Subject: [Tweeters] TR-Chiapas Mexico
Date: Jan 16 23:28:53 2005
From: Levine, Barron - LevineB at bsd405.org


Chatters,
Sorry for the format for the trip report. If anyone would like a more cohesive copy, please e-mail me and I'll reformat this for you.

Barry Levine
Seattle
levineb at bsd405.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Levine, Barron
Sent: Sun 1/16/2005 11:12 PM
To: birdchat at listserv.arizona.edu; tweeters at u.washington.edu
Cc:
Subject: [Tweeters] TR-Chiapas Mexico



The great Kate Tillotson and I had a fabulous nine day trip to Chiapas (Dec 21st -30th 2004). We were able to combine a lot of birding with sightseeing and some cultural events. We had absolutely zero problems with security for those of you concerned as to Chiapas' safety. The few military checkpoints we saw all waved us through with no stoppages.

Our first stop was at Tuxtla Gutierrez. We went to Sumidero Canyon twice, the Tuxtla Zoo, and birded the Camino Real Hotel one morning. All three sites were very good considering the time of year. One BELTED FLYCATCHER was seen briefly at the site mentioned in Howell. We stayed at the nice Hotel Arecas (Best Western) for a pricey $60. Nice in that you can get easily in and out of town. I would not recommend staying in the city center (cheaper) but a bear to get out of due to congestion. Birdchatters Doris and John Waud, who are living in Tuxtla for the year, invited us to join them for an evening at Las Pinchachas Restaurant. A really wonderful place that has traditional dancing and food. I would highly recommend this. Thanks again Doris and John.

Out of Tuxtla we headed for Arriaga (Hotel Ik-Lumaal decent enough for $20)and Puerto Arista. We spent 3 hours one afternoon and 1/2 hour the next morning before we saw GIANT WRENS near the junction of 190 and Boca de Cielo Road. Had a nice experience with a man who lives in the first house north on the Boca de Cielo Road at the junction with 190. He invited us into his backyard to see a pair of nesting LINNEATED WOODPECKERS and to talk about birds. He was very friendly and let us park our car in his driveway while we birded the road. We then went across the junction and found the lagoon mentioned in Howell. It was definitely hopping. Easier access would be to go north on 190 to the first left hand turn. That would allow you to bypass going through the village. You could also take the next road north if you wanted to go around the other side of the lagoon. From there we headed back toward Tuxtla easily finding ROSITA"S BUNTING in the step turns of the gallery forests about 25 minutes north of Arriaga.

Our next stop was the wondrous San Cristobal (the so-so Hotel Media Luna-$35). As great a good place as we have visited in Mexico. Very cold in the mornings and evenings (long Johns and Sweater for me). Here we birded the Ocosingo Road site (again mentioned in Howell) and PINK-HEADED WARBLERS were very present as well as many other species at various sideroads in the area. An UNSPOTTED SAW-WHET OWL was great fun to see one morning at 5. We also birded a very quiet Cerro Huitepec one afternoon and tried the microondas tower on the other side of the mountain one very cold, foggy, windy morning. Not very much there though a worker told me the birds would come out later. Who knows? Best directions to the tower, take the right turn at km 78 on the road to Tuxtla (left if coming from Tuxtla). After passing a very small village look to the left for a road that is signed microondas Huitepec II. It's actually mostly a 2 tracked cement driveway that takes you a few miles up to the tower. In town don't miss the world class Amber Museum and make sure to visit the village of Chamela on a Sunday morning. You can do this on your own, but make sure you do not take pictures. The locals view this as stealing their souls and will attack you and take either your camera, or rip out the film. Serious stuff.

