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24 Jan Question about Sierra Madre Sparrow ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 21 Jan first ever photograph and captured Gray-breasted Crake Mexico [Manuel Grosselet ] 20 Jan El Sumidero road remains closed [Amy McAndrews ] 19 Jan RE: Yucatan safe? ["Chris Harrison" ] 18 Jan RE: monarch reserve ["Bert Frenz" ] 18 Jan monarch reserve [Diane Rainsford ] 18 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? [Steve Semanchuk ] 18 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? ["Kevin S." ] 18 Jan RE: Yucatan safe? ["Chris Harrison" ] 17 Jan Re: Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows [Adrian Ganem Sada ] 16 Jan Re: Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows [Mark Stackhouse ] 16 Jan RE: Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows ["Bert Frenz" ] 16 Jan Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows [Jack Eitniear ] 16 Jan Cabo San Lucas birds ["Lethaby, Nick" ] 13 Jan Calakmul follow-up [Robert Curry ] 13 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? ["Kevin S." ] 14 Jan Belize Raptor Research Institute 2012 Belize Raptor Tour ["Ryan" ] 14 Jan RE: Yucatan safe? [Timothy Brush ] 13 Jan Nazca Booby in Sinaloa [Rene Valdes ] 12 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? ["Kevin S." ] 12 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? [Robert Curry ] 12 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? ["Kevin S." ] 12 Jan RE: Yucatan safe? ["Chris Harrison" ] 12 Jan Re: RFI Durango Highway Sinaloa Martins [Mark Stackhouse ] 12 Jan Re: RFI Durango Highway Sinaloa Martins [Rene Valdes ] 12 Jan RFI Durango Highway Sinaloa Martins [Russell Graham ] 6 Jan RFI: Rare bird sightings [Amy Davis ] 3 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? ["Michael L. P. Retter" ] 5 Jan Re: Calakmul camping ["Kevin S." ] 5 Jan Calakmul camping [Steve Semanchuk ] 5 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? ["Kevin S." ] 5 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? [] 5 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? [Steve Semanchuk ] 5 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? [Adrian Ganem Sada ] 4 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? ["Kevin S." ] 4 Jan Re: Yucatan safe? [] 3 Jan Yucatan safe? ["Kevin S." ] 5 Dec Re: New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) [Robert Straub ] 4 Dec Re: New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) [Rene Valdes ] 4 Dec Re: New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) ["Rodrigo U. Lopez Valdes" ] 4 Dec New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) [Mark Stackhouse ] 15 Nov Winter Wren in Tamaulipas ["Michael L. P. Retter" ] 12 Nov CBC in Sinaloa, 4-5 Jan, 2012 [Rene Valdes ] 27 Oct Spam con from Nancy !! [Jack Windsor ] 26 Oct ATTA Conference and Harpy Eagle ["Brock Huffman" ] 24 Oct Deadline! CFP 31 October 2011 - Ethnoornithology session at ICE 13 ["Robert Gosford" ] 24 Oct Solitary Eagle Project- Assistance needed ["Ryan" ] 23 Oct San Blas CBC [Mark Stackhouse ] 18 Oct Re: violence in Mexico thread [Jack Eitniear ] 15 Oct RE: GPS for Mexico ["Chris Harrison" ] 15 Oct Re: Re: GPS for Mexico [Jim Sinclair ] 14 Oct Re: GPS for Mexico [Mary Ann Wood ] 14 Oct GPS for Mexico [Diane Rainsford ] 11 Oct Re: crime in Mexico. Not what you think. [Gary Hunter ] 11 Oct crime in Mexico. Not what you think. [Jack Eitniear ] 9 Oct RFI: rare birds in Mexico ["Michael L. P. Retter" ] 09 Oct Sotano de las Golondrinas - San Luis Potosi - a detailed trip report ["patzcuarobirder" ] 09 Oct Sotano de Barro - contact information for reservations ["patzcuarobirder" ] 08 Oct Sotano de Barro - Queretaro State ["patzcuarobirder" ] 07 Oct Last Call for Travel Grants - ICE 2012 - 14 October ["Robert Gosford" ] 4 Oct Another San Blas Mississippi Kite [Mark Stackhouse ] 3 Oct Spotted Rail at Coba or elsewhere in Yucatan Penn. [Richard Waldrop ] 3 Oct RE: RFI southern Quintana Roo birding ["Chris Harrison" ] 3 Oct RFI southern Quintana Roo birding [Timothy Brush ] 23 Sep A chance to raise money for El Triunfo - and win a visit [Jorge Montejo ] 9 Sep RFI: recent rare birds in Mexico ["Michael L. P. Retter" ] 9 Sep Re: Chiapas safe for travel? ["Michael L. P. Retter" ] 23 Sep Re:2 [Jon King ] 21 Sep Re: Birding Tamaulipas [Jack Eitniear ] 20 Sep Re:4 [Jon King ] 17 Sep NEW BIRD CONSERVATION FUND WELCOMES APPLICATIONS [James Lowen ] 17 Sep ISE 13, Montpelier, May 2012 - Call for travel grant applications ["Robert Gosford" ] 17 Sep CfP - Ethnoornithology session at 13th ISE, Montpelier, France ["Robert Gosford" ] 15 Sep Mississippi Kite in Nayarit [Mark Stackhouse ] 9 Sep Re: Chiapas safe for travel? [Robert Straub ] 9 Sep Chiapas safe for travel? ["Kevin S." ] Subject: Question about Sierra Madre Sparrow From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:41:31 +0000 All: I have a potential business trip to Mexico City this summer and hope to spend time looking for Sierra Madre Sparrow. I having been reading various trip reports and one from early 2011 stated that they missed Sierra Madre Sparrow at La Cima because the habitat had been burned. I wanted to check: 1. That this site still had them 2. If there are alternate sites Thanks, Nick Subject: first ever photograph and captured Gray-breasted Crake Mexico From: Manuel Grosselet <birdinnet AT yahoo.com.mx> Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:09:27 -0800 (PST) Hi Guys Check this link. http://www.avesdemexico.net/forums/viewthread/6601/ After to run these birds for 6 months, recording song, and hearing these little guys everywhere in our site, finally we manage to capture one and take some pictures. I think it's very commun in southern Veracruz (may be until la Tinaja or more) in all the marsh If you bird around, let us know, there are recording in xeno canto...It's very hard to see, we saw 260 species last year, capture 17500 birds and this one was just recorded by song. All the best Manuel www.tierradeaves.com Pemex Bird Observatory Subject: El Sumidero road remains closed From: Amy McAndrews <aemcandrews AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:39:00 -0800 (PST) Hola Mx birders, Despite opening briefly over the Christmas holidays, the road past the entrance gate to El Sumidero is once again closed to visitors for continuing road construction. According to local park staff the road will remain closed daily, including weekends, until at least mid-February (probably longer). As of yesterday, the road crew was working their way down from somewhere just above the first mirador (La Ceiba). I'll post to the group when I hear of the park reopening. Saludos y buen pajareo, Amy McAndrews Subject: RE: Yucatan safe? From: "Chris Harrison" <sandboa AT satx.rr.com> Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:09:59 -0600 We have visited the Yucatan area by flying to Villahermosa, Merida, Cancun, and Cozumel and driving from there. You should also check the prices for flights to Chetumal although they are usually expensive. Depending on the time of year, any one of those can be cheaper than the others and one is often noticeably cheaper than the others. Of course, we aren't flying as far as you. Chris Harrison San Antonio, TX From: Kevin S. [mailto:kevmsharp AT yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 10:56 AM To: Chris Harrison; Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? _____ From: Chris Harrison To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 7:54 AM Subject: RE: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? One place we like near Xpujil is the Ruinas Hormiguera. It is a few minutes little south of Xpujil and off on a bumpy side road to the west. There is a sign indicating the turnoff. The ruins themselves are small and birdy, but the thing we like about going to Hormigueras is stopping at the lake is on the south side of the access road (18.399637,-89.464982) and a nice little wooded pond that is on the north side of the road right as you enter the ruins grounds. The little pond is at 18.403434, -89.486986. We have spent the whole morning sitting on a bench near this pond birding. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Interesting info, Chris! Shopping for flights, it seems airfare is high these days. Haven't found anything for less than $400-500, once taxes, etc. are added in. Mexico, the Yucatan in particular, has always been our travel option in "off" years while we save for more expensive trips, further afield (not a bad "off" year option, mind you -we absolutely LOVE Mexico). Still, at $500 a ticket we're opening it up again and considering other options. Anyone have any tips on finding good airfare to Mexico? My apologies ahead of time if flights are considered off topic.... I promise its a birding trip ;-) Kevin S. Manchester, MI Subject: RE: monarch reserve From: "Bert Frenz" <bertf AT bafrenz.com> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:00:28 -0600 Diane, If you mean Sierra Chincua Biosphere Reserve near Angangueo, we visited in 2003 and 2009. We camped in our RV's at a vacant lot at Hotel Villa Monarca on the outskirts of Zitacuaro. The hotel, restaurant and grounds looked good. Visit http://destinia.com/en/hotels/north-america/mexico/michoacan/zitacuaro-hotel s/hotel-villa-monarca-inn-h107368 At Sierra Chincua we found Green Violetear, White-eared Hummingbird, Steller's Jay, Mexican Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Red Warbler, Olive-backed Towhee, Yellow-eyed Junco and others. At the hotel grounds we found Green Violetear, Berylline Hummingbird, Greater Pewee, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Cassin's Vireo, Bushtit, Spotted Wren, Boucard's Wren, Bewick's Wren, Rufous-backed Robin, Curve-billed Thrasher, Gray Silky-flycatcher, Townsend's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Canyon Towhee, Stripe-headed Sparrow, Western Tanager, Black-vented Oriole, Lesser Goldfinch and others. Of course, the Monarch butterflies were the highlight. You can read our travel blogs for our experiences: January 21, 2003 - see http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/Belize03/BZ3-C3.htm January 24, 2009 - see http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/Belize09/MEX2009-C4.htm Bert ------------------------------- Bert Frenz, Bert2 AT bafrenz.com Birding Guide & RV Wagonmaster Read about our past and future RV caravans at www.bafrenz.com/birds/ From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Diane Rainsford Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 5:56 PM To: mexico-birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [Mexico-Birding] monarch reserve Has anyone visited the monarch reserve east of Morelia? is it any good for birding? and where is a recommended place to stay? Diane Rainsford Corvallis, OR Subject: monarch reserve From: Diane Rainsford <diane_rains AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:55:55 -0800 Has anyone visited the monarch reserve east of Morelia? is it any good for birding? and where is a recommended place to stay? Diane Rainsford Corvallis, OR Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: Steve Semanchuk <dosgecos AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:06:05 -0500 I can second Chris on the size and complex layout of Calakmul. We made many a circle before finding our way out. When we were there, there were no maps available except for the one posted as a sign. At the next site we visited, we made a quick sketch before entering the "maze". Kohunlich was also good birding for us. Steve Semanchuk Weaverville, NC On Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 7:54 AM, Chris Harrison wrote: > ** > > ** > > Be careful wandering around the Calakmul ruins simply because the area is > huge and it is easy to get lost. It is also easy to be a long way from > other people. > > ** ** > > Kohunlich further east is also nice and the Hotel Explorean along the road > into Kohunlich (http://www.explorean.com/) while not cheap is certainly > an unforgettable experience!**** > > ** ** > > Chris Harrison**** > > San Antonio, TX**** > > ** ** > > *From:* Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto: > Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] *On Behalf Of *Timothy Brush > *Sent:* Friday, January 13, 2012 6:27 PM > *To:* Robert Curry; Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* RE: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe?**** > > ** ** > > **** > > Yes, very timely info. for me also, as I am planning a trip to QR, > including Calakmul, in late May. If you don't mind a few followup > questions: in general, were there lots of birds at the Calakmul ruins > themselves, or mostly along the road in? Did the shuttle stop if something > interesting was seen? Any comments on the "birdiness" of thea other ruins > in the Xpujil area?**** > > **** > > Best regards,**** > > Tim Brush**** > > University of Texas-Pan American**** > > Edinburg, TX**** > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] > on behalf of Kevin S. [kevmsharp AT yahoo.com] > *Sent:* Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:42 PM > *To:* Robert Curry; Chris Harrison; Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe?**** > > **** > > > **** > > **** > > *From:* Robert Curry > *To:* Kevin S. ; Chris Harrison ; > "Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com" > *Sent:* Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:23 PM > *Subject:* Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe?**** > > ** ** > > I just returned today (to Akumal, Riviera Maya) from 2 days in Calakmul > with my field ecology class. Here are some updates likely to be of interest > to birders:**** > > - The road all the way down to the Calakmul ruins is now closed to > private vehicles and (I believe) tour buses. Instead, everyone must park at > Km 20 and then take a shuttle bus operated by one of the local *ejidos*. > The ride costs 70 pesos per person, round trip; it operates from 07:20 AM > about once an hour. The ride to the ruins (another 40 Km south) takes about > 1 hour 10 minutes. **** > - There is an active Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest accessible from the * > sendero* at Km 15 (the pair was nest building and copulating during > the AM today). The nest site is east of the main road, in a tall tree in > standing water at the bottom of the first *bajo*. **** > - We stayed at the Ya'ax Che campground (email < > servidoresturisticos AT yahoo.com.mx>) at Km 8 on the road to the ruins. > The cost per person for the use of the tents there is 200 pesos. Food is 70 > pesos per meal. They do a very nice job. **** > - There is a new Italian Coffee shop at the 'middle' Pemex gas station > on the east side of Xpujil (there are 3 stations in total in the town). > Close enough to the real thing for Starbucks aficionados (addicts?) ! > **** > - I sensed no change at all in the level of security scrutiny during > the trip to/from Calakmul relative to previous trips in 2007 and 2010. We > have driven all over the eastern half of the peninsula, from Rio Lagartos > in the north to Calakmul in the south, with no incidents and a good sense > of safety. Hard to say what might be going on "behind the scenes," but the > region seems as safe as always to me.First Vice-**** > > **** > > ===================================**** > > **** > > Excellent info, Robert. Very exciting about the Ornate Hawk-Eagle -nearly > as exciting is the new coffee shop! -Kevin S.**** > > **** > > ** ** > > **** > > > Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:55:56 -0800 (PST) ________________________________ From: Chris Harrison To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 7:54 AM Subject: RE: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? One place we like near Xpujil is the Ruinas Hormiguera.� It is a few minutes little south of Xpujil and off on a bumpy side road to the west.� There is a sign indicating the turnoff.� The ruins themselves are small and birdy, but the thing we like about going to Hormigueras is stopping at the lake is on the south side of the access road (18.399637,-89.464982) and a nice little wooded pond that is on the north side of the road right as you enter the ruins grounds.� The little pond is at 18.403434, -89.486986.� We� have spent the whole morning sitting on a bench near this pond birding. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Interesting info, Chris!� Shopping for flights, it seems airfare is high these days.� Haven't found anything for less than $400-500, once taxes, etc. are added in.� Mexico, the Yucatan in particular, has always been our travel option in "off" years while we save for more expensive trips, further afield (not a bad "off" year option, mind you -we absolutely LOVE Mexico).� Still, at $500 a ticket we're opening it up again and considering other options.� Anyone have any tips on finding good airfare to Mexico?