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The Crested Caracara is basically a colorful vulture. But what a regal-looking bird, one of my favorites!
Crested Caracaras are probably equal numerically to vultures in the Sinaloa countryside.
Here is one at an informal garbage dump in the foothills east of Mazatlán:
Others at a spot near El Quelite, Sinaloa:
My western Mexico birding trip continued as I drove to Mazatlán, the beach resort in Sinaloa.
I am not a fan of beach resorts crowded with tourists, traffic, and high-rise hotels, and was not thrilled with what I saw of Mazatlán, though I'm sure it has much to offer.
I arranged to have a guide take me into the mountains east of Mazatlán, but he had to postpone the trip by one day, so I spent the morning and afternoon exploring some nearby areas said to be good for birding.
Though the morning was not particularly productive, my first stop yielded another life-bird, the Sinaloa Crow.
Our American Crow is only found in the United States and Canada, and a sliver of northern Baja California.
In Sinaloa, appropriately enough, the local corvid is the Sinaloa Crow.
This bird is found exclusively in Sinaloa and parts of four neighboring states.
Photographed in May of this year:
Leaving Tepic, I stopped at an overlook where Military Macaws can sometimes been seen in the canyon below.
It was hot, the light was harsh, and there were no macaws to be seen or heard.
I did see this bird moving through the trees below, however, which turned out to be a Golden-cheeked Woodpecker.
This bird is a Mexican endemic, found only in western Mexico. Though I had seen this species once before, in San Blas, it was still special to see!
There are six species of Motmot in Mexico, of which I have seen two.
The Russet-crowned Motmot is found in much of western Mexico in tropical lowlands and foothills.
As I was leaving the ecological park in Tepic, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a bird shaped differently from any others I had seen that day.
I investigated, and was thrilled to see the motmot.
Motmots have racket-shaped tails which they wag back and forth like a pendulum.
Unfortunately, this one has lost most of the "racket" part of its tail!
It's still a beautiful bird.
My short visit (one afternoon and the next morning) to Tepic's Parque Ecologico Tachi'í did not disappoint. It was one of the more productive birding spots I have visited in Mexico!
One of my motivations for visiting the ecological park in Tepic, Nayarit, was that I had read that it is possible to see three species of uncommon rails in the park.
I continually kept an eye on the extensive reeds in the middle of the river, and was quite excited when I saw this bird on the distant shore.
I was slightly disappointed to realize it was "only" a Northern Jacana. It is, though, quite a beautiful bird, if not as uncommon as the rails I was hoping to see.
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is by far the most abundant duck in Tepic, Mexico.
Rather than quack, these ducks make a whistling sound.
They are found in Texas, Florida, and much of Mexico, Central and South America.
Here are two photographed on a misty morning in Tepic's Ecological Park in May of this year:
The Limpkin is found in freshwater marshes in Florida, as well as parts of Mexico and much of the Caribbean and South America.
Here is one in Tepic's Ecological Park in May of this year:
The Groove-billed Ani is unlikely to win a beauty contest, but nevertheless I find it charming in its own way.
Here is one in Tepic's Ecological Park in May of this year:
The Rufous-backed Robin looks and acts quite a bit like our American Robin except that it has -- guess! -- a rufous back!
Here is one in Tepic's Tachi'í Ecological Park. (Tachi'í is a Huichol name, as the Huichols are indigenous to this part of Mexico).
Rufous-backed Robins are said to be "wary" but I nearly stumbled upon this one and it was not disturbed by my close presence.
This Broad-billed Hummingbird was perched outside the gates of Tepic's Ecological Park.
Here is another, feeding in the park's hummingbird garden:
Photographed in May of this year.