Ocosingo was our next destination with a stop along the Chanal Road to look for BLACK-THROATED JAY. We eventually found the jays in a small village off to the south side of the road. A very shy and curious group of women followed our every movement. Made for a unique experience. In Ocosingo we stayed at the Hotel Central. Fine location, and at $18 with a parking garage included, just about right . We ventured to the picturesque Tonina ruins for both late afternoon and early morning birding. One of the truely lovely places we have seen in Mexico. Birding is very good at the ruins, and is excellent along the road out to the ruins. Particularly at a bridge over a small river. The road by the way is now paved all the way out to the ruins .

We were fortunate to have a local turn us on to a shortcut to our next destination-Comitan. We took a road through the town of Altamirano that was birdy throughout. We got tricked by a hummingbird along this road that I thought there might not be any documentation for. What we ended up seeing was a hummingbird whose forecrown was covered in pollen, giving it a gleaming golden yellow sheen to its head. As someone who wrote a previous trip report might say "dodgey". We used Comitan (Posada Virrey-not worth the $33 spent)as a base to explore the Montebello area. This area has been greatly degraded and I would not recommend it unless you were looking for specific species. Here we did see UNICOLORED JAY and PREVOST'S GROUND-SPARROW at the Howell location. Interesting was a field in the same general vicinity that had over 200 LINCOLN"S SPARROWS. The lakes are picturesque.

On our way back to Tuxtla we stopped at the wondrous El Chiflon Cascade. At 11 in the morning butterflies abounded. I'm guessing the birding would be very good earlier. This is a place well worth visiting.

Below is a list of all birds seen. Thanks to: Howard Pine, Kraig and Kathy Kemper, Marcus Roening, Bob Sundstrom and all the trip reports that made our journey easier

Barry Levine Seattle levineb at bsd405.org

Least Grebe Short-Tailed Hawk Royal Tern
Pied-Billed Grebe Red-Tailed Hawk Marbled Godwit
Am. White Pelican Crested Caracara Rock Pigeon
Brown Pelican American Kestrel Red-Billed Pigeon
Neotropic Cormorant Plain Chachalaca Band-Tailed Pigeon
Bare-Throated Tiger-Heron White-Bellied Chachalaca White-Winged Dove
Great Blue Heron Common Moorhen Mourning Dove
Great Egret American Coot Inca Dove
Snowy Egret Black-Bellied Plover Common Ground-Dove
Little Blue Heron Collared Plover Plain-Breasted Ground
Tricolored Heron Wilson's Plover Ruddy Ground-Dove
Cattle Egret Semipalmated Plover Pacific Parakeet
Reddish Egret Killdeer Green Parakeet
Roeate Spoonbill Black-Necked Stilt Barred Parakeet
Wood Stork Greater Yellowlegs Brown-Hooded Parrot
Muscovy Duck Lesser Yellowlegs White-Crowned Parrot
Black Vulture Spotted Sandpiper White-Fronted Parrot
Turkey Vulture Western Sandpiper Red-Lored Parrot
Least Sandpiper Squirrel Cuckoo
Osprey Pectoral Sandpiper Groove-Billed Ani
Hooked-Billed Kite Stilt Sandpiper Mountain Pygmy-Owl
White-Tailed Kite Long-Billed Dowitcher Unspotted Saw-Whet Owl
White-Breasted Hawk Laughing Gull Lesser Nighthawk
Roadside Hawk Caspian Tern Mexican Whip-Poor-Will
Short-Tailed Hawk Black Skimmer Barred Antshrike
Vaux's Swift Mountain Trogon Mexican Antthrush
WhiteThroated Swift BlueCrownedMotmot Greenish Elaenia GreenishElaenia Yellow Olive r Acorn Woodpecker Yellow-Olive Flycatcher
Great Swallow-Tailed Swift Golden-Fronted Woodpecker Belted Flycatcher
Canivet's Emerald Hairy Woodpecker Common Tufted Flycatcher
White-Eared Hummingbird Golden-olive Woodpecker Greater Peewee
Azure-Crowned Hummingbird Guatemalan Flicker Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher
Berylline Hummingbird Lineated Woodpecker Least Flycatcher
Buff-Bellied Hummingbird Pale-Billed Woodpecker Hammond's Flycatcher
Green-Fronted Hummingbird Ruddy Foliage-Cleaner Buff-Breasted Flycatcher
Green-Throated Mountain-Gem Tawny-Throated Leaftosser Say's Phoebe
Garnet-Throated Hummingbird Cinnamon Becard Vermillion Flycatcher
Magnificent Hummingbird Rose-Throated Becard Dusky-Capped Flycatcher
Slender Sheartail Grey-Breasted Martin Nutting's Flycatcher
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Tree Swallow Great -Crested Flycatcher
Strong-Billed Woodcreeper Black- Capped Swallow Brown-Crested Flycatcher
Ivory-Billed Woodcreeper Ridgway's Roughwing Swallow Flammulated Flycatcher
Spot-Crowned Woodcreeper Bushtit Great Kiskadee
Steller's Jay Brown Creeper Boat-Billed Flycatcher
White-Throated Magpie-Jay Band-Backed Wren Social Flycatcher
Green Jay Spot-Breasted Wren Tropical Kingbird
Brown Jay Plain Wren Couch's Kingbird
Black-Throated Jay Southern House Wren Western Kingbird
Unicolored Jay Rufous-Browned Wren Scissor-Tail. Flycatcher