� My apologies ahead of time if flights are considered off topic.... I promise its a birding trip ;-)�� Kevin S. Manchester, MI Subject: RE: Yucatan safe? From: "Chris Harrison" <sandboa AT satx.rr.com> Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:54:24 -0600 In birding Calakmul, the ruins are good, the parking lot is good, the road in used to be good. I suspect with the influx of more tourists and the changes to traffic the road isn't what it used to be. I remember birding this road on a number of occasions all morning and not seeing another human being in a car or otherwise. Also, accessing the ruins and road are restricted by the hours that they are open now. You can't just show up and dawn and expect to bird. Be careful wandering around the Calakmul ruins simply because the area is huge and it is easy to get lost. It is also easy to be a long way from other people. Climbing either of the two tall pyramids gives a nice vista over the canopy and can be quite birdy. Supposedly you can see El Mirador in Guatemala from there, but we were never sure which pyramid in the distance it was. We have always had good birding at many of the other ruins in the Yucatan including a variety of those along 186 between Escarcega and Chetumal. One place we like near Xpujil is the Ruinas Hormiguera. It is a few minutes little south of Xpujil and off on a bumpy side road to the west. There is a sign indicating the turnoff. The ruins themselves are small and birdy, but the thing we like about going to Hormigueras is stopping at the lake is on the south side of the access road (18.399637,-89.464982) and a nice little wooded pond that is on the north side of the road right as you enter the ruins grounds. The little pond is at 18.403434, -89.486986. We have spent the whole morning sitting on a bench near this pond birding. Kohunlich further east is also nice and the Hotel Explorean along the road into Kohunlich (http://www.explorean.com/) while not cheap is certainly an unforgettable experience! Chris Harrison San Antonio, TX From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Timothy Brush Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 6:27 PM To: Robert Curry; Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? Yes, very timely info. for me also, as I am planning a trip to QR, including Calakmul, in late May. If you don't mind a few followup questions: in general, were there lots of birds at the Calakmul ruins themselves, or mostly along the road in? Did the shuttle stop if something interesting was seen? Any comments on the "birdiness" of thea other ruins in the Xpujil area? Best regards, Tim Brush University of Texas-Pan American Edinburg, TX _____ From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] on behalf of Kevin S. [kevmsharp AT yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:42 PM To: Robert Curry; Chris Harrison; Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? From: Robert Curry To: Kevin S. ; Chris Harrison ; "Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com" Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:23 PM Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? I just returned today (to Akumal, Riviera Maya) from 2 days in Calakmul with my field ecology class. Here are some updates likely to be of interest to birders: * The road all the way down to the Calakmul ruins is now closed to private vehicles and (I believe) tour buses. Instead, everyone must park at Km 20 and then take a shuttle bus operated by one of the local ejidos. The ride costs 70 pesos per person, round trip; it operates from 07:20 AM about once an hour. The ride to the ruins (another 40 Km south) takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. * There is an active Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest accessible from the sendero at Km 15 (the pair was nest building and copulating during the AM today). The nest site is east of the main road, in a tall tree in standing water at the bottom of the first bajo. * We stayed at the Ya'ax Che campground (email ) at Km 8 on the road to the ruins. The cost per person for the use of the tents there is 200 pesos. Food is 70 pesos per meal. They do a very nice job. * There is a new Italian Coffee shop at the 'middle' Pemex gas station on the east side of Xpujil (there are 3 stations in total in the town). Close enough to the real thing for Starbucks aficionados (addicts?) ! * I sensed no change at all in the level of security scrutiny during the trip to/from Calakmul relative to previous trips in 2007 and 2010. We have driven all over the eastern half of the peninsula, from Rio Lagartos in the north to Calakmul in the south, with no incidents and a good sense of safety. Hard to say what might be going on "behind the scenes," but the region seems as safe as always to me.First Vice- =================================== Excellent info, Robert. Very exciting about the Ornate Hawk-Eagle -nearly as exciting is the new coffee shop! -Kevin S. Subject: Re: Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows From: Adrian Ganem Sada <adrianganem AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:07:24 -0600 Morning - I've seen then also in San Cristobal de las Casas. iPhone On Jan 16, 2012, at 2:13 PM, Mark Stackhouse wrote: > I can offer a "ditto" to Bert's comment. There are a number of places in the highlands around San Cristobal where they are regular. I've also found them in the highlands to the east of Motozintla. > > > Mark > > Mark Stackhouse > mark AT westwings.com > from Mexico: > 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) > 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) > from U.S. > 011-52-323-285-1243 or > 1-801-518-5618 > > > > > On Jan 16, 2012, at 12:59 PM, Bert Frenz wrote: > >> >> >> Jack, >> >> Not sure these are large numbers, but I have found them at San Cristobal and along Ocosingo Road in route to Chanal. >> >> ------------------------------- >> >> Bert Frenz, Bert2 AT bafrenz.com >> >> Birding Guide & RV Wagonmaster >> >> Read about our past and future RV caravans at www.bafrenz.com/birds/ >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jack Eitniear >> Sent: Monday, January 16, 2012 1:53 PM >> To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com >> Subject: [Mexico-Birding] Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows >> >> >> >> >> >> Mexico Birders.... >> >> >> >> Anyone know of a good location to observe Rufous-collared Sparrows in Mexico? I know of a few places where they are >> >> seen "hit or miss" but no location that supports large numbers. >> >> >> >> Jack Eitniear >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > Subject: Re: Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows From: Mark Stackhouse <westwings AT sisna.com> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:13:13 -0700 I can offer a "ditto" to Bert's comment. There are a number of places in the highlands around San Cristobal where they are regular. I've also found them in the highlands to the east of Motozintla. Mark Mark Stackhouse mark AT westwings.com from Mexico: 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) from U.S. 011-52-323-285-1243 or 1-801-518-5618 On Jan 16, 2012, at 12:59 PM, Bert Frenz wrote: > > Jack, > > Not sure these are large numbers, but I have found them at San > Cristobal and along Ocosingo Road in route to Chanal. > > ------------------------------- > > Bert Frenz, Bert2 AT bafrenz.com > > Birding Guide & RV Wagonmaster > > Read about our past and future RV caravans at www.bafrenz.com/birds/ > > > > > > > > From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com > ] On Behalf Of Jack Eitniear > Sent: Monday, January 16, 2012 1:53 PM > To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com > Subject: [Mexico-Birding] Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows > > > > > > Mexico Birders.... > > > > Anyone know of a good location to observe Rufous-collared Sparrows > in Mexico? I know of a few places where they are > > seen "hit or miss" but no location that supports large numbers. > > > > Jack Eitniear > > > > > > > > > > > Subject: RE: Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows From: "Bert Frenz" <bertf AT bafrenz.com> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:59:58 -0600 Jack, Not sure these are large numbers, but I have found them at San Cristobal and along Ocosingo Road in route to Chanal. ------------------------------- Bert Frenz, Bert2 AT bafrenz.com Birding Guide & RV Wagonmaster Read about our past and future RV caravans at www.bafrenz.com/birds/ From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jack Eitniear Sent: Monday, January 16, 2012 1:53 PM To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [Mexico-Birding] Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows Mexico Birders.... Anyone know of a good location to observe Rufous-collared Sparrows in Mexico? I know of a few places where they are seen "hit or miss" but no location that supports large numbers. Jack Eitniear Subject: Re:Rufous-collared Sparrows From: Jack Eitniear <jackeitniear AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:52:40 -0800 (PST) Mexico Birders.... Anyone know of a good location to observe Rufous-collared Sparrows in Mexico? �I know of a few places where they are� seen "hit or miss" but no location that supports large numbers. � Jack Eitniear Subject: Cabo San Lucas birds From: "Lethaby, Nick" <nlethaby AT ti.com> Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:50:14 +0000 All: I was on a non-birding vacation with no car in Cabo San Lucas from Jan 10-15. I did about three two hour walks in SW CSL, checking out the Pedregal housing areas and nearby park, along with a street just N of Pedregal that ran through a nice combination of mature gardens and occasional overgrown lots along the hill slopes. Mostly common resident and migrant species were seen, but the following sightings may be of interest to some: Western Gull: An apparent adult was seen at Los Frailes, near Cabo Pulmo, while snorkeling. Ruddy Ground-Dove: I was surprised to find about 18 in a mixed flock with Common Ground-Doves in a dirt parking lot by the park near Pedegral. This seems to be a fairly high count for Baja. Western Kingbird: One was seen with a group of Cassin's Kingbirds. Not sure how rare this is in Baja Sur in winter but possibly quite rare. Xantus's Hummingbird: 2 at an overgrown lot, one of which gave v. good looks. Gray Thrasher: 2 seen well. These were my first sightings of Baja's only two distinctive endemics since my last visit in 1996 and both seem gettable in CSL itself. Hermit Thrush: One seen in the same overgrown lot as the Xantus's. Appeared to be one of the pacific coast races. Lincoln's Sparrow: One seen in the same overgrown lot as the Xantus's. Bullock's Oriole: 2, one imm female and one imm male. Nick Lethaby Subject: Calakmul follow-up From: Robert Curry <robert.curry AT villanova.edu> Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:05:11 -0500 Some additional birding observations from our trip to Calakmul earlier this week: * There has not been additional clearing at the Calakmul archaeological site: it looks the same today as it did in 2007, when I first visited, and 2010, when I was last there before this most recent visit. * My impression of "birdiness" was also similar to other years, factoring a later arrival at the ruins. The best areas for birds and mammals (e.g., Black Howler and Spider Monkey) for me has been the trail from the entrance pavilion to the start of ruins themselves (about 2 km through mostly tall forest). There are still many trees in amongst the structures that are good for birds also (e.g., several Pale-billed Woodpeckers). * The road from Km 20 to the ruins is all (or nearly all) in the Core area of the Biosphere Reserve, so there have not been any new land-use changes in the area around the ruins either. The tram system makes it hard to access much of this road, however, but it is possible to walk back up the road from the entrance area of the archaeological site. Some of the side trails can no longer be reached easily (but we did not investigate whether it would be possible to have the tram drop you off and then get picked up later). * The shuttle�which is either a minibus or an open truck-drawn "tram"--did stop for sightings on our way to the ruins in the AM. We had 5 (!) male Great Currassows (each in a different location) as well as stops for Ocellated Turkeys, Coatis, and Collared Peccaries. The tram on the way back was running late, however, and did not stop as much. * Birding is pretty good around the museum at Km 20 where you park for the tram. Bat Falcon uses the antenna there, and there is good visibility along the forest edges from many different angles. * We had good birds also at the Bec�n ruins. The site is right off the highway 8 km west of Xpujil, but abuts nice forest to the north, has nice (short) trails, and offers good canopy-level views. * We have head excellent birding also during my two visits to Kohunlich (including yesterday), which is just south of the highway from Calakmul to Chetumal. This area is suffering from a lot of cutting of the surrounding forest, but the site itself still has lots of tall and dense vegetation that seems to support a lot of bird activity even in midday, especially if you find an army ant swarm. The site is one of the most beautiful of all of the Yucatan Maya sites. * The trick for Cob� is to arrive by 7 am, bird around the lake until the entrance opens at 8 am, and then be prepared to leave when the tour bus mobs start arriving (from Riviera Maya) around 10 AM. We had the place largely to ourselves last week between 8 and 10 am, but the trails and the parking lot were packed by the time we left at noon. Hint: most of the big and loud crowds head straight for Nohuch Mul (the largest temple, which you can climb). Go there first before the crowds arrive (there were only 10 or so other people when we climbed at about 9 AM) and then head later for the longer trails that go off in other directions to partly avoid the numbers and noise. Cheers, Bob -- Robert L. Curry, Ph.D. First Vice-President, Wilson Ornithological Society, 2011-2013 (http://www.wilsonsociety.org/) Chair, Student Presentation Awards Committee, NAOC-V 2012 Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Ornithological Council (http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET) Professor Department of Biology Villanova University 800 Lancaster Avenue Villanova, PA 19085 USA Tel. 610-519-6455 Fax 610-519-7863 http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.curry/ Office: Mendel Science Center 190A Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:59:15 -0800 (PST) ________________________________ From: Timothy Brush To: Robert Curry ; "Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com" Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 7:26 PM Subject: RE: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? � Yes, very timely info. for me also, as I am planning a trip to QR, including Calakmul, in late May. If you don't mind a few followup questions: in general, were there lots of birds at the Calakmul ruins themselves, or mostly along the road in? Did the shuttle stop if something interesting was seen? Any comments on the�"birdiness" of thea other ruins in the Xpujil area? ============================== I'm sure others who have been to Calakmul more recently will weigh in but the "birdiness" of Calakmul is in large part why I am so eager to return.� The ruins are (or were in '08) surrounded by large expanses of forest and the ruins themselves haven't been overly cleared of vegetation.� The birds didn't seem overly wary.� A lot can happen in 3 years so if anyone knows if major clearing or tidying up has taken place since, I'd be interested in hearing it.� I was enamored with Coba', after my first visit many years ago.� We stopped by during our last Yucatan trip and the character of not just the town but the ruins had been dramatically altered.� Progress. -Kevin S. Manchester, MI Subject: Belize Raptor Research Institute 2012 Belize Raptor Tour From: "Ryan" <harpiabz AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:30:14 -0000 Hello BRRI Friend, We would like to INVITE you to our Second Annual Belize RAPTOR TOUR in December from the 10th-17th. We will be touring the northern and central regions of Belize in search of nearly 40 species of raptors and will have a chance to observe up to 350 species of birds, as well as the elusive Jaguar. Proceeds will go to our conservation efforts. Detailed information here: http://belizeraptorresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/BRRI-2012-Raptor-Tour-Detailed-Itinerary.pdf We hope that you will join us and will take the first 12 registrants. Please pass on to anyone that may be interested. Happy 2012! Ryan Phillips Raptor Biologist/Executive Director Belize Raptor Research Institute ------------------------------------ Subject: RE: Yucatan safe? From: Timothy Brush <tbrush AT utpa.edu> Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:26:58 +0000 Yes, very timely info. for me also, as I am planning a trip to QR, including Calakmul, in late May. If you don't mind a few followup questions: in general, were there lots of birds at the Calakmul ruins themselves, or mostly along the road in? Did the shuttle stop if something interesting was seen? Any comments on the "birdiness" of thea other ruins in the Xpujil area? Best regards, Tim Brush University of Texas-Pan American Edinburg, TX ________________________________ From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] on behalf of Kevin S. [kevmsharp AT yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 10:42 PM To: Robert Curry; Chris Harrison; Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? From: Robert Curry To: Kevin S. ; Chris Harrison ; "Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com" Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:23 PM Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? I just returned today (to Akumal, Riviera Maya) from 2 days in Calakmul with my field ecology class. Here are some updates likely to be of interest to birders: * The road all the way down to the Calakmul ruins is now closed to private vehicles and (I believe) tour buses. Instead, everyone must park at Km 20 and then take a shuttle bus operated by one of the local ejidos. The ride costs 70 pesos per person, round trip; it operates from 07:20 AM about once an hour. The ride to the ruins (another 40 Km south) takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. * There is an active Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest accessible from the sendero at Km 15 (the pair was nest building and copulating during the AM today). The nest site is east of the main road, in a tall tree in standing water at the bottom of the first bajo. * We stayed at the Ya'ax Che campground (email ) at Km 8 on the road to the ruins. The cost per person for the use of the tents there is 200 pesos. Food is 70 pesos per meal. They do a very nice job. * There is a new Italian Coffee shop at the 'middle' Pemex gas station on the east side of Xpujil (there are 3 stations in total in the town). Close enough to the real thing for Starbucks aficionados (addicts?) ! * I sensed no change at all in the level of security scrutiny during the trip to/from Calakmul relative to previous trips in 2007 and 2010. We have driven all over the eastern half of the peninsula, from Rio Lagartos in the north to Calakmul in the south, with no incidents and a good sense of safety. Hard to say what might be going on "behind the scenes," but the region seems as safe as always to me.First Vice- =================================== Excellent info, Robert. Very exciting about the Ornate Hawk-Eagle -nearly as exciting is the new coffee shop! -Kevin S. Subject: Nazca Booby in Sinaloa From: Rene Valdes <guacamayero AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:01:58 -0600 hello Mexbirders! Just wanted to share with all you that during a boat trip I lead last week in Mazatlan, we recorded 2 individuals first identified in field as Masked Booby. However, after analysis and sharing the photos with experts, we conclude our birds were Nazca Booby. Being this maybe the first record for the entire Sea of Cortes. I wonder if there could be any sighting of Masked Booby in this region, and if they were or not recorded before the species were split. The birds were located at 7 mi from shore, and actually within the circle of our Christmas Bird Count in Mazatlan, the species will be included since we were on count week period. Good birding! PS. photos are available in my site -- _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ *Rene Valdes* Freelance birding guide & Wildlife photographer Mazatlan/Monterrey, Mexico*.** * www.birdpicsandmore.com ( ө > /”) ) / /,, / Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:42:33 -0800 (PST) �� ________________________________ From: Robert Curry To: Kevin S. ; Chris Harrison ; "Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com" Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 11:23 PM Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? I just returned today (to Akumal, Riviera Maya) from 2 days in Calakmul with my field ecology class. Here are some updates likely to be of interest to birders: * The road all the way down to the Calakmul ruins is now closed to private vehicles and (I believe) tour buses. Instead, everyone must park at Km 20 and then take a shuttle bus operated by one of the local ejidos. The ride costs 70 pesos per person, round trip; it operates from 07:20 AM about once an hour. The ride to the ruins (another 40 Km south) takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. * There is an active Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest accessible from the sendero at Km 15��(the pair was nest building and copulating during the AM today). The nest site is east of the main road, in a tall tree in standing water at the bottom of the first bajo. * We stayed at the Ya'ax Che campground (email ) at Km 8 on the road to the ruins. The cost per person for the use of the tents there is 200 pesos. Food is 70 pesos per meal. They do a very nice job. * There is a new Italian Coffee shop at the 'middle' Pemex gas station on the east side of Xpujil (there are 3 stations in total in the town). Close enough to the real thing for �Starbucks aficionados�(addicts?)