An early morning visit to the shore of the Pacific near Puerto Vallarta will produce an excellent variety of birds. I found Semipalmated and Wilson’s Plover, as well as Whimbrel, Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, and Surfbird. On the ocean itself, Magnificent Frigatebird were common, often seen harassing Heerman’s and Laughing Gulls. Bridled and Sooty Terns were seen, and Brown and Blue-footed Booby.
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Wilson’s Plover, Charadrius wilsonia, is a plover that prefers coastal areas and is found in the Americas. It breeds on sandy areas. The large dark bill is very distinct. These images are Pacific coast birds taken in Mexico.
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Russet-crowned Motmot, Momotus mexicanus
The Russet-crowned Motmot, Momotus mexicanus, is found in dry forests in Guatemala and Mexico.
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San Blas has a well-deserved reputation as an excellent birding area as well as being a great place to surf. While we didn’t go surfing, our party did find some excellent birding. It has a number of good habitats, Peso Island reached by a short ferry ride, Lower Sinayta, a village surrounded by a forested area about 5 miles away from San Blas, the sewage lagoons, and the shrimp ponds found a short distance outside of the town. You can also take a guided boat trip through the mangroves. You can take this at night as well, with a guide who can spotlight some excellent birds.
We spent our day at the sewage lagoon and the shrimp ponds. Heron and egrets were plentiful at the shrimp ponds as was White and White-faced Ibis. The sewage lagoon hosted Fulvous Whistling Duck, Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal, and Northern Shoveler. Gray Hawk was common and we saw Short-tailed and White-tailed Hawk as well. Black-necked Stilts and American Avocet joined Northern Jacana at the sewage lagoon. In wooded areas it was easy to find White-winged Dove, Common Ground-Dove and Inca Dove. The spectacular Black-throated Magpie-Jay and beautiful San Blas Jay are to be seen.
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Rufous-collared Sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis
The Rufous-collared Sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis, is one of the most common members of the Bunting Family, found in a wide range of habitats from southern Mexico to Tierra del Fuego. It is often found near humans and is easily seen, especially given the males habit of singing from a prominent perch.
While in Panama, I found a leucistic male singing on a fence post. You can see an image of it below.
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All Images are Available for Licensing at Singular Video&Pix
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Mexican Plaza
There was an amazing amount of pigeons in this plaza in Puerto Vallarta.
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Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has been a long time favorite winter destination for North Americans from colder climates. below you will find some landscapes and images from the town.
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Painted Redstart
We contacted Birding Mexico and took their 1/2 day tour into the higher regions north of Puerto Vallarta. Essentially this involved driving the main highway south, and stopping a number of times at different locations and heights. If you had your own vehicle, you could easily do the area on your own, stopping at likely looking spots. The tour stopped in late morning and went to a restaurant. It is designed for the casual birder and those who are a little more hardcore will find this lunch stop frustrating as it reduces prime birding time to two or three hours.
Among the birds seen were Military Macaw, the endemic and threatened Lilac-crowned Parrot, Black Swift, Beryline Hummingbird, Russet-crowned Motmot, Acorn, Lineated and Pale-billed Woodpecker, Vermillion Flycatcher, White-throated Thrush, Green Jay, the endemic Golden Vireo, Grace’s Warbler, Painted Redstart, Hepatic, Summer and Western Tanagers, White-collared Seadeater, Rusty Sparrow, Orange-breasted Bunting, and Yellow Grosbeak.
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