Northern Raven Grey-Breasted Wood-Wren Blue-Winged Warbler
Blue-Grey Gnatwren Nightingale Wren Golden-Winged Warbler
White-Lored Gnatcatcher Giant Wren Tennessee Warbler
Eastern Bluebird Gray Catbird Nashville Warbler Orange-Billed Nightingale Thrush Blue&White Mockingbird Crescent-Chested Warbler
Black-Headed Nightingale Thrush Cedar Waxwing Yellow Warbler Swainson's Thrush Grey Silky Magnolia Warbler
Wood Thrush Blue-Headed Vireo Black-Throated Blue Warbler Black Thrush Plumbeous Vireo Myrtle Warbler Clay-Colored Thrush Yellowed-Throated Vireo Audubon's Warbler White-Throated Thrush Hutton's Vireo Townsend's Warbler Rufous-Collared Thrush Warbling Vireo Hermit Warbler Yellow-Throated Euphonia Brown-Capped Vireo Golden-Cheeked Warbler Red-Crowned Ant-Tanger Yellow-Green Vireo Yellow-Throated Warbler Hepatic Tanager Blue Bunting Grace's Warbler Summer Tanager Indigo Bunting Black & White Warbler Western Tanager Varied Bunting American Redstart Flame-Colored Tanager Painted Bunting Macgillivray's Warbler White-Winged Tanager Rosita's Bunting Common Yellowthroat Common Bush-Tanager Red-Winged Blackbird Grey -Crowned Yellowthroat White-Naped Brushfinch Eastern Meadowlark Hooded Warbler Chestnut-Capped Brushfinch Melodious Blackbird Wilson's Warbler Prevost's Ground-Sparrow Great-Tailed Grackle Red-Faced Warbler Spotted Towhee Bronzed Cowbird Red Warbler Blue-Black Grassquit Orchard Oriole Pink-Headed Warbler White-Collared Seedeater Black-Vented Oriole Painted Redstart Ruddy-Breasted Seedeater Yellow-Backed Oriole Golden-Crowned Warbler Cinnamon-Bellied Flowerpiercer Altamira Oriole Rufous-Capped Warbler Rusty's Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Golden-Browed Warbler Chipping Sparrow Yellow Cacique Yellow-Breasted Chat Lincoln's Sparrow Red Crossbill Olive Warbler Rufous-Collared Sparrow Black-Headed Siskin Orange-Crowned Warbler Chiapas Yellowed-Eyed Sparrow Black-Capped Siskin ProthonotaryWarbler Orange- Breasted Bunting House Sparrow