�! * I sensed no change at all in the level of security scrutiny during the trip to/from Calakmul relative to previous trips in 2007 and 2010. We have driven all over the eastern half of the peninsula, from Rio Lagartos in the north to Calakmul in the south, with no incidents and a good sense of safety. Hard to say what might be going on "behind the scenes," but the region seems as safe as always to me.First Vice- � ��������������� =================================== Excellent info, Robert.� Very exciting about the Ornate Hawk-Eagle -nearly as exciting is the new coffee shop!� -Kevin S. Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: Robert Curry <robert.curry AT villanova.edu> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:23:47 -0500 I just returned today (to Akumal, Riviera Maya) from 2 days in Calakmul with my field ecology class. Here are some updates likely to be of interest to birders: * The road all the way down to the Calakmul ruins is now closed to private vehicles and (I believe) tour buses. Instead, everyone must park at Km 20 and then take a shuttle bus operated by one of the local ejidos. The ride costs 70 pesos per person, round trip; it operates from 07:20 AM about once an hour. The ride to the ruins (another 40 Km south) takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. * There is an active Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest accessible from the sendero at Km 15 (the pair was nest building and copulating during the AM today). The nest site is east of the main road, in a tall tree in standing water at the bottom of the first bajo. * We stayed at the Ya'ax Che campground (email ) at Km 8 on the road to the ruins. The cost per person for the use of the tents there is 200 pesos. Food is 70 pesos per meal. They do a very nice job. * There is a new Italian Coffee shop at the 'middle' Pemex gas station on the east side of Xpujil (there are 3 stations in total in the town). Close enough to the real thing for Starbucks aficionados (addicts?) ! * I sensed no change at all in the level of security scrutiny during the trip to/from Calakmul relative to previous trips in 2007 and 2010. We have driven all over the eastern half of the peninsula, from Rio Lagartos in the north to Calakmul in the south, with no incidents and a good sense of safety. Hard to say what might be going on "behind the scenes," but the region seems as safe as always to me. Cheers, and good birding, Bob Curry -- Robert L. Curry, Ph.D. First Vice-President, Wilson Ornithological Society, 2011-2013 (http://www.wilsonsociety.org/) Chair, Student Presentation Awards Committee, NAOC-V 2012 Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Ornithological Council (http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET) Professor Department of Biology Villanova University 800 Lancaster Avenue Villanova, PA 19085 USA Tel. 610-519-6455 Fax 610-519-7863 http://www.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.curry/ Office: Mendel Science Center 190A From: "Kevin S." > Reply-To: "Kevin S." > Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:07:42 -0500 To: Chris Harrison >, "Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com" > Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? From: Chris Harrison > To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 9:29 PM Subject: RE: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? Calakmul was that way a few years back, but last time I was there (2009) we were nearly run into head-on by tour buses flying up and down the one lane entrance road (which is about 60km long!). Still one of the most fantastic places in Mexico, but without the extraordinary solitude of just a few years ago. Be careful on that road. ================================ Thanks for the heads up, Chris -wil do! Thanks to everyone who weighed in. Its been a fun process over the past couple of weeks, planning our itinerary. Our intended route is very directly influenced by the feedback I got from the list. Again, much appreciated. If you were all going, the cervesas would be on me! Kevin S. Manchester, MI Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:07:42 -0800 (PST) ________________________________ From: Chris Harrison To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 9:29 PM Subject: RE: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? � Calakmul was that way a few years back, but last time I was there (2009) we were nearly run into head-on by tour buses flying up and down the one lane entrance road (which is about 60km long!).�� Still one of the most fantastic places in Mexico, but without the extraordinary solitude of just a few years ago.�� Be careful on that road. ��================================ � Thanks for the heads up, Chris -wil do!� Thanks to everyone who weighed in.� Its been�a fun process�over the�past couple of weeks, planning our itinerary.� Our intended route is very�directly influenced by the feedback I got from the list.� Again, much appreciated.� If�you were all going,�the�cervesas would be on me!���� � Kevin S. Manchester, MI Subject: RE: Yucatan safe? From: "Chris Harrison" <sandboa AT satx.rr.com> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:29:59 -0600 Calakmul was that way a few years back, but last time I was there (2009) we were nearly run into head-on by tour buses flying up and down the one lane entrance road (which is about 60km long!). Still one of the most fantastic places in Mexico, but without the extraordinary solitude of just a few years ago. Be careful on that road. Chris From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Steve Semanchuk Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 7:38 AM To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? Kevin - If you want something of a mild adventure, the Calakmul ruins would be a good choice. When we drove an hour south from the entrance passing nothing but primary forest, climbed the stone stairs of the highest temple and looked south over miles of Mexican and Guatemalian forest, I knew we were in a special place. We also found some beautiful paintings in a building in Bacalar, also site of a lake of "seven shades of blue". I can email you with more details if you like. Steve Semanchuk North Carolina Subject: Re: RFI Durango Highway Sinaloa Martins From: Mark Stackhouse <westwings AT sisna.com> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:17:23 -0700 Hola Russell, I had them last year on March 24, but not on March 10. So you're right in the arrival window - maybe you'll get lucky. Suerte! Mark Mark Stackhouse mark AT westwings.com from Mexico: 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) from U.S. 011-52-323-285-1243 or 1-801-518-5618 On Jan 12, 2012, at 2:45 PM, Russell Graham wrote: > > Hola, > > I'll be in the PV area in mid-March and was wondering if the martins > would be back by then. > > Thanks in advance for any help. > > Saludos, > Russell > > Subject: Re: RFI Durango Highway Sinaloa Martins From: Rene Valdes <guacamayero AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:09:08 -0600 you may be lucky, I've seen them starting April, but according to eBird there have been records starting the 2nd week in March good luck! 2012/1/12 Russell Graham > ** > > > Hola, > > I'll be in the PV area in mid-March and was wondering if the martins would > be back by then. > > Thanks in advance for any help. > > Saludos, > Russell > > > -- _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ *Rene Valdes* *Freelance birding guide & Wildlife photographer Mazatlan/Monterrey, Mexico. * www.birdpicsandmore.com/tours ( ө > /”) ) / /,, / Subject: RFI Durango Highway Sinaloa Martins From: Russell Graham <rgr966 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:45:45 -0800 (PST) Hola, I'll be in the PV area in mid-March and was wondering if the martins would be back by then. Thanks in advance for any help. Saludos, Russell Subject: RFI: Rare bird sightings From: Amy Davis <argdavis AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2012 07:14:09 -0500 Hi, everyone. If any of you has locally rare bird sightings from the previous 5-6 weeks you'd like to contribute for the next ABA Sightings column, we'd love to receive them. Please send them to Amy Davis by the 13th. Thank you so much to all those who have contributed in the past! For an example of how we use Mexico bird sightings, check out this past column, which includes Mexico's first record of Little Bunting: Amy Davis -- Amy Davis Downingtown, PA Sightings Department Editor, Birding and Winging It American Birding Association ARGDavis AT gmail.com ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: "Michael L. P. Retter" <mlretter AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 13:19:31 -0800 (PST) I've heard of no problems in this area, Kevin. Have fun! Michael L. P. Retter -------------------------- W. Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN mlretter AT yahoo.com home: 765.838.3152 cell: 309.824.7317 http://xenospiza.com/ Editor, Winging It American Birding Association http://www.aba.org/wingingit/ Tour Leader, Tropical Birding http://www.tropicalbirding.com/ --------------------------- --- On Tue, 1/3/12, Kevin S. wrote: From: Kevin S. Subject: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? To: "Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com" Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2012, 3:07 PM   Hi folks, I'm still weighing a few options of places to travel this winter (end of Feb/early March).  I'll have a 17 year old exchange student in tow, a city kid, and figured, for his sake (and mine), I should go relatively easy on him.  I do want to give him something of an adventure though and I think pushing his comfort level a bit is good.  Still, several of my own must-see destinations are now off the list for this time around.  I'm thinking the back roads of the Yucatan might be just the ticket -Cancun to Chichen Itza, over to Merida then down to Calakmul.  I've read about a couple of incidents in Cancun but in general are the back roads of the Yucatan still considered safe?  Usual precautions, of course....  This would be my 3rd visit to the Yucatan, 8th or 9th to Mexico, so in general I feel pretty capable there.  Thoughts?  I have yet to visit the Gulf coast around Campeche.  Any recommendations for birding or cultural points of interest there?  Safety? Thanks in advance -and my apologies if this region has already been discussed related to safety.  Kevin S. Manchester, MI, USA Subject: Re: Calakmul camping From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 15:23:15 -0800 (PST) Ah! That's perfect!  Thank you!!!  I do hope they are still in business.  In '08 they were making some improvements -new showers and composting toilets, if I remember right.  They had a very handy observation tower a short walk through the forest.  My most memorable meal of the trip was there!  -Kevin ________________________________ From: Steve Semanchuk To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2012 5:24 PM Subject: [Mexico-Birding] Calakmul camping   Kevin - I uploaded a photo of the campground sign on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68297740 AT N05/6643594153/ Since we had stayed there in 2004 I don't have recent info but this may help to identify the place.  No pictures of the campground itself; we got there lat dusk and left at dawn.  I remember hearing at least two species of owls during the night. Steve  Subject: Calakmul camping From: Steve Semanchuk <dosgecos AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 17:24:37 -0500 Kevin - I uploaded a photo of the campground sign on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68297740 AT N05/6643594153/ Since we had stayed there in 2004 I don't have recent info but this may help to identify the place. No pictures of the campground itself; we got there lat dusk and left at dawn. I remember hearing at least two species of owls during the night. Steve Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 10:20:20 -0800 (PST) ________________________________ From: Steve Semanchuk To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, January 5, 2012 8:37 AM Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Yucatan safe? � Kevin -� If you want something of a mild adventure, the Calakmul ruins would be a good choice. �When we drove an hour south from the entrance passing nothing but primary forest, climbed the stone stairs of the highest temple and looked south over miles of Mexican and Guatemalian forest, I knew we were in a special place. � We also found some beautiful paintings in a building in Bacalar, also site of a lake of "seven shades of blue". I can email you with more details if you like. Steve Semanchuk North Carolina -------------------------------------------------------- I was there in 2008 and remember leaving (Calakmul) thinking I could go back there in a heartbeat.� If things go as planned, I'm thinking we'll take a route through Merida, Uxmal, Celestun, Campeche, then down to Calakmul, before heading back.� We'll have two full weeks, so that shouldn't be too much ground to cover.� The more I read about Campeche, I'm wondering why I haven't been before!� The descriptions remind me a bit of Cartagena, Colombia, the old portion of which is gorgeous. When we last visited Calakmul, we stayed at a campground run by a local couple.� It was rustic and charming and pleasant.� Is anyone familiar with it or know if it is still in operation?� Can't remember the name but it wasn't far from the entrance of the ruins.� Kevin S. Manchester, MI, USA Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: stenmead AT aol.com Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 09:02:40 -0500 (EST) That's it! I have to get back to the Yucatan very, very soon! Stennie Meadours San Leon, Tx. In a message dated 1/5/2012 7:37:42 A.M. Central Standard Time, dosgecos AT gmail.com writes: Kevin - If you want something of a mild adventure, the Calakmul ruins would be a good choice. When we drove an hour south from the entrance passing nothing but primary forest, climbed the stone stairs of the highest temple and looked south over miles of Mexican and Guatemalian forest, I knew we were in a special place. We also found some beautiful paintings in a building in Bacalar, also site of a lake of "seven shades of blue". I can email you with more details if you like. Steve Semanchuk North Carolina Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: Steve Semanchuk <dosgecos AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 08:37:39 -0500 Kevin - If you want something of a mild adventure, the Calakmul ruins would be a good choice. When we drove an hour south from the entrance passing nothing but primary forest, climbed the stone stairs of the highest temple and looked south over miles of Mexican and Guatemalian forest, I knew we were in a special place. We also found some beautiful paintings in a building in Bacalar, also site of a lake of "seven shades of blue". I can email you with more details if you like. Steve Semanchuk North Carolina Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: Adrian Ganem Sada <adrianganem AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 07:25:36 -0600 Merida is considered the safest city in Mexico right now, and it's neighboring points are no exception. I spent two weeks road tripping the Yucatan peninsula with my wife and had a great time. This was las summer. We went from Holbox Island (which I Highly recommend specially swimming with the whale sharks) all the way down to Chetumal. Happy birding and safe travels. iPhone On Jan 4, 2012, at 2:16 PM, "Kevin S." wrote: > > > Hi Kevin, > > I strongly recommend and would not miss going to Celestun about 90 miles north of Merida on the Gulf Coast. There is a lovely new hotel there and a wide variety of bird habitats including mangrove forests, salt flats, lagoons with flamingos, boat-billed herons and several endemics. > > Alex Dzib, a good friend and bird guide, lives in Celestun. I've cc'd him on this email so you can contact him directly. > > Stennie Meadours > San Leon, Texas > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Thanks for the tip, Stennie! I'd previously opted not to go to Celestun, having seen most of what's there elsewhere. I was just looking at a map though and it does look very intriguing and would be an easy stop en route from Merida to Campeche. Thanks for cc'ing Alex (hola Alex). If we add Celestun to the itinerary the contact info will come in handy! > > Kevin S. > Manchester, MI, USA > Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 12:16:22 -0800 (PST) � Hi Kevin,� I strongly recommend and would not miss�going to Celestun about 90 miles north of Merida on the Gulf Coast.� There is a lovely new hotel there and a wide variety of bird habitats including mangrove forests, salt flats, lagoons with flamingos, boat-billed herons�and several endemics. � Alex Dzib, a good friend and bird guide, lives in Celestun. I've cc'd him on this email so you can contact him directly. � Stennie Meadours San Leon, Texas --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for the tip, Stennie!� I'd previously opted not to go to Celestun, having seen most of what's there elsewhere.� I was just looking at a map though and it does look very intriguing and would be an easy stop en route from Merida to Campeche.� Thanks for cc'ing Alex (hola Alex).� If we add Celestun to the itinerary the contact info will come in handy! Kevin S. Manchester, MI, USA Subject: Re: Yucatan safe? From: stenmead AT aol.com Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 09:06:28 -0500 (EST) Hi Kevin, I strongly recommend and would not miss going to Celestun about 90 miles north of Merida on the Gulf Coast. There is a lovely new hotel there and a wide variety of bird habitats including mangrove forests, salt flats, lagoons with flamingos, boat-billed herons and several endemics. Alex Dzib, a good friend and bird guide, lives in Celestun. I've cc'd him on this email so you can contact him directly. Stennie Meadours San Leon, Texas In a message dated 1/3/2012 3:07:57 P.M. Central Standard Time, kevmsharp AT yahoo.com writes: Hi folks, I'm still weighing a few options of places to travel this winter (end of Feb/early March). I'll have a 17 year old exchange student in tow, a city kid, and figured, for his sake (and mine), I should go relatively easy on him. I do want to give him something of an adventure though and I think pushing his comfort level a bit is good. Still, several of my own must-see destinations are now off the list for this time around. I'm thinking the back roads of the Yucatan might be just the ticket -Cancun to Chichen Itza, over to Merida then down to Calakmul. I've read about a couple of incidents in Cancun but in general are the back roads of the Yucatan still considered safe? Usual precautions, of course.... This would be my 3rd visit to the Yucatan, 8th or 9th to Mexico, so in general I feel pretty capable there. Thoughts? I have yet to visit the Gulf coast around Campeche. Any recommendations for birding or cultural points of interest there? Safety? Thanks in advance -and my apologies if this region has already been discussed related to safety. Kevin S. Manchester, MI, USA Subject: Yucatan safe? