. We spent the morning birding in the lovely Macuilteptl Park, in the center of Xalapa. The park is built around an old volcano, with walkways that steadily ascend…

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

Day 2 / Oct 3: La Mancha; Rio La Antigua Our early start today allowed us to witness a lovely sunrise over the coast at La Mancha. The first rays of light silhouetted flights of passerines and other migrants rising out of their overnight roosts in search of food. Flocks of Dickcissels flew overhead, as other…

As autumn blankets our region with seasonally-chilly weather, it’s time to keep an eye out for northern bird species that spend their winters here in Philadelphia, such as regularly-occuring Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows.  There is also the possibility of others, such as Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin and Purple Finch. In some years, we encounter…

  I was delighted to once again participate as one of the “Big Sitta’s” in the 5th BIG SIT at John Heinz NWR, Philadelphia PA, yesterday, October 12, 2014. Founded by the New Haven (CT) Birding Club and hosted by Bird Watchers Digest, this one-day international event provides a great opportunity for birders to engage…

  I have recently been watching a few Sora delicately picking off small invertebrates from cattail stalks along the edge of the freshwater impoundment at my regular birding site, John Heinz NWR in Philadelphia. Sora, along with American Coot, Common Gallinule and Virginia Rail to name but a few, belong the rail family. While coots…