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December 29, 2005

Continuing with my thread about the book "A Naturalist's Mexico" (or similar):

Well, I guess I'll never know what really went on in Mexico regarding the collapse of the Imperial Woodpeckerpopulation, except in general terms. But Wauer's book implies a range expansion into the Sierra madre Orientals (Madera del Carmen).

But he claimed another otherwise unsubstantiated sighting. And that is nesting Northern Goshawk! Now I cannot find any literature backing up that Goshawks nest in that part of Mexico. There again it would be a range expansion into the Sierra Madre Orientals, probably from the "A.g.apache" population. I do have a hawk book showing an isolated population of Cooper's Hawk at that location, but only on the map - not in the text specifically. But his exploits took place before the great awakening of the amateur birding cult.

Phil Hotlen
Bellingham, WA
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