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One of the highlights of the tour was this gorgeous male Orange-breasted Bunting. Photo by participant Kirsten Tucker.

I bet it took a little while for many of us to learn how to pronounce “Oaxaca” correctly—as the flight crew on my flight down last time said: “Welcome to Waka”! What a lovely place, and a great time to escape the cold and snow of the boreal winter! Oaxaca provides a great place for our Nearctic migrants to winter, so why not Nearctic birders too? And so we did just that, and a grand time was had!

With my bud Chris (the Solitaire) coleading, we were bound to find some great birds, including (of course) flycatchers, and we beat the bushes for all the birds we could find… from the gorgeous pine-oak-douglas fir forests of the high mountains to the dry oak scrub of the foothills, the agricultural plain at the floor of the Oaxaca valley, and the distinctive arid tropical woodland with its many columnar cactus on the Pacific slope east of the valley. The complex geography surrounding the Oaxaca valley has resulted in the high endemism of the region, and we certainly reaped the rewards of it with no fewer than 24 Mexican endemics on the tour! Many memories came from our experience, and we really enjoyed sharing these with you!

Highest on the list of sightings was our experience with the mysterious Fulvous Owl, which was only confirmed on this side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec less than a decade ago; we enjoyed seeing it on a brightly moonlit night. Our fine views of the lovely Lesser Roadrunner (including at least one running on the road, but not hollerin’ “Beep beep!” sadly), was the second-highest rated sighting of the tour. The tie-dyed Orange-breasted Bunting and the relaxed and colorful Russet-crowned Motmot were other highlights, as was the entire experience of walking along the wash that took us into the unique dry Pacific tropical woodland of KM 77. This same habitat was also home to the flamboyant White-throated Magpie-Jay, whose long tails and recurved crests seem as comical as their personalities. The fiery Red Warbler, emblematic of the pine-fir highlands of Mexico, was another high-ranking bird on our list, with the Golden-browed Warbler providing a fine balance in color to it! If a Chestnut-sided Warbler ever became the Hulk, it would be the decidedly eye-catching Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, another favorite of the tour. Another denizen of the highlands that was much appreciated was the very range-restricted Dwarf Jay, which put on a fine show as a couple of groups foraged in a mixed flock accompanied by Gray-barred Wren, Steller’s Jays, and Strong-billed Woodcreepers. Here, too, was the quiet and composed Mountain Trogon, whose splashes of red and green or brown aren’t as attention-calling as you might think amid the dappled montane vegetation! The somber Black Thrush, a sometimes-rare species here, was also a favorite, as was the Collared Towhee and the Rufous-capped Brushfinch (Deb’s 3000th species! Congratulations!). In the drier oak and deciduous scrub farther downslope, we encountered other memorable birds such as the perky Gray Silky-Flycatcher, the skulking Ocellated Thrasher and its cousin Blue Mockingbird, and the understated (yet still great) Pileated Flycatcher, and the boisterous Boucard’s Wrens, who bubble up in response to playback in the vicinity of their cactus patches! Nutting’s Flycatcher “weeping” from the scrub and the low-flying Zone-tailed Hawk our last morning provided other memories to be enjoyed. Of course, I can’t leave out Chris’ glowing scorpion on Cerro San Felipe!

But lest we forget, the tour also allowed us a window into the culture of the region, both present and past. The impressive ruins of Monte Alban highlighted the height of local civilization in the Oaxaca valley, and our fine local guide and driver Jorge was a rich source of information on the pre-Columbian cultures of the valley, who played a very important role in the development of American civilization! The Mendoza family of Tlalmanalli also provided us with a smile-filled glimpse of the food, language, and artisanal weaving of the Teotitlan region, showing how those older civilizations have carried on into the present day with grace and purpose. And finally, we enjoyed the cuisine of this corner of Mexico, which holds many “endemics” as well, not least of which are the moles, the cheeses, and the other delectables we sampled.

In all, the tour was a great introduction to some of the most distinctive aspects of the great country of Mexico, as well as offering a taste of the Neotropics, at the edge of which the Oaxaca valley sits. We hope you will consider joining us for another foray into these regions, or others, in the near future!

Until then, keep them binoculars close at hand, and keep an eye out for that next bird!

Dan and Chris

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

Lesser Roadrunners put on quite a show for us! Guide Dan Lane got this image of two, carrying some sort of large insects.

Nutting's Flycatcher is a typical Myiarchus; we had some great looks at this western-slope resident. Photo by participant George Sims.

The Blue Mockingbird is a Mexican endemic. Guide Dan Lane was able to get a nice photo of this skulker!

Several Black-vented Orioles were seen around Teotitlan. Photo by participant Dick Latuchie.

The Bushtits that we saw are of the Melanotis group, which has black ear patches, unlike the American population, which does not. This individual shows that trait nicely. Photo by participant Kirsten Tucker.

The Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo is one of the most colorful members of this usually somber group. We got a great look at this one at Rio Verde. Photo by guide Dan Lane.

This Boucard's Wren posed nicely for participant Kirsten Tucker.

Here is our group watching for the Dwarf Vireo to show. Photo by participant George Sims.

The Pileated Flycatcher isn't colorful, but it has a certain flair. We had some great views of this western Mexico endemic, including one singing at Monte Alban. Photo by guide Dan Lane.

The showy White-throated Magpie-jay was seen well at KM 77. Photo by guide Dan Lane.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Totals for the tour: 187 bird taxa and 1 mammal taxa