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 3 Jan 2012 13:07:51 -0800 (PST) Hi folks, I'm still weighing a few options of places to travel this winter (end of Feb/early March).� I'll have a 17 year old exchange student in tow, a city kid, and figured, for his sake (and mine), I should go relatively easy on him.� I do want to give him something of an adventure though and I think pushing his comfort level a bit is good.� Still, several of my own must-see destinations are now off the list for this time around.� I'm thinking the back roads of the Yucatan might be just the ticket -Cancun to Chichen Itza, over to Merida then down to Calakmul.� I've read about a couple of incidents in Cancun but in general are the back roads of the Yucatan still considered safe?� Usual precautions, of course....� This would be my 3rd visit to the Yucatan, 8th or 9th to Mexico, so in general I feel pretty capable there.� Thoughts?� I have yet to visit the Gulf coast around Campeche.� Any recommendations for birding or cultural points of interest there?� Safety? Thanks in advance -and my apologies if this region has already been discussed related to safety.� Kevin S. Manchester, MI, USA Subject: Re: New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) From: Robert Straub <straub_robert AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2011 07:57:22 -0800 (PST) Well done, Mark and Francisco! This means of course that we have to get back to work here in Veracruz!  After reading your report I must say that our Big Day was relatively unexciting, with no close calls with crocodiles! Saludos, Robert Straub   .................................................. Aveoptica Tienda de binoculares, telescopios, guías de campo, y más... Distribuidor autorizado en México de: Eagle Optics, Vortex Optics, Kowa Xalapa, Veracruz México C.P. 91070 aveoptica AT yahoo.com www.aveoptica.com ________________________________ From: Mark Stackhouse To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com; UBird Sent: Sunday, December 4, 2011 9:10 PM Subject: [Mexico-Birding] New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long)   Yesterday, I went birding for fun with my friend Francisco Garcia, a busman's holiday, for sure. We started at 3:00 in the morning, and by the time we finished the day at 9:00 p.m., 18 hours and 252 kilometers later, we had found 231 species of birds, topping our effort of last March by 11 species, and setting a new "big day" record for Mexico, beating the old record of 229 species, set in Veracruz by Jorge Montejo Diaz, Amy McAndrews and Robert Straub. Although I didn't see any life birds (there aren't any possible among the birds known to occur here), or even any new birds for my San Blas list, I did see 7 species that were new for the year, and three that I haven't seen here since the years that I first came to this place - Common Loon, Mountain Pygmy-Owl, and Gray Catbird. We saw almost all of the expected waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds, had 7 species of owls, including all three of our pygmy-owls, had four species of nightjars, plus Northern Potoo, and eight species of woodpeckers. We found almost all the expected flycatchers, a total of 22 species for the day, had seven species of vireos, and saw 21 species of warblers. Of course, there were some areas where we did poorly, especially raptors, and gulls and terns. Our hummingbird list was unspectacular, and we didn't see a single swift. All told, I count 60 species of birds that I've seen on our route in the last month that we didn't see yesterday - testament to the potential that remains for our next "run." We started at Cerro de San Juan, and visited Mirador del Aguila, Singayta, Mirador de las Garzas, various places around San Blas, the shrimp farms north of town, and the road to the Crocodile Farm. The end of the day was particularly exciting. We finished daylight at the Crocodile Farm, with 222 species on our list, a fabulous run, and two better than our previous effort, but still seven species short of tying the record. A quick check of the list showed 6 species more that might, with luck, be reasonably possible in the dark, with perhaps one or two beyond that if we were really  lucky. However, the next 40 minutes along the Crocodile Farm road was alive with unexpected nocturnal activity. A Bare-throated Tiger-Heron called out in the darkness. Black-crowned Night-Herons flew in to feed in the lagoons, and Boat-billed Herons were everywhere, even walking in the road. That filled out our possible large waders list. A Barn Owl was hunting over the fields, and a good number of Common Pauraques were out. But our biggest surprise was a Northern Potoo hunting from a tall fencepost about 30 meters from the road. That gave us six more, and we were one short of the record. "This will keep us out to midnight," I told Francisco. The next couple of hours found us trying in the dark to find just one more bird. We tried to wake up a Blue-black Grassquit. We checked the rocky shoreline to see if a Laughing or Heerman's Gull might be lingering. We checked a favorite roost site for a Peregrine, to see if it was sleeping there. No luck with any of them. Thoughts of all the birds we missed during the day began to haunt us. Then a bit of luck hit. We stopped at the ponds at the Matachen Junction, to give a quick listen. Almost as soon as we got out of the van a Clapper/King ("Cling") Rail called. We had tied the record. We needed just one more to break it, and we both knew what it had to be. Virginia Rails live in the marshy half of the San Blas sewage lagoons. But we had gone out there in the afternoon to check it out, and found the road heavily overgrown and barely passable in the daylight. The area around the ponds themselves was also heavily overgrown, allowing access to the edge of the upper pond only at the near corner. To get to the lower pond would require some heavy work with a machete. And the ponds are infested with crocodiles. Trying for a rail there at night would be no picnic, and neither Francisco nor I were looking forward to it. In truth, it was mostly the thought of avoiding having to do this that drove our futile efforts to find our glory somewhere else in the hours before. After a call to my wife to update her on our plans and expected time of arrival home, I told Francisco that she said, "Be careful of the crocodile." He replied , "THE crocodile? There are five." We headed out the "road," that appeared even more closed and impassable and longer than it had in the daylight, but eventually pushed our way through to the ponds. We got out of the van and eased our way up the bank to the open edge, scanning with our lights for crocodiles. Sure enough, just as we could peer over the bank, we saw a nine-foot crocodile in the shallow water only about 3 meters away from us. We held our ground. The crocodile stood up in the "mud" and ambled its way through the shallows and slipped into deeper water and disappeared into the dark depths. We scanned the entire pond, and saw three more crocodiles, but none close. I went to work with my ipod while Francisco kept an eye on the crocodiles. The marsh was rather quiet. After playing a few reps of Virginia Rail, we heard one call from the far side of the other pond. Not strong, but clear nonetheless. A few Sora called tentatively, but we already had them on the list.  It was a bit anti-climactic, but we had the record. Then Francisco suggested we play for a Spotted Rail, "since we're already here." I dialed up a Spotted Rail call, and as soon as it finished playing the marsh irrupted. At least three Spotted Rails called, as well as Sora, Virginia Rail, and Common Gallinule. There was something about Spotted Rail that got them all juiced.  It was a much more satisfying end to a fabulous day of birding around San Blas. We beat a retreat before the crocodiles decided to test our defenses, content that we had the record, with a "cushion" species as well. Mark Mark Stackhouse mark AT westwings.com from Mexico: 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) from  U.S. 011-52-323-285-1243 or 1-801-518-5618 Here's our list (exact locations for each available on request): 1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 2. Fulvous Whistling-Duck 3. Gadwall 4. American Wigeon 5. Blue-winged Teal 6. Cinnamon Teal 7. Northern Shoveler 8. Green-winged Teal 9. Redhead 10. Lesser Scaup 11. Ruddy Duck 12. Rufous-bellied Chachalaca 13. Elegant Quail 14. Common Loon 15. Least Grebe 16. Eared Grebe 17. Wood Stork 18. Magnificent Frigatebird 19. Blue-footed Booby 20. Neotropic Cormorant 21. Anhinga 22. Brown Pelican 23. Bare-throated Tiger-Heron 24. Great Blue Heron 25. Great Egret 26. Snowy Egret 27. Little Blue Heron 28. Tricolored Heron 29. Reddish Egret 30. Cattle Egret 31. Green Heron 32. Black-crowned Night-Heron 33. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 34. Boat-billed Heron 35. White Ibis 36. White-faced Ibis 37. Roseate Spoonbill 38. Black Vulture 39. Turkey Vulture 40. Osprey 41. Snail Kite 42. Cooper's Hawk 43. Common Black-Hawk 44. Gray Hawk 45. Short-tailed Hawk 46. Zone-tailed Hawk 47. Red-tailed Hawk 48. Collared Forest-Falcon 49. American Kestrel 50. Clapper Rail 51. Virginia Rail 52. Sora 53. Spotted Rail 54. Purple Gallinule 55. Common Gallinule 56. American Coot 57. Limpkin 58. Black-bellied Plover 59. Wilson's Plover 60. Semipalmated Plover 61. Killdeer 62. American Oystercatcher 63. Black-necked Stilt 64. American Avocet 65. Northern Jacana 66. Spotted Sandpiper 67. Greater Yellowlegs 68. Willet 69. Lesser Yellowlegs 70. Whimbrel 71. Long-billed Curlew 72. Marbled Godwit 73. Sanderling 74. Western Sandpiper 75. Least Sandpiper 76. Stilt Sandpiper 77. Short-billed Dowitcher 78. Long-billed Dowitcher 79. Wilson's Snipe 80. Ring-billed Gull 81. Gull-billed Tern 82. Caspian Tern 83. Rock Pigeon 84. Red-billed Pigeon 85. White-winged Dove 86. Inca Dove 87. Common Ground-Dove 88. Ruddy Ground-Dove 89. White-tipped Dove 90. Orange-fronted Parakeet 91. Mexican Parrotlet 92. Squirrel Cuckoo 93. Groove-billed Ani 94. Barn Owl 95. Whiskered Screech-Owl 96. Northern Pygmy-Owl 97. Colima Pygmy-Owl 98. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 99. Mottled Owl 100. Stygian Owl 101. Lesser Nighthawk 102. Common Pauraque 103. Eared Poorwill 104. Mexican Whip-poor-will 105. Northern Potoo 106. Black-chinned Hummingbird 107. Costa's Hummingbird 108. Rufous Hummingbird 109. Broad-billed Hummingbird 110. Mexican Woodnymph 111. Berylline Hummingbird 112. Cinnamon Hummingbird 113. White-eared Hummingbird 114. Elegant Trogon 115. Belted Kingfisher 116. Green Kingfisher 117. Acorn Woodpecker 118. Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 119. Gila Woodpecker 120. Ladder-backed Woodpecker 121. Arizona Woodpecker 122. Gray-crowned Woodpecker 123. Lineated Woodpecker 124. Pale-billed Woodpecker 125. Ivory-billed Woodcreeper 126. White-striped Woodcreeper 127. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 128. Greenish Elaenia 129. Tufted Flycatcher 130. Greater Pewee 131. Willow Flycatcher 132. Hammond's Flycatcher 133. Pine Flycatcher 134. Pacific-slope Flycatcher 135. Cordilleran Flycatcher 136. Buff-breasted Flycatcher 137. Black Phoebe 138. Say's Phoebe 139. Vermilion Flycatcher 140. Dusky-capped Flycatcher 141. Nutting's Flycatcher 142. Brown-crested Flycatcher 143. Great Kiskadee 144. Boat-billed Flycatcher 145. Social Flycatcher 146. Tropical Kingbird 147. Cassin's Kingbird 148. Thick-billed Kingbird 149. Masked Tityra 150. Rose-throated Becard 151. Loggerhead Shrike 152. Mangrove Vireo 153. Bell's Vireo 154. Black-capped Vireo 155. Cassin's Vireo 156. Hutton's Vireo 157. Golden Vireo 158. Warbling Vireo 159. Black-throated Magpie-Jay 160. Green Jay 161. Purplish-backed Jay 162. Sinaloa Crow 163. Northern Rough-winged Swallow 164. Mangrove Swallow 165. Barn Swallow 166. Happy Wren 167. Sinaloa Wren 168. House Wren 169. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 170. Black-capped Gnatcatcher 171. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 172. Eastern Bluebird 173. Brown-backed Solitaire 174. Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush 175. White-throated Thrush 176. Rufous-backed Robin 177. Gray Catbird 178. Northern Mockingbird 179. Blue Mockingbird 180. Gray Silky-flycatcher 181. Northern Waterthrush 182. Black-and-white Warbler 183. Crescent-chested Warbler 184. Orange-crowned Warbler 185. Nashville Warbler 186. MacGillivray's Warbler 187. Common Yellowthroat 188. American Redstart 189. Yellow Warbler 190. Yellow-rumped Warbler 191. Yellow-throated Warbler 192. Grace's Warbler 193. Black-throated Gray Warbler 194. Townsend's Warbler 195. Hermit Warbler 196. Fan-tailed Warbler 197. Rufous-capped Warbler 198. Wilson's Warbler 199. Red-faced Warbler 200. Painted Redstart 201. Yellow-breasted Chat 202. Grayish Saltator 203. White-collared Seedeater 204. Rusty Sparrow 205. Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow 206. Chipping Sparrow 207. Lark Sparrow 208. Savannah Sparrow 209. Grasshopper Sparrow 210. Lincoln's Sparrow 211. Hepatic Tanager 212. Summer Tanager 213. Flame-colored Tanager 214. Yellow Grosbeak 215. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 216. Black-headed Grosbeak 217. Blue Grosbeak 218. Varied Bunting 219. Painted Bunting 220. Great-tailed Grackle 221. Bronzed Cowbird 222. Black-vented Oriole 223. Orchard Oriole 224. Hooded Oriole 225. Streak-backed Oriole 226. Bullock's Oriole 227. Yellow-winged Cacique 228. Pine Siskin 229. Black-headed Siskin 230. Lesser Goldfinch 231. House Sparrow   Subject: Re: New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) From: Rene Valdes <guacamayero AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2011 22:04:20 -0600 Congratulations Mark! I hope to try a 'Big Day' soon 2011/12/4 Mark Stackhouse > ** > > > Yesterday, I went birding for fun with my friend Francisco Garcia, a > busman's holiday, for sure. We started at 3:00 in the morning, and by the > time we finished the day at 9:00 p.m., 18 hours and 252 kilometers later, > we had found 231 species of birds, topping our effort of last March by 11 > species, and setting a new "big day" record for Mexico, beating the old > record of 229 species, set in Veracruz by Jorge Montejo Diaz, Amy > McAndrews and Robert Straub.Although I didn't see any life birds (there > aren't any possible among the birds known to occur here), or even any new > birds for my San Blas list, I did see 7 species that were new for the year, > and three that I haven't seen here since the years that I first came to > this place - Common Loon, Mountain Pygmy-Owl, and Gray Catbird. We saw > almost all of the expected waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds, had 7 > species of owls, including all three of our pygmy-owls, had four species of > nightjars, plus Northern Potoo, and eight species of woodpeckers. We found > almost all the expected flycatchers, a total of 22 species for the day, had > seven species of vireos, and saw 21 species of warblers. > > Of course, there were some areas where we did poorly, especially raptors, > and gulls and terns. Our hummingbird list was unspectacular, and we didn't > see a single swift. All told, I count 60 species of birds that I've seen on > our route in the last month that we didn't see yesterday - testament to the > potential that remains for our next "run."We started at Cerro de San > Juan, and visited Mirador del Aguila, Singayta, Mirador de las Garzas, > various places around San Blas, the shrimp farms north of town, and the > road to the Crocodile Farm.The end of the day was particularly exciting. > We finished daylight at the Crocodile Farm, with 222 species on our list, a > fabulous run, and two better than our previous effort, but still seven > species short of tying the record. A quick check of the list showed 6 > species more that might, with luck, be reasonably possible in the dark, > with perhaps one or two beyond that if we were really lucky. However, the > next 40 minutes along the Crocodile Farm road was alive with unexpected > nocturnal activity. A Bare-throated Tiger-Heron called out in the darkness. > Black-crowned Night-Herons flew in to feed in the lagoons, and Boat-billed > Herons were everywhere, even walking in the road. That filled out our > possible large waders list. A Barn Owl was hunting over the fields, and a > good number of Common Pauraques were out. But our biggest surprise was a > Northern Potoo hunting from a tall fencepost about 30 meters from the road. > That gave us six more, and we were one short of the record. "This will keep > us out to midnight," I told Francisco.The next couple of hours found us > trying in the dark to find just one more bird. We tried to wake up a > Blue-black Grassquit. We checked the rocky shoreline to see if a Laughing > or Heerman's Gull might be lingering. We checked a favorite roost site for > a Peregrine, to see if it was sleeping there. No luck with any of them. > Thoughts of all the birds we missed during the day began to haunt us. Then > a bit of luck hit. We stopped at the ponds at the Matachen Junction, to > give a quick listen. Almost as soon as we got out of the van a Clapper/King > ("Cling") Rail called. We had tied the record.We needed just one more to > break it, and we both knew what it had to be. Virginia Rails live in the > marshy half of the San Blas sewage lagoons. But we had gone out there in > the afternoon to check it out, and found the road heavily overgrown and > barely passable in the daylight. The area around the ponds themselves was > also heavily overgrown, allowing access to the edge of the upper pond only > at the near corner. To get to the lower pond would require some heavy work > with a machete. And the ponds are infested with crocodiles. Trying for a > rail there at night would be no picnic, and neither Francisco nor I were > looking forward to it. In truth, it was mostly the thought of avoiding > having to do this that drove our futile efforts to find our glory somewhere > else in the hours before. After a call to my wife to update her on our > plans and expected time of arrival home, I told Francisco that she said, > "Be careful of the crocodile." He replied , "THE crocodile? There are five."We > headed out the "road," that appeared even more closed and impassable and > longer than it had in the daylight, but eventually pushed our way through > to the ponds. We got out of the van and eased our way up the bank to the > open edge, scanning with our lights for crocodiles. Sure enough, just as we > could peer over the bank, we saw a nine-foot crocodile in the shallow water > only about 3 meters away from us. We held our ground. The crocodile stood > up in the "mud" and ambled its way through the shallows and slipped into > deeper water and disappeared into the dark depths. We scanned the entire > pond, and saw three more crocodiles, but none close. I went to work with my > ipod while Francisco kept an eye on the crocodiles. The marsh was rather > quiet. After playing a few reps of Virginia Rail, we heard one call from > the far side of the other pond. Not strong, but clear nonetheless. A few > Sora called tentatively, but we already had them on the list. It was a > bit anti-climactic, but we had the record. Then Francisco suggested we play > for a Spotted Rail, "since we're already here." I dialed up a Spotted Rail > call, and as soon as it finished playing the marsh irrupted. At least three > Spotted Rails called, as well as Sora, Virginia Rail, and Common Gallinule. > There was something about Spotted Rail that got them all juiced. It was a > much more satisfying end to a fabulous day of birding around San Blas. We > beat a retreat before the crocodiles decided to test our defenses, content > that we had the record, with a "cushion" species as well.Mark > Mark Stackhouse > mark AT westwings.com > from Mexico: > 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) > 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) > from U.S. > 011-52-323-285-1243 or > 1-801-518-5618 > > > Here's our list (exact locations for each available on request): > > 1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck**** > > 2. Fulvous Whistling-Duck**** > > 3. Gadwall**** > > 4. American Wigeon**** > > 5. Blue-winged Teal**** > > 6. Cinnamon Teal**** > > 7. Northern Shoveler**** > > 8. Green-winged Teal**** > > 9. Redhead**** > > 10. Lesser Scaup**** > > 11. Ruddy Duck**** > > 12. Rufous-bellied Chachalaca**** > > 13. Elegant Quail**** > > 14. Common Loon**** > > 15. Least Grebe**** > > 16. Eared Grebe**** > > 17. Wood Stork**** > > 18. Magnificent Frigatebird**** > > 19. Blue-footed Booby**** > > 20. Neotropic Cormorant**** > > 21. Anhinga**** > > 22. Brown Pelican**** > > 23. Bare-throated Tiger-Heron**** > > 24. Great Blue Heron**** > > 25. Great Egret**** > > 26. Snowy Egret**** > > 27. Little Blue Heron**** > > 28. Tricolored Heron**** > > 29. Reddish Egret**** > > 30. Cattle Egret**** > > 31. Green Heron**** > > 32. Black-crowned Night-Heron**** > > 33. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron**** > > 34. Boat-billed Heron**** > > 35. White Ibis**** > > 36. White-faced Ibis**** > > 37. Roseate Spoonbill**** > > 38. Black Vulture**** > > 39. Turkey Vulture**** > > 40. Osprey**** > > 41. Snail Kite**** > > 42. Cooper's Hawk**** > > 43. Common Black-Hawk**** > > 44. Gray Hawk**** > > 45. Short-tailed Hawk**** > > 46. Zone-tailed Hawk**** > > 47. Red-tailed Hawk**** > > 48. Collared Forest-Falcon**** > > 49. American Kestrel**** > > 50. Clapper Rail**** > > 51. Virginia Rail**** > > 52. Sora **** > > 53. Spotted Rail**** > > 54. Purple Gallinule**** > > 55. Common Gallinule**** > > 56. American Coot**** > > 57. Limpkin**** > > 58. Black-bellied Plover **** > > 59. Wilson's Plover**** > > 60. Semipalmated Plover**** > > 61. Killdeer**** > > 62. American Oystercatcher**** > > 63. Black-necked Stilt**** > > 64. American Avocet**** > > 65. Northern Jacana**** > > 66. Spotted Sandpiper**** > > 67. Greater Yellowlegs**** > > 68. Willet**** > > 69. Lesser Yellowlegs**** > > 70. Whimbrel**** > > 71. Long-billed Curlew**** > > 72. Marbled Godwit**** > > 73. Sanderling**** > > 74. Western Sandpiper **** > > 75. Least Sandpiper**** > > 76. Stilt Sandpiper**** > > 77. Short-billed Dowitcher**** > > 78. Long-billed Dowitcher**** > > 79. Wilson's Snipe**** > > 80. Ring-billed Gull**** > > 81. Gull-billed Tern**** > > 82. Caspian Tern**** > > 83. Rock Pigeon**** > > 84. Red-billed Pigeon **** > > 85. White-winged Dove**** > > 86. Inca Dove**** > > 87. Common Ground-Dove**** > > 88. Ruddy Ground-Dove**** > > 89. White-tipped Dove**** > > 90. Orange-fronted Parakeet**** > > 91. Mexican Parrotlet**** > > 92. Squirrel Cuckoo**** > > 93. Groove-billed Ani**** > > 94. Barn Owl**** > > 95. Whiskered Screech-Owl**** > > 96. Northern Pygmy-Owl**** > > 97. Colima Pygmy-Owl**** > > 98. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl**** > > 99. Mottled Owl**** > > 100. Stygian Owl**** > > 101. Lesser Nighthawk**** > > 102. Common Pauraque**** > > 103. Eared Poorwill**** > > 104. Mexican Whip-poor-will**** > > 105. Northern Potoo**** > > 106. Black-chinned Hummingbird**** > > 107. Costa's Hummingbird**** > > 108. Rufous Hummingbird**** > > 109. Broad-billed Hummingbird**** > > 110. Mexican Woodnymph**** > > 111. Berylline Hummingbird**** > > 112. Cinnamon Hummingbird**** > > 113. White-eared Hummingbird**** > > 114. Elegant Trogon**** > > 115. Belted Kingfisher**** > > 116. Green Kingfisher**** > > 117. Acorn Woodpecker**** > > 118. Golden-cheeked Woodpecker**** > > 119. Gila Woodpecker**** > > 120. Ladder-backed Woodpecker**** > > 121. Arizona Woodpecker**** > > 122. Gray-crowned Woodpecker**** > > 123. Lineated Woodpecker**** > > 124. Pale-billed Woodpecker**** > > 125. Ivory-billed Woodcreeper**** > > 126. White-striped Woodcreeper**** > > 127. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet**** > > 128. Greenish Elaenia**** > > 129. Tufted Flycatcher**** > > 130. Greater Pewee**** > > 131. Willow Flycatcher**** > > 132. Hammond's Flycatcher**** > > 133. Pine Flycatcher**** > > 134. Pacific-slope Flycatcher**** > > 135. Cordilleran Flycatcher**** > > 136. Buff-breasted Flycatcher**** > > 137. Black Phoebe**** > > 138. Say's Phoebe**** > > 139. Vermilion Flycatcher**** > > 140. Dusky-capped Flycatcher**** > > 141. Nutting's Flycatcher**** > > 142. Brown-crested Flycatcher**** > > 143. Great Kiskadee**** > > 144. Boat-billed Flycatcher**** > > 145. Social Flycatcher**** > > 146. Tropical Kingbird**** > > 147. Cassin's Kingbird**** > > 148. Thick-billed Kingbird**** > > 149. Masked Tityra**** > > 150. Rose-throated Becard**** > > 151. Loggerhead Shrike**** > > 152. Mangrove Vireo**** > > 153. Bell's Vireo**** > > 154. Black-capped Vireo**** > > 155. Cassin's Vireo**** > > 156. Hutton's Vireo**** > > 157. Golden Vireo**** > > 158. Warbling Vireo**** > > 159. Black-throated Magpie-Jay**** > > 160. Green Jay**** > > 161. Purplish-backed Jay**** > > 162. Sinaloa Crow**** > > 163. Northern Rough-winged Swallow**** > > 164. Mangrove Swallow**** > > 165. Barn Swallow**** > > 166. Happy Wren**** > > 167. Sinaloa Wren**** > > 168. House Wren**** > > 169. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher**** > > 170. Black-capped Gnatcatcher**** > > 171. Ruby-crowned Kinglet**** > > 172. Eastern Bluebird**** > > 173. Brown-backed Solitaire**** > > 174. Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush**** > > 175. White-throated Thrush**** > > 176. Rufous-backed Robin**** > > 177. Gray Catbird**** > > 178. Northern Mockingbird**** > > 179. Blue Mockingbird**** > > 180. Gray Silky-flycatcher**** > > 181. Northern Waterthrush**** > > 182. Black-and-white Warbler**** > > 183. Crescent-chested Warbler**** > > 184. Orange-crowned Warbler**** > > 185. Nashville Warbler**** > > 186. MacGillivray's Warbler**** > > 187. Common Yellowthroat**** > > 188. American Redstart**** > > 189. Yellow Warbler**** > > 190. Yellow-rumped Warbler**** > > 191. Yellow-throated Warbler**** > > 192. Grace's Warbler**** > > 193. Black-throated Gray Warbler**** > > 194. Townsend's Warbler**** > > 195. Hermit Warbler**** > > 196. Fan-tailed Warbler**** > > 197. Rufous-capped Warbler**** > > 198. Wilson's Warbler**** > > 199. Red-faced Warbler**** > > 200. Painted Redstart**** > > 201. Yellow-breasted Chat**** > > 202. Grayish Saltator**** > > 203. White-collared Seedeater**** > > 204. Rusty Sparrow**** > > 205. Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow**** > > 206. Chipping Sparrow**** > > 207. Lark Sparrow**** > > 208. Savannah Sparrow**** > > 209. Grasshopper Sparrow**** > > 210. Lincoln's Sparrow**** > > 211. Hepatic Tanager**** > > 212. Summer Tanager**** > > 213. Flame-colored Tanager**** > > 214. Yellow Grosbeak**** > > 215. Rose-breasted Grosbeak**** > > 216. Black-headed Grosbeak**** > > 217. Blue Grosbeak**** > > 218. Varied Bunting**** > > 219. Painted Bunting**** > > 220. Great-tailed Grackle**** > > 221. Bronzed Cowbird**** > > 222. Black-vented Oriole**** > > 223. Orchard Oriole**** > > 224. Hooded Oriole**** > > 225. Streak-backed Oriole**** > > 226. Bullock's Oriole**** > > 227. Yellow-winged Cacique**** > > 228. Pine Siskin**** > > 229. Black-headed Siskin**** > > 230. Lesser Goldfinch**** > > 231. House Sparrow**** > > ** ** > > > > > -- _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ *Biól. Rene Valdes* *Peña* *Monterrey, NL, Mexico. * www.birdpicsandmore.com www.mexico-birding.com ( ө > /”) ) / /,, / Subject: Re: New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) From: "Rodrigo U. Lopez Valdes" <rodrigo AT travelian.com.mx> Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2011 21:37:22 -0600 Mark, the list is astonishing ! What an amaizing journey, congratulations ! Rodrigo Lopez. Subject: New "Big Day" record for Mexico (long) From: Mark Stackhouse <westwings AT sisna.com> Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2011 20:10:16 -0700 Yesterday, I went birding for fun with my friend Francisco Garcia, a busman's holiday, for sure. We started at 3:00 in the morning, and by the time we finished the day at 9:00 p.m., 18 hours and 252 kilometers later, we had found 231 species of birds, topping our effort of last March by 11 species, and setting a new "big day" record for Mexico, beating the old record of 229 species, set in Veracruz by Jorge Montejo Diaz, Amy McAndrews and Robert Straub. Although I didn't see any life birds (there aren't any possible among the birds known to occur here), or even any new birds for my San Blas list, I did see 7 species that were new for the year, and three that I haven't seen here since the years that I first came to this place - Common Loon, Mountain Pygmy-Owl, and Gray Catbird. We saw almost all of the expected waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds, had 7 species of owls, including all three of our pygmy-owls, had four species of nightjars, plus Northern Potoo, and eight species of woodpeckers. We found almost all the expected flycatchers, a total of 22 species for the day, had seven species of vireos, and saw 21 species of warblers. Of course, there were some areas where we did poorly, especially raptors, and gulls and terns. Our hummingbird list was unspectacular, and we didn't see a single swift. All told, I count 60 species of birds that I've seen on our route in the last month that we didn't see yesterday - testament to the potential that remains for our next "run." We started at Cerro de San Juan, and visited Mirador del Aguila, Singayta, Mirador de las Garzas, various places around San Blas, the shrimp farms north of town, and the road to the Crocodile Farm. The end of the day was particularly exciting. We finished daylight at the Crocodile Farm, with 222 species on our list, a fabulous run, and two better than our previous effort, but still seven species short of tying the record. A quick check of the list showed 6 species more that might, with luck, be reasonably possible in the dark, with perhaps one or two beyond that if we were really lucky. However, the next 40 minutes along the Crocodile Farm road was alive with unexpected nocturnal activity. A Bare-throated Tiger-Heron called out in the darkness. Black-crowned Night-Herons flew in to feed in the lagoons, and Boat-billed Herons were everywhere, even walking in the road. That filled out our possible large waders list. A Barn Owl was hunting over the fields, and a good number of Common Pauraques were out. But our biggest surprise was a Northern Potoo hunting from a tall fencepost about 30 meters from the road. That gave us six more, and we were one short of the record. "This will keep us out to midnight," I told Francisco. The next couple of hours found us trying in the dark to find just one more bird. We tried to wake up a Blue-black Grassquit. We checked the rocky shoreline to see if a Laughing or Heerman's Gull might be lingering. We checked a favorite roost site for a Peregrine, to see if it was sleeping there. No luck with any of them. Thoughts of all the birds we missed during the day began to haunt us. Then a bit of luck hit. We stopped at the ponds at the Matachen Junction, to give a quick listen. Almost as soon as we got out of the van a Clapper/King ("Cling") Rail called. We had tied the record. We needed just one more to break it, and we both knew what it had to be. Virginia Rails live in the marshy half of the San Blas sewage lagoons. But we had gone out there in the afternoon to check it out, and found the road heavily overgrown and barely passable in the daylight. The area around the ponds themselves was also heavily overgrown, allowing access to the edge of the upper pond only at the near corner. To get to the lower pond would require some heavy work with a machete. And the ponds are infested with crocodiles. Trying for a rail there at night would be no picnic, and neither Francisco nor I were looking forward to it. In truth, it was mostly the thought of avoiding having to do this that drove our futile efforts to find our glory somewhere else in the hours before. After a call to my wife to update her on our plans and expected time of arrival home, I told Francisco that she said, "Be careful of the crocodile." He replied , "THE crocodile? There are five." We headed out the "road," that appeared even more closed and impassable and longer than it had in the daylight, but eventually pushed our way through to the ponds. We got out of the van and eased our way up the bank to the open edge, scanning with our lights for crocodiles. Sure enough, just as we could peer over the bank, we saw a nine-foot crocodile in the shallow water only about 3 meters away from us. We held our ground. The crocodile stood up in the "mud" and ambled its way through the shallows and slipped into deeper water and disappeared into the dark depths. We scanned the entire pond, and saw three more crocodiles, but none close. I went to work with my ipod while Francisco kept an eye on the crocodiles. The marsh was rather quiet. After playing a few reps of Virginia Rail, we heard one call from the far side of the other pond. Not strong, but clear nonetheless. A few Sora called tentatively, but we already had them on the list. It was a bit anti-climactic, but we had the record. Then Francisco suggested we play for a Spotted Rail, "since we're already here." I dialed up a Spotted Rail call, and as soon as it finished playing the marsh irrupted. At least three Spotted Rails called, as well as Sora, Virginia Rail, and Common Gallinule. There was something about Spotted Rail that got them all juiced. It was a much more satisfying end to a fabulous day of birding around San Blas. We beat a retreat before the crocodiles decided to test our defenses, content that we had the record, with a "cushion" species as well. Mark Mark Stackhouse mark AT westwings.com from Mexico: 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) from U.S. 011-52-323-285-1243 or 1-801-518-5618 Here's our list (exact locations for each available on request): 1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 2. Fulvous Whistling-Duck 3. Gadwall 4. American Wigeon 5. Blue-winged Teal 6. Cinnamon Teal 7. Northern Shoveler 8. Green-winged Teal 9. Redhead 10. Lesser Scaup 11. Ruddy Duck 12. Rufous-bellied Chachalaca 13. Elegant Quail 14. Common Loon 15. Least Grebe 16. Eared Grebe 17. Wood Stork 18. Magnificent Frigatebird 19. Blue-footed Booby 20. Neotropic Cormorant 21. Anhinga 22. Brown Pelican 23. Bare-throated Tiger-Heron 24. Great Blue Heron 25. Great Egret 26. Snowy Egret 27. Little Blue Heron 28. Tricolored Heron 29. Reddish Egret 30. Cattle Egret 31. Green Heron 32. Black-crowned Night-Heron 33. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 34. Boat-billed Heron 35. White Ibis 36. White-faced Ibis 37. Roseate Spoonbill 38. Black Vulture 39. Turkey Vulture 40. Osprey 41. Snail Kite 42. Cooper's Hawk 43. Common Black-Hawk 44. Gray Hawk 45. Short-tailed Hawk 46. Zone-tailed Hawk 47. Red-tailed Hawk 48. Collared Forest-Falcon 49. American Kestrel 50. Clapper Rail 51. Virginia Rail 52. Sora 53. Spotted Rail 54. Purple Gallinule 55. Common Gallinule 56. American Coot 57. Limpkin 58. Black-bellied Plover 59. Wilson's Plover 60. Semipalmated Plover 61. Killdeer 62. American Oystercatcher 63. Black-necked Stilt 64. American Avocet 65. Northern Jacana 66. Spotted Sandpiper 67. Greater Yellowlegs 68. Willet 69. Lesser Yellowlegs 70. Whimbrel 71. Long-billed Curlew 72. Marbled Godwit 73. Sanderling 74. Western Sandpiper 75. Least Sandpiper 76. Stilt Sandpiper 77. Short-billed Dowitcher 78. Long-billed Dowitcher 79. Wilson's Snipe 80. Ring-billed Gull 81. Gull-billed Tern 82. Caspian Tern 83. Rock Pigeon 84. Red-billed Pigeon 85. White-winged Dove 86. Inca Dove 87. Common Ground-Dove 88. Ruddy Ground-Dove 89. White-tipped Dove 90. Orange-fronted Parakeet 91. Mexican Parrotlet 92. Squirrel Cuckoo 93. Groove-billed Ani 94. Barn Owl 95. Whiskered Screech-Owl 96. Northern Pygmy-Owl 97. Colima Pygmy-Owl 98. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl 99. Mottled Owl 100. Stygian Owl 101. Lesser Nighthawk 102. Common Pauraque 103. Eared Poorwill 104. Mexican Whip-poor-will 105. Northern Potoo 106. Black-chinned Hummingbird 107. Costa's Hummingbird 108. Rufous Hummingbird 109. Broad-billed Hummingbird 110. Mexican Woodnymph 111. Berylline Hummingbird 112. Cinnamon Hummingbird 113. White-eared Hummingbird 114. Elegant Trogon 115. Belted Kingfisher 116. Green Kingfisher 117. Acorn Woodpecker 118. Golden-cheeked Woodpecker 119. Gila Woodpecker 120. Ladder-backed Woodpecker 121. Arizona Woodpecker 122. Gray-crowned Woodpecker 123. Lineated Woodpecker 124. Pale-billed Woodpecker 125. Ivory-billed Woodcreeper 126. White-striped Woodcreeper 127. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet 128. Greenish Elaenia 129. Tufted Flycatcher 130. Greater Pewee 131. Willow Flycatcher 132. Hammond's Flycatcher 133. Pine Flycatcher 134. Pacific-slope Flycatcher 135. Cordilleran Flycatcher 136. Buff-breasted Flycatcher 137. Black Phoebe 138. Say's Phoebe 139. Vermilion Flycatcher 140. Dusky-capped Flycatcher 141. Nutting's Flycatcher 142. Brown-crested Flycatcher 143. Great Kiskadee 144. Boat-billed Flycatcher 145. Social Flycatcher 146. Tropical Kingbird 147. Cassin's Kingbird 148. Thick-billed Kingbird 149. Masked Tityra 150. Rose-throated Becard 151. Loggerhead Shrike 152. Mangrove Vireo 153. Bell's Vireo 154. Black-capped Vireo 155. Cassin's Vireo 156. Hutton's Vireo 157. Golden Vireo 158. Warbling Vireo 159. Black-throated Magpie-Jay 160. Green Jay 161. Purplish-backed Jay 162. Sinaloa Crow 163. Northern Rough-winged Swallow 164. Mangrove Swallow 165. Barn Swallow 166. Happy Wren 167. Sinaloa Wren 168. House Wren 169. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 170. Black-capped Gnatcatcher 171. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 172. Eastern Bluebird 173. Brown-backed Solitaire 174. Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush 175. White-throated Thrush 176. Rufous-backed Robin 177. Gray Catbird 178. Northern Mockingbird 179. Blue Mockingbird 180. Gray Silky-flycatcher 181. Northern Waterthrush 182. Black-and-white Warbler 183. Crescent-chested Warbler 184. Orange-crowned Warbler 185. Nashville Warbler 186. MacGillivray's Warbler 187. Common Yellowthroat 188. American Redstart 189. Yellow Warbler 190. Yellow-rumped Warbler 191. Yellow-throated Warbler 192. Grace's Warbler 193. Black-throated Gray Warbler 194. Townsend's Warbler 195. Hermit Warbler 196. Fan-tailed Warbler 197. Rufous-capped Warbler 198. Wilson's Warbler 199. Red-faced Warbler 200. Painted Redstart 201. Yellow-breasted Chat 202. Grayish Saltator 203. White-collared Seedeater 204. Rusty Sparrow 205. Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow 206. Chipping Sparrow 207. Lark Sparrow 208. Savannah Sparrow 209. Grasshopper Sparrow 210. Lincoln's Sparrow 211. Hepatic Tanager 212. Summer Tanager 213. Flame-colored Tanager 214. Yellow Grosbeak 215. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 216. Black-headed Grosbeak 217. Blue Grosbeak 218. Varied Bunting 219. Painted Bunting 220. Great-tailed Grackle 221. Bronzed Cowbird 222. Black-vented Oriole 223. Orchard Oriole 224. Hooded Oriole 225. Streak-backed Oriole 226. Bullock's Oriole 227. Yellow-winged Cacique 228. Pine Siskin 229. Black-headed Siskin 230. Lesser Goldfinch 231. House Sparrow Subject: Winter Wren in Tamaulipas From: "Michael L. P. Retter" <mlretter AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:18:19 -0800 (PST) This morning while I was at Saline�o in Texas, there was a Winter Wren singing from across the river. I don't believe there are many records of this species in Mexico, but it has been present the last couple winters on South Padre Island, where a Red Fox-Sparrow, a Long-eared Owl, and multiple White-throated Sparrows were recently found. Michael L. P. Retter -------------------------- W. Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN mlretter AT yahoo.com home: 765.838.3152 cell: 309.824.7317 http://xenospiza.com/ Editor, Winging It American Birding Association http://www.aba.org/wingingit/ Tour Leader, Tropical Birding http://www.tropicalbirding.com/ --------------------------- ------------------------------------ Subject: CBC in Sinaloa, 4-5 Jan, 2012 From: Rene Valdes <guacamayero AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:17:25 -0600 Hello everybody, I would like to invite you to join our next Christmas Bird Counts in Sinaloa, these scheduled for Jan 4 & 5, 2012. The 4th will be the circle in Mazatlan, where our meeting point will be the El Yugo estuary. And the 5th we will drive to the Tufted Jay Preserve (Barranca Rancho Liebre) to complete this circle. Some of our group will also be attending the circle in San Blas (Jan 3th), so this will be an interesting and intense birdwatching during 3 days where we expect to have close to 350 species, a good number for the beggining of the year! If any of you may be interested in join us please contact me off-list . _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ *Biól. Rene Valdes* *Peña* *Mazatlan/Monterrey, Mexico. * www.birdpicsandmore.com www.mexico-birding.com ( ө > /”) ) / /,, / Subject: Spam con from Nancy !! From: Jack Windsor <greystrix AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:00:54 -0700 (PDT) Hola;� Do not reply to an email just listed on Mexbirds by someone named Nancy.� This is a con job !!! Jack Windsor Lufkin, TX Subject: ATTA Conference and Harpy Eagle From: "Brock Huffman" <brockhuffman AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:37:12 -0000 We just finished a 4 day summit meeting here in San Crist�bal de las Casas with the Adventure Travel Trade Association - 650 delegates and more or less 50 staff from 63 different countries.. We went all over the state of Chiapas on the Day of Adventure (with different adventures such as hiking, canoeing, kayaking, rapeling, mountain climbing, horseback riding, etc. and the rest of the week were wandering around the city in between and after seminars. No incidents whatsoever on violence. President Calderon spoke to us Monday night (17th) and did mention Mexico needs to help promote tourism such as "birdwatching." I was the only one there promoting birding - I don't know why they have never considered birdwatching an "an outdoor adventure." Maybe we should start swinging in the trees! I'm attaching some comments from the delegates. Also, on the 19th of August, one of our students, Silvano Lopez, with 2 others, spotted an adult Harpy Eagle near Yaxchilan and 200 meters from the Usumacinta River. It was immediately written up by the Cuatro Poder newspaper on the 20th of August and verified by fotos, etc. by the government organization responsible for this area. Doesn't seem to me like the proper way to entice the species to possibly nest in the area - tourists, birders etc flocking to the area trying to get a look. ------------- Greenland is quite far from Mexico so we do not hear about it very often. When we do hear news from Mexico it usually involves travesties like the flu and deaths. When the ATTA announced the Summit in Mexico I was a little scared, but after being hear I feel completely different about the country. I feel totally safe walking around in a city that is twice the size of my country, and I would definitely bring my family here on holiday. I came to Chiapas in the early 1990's, and it is very different now. In the surrounding areas, outside of the city, there is definitely still room for improvement, but overall the state has made significant developments. Driving through the country you used to see homes made of nothing more than wood and thatched roofs. The social climate has changed, as well. Coming here in the early 90's it felt like a town on the brink of revolution, which it was, and today I do not feel that same sense of social tension. This trip has definitely changed my perspective on Mexico. Living in Los Angeles I often take Mexico for granted. I have not seen it as exotic or interesting enough. I feel differently now. This town of San Cristobal de Las Casas is special. I have not had enough time here to explore and am planning on going home to talk to my wife about coming back here next year. I think that she would really love it it here. Maybe we'll even come back for an extended period of time and take an intensive language class. There was also a bit of a fear factor in coming here. The press is so negative, but now I see that that perspective was not necessary. In my opinion, this was the best Summit ever. The format of walking in the town between seminars was great. In Nigeria we have the same problems of of negativity in the press so that was not an issue in coming here. I must say, though, coming here has been an eye-opening experience. The adventures we have learned about here in Mexico are eye-opening. Nigerian travel focuses on culture, culture, culture. At this event I learned about kayaking which is new to me and not well known in Nigeria. We are excited about bringing kayaking to Nigeria. I have always been mystified by the fact that Americans do not come to Mexico for the culture. It is sad , but the market reality is that many Americans come to Mexico to get drunk on a beach vacation. I would guess that more Americans go to Cambodia and Vietnam than they do to Mexico for a cultural vacation, but I think that the culture here has a lot to offer. I have been thinking about running trips in Mexico for years. This town is especially wonderful with its color and people that are so demure, quiet, and kind I feel more confident in working to change the perceptions of our travelers to embrace this destination as a possible adventure itinerary. The Summit definitely had an impact. We've been running trips in Latin America and never considered Mexico. Now I'm strongly considering developing Mexico as a part of our offering. We've offered tours to Mexico for many years but I hadn't been here in a while. Even I was getting put off by news and negative reports but starting with my PSA through the opening night, I have come back around completely. Will definitely be building a program with my PSA tour operator which is why I came here. The event was a complete life-changer for me. And I didn't even know I needed one. The Mexican people are the warmest people we've ever met. After Mexico night, I found myself wondering, "Why do I not visit my neighbor more often"? ------------------------------------ Subject: Deadline! CFP 31 October 2011 - Ethnoornithology session at ICE 13 From: "Robert Gosford" <bgosford AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:06:51 -0000 FINAL - Call for Papers DEADLINE 13th Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology If you are interested in submitting to the Birds and people � research from four continents session please also advise me, Bob Gosford at bgosford AT gmail.com or Fluer Ng'weno at fleur AT africaonline.co.ke. Welcome to Montpellier (France), 20-25 May 2012 Proposals of individual contributions should be submitted online by October 31st, 2011. Online submission is now open. Please proceed here (http://cise2012.sciencesconf.org/) Exceptionally, proponents who have seldom access to Internet are authorized to submit their proposal: - Via email to: congress-ise2012 AT agropolis.fr - Via fax to: (+33) 467613336 - Via snail mail to: Congress ISE 2012, UMR5175 CEFE, Campus CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France Subject: Solitary Eagle Project- Assistance needed From: "Ryan" <harpiabz AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 02:30:51 -0000 Dear Mexico Birders, I am currently working on a Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius) mapping project using confirmed and likely records from Mexico to Argentina. I am asking for your assistance. If anyone has a Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, record I would like to hear from you. Email me privately the following information: Date Exact location: if you have GPS coords or a very detailed description Age of bird/s observed Behavior observed Number of individuals A detailed description of characteristics observed or a photo, how you omitted Buteogallus What is your experience with Buteogallus and Harpyhaliaetus? Your assistance is much appreciated! Thanks, Ryan Phillips Executive Director, Belize Raptor Research Institute harpiabz AT yahoo.com ------------------------------------ Subject: San Blas CBC From: Mark Stackhouse <westwings AT sisna.com> Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:24:00 -0600 The 271 species we recorded for the San Blas Christmas Bird Count last season was good enough to rank as 9th highest CBC in the world, and the highest count north of Costa Rica: "The highest count again came from Ecuador, with a staggering 423 species. A second Ecuador site was close behind with 412, followed by five Costa Rica sites (each exceeding 300 species). Rounding out the top ten: Pacific Canal Area, Panama (298), San Blas, Mexico (271) and the Atlantic Canal Area of Panama (261)." Thanks to those who counted with us last year. This year's count will be on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. Come give us a hand - the more the merrier! Send me a message if you can join us - we need to keep up with the stiff competition down south - let's see if we can top 300. http://www.suite101.com/news/highlights-of-audubons-newly-released-111th-christmas-bird-count-a393846 Las 271 especies que registramos en El Conteo de Navidad de San Blas el a�o pasado fueron suficiente para llegar al 9no lugar de todos los conteos del mundo, y fue el mejor al norte de Costa Rica. Los mejores conteos fueron los de Ecuador y Costa Rica. Gracias a todos los que nos ayudaron el a�o pasado. El conteo de este a�o sera el Martes 3 de Enero del 2012. Invito a todos - entre mas, mejor! Escribanme si pueden participar con nostotros este a�o - tenemos competecia dura desde el sur - vamos a ver se podremos alcanzar 300 especies! Mark Stackhouse mark AT westwings.com from Mexico: 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) from U.S. 011-52-323-285-1243 or 1-801-518-5618 ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: violence in Mexico thread From: Jack Eitniear <jackeitniear AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:52:07 -0700 (PDT) Mexico Birders.. Posted on behalf of my friend Brock Huffman. Jack Eitniear Hola Gary:� I disagree with what you feel is my basic premise i.e. giving a false appearance of safety in Chiapas and being dishonest in our assessment.� I am sending our first letter when we began this quest on May 27, 2011.� We tried to obtain this data from a number of agencies, all without success, until we obained data from professor Miguel Flores. You can obtain the same data on�the INEGI site (http://www.inegi.org.mx/default.aspx). It�is in Spanish, but if you use Mozilla firefox as your web browser, there is an option to translate INEGI webapage to english, you might want try it. � The FBI has their records published. Maybe it's due to my having represented defendants in the Texas state and Federal courts for 44 years that I so detest "profiling."� Just as you cannot stop a motorist driving because of his ethnicity, how can we say that because there is violence in certain parts of Mexico, that there must be violence in all parts of Mexico. � I have no reason to be disingenuous - I am trying to help all tour operators in travels to Chiapas - and they can use the same data banks for other Mexican states.� ����������� I have said this is not going to be a solution - but where else should we start? Maybe by diminishing the drug use in the United States so that we are not the largest and most lucrative market in the world for illegal drugs.� That's not going to happen anytime soon! If we do indeed have a "War on Drugs" we are losing that battle, and it's obvious that if we weren't such a fantastic market for illegal drugs, there wouldn't be "drug cartels." ������������ Maybe we could also sto the massive illegal delivery and sale of weaposn to the Mexican gangs - that's not going to happen either until we increase the penalty for that offense.� It's too easy for an Aamerican citizen, without a criminal history, to purchase a weapon legally, then sell it for almost twice it's value, to a "gun runner,"who smuggles it into Mexico for sale to the cartels.� Almost all� the arrests here in Mexico turn up weapons purchased in the US. � I'm not sure what you mean by "politically motivated crime"unless you're referring to the Zapatistas and Comandante Marcos - that was in 1994 (18 years ago) and I'm not aware of north americans having been targeted.� And the only deaths that took place were caused by a clash between 2 indigenous villages.� What� reports of politically-motivated crimes are you referring to? �������������� I agree with you that I would not travel by road through Tamaulipas, and maybe not Veracruz.� I have friends who would love to revisit El Cielo but are afraid to cross the border to get there.� There are many Mexican citizens now living in San Antonio legally�who will not drive across the border for fear of cartel violence.� But that is not Chiapas. Subject: RE: GPS for Mexico From: "Chris Harrison" <sandboa AT satx.rr.com> Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2011 10:17:42 -0500 Diane, I have used several Garmin GPS units and software in Mexico over the years. The unit itself isn't that important, just get one that has the features you need (navigation abilities, ability to store and download waypoints, etc.) The map is what makes it great or useless. I have used the maps that come with the Garmin World Maps. They were just about useless. They only show a few major highways and cities and those are not that accurate. There are no decent town/city maps except for a few major cities. I then purchased the Mexico GPS atlas from BiciMaps. It was a huge improvement showing lots of detail, small roads, maps of many small towns, street names, etc. The version I used was several years ago and now they have a new 2011 edition. My original problem with this maps was the price (over $150) but that appears to have come down. The maps were good however. ( http://www.mexicomaps.com/mexico_gps.lasso?itemid=8370&-session=mmid:48B180E 518c871879Eoqx159E744). The reason I gave up on them was that I had a hard disk failure and they wanted me to buy another full version to be allowed to reinstall it on my new hard disk. After I bought my newer GPS unit, I purchased the Garmin City Navigator Mexico for $49 with the unit. It is a great program and has more data than BiciMaps. It has restaurants, gas stations and hotels preloaded into it which is a nice plus. The only downside to the Garmin maps is you get the annoying "Your map is out of date" screen when they first load even if you've only had the maps for 6 months. But there are good maps of even small pueblos, dirt roads, etc.. If you have a good GPS unit to use with it, I think these are the best of the maps I've used/seen. Chris Harrison San Antonio, TX From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Diane Rainsford Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 4:16 PM To: mexico-birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [Mexico-Birding] GPS for Mexico I am looking to buy a GPS unit for our next trip to Mexico. anyone have a recommendation? Diane Rainsford Corvallis, OR Subject: Re: Re: GPS for Mexico From: Jim Sinclair <jim.sinclair AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2011 07:57:49 -0500 We also like Garmin's Mexico coverage - with one caveat: For some reason there are certain locations in Matamoros and Cd. Victoria where, when we get close to the destination we are suddenly routed through Cd. Mante! If you zoom out on the map, you can see how to get back on track. We have not been down there in a year or so, and don't know how the map updates may have fixed the problem. Another problem is having the 'correct' address. As you probably know, many streets/highways have more than one name. Our Garmin at the time would not always handle the 'alternate' name. On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 11:53 PM, Mary Ann Wood wrote: > > > We have driven to Mexico 4 times now and will be embarking shortly on our > 5th trip. The GPS units have gotten incredibly better for their Mexico > coverage. We like the Garmin - the last couple of years we had a 1490 and > this year we bought a Garmin 2460LMT - some of the Garmin's have Mexico > coverage and some don't - we wanted a 5 inch screen so we specifically > bought this model - there are other Garmin models that also have Mexico > coverage. It is just moderately good in the small towns, but it is > invaluable in places like Guadalajara - that is one big city ! We stay in > PV for most of the 6 months, but do a lot of driving around while we are > down there. Let me know if you have any questions ! > > Buen viaje ! > > Mary Ann Wood > Camas, WA > > > > -- Jim Sinclair (TX-ESA) TOS Life Member Kingsville, TX "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." - Albert Einstein Subject: Re: GPS for Mexico From: Mary Ann Wood <maryannie.wood AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:53:28 -0700 (PDT) We have driven to Mexico 4 times now and will be embarking shortly on our 5th trip. � �The GPS units have gotten incredibly better for their Mexico coverage. � �We like the Garmin - the last couple of years we had a 1490 and this year we bought a Garmin 2460LMT - some of the Garmin's have Mexico coverage and some don't �- we wanted a 5 inch screen so we specifically bought this model - there are other Garmin models that also have Mexico coverage. � � It is just moderately good in the small towns, but it is invaluable in places like Guadalajara - that is one big city ! � �We stay in PV for most of the 6 months, but do a lot of driving around while we are down there. � � Let me know if you have any questions ! Buen viaje ! Mary Ann Wood Camas, WA Subject: GPS for Mexico From: Diane Rainsford <diane_rains AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:16:22 -0700 I am looking to buy a GPS unit for our next trip to Mexico. anyone have a recommendation? Diane Rainsford Corvallis, OR Subject: Re: crime in Mexico. Not what you think. From: Gary Hunter <gdhunter AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:03:03 -0500 It's natural that the controversial subject of Mexico travel safety will arise in this forum with some regularity. Having read what I accept to be credible news reports (and the US State Dept travel advisory) and having listened to the first-hand reports of friends who live in Mexico or who have relatives there, I remain a skeptic, and a statistical analysis will not be persuasive enough to convince me that my family and I are as likely to travel safely in that wonderful country as we did before the present strife. I'm guessing that the study doesn't take into account the incidence of politically-motivated crime, which many reports attribute to regions like Chiapas. Such crime is reportedly more likely to target foreign tourists than locals. I do not doubt that the vast majority of birders and other tourists visiting Mexico do so without encountering violent crime. But in my view it's disingenuous to suggest that we can accurately assess the real threat level through a statistical comparison of homicide rates. Thanks for the information. Unfortunately, it's not nearly enough to convince me to travel by road through Mexico (and especially to my preferred destinations in Tamaulipas and Veracruz). Gary Hunter gdhunter AT gmail.com *Subject: crime in Mexico. Not what you think.* From: Jack Eitniear Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:09:33 -0700 (PDT) Hola all, Finally we have data to back up our belief that you are safer in Chiapas State than in most U.S. cities. There is an ongoing project by a group led by professors from the universities in San Antonio, Texas and Monterrey, Mexico to study the homicide rate in Mexico. The Instituto Nacional de Estad�stics y Geograf�a (INEGI), has a website (http://www.inegi.org.mx/default.aspx) which lists death certificate records. From this data, one can determine deaths by natural cases or by homicide in Mexico. It is obvious that violence is concentrated in a few very well defined areas or regions of Mexico, none of which are located in the State of Chiapas. Records for the year 2010 were researched for homicides in 119 municipalities in the State of Chiapas � there were 147 homicides which translates to 3.1 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants. Compare this with figures furnished by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Houston, Texas: 11.79 per 100,000 Dallas, Texas: 11.33 per 100,000 San Antonio, Texas: 5.67 per 100,000 Chicago, Illinois: 7.4 per 100,000 Washington, D.C.: 9.8 per 100,000 Obviously, tourists do not need to fear that violence is rampant in all of Mexico, indeed travel in the state of Chiapas is safer than travel in most U.S. cities. Finally, there are a number of links to articles written about this very subject: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mexico/article/Tourists-find-quaint-appeal-in-the-southern-789627.php http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/04/20/mexico_mix_safe_travel.DTL http://themexicoreport.com/2011/08/19/peter-greenberg-mexico-the-royal-tour-with-felipe-calderon/ http://www.petergreenberg.com/2011/09/19/peter-greenberg-why-and-how-we-made-mexico-the-royal-tour/ Let me know if any of you have anything to add � sharing is obviously an important part of this endeavor. Jack Clinton Eitniear jce AT cstbinc.orgwww.cstbinc.org "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave" Dakota Indian Saying *** * Subject: crime in Mexico. Not what you think. From: Jack Eitniear <jackeitniear AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:09:33 -0700 (PDT) Hola all,   Finally we have data to back up our belief that you are safer in Chiapas State than in most U.S. cities. There is an ongoing project by a group led by professors from the universities in San Antonio, Texas and Monterrey, Mexico to study the homicide rate in Mexico. The Instituto Nacional de Estadístics y Geografía (INEGI), has a website (http://www.inegi.org.mx/default.aspx) which lists death certificate records. From this data, one can determine deaths by natural cases or by homicide in Mexico.   It is obvious that violence is concentrated in a few very well defined areas or regions of Mexico, none of which are located in the State of Chiapas. Records for the year 2010 were researched for homicides in 119 municipalities in the State of Chiapas – there were 147 homicides which translates to 3.1 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants. Compare this with figures furnished by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Houston, Texas: 11.79 per 100,000 Dallas, Texas: 11.33 per 100,000 San Antonio, Texas: 5.67 per 100,000 Chicago, Illinois: 7.4 per 100,000 Washington, D.C.:  9.8 per 100,000   Obviously, tourists do not need to fear that violence is rampant in all of Mexico, indeed travel in the state of Chiapas is safer than travel in most U.S. cities.   Finally, there are a number of links to articles written about this very subject: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mexico/article/Tourists-find-quaint-appeal-in-the-southern-789627.php   http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/04/20/mexico_mix_safe_travel.DTL   http://themexicoreport.com/2011/08/19/peter-greenberg-mexico-the-royal-tour-with-felipe-calderon/   http://www.petergreenberg.com/2011/09/19/peter-greenberg-why-and-how-we-made-mexico-the-royal-tour/   Let me know if any of you have anything to add – sharing is obviously an important part of this endeavor.     Jack Clinton Eitniear   jce AT cstbinc.org www.cstbinc.org "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave" Dakota Indian Saying ________________________________ Subject: RFI: rare birds in Mexico From: "Michael L. P. Retter" <mlretter AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 06:54:26 -0700 (PDT) Hello, everyone. If any of you has locally rare bird sightings or photos from the previous 5-6 weeks you'd like to contribute for the next ABA Sightings column, we'd love to receive them. Please reply with them by the 13th of the month. Thanks a bunch to those who have submitted stuff in the past! To see how we use sightings of birds in Mexico in the magazine, check out this past column, which includes Mexico's first record of Little Bunting. http://www.aba.org/birding/v40n6p24.pdf Good birding, Michael L. P. Retter -------------------------- W. Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN mlretter AT yahoo.com home: 765.838.3152 cell: 309.824.7317 http://xenospiza.com/ Editor, Winging It American Birding Association http://www.aba.org/wingingit/ Tour Leader, Tropical Birding http://www.tropicalbirding.com/ --------------------------- ------------------------------------ Subject: Sotano de las Golondrinas - San Luis Potosi - a detailed trip report From: "patzcuarobirder" <antep12 AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 09 Oct 2011 05:10:34 -0000 Okay, here's my second report from a road trip done last week. We visited this sink hole after visiting Sotano de Barro in Queretaro's Sierra Gorda Biosphere. It's located outside of the Huastec(a) village of Aquismon in the southern area of the state of San Luis Potosi. You can reach it by driving east from San Luis Potosi or south from Cuidad Victoria or north from Jalpan/Xilitla(both in Queretaro)or west from Tampico. The birds of choice are: White-collared swift (Streptoprocne zonaris or locally known as Vencejo cuelliblanco) and Green parakeet (Aratinga holochlora or locally known as Perico verde mexicano). You must be at the sotano's edge before sunrise. We stayed overnight in Xilitla in Queretaro (famous for the Edward James creation known as Las Pozas). We left at 5:00 AM to be at the trail head and hike down to the sotano before there was any bird movement at daybreak. We were allowed to follow Mundo, a local eco-tour guide who was taking a family from Mexico City to this destination and to kayak a nearby waterway after the bird adventure. Our price for following him was $200 pesos. They paid $500 pesos/person for their full day excursion. www.mundoextreme.com.mx The village/entrance kiosk is not on Garmin's GPS for Mexico. So you must either hire a guide or ask questions in Aquismon to reach the destination. The road from Aquismon is paved for a ways but then you must exit right onto a VERY ROUGH and ROCKY road to the sotano. This road is NOT for a rental car or sedan. I was able to commandeer my Ford Escape to the sotano's entrance only by driving very slow and encouraging "Nelly" to make the trip. Entrance fee is $30 pesos/person. You'll walk down 526 nicely laid stone steps. Note: you will also walk up these same steps later. At the edge of the sotano, you will be met by a couple of local helpers. You will also encounter a yellow "peligroso" tape (this means dangerous in Spanish). You will not be allowed beyond the yellow tape unless you are secured by rope. Depending on weather conditions, the swifts may or may not swirl up and out of the sink hole. If it is warm, the swifts will be seen in abundance at sunrise. If it is rainy or overcast, they may or may not be seen. Locals explained that the swifts can survie for 3 days in the sink hole by eating insects before they are desperate for more food. On our visit, it was overcast; however we experienced quite a swirl of swifts (? a couple thousand or 5 thousand or a million??) and hundreds of Green parakeets flying here and there across the opening of the sink hole. You can get great looks and photos by being roped in by the local guides....you need to crawl on your belly from the yellow plastic tape to the edge where you can see/hear/photograph/record the birds. About the time I decided I could live with my experience, the local helper announced that "the birds were coming". Pretty soon we saw millions, and I mean millions. of swifts circling in a counter-clock fashion, up and out of the soltano. It's impossible for me to describe the sound of their wings and vocalizations. This is especially true because hundreds of Green parakeets are vocalizing at the same time. Eventually, the last of the swifts left and we were free to make the climb up the 526 steps to the parking area. Ugh. There is no lodging or food services in the nearby village. Aquismon has a nice looking hotel, a great steet market and food stands/restuarants. A few photos are posted on this yahoogroup site. If you have specific questions about details, email me privately at antep12 (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll help as best as I can. Oh, one last thing: check YouTube for a 4-part video about residente Felipe Calderone's trip with Peter Greenberg called Mexico - The Royal Tour 2011. Sotano de las Golondrinas is shown at the end of part 3 and beginning of part 4. Unfortunately, they don't film the exodus of the swifts. I am hoping to get footage from Mundo at www.mundoextreme.com.mx of the swifts when he took Pixar folks to the sotano this past year. If I am successful, I wlll post another notice with link. Georgia Conti Lake Patzcuaro, Michoacan www.patzcuarobirder.blogspot.com ------------------------------------ Subject: Sotano de Barro - contact information for reservations From: "patzcuarobirder" <antep12 AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:08:46 -0000 I have posted a trip report and photos for Sotano de Barro in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere. I neglected to provide contact information for the jefe of Santa Maria de Cocos. Everardo's phone is 01-555-151-5475. If you are planning to a trip from February to July, it is best to call ahead of time to reserve lodging/meals/mules/guide. Other times of the year, it is probably safe to show up unannounced. Georgia Lake Patzcuaro ------------------------------------ Subject: Sotano de Barro - Queretaro State From: "patzcuarobirder" <antep12 AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 08 Oct 2011 17:42:41 -0000 My search of the archives produced nothing on this birding spot, and nothing on Sotano de Golondrinas. Here's information about Sotano de Barro; I'll post a second note re Sotano de Golondrinas. Last week, I did a road trip from Michoacan to Queretaro to San Luis Potosi and then to Guanajuato. Photos will be posted soon in an album on this site. Sotano de Barro (Sotano = sink hole in Spanish) is located in the state of Queretaro's reserva de la biosfera Sierra Gorda. Military macaw (Ara militaris or locally known as guacamayas verdes) is the species of interest. The vertical drop is 410 meters. The road to the soltano is marked on paved hwy 120 northeast of Jalpan. You drive a gravel road to Santa Maria de Cocos (the last village or settlement on the road). The road was in good condition last week; a rental car could easily manage this road. Maintenance crews were smoothing rough spots from the year's rainy season. Santa Maria de Cocos is not in Garmin's GPS. The small village of Santa Maria offers lodging, and the jefe will make arrangements for meals, mules, and guide. As you drive into the village, look/ask for the clinic. The lodge is next door; it has secure parking. Someone will notify the jefe who will show up to arrange your mule trip to the top. As a back country hiker from Alaska, I'll let you know the climb up is difficult. We met nobody who spoke English so you need to know enough Spanish to make arrangements. It's best if you arrive the afternoon or evening before you make the trip up the mountain. You start at 4:30 am to reach the soltano a bit before daybreak. Along the way, we heard Mottled owl, a lifer for me. The best time of year to see macaws is February to July. We had long, good views of six. Upon recommendation from the biosfera's staff, we arranged for Soltero to take us up on mules. He's an excellent guide with a fine sense of humor. He knows the bird vocalizations and has trained his son to be a guide. At the top, we climbed off the mules and discovered legs like rubber bands. Both of us, as well as Soltero, laughed heartily as Val and I tried to make our way across large stones to the edge of the sink hole. He confirmed that everyone has this problem when s/he gets off the mule. Just be prepared to help your trip mates and accept a hand from your guide. I chose to walk down the mountain, rather than be jostled and sustain more tenderness in my inner thighs. We reached the village approximately 11 AM, in time for breakfast. Costs: $200 pesos/mule. $200 pesos for the guide (cost shared by two of us). $300 pesos for our room with two double beds (cost shared by two of us). 4 meals = $100 pesos total. Two dinners and two breakfasts. The meals were tasty and neither of us got sick. They supplied drinking water. No hot water for showers. Although the shower room was equipped with a hot water heater, there apparently wasn't any gas for it. If I've not covered some details, let me know. Georgia Conti Lake Patzcuaro ------------------------------------ Subject: Last Call for Travel Grants - ICE 2012 - 14 October From: "Robert Gosford" <bgosford AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:12:26 -0000 Call for travel grant applications Recognition of the central role of indigenous peoples in all global, regional, and local processes is a founding element of the ISE. Supporting and promoting the critical efforts of Indigenous peoples, traditional societies, and local communities in the conservation of biological, cultural and linguistic diversity has been the priority since the ISE's inception in 1988. Building on the traditions of past ISE congresses, the 13th ISE Congress will bring together indigenous and non-indigenous participants from around the world to tackle the key issues of our times, such as community-conserved areas and food sovereignty. The congress will include a wide range of formats for people to share their knowledge, ideas and experiences, ranging from talking circles, to film viewings and discussions, cultural performances, field trips, oral presentations and poster sessions. The congress is intended to be highly interactive and participatory and to foster a commitment by participants to building understanding and trust. The overarching theme of the 13th Congress is Cultural diversity and biological diversity for sustainable development: Exploring the past to build the future. The main keywords upon which we would like to draw the Congress topics are the following: biocultural interactions, coupled human and ecological systems, historical ecology, cultural landscapes, and socio-ecological resilience. In preparation for this congress, to be held in Montpellier, France from 20-25 May 2012, the ISE is announcing a Call for travel grant applications to support contributions from indigenous peoples and local/traditional communities as follows: Proposals for travel grant applications to support individual contributions will ideally fall within one of the sub-themes of the 13th congress: 1. Local products: Interactions between rural and urban environments 2. Agrodiversity: Interactions between past and contemporary agricultural practices 3. Land use legacies: Interactions between past knowledge and contemporary practices 4. Co-learning processes in ethnobiological research: Interactions between researchers, local actors, and other stakeholders 5. Sustainable development: Interactions between traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and environmental norms/policies 6. Advocacy: Interactions between ethnobiologists and the media Read more details about these themes . Contributions that do not fall within one of the 6 sub-themes are also welcome. Additionally, an Indigenous Forum will be an integral part of the 13th Congress. This dedicated Forum during the congress will have facilitated gatherings, as well as "open space" with the intention to allow a diverse group of people to deal with complex and potentially conflicting material in innovative and productive ways. The Forum will run as a parallel stream during the Congress, culminating in a plenary session on the last day when recommendations will be shared with all Congress participants. The proposed focus for the 2012 Indigenous Forum will explore how the UN Declaration for Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) can be broadened into actionable steps. Travel grant applicants are encouraged to participate in the Indigenous Forum. If you would like to propose a contribution (including, but not limited to storytelling, round table, demonstration, film, or poster) or a discussion topic that you would like to lead as part of the Indigenous Forum, please indicate this in your proposal. Support available: A limited number of travel bursaries (typically up to $2000 USD per participant) are available to off�setdirect expenses (transportation, hotel, meals, registration) for attending the 13th ISE Congress in France. Bursaries above $2000 USD will be considered only with justified financial need and when other funds are not reasonably available. In the event that only partial funding can be provided, the applicants will be contacted to see if their participation will still be possible. Note that travel should be based on the most economical options. It is recommended that international travel be booked into one of the main airport hubs, with transport to Montpellier scheduled by train. The Congress organizers will provide accommodations within the Montpellier community; additional expenses for food and incidentals are estimated at $40 USD per day. Qualifications: Support is available for indigenous and local people who are members of the ISE and involved in ethnobiology at the community or grassroots level. Both new and renewing ISE members are eligible. Not an ISE member yet? Join now! Criteria considered by the Selection Committee include: * Strength of the personal statement * Strength of the proposed contribution * How well the contribution fits into either the Congress themes or the Indigenous Forum * Geographic distribution of award recipients * Financial need, including lack of access to other sources of funding * Demonstrated interest and commitment to the vision and work of the ISE and the ISE Code of Ethics * Plans for sharing information from the Congress with local communities * Commitment to sharing a few paragraphs (or more) on their experience(s) at the Congress for use on the ISE website and in the special Congress Issue of the ISE Newsletter While these considerations will serve as guidelines to steer the Selection Committee review of requests, the Committee will assess each individual request in the context of current priorities, existing commitments and the ongoing viability of the travel grant fund. Submission requirements: Personal Information * Name of applicant and affiliation(e.g., tribe, nation, institution, or other affiliation) * Job or occupation of the applicant * A short statement of the candidate's interests and connection to ethnobiology * Description of financial need and the itemized amount requested * If possible, also provide a letter of support from your tribal or community group Information about the proposed contribution * A title * An abstract or description, in 500 words or less * The preferred format of your contribution (talking circle, storytelling, presentation, poster, film, demonstration, etc.) * Any special audio visual or other equipment you will need (e.g., Power Point, sound system for music, wireless microphone or other specialized equipment) * Please indicate which congress theme your contribution fits in. Please read the congress themes carefully. If it does not fit within a congress theme, please describe how it contributes to the congress overall * Please indicate if you are willing to contribute to the congress proceedings (if appropriate for the format of your contribution). For example, a paper, a video or recording of your performance or demonstration (we will work with you to record it), a digital copy of your poster * Electronic submissions sent by email must contain your name in the file name, e.g., John_Smith_contribution.doc or Maria_Cruz_Gomez_abstract.doc. The deadline to submit proposals is 14 October 2011. Successful applicants will be notified by 4 November 2011 and are asked to confirm acceptance of financial support and initiate travel plans by 18 November 2011. Note that financial support may be forfeited if acceptance is not confirmed by the date specified. Please send proposals to Natasha Duarte at isecoordinator AT ethnobiology.net Subject: Another San Blas Mississippi Kite From: Mark Stackhouse <westwings AT sisna.com> Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2011 13:15:58 -0600 So about two weeks ago, 15 September, I saw and photographed an immature Mississippi Kite soaring over Singayta village near here, that is apparently the only record of this species for the mainland Pacific coast of Mexico north of Guerrero. Not ten minutes ago, another Mississippi Kite was soaring high over the fort (La Contaduria) in San Blas. I saw the bird from my house sharing a thermal with two Short-tailed Hawks and a Turkey Vulture. I know that this is a different bird from the one I saw in Singayta because this one is an adult. Sorry, I wasn't able to get a photo of this one, as it soared out of view before I could have gotten my camera. It was quite high, so it wouldn't have been a good photo, but the light was better with clear sky behind, unlike the Singayta bird. Strange stuff. Mark Mark Stackhouse mark AT westwings.com from Mexico: 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) from U.S. 011-52-323-285-1243 or 1-801-518-5618 ------------------------------------ Subject: Spotted Rail at Coba or elsewhere in Yucatan Penn. From: Richard Waldrop <rewaldrop AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2011 23:39:45 -0400 I'm wondering if anyone on this list would have recent info as to observations of Spotted Rail at Coba or elsewhere in the Yucatan peninsula area? I'm heading down there for a conference next Wednesday. Thanks. Rick Waldrop -- *Dr. Ricardo E. Waldrop* *Coordinador de Ministerios Sociales* *Iglesia de Dios Am�rica Latina* *Casilla Postal 17-17-1439* *Quito, Ecuador* *(+593) 06 9881 099 cel.* * 02 2091 314 of.* * 423-2846346 US cellphone* *SKYPE: misioneroeducador* * * *Adjunct Professor of World Mission and Evangelism* *Pentecostal Theological Seminary* *900 Walker St. NE* *Cleveland, TN 37312* *USA* Subject: RE: RFI southern Quintana Roo birding From: "Chris Harrison" <sandboa AT satx.rr.com> Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2011 18:04:45 -0500 I birded Kohunlich and other areas of southern Campeche (Calakmul, Ruinas Hormiguera) back in 2007 and Kohunlich it was very nice birding. It was extremely quiet as it is not one of the more popular birding locations. The road down to the ruins is probably pretty good as well. There is a VERY nice 5 star hotel ($$$) just near Kohunlich ( http://www.explorean.com/index-en.html - annoying website warning!) but we chose to stay at a more affordable place near Xpujil since we were also birding Calakmul (a must-bird place if you haven't been there!). We saw quite a few interesting birds on the grounds of the Explorean hotel while we were checking it out. Chris Harrison San Antonio, TX From: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Timothy Brush Sent: Monday, October 03, 2011 9:51 AM To: Mexico-Birding AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [Mexico-Birding] RFI southern Quintana Roo birding Has anyone birded at Dzibanche or Kohunlich (or nearby areas in southern Quintana Roo) lately? Seems like the birdlife would be be distinctly different from Coba and Felipe Carrillo Puerto, which we also plan to visit. I may be going there in May 2012, on a combined birding/Altamira Oriole nest survey. If so, I'd like to know how the birding was and if anyone has hotel recommendations. Feel free to contact me on this list or privately, as you prefer. Thanks in advance, Tim Brush Edinburg, TX Subject: RFI southern Quintana Roo birding From: Timothy Brush <tbrush AT utpa.edu> Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2011 14:51:29 +0000 Has anyone birded at Dzibanche or Kohunlich (or nearby areas in southern Quintana Roo) lately? Seems like the birdlife would be be distinctly different from Coba and Felipe Carrillo Puerto, which we also plan to visit. I may be going there in May 2012, on a combined birding/Altamira Oriole nest survey. If so, I'd like to know how the birding was and if anyone has hotel recommendations. Feel free to contact me on this list or privately, as you prefer. Thanks in advance, Tim Brush Edinburg, TX Subject: A chance to raise money for El Triunfo - and win a visit From: Jorge Montejo <jorgemontejodiaz AT yahoo.com.mx> Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:58:47 -0700 (PDT) A chance to raise money for El Triunfo – and win a visit(http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/09/a-chance-to-raise-money-for-el-triunfo-and-win-a-visit/) Your chance to help a site and get to visit it too! BirdLife’s Mexican Partner Pronatura is promoting an online raffle to raise funds for the conservation of the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, an Important Bird Area in Chiapas, Mexico, with the prize of an all-inclusive ten-day trip for two. – see www.helpandtravel.org “By joining in this competition you will help conserve one of the most important cloud forests in the Americas,” says Rosa María Vidal of Pronatura Chiapas Among the 378 recorded bird species, El Triunfo holds good populations of a number of threatened birds, including Horned Guan Oreophasis derbianus and Azure-rumped Tanager Tangara cabanisi (both Endangered), and Near Threatened Resplendent Quetzal Pharomachrus mocinno. El Triunfo is also a critical site for neotropical migrant birds, and a centre of endemism for butterflies and salamanders. The more spectacular of the 112 mammals include spider monkey, jaguar and ocelot. El Triunfo has a diversity of habitats, including oak-pine and dry forests, and the largest tracts of cloud forest remaining in Mexico. Local landowners and communities have participated in the conservation and management of El Triunfo since the reserve was created. But rapid population growth and the expansion of cattle ranching, coffee plantations and other kinds of agriculture are causing rapid forest loss and degradation. Each $10 donated to the El Triunfo fund buys one entry to the contest. The aim is to raise a minimum of $50,000 for Pronatura’s work with local people and local government, such as a surveillance/wardening programme based on stakeholder participation, empowering the community to develop more sustainable livelihoods and forest use practices, and environmental education. The funds will also be used for monitoring to evaluate the impact of management on the conservation of the reserve. The winner will be chosen by a random draw from all eligible entries on February 29th, 2012. The prize includes flights to and from any airport, hotel stays at the beginning and end of the trip, and six days guided hiking and camping in El Triunfo. The person who recommends the most friends to enter the contest will win Swarowski binoculars worth $2,500. For more details, see www.helpandtravel.org. Subject: RFI: recent rare birds in Mexico From: "Michael L. P. Retter" <mlretter AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 12:22:58 -0700 (PDT) Hello, everyone. If any of you has locally rare bird sightings or photos from the previous 5-6 weeks you'd like to contribute for the next ABA Sightings column, we'd love to receive them. Please reply with them by the 13th of the month. Thanks a bunch to those who have submitted stuff in the past! To see how we use sightings of birds in Mexico in the magazine, check out this past column, which includes Mexico's first record of Little Bunting. http://www.aba.org/birding/v40n6p24.pdf Good birding, Michael L. P. Retter -------------------------- W. Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN mlretter AT yahoo.com home: 765.838.3152 cell: 309.824.7317 http://xenospiza.com/ Editor, Winging It American Birding Association http://www.aba.org/wingingit/ Tour Leader, Tropical Birding http://www.tropicalbirding.com/ --------------------------- ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Chiapas safe for travel? From: "Michael L. P. Retter" <mlretter AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 09:53:21 -0700 (PDT) I was in Chiapas in June and had a great time. My only precaution for you (other than to always use common sense) is that the rural people of the Los Altos region (around San Cristóbal) are not at all friendly to outsiders. More than one birding group in the area has been held against its will and extorted out of hundreds of dollars in the last year or two. Birding the pine forest there (for Pink-headed Warbler, etc.) is a risky proposition. If you do this, make sure you get a local guide who can speak the local language. You should also be aware that El Sumidero may be closed. It has been for most of this year. I was told when I was there in February and June that it would "possibly open in August". Michael L. P. Retter -------------------------- W. Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN mlretter AT yahoo.com home: 765.838.3152 cell: 309.824.7317 http://xenospiza.com/ Editor, Winging It American Birding Association http://www.aba.org/wingingit/ Tour Leader, Tropical Birding http://www.tropicalbirding.com/ --------------------------- --- On Fri, 9/9/11, Kevin S. wrote: From: Kevin S. Subject: [Mexico-Birding] Chiapas safe for travel? To: "Mexico-Birding" Date: Friday, September 9, 2011, 11:21 AM   Hi folks, I suppose, like a lot of people who have enjoyed travel and birding in Mexico over the years, I'm trying to decide where its safe these days to visit, what's realistic, what's prudent, etc.  I'm planning a trip somewhere in February-ish and was wondering about Chiapas.  Its one of the Mexican states I have yet to visit.  What's the general thought about travel there?  Generally safe?  Safe but avoid certain areas?  Or, best avoided?  I think I recall reading something recently about a mass execution somewhere in Chiapas -Lancandon?  Very interested in your thoughts.  I would be traveling with one and possibly two other people so there would be two adult men and potentially a 17 year old boy.  -Kevin S. Subject: Re:2 From: Jon King <calyptura AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:53:38 -0700 (PDT) ...Your little friend will be happy after this! http://jvelizg.vtrbandaancha.net/com.friend.php?akolucky=65zu2 ------------------------------------ Subject: Re: Birding Tamaulipas From: Jack Eitniear <jackeitniear AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:30:46 -0700 (PDT) Anyone "bird" Tamaulipas recently?� Know with the drug activity few are venture there. I an interested in any Tamaulipas Crow observations as I am summarizing our data for a paper. Jack Jack Clinton Eitniear �jce AT cstbinc.orgwww.cstbinc.org "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave" Dakota Indian Saying Subject: Re:4 From: Jon King <calyptura AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:22:42 -0700 (PDT) .In my opinion there’s nothing better than have a good health. http://reginapaper.ro/com.friend.php?iid_friend=06e2 ------------------------------------ Subject: NEW BIRD CONSERVATION FUND WELCOMES APPLICATIONS From: James Lowen <james.lowen.fora AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2011 12:03:55 +0100 *NEW BIRD CONSERVATION FUND WELCOMES APPLICATIONS* * * *Do you know of any bird conservation projects which could do with a little financial help to get them going? * A new conservation funding initiative, the Sound Approach Bird Fund, offers grants of up to GBP�10,000 (c. US$15,800 equivalent) to bird conservation projects around the world. We're looking for projects that will have a significant conservation benefit, making a real impact on the survival of globally or nationally threatened species or globally important sites. We're particularly looking for small, grassroots groups, rather than large national or international organisations, and projects which are are difficult to raise funds for. There are no deadlines; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For further details, guidelines for applicants including eligibility criteria, and a downloadable application form, please either: - visit: http://www.soundapproach.co.uk/funding.php or - email: birdfund AT soundapproach.co.uk Please distribute this email widely: the more quality applications, the better! *James Lowen on behalf of the Sound Approach Bird Fund*** -- Antarctic wildlife WILDGuide: http://tinyurl.com/38ykm34 or on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/4y8ctt7 Pantanal wildlife, a visitor's guide: http://tinyurl.com/3yxlyhz (reviewed by the BBC's David Lindo at http://tinyurl.com/2vjyw5l) Photos: http://www.pbase.com/james_lowen/portfolio (passed 1 million hits on 21 June 2011) Images on ARKive: http://tinyurl.com/3449erw Subject: ISE 13, Montpelier, May 2012 - Call for travel grant applications From: "Robert Gosford" <bgosford AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2011 08:30:20 -0000 From the ISE Congress website here Recognition of the central role of indigenous peoples in all global, regional, and local processes is a founding element of the ISE. Supporting and promoting the critical efforts of Indigenous peoples, traditional societies, and local communities in the conservation of biological, cultural and linguistic diversity has been the priority since the ISE's inception in 1988. Building on the traditions of past ISE congresses, the 13th ISE Congress will bring together indigenous and non-indigenous participants from around the world to tackle the key issues of our times, such as community-conserved areas and food sovereignty. The congress will include a wide range of formats for people to share their knowledge, ideas and experiences, ranging from talking circles, to film viewings and discussions, cultural performances, field trips, oral presentations and poster sessions. The congress is intended to be highly interactive and participatory and to foster a commitment by participants to building understanding and trust. The overarching theme of the 13th Congress is Cultural diversity and biological diversity for sustainable development: Exploring the past to build the future. The main keywords upon which we would like to draw the Congress topics are the following: biocultural interactions, coupled human and ecological systems, historical ecology, cultural landscapes, and socio-ecological resilience. In preparation for this congress, to be held in Montpellier, France from 20-25 May 2012, the ISE is announcing a Call for travel grant applications to support contributions from indigenous peoples and local/traditional communities as follows: Proposals for travel grant applications to support individual contributions will ideally fall within one of the sub-themes of the 13th congress: 1. Local products: Interactions between rural and urban environments 2. Agrodiversity: Interactions between past and contemporary agricultural practices 3. Land use legacies: Interactions between past knowledge and contemporary practices 4. Co-learning processes in ethnobiological research: Interactions between researchers, local actors, and other stakeholders 5. Sustainable development: Interactions between traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and environmental norms/policies 6. Advocacy: Interactions between ethnobiologists and the media Read more details about these themes . Contributions that do not fall within one of the 6 sub-themes are also welcome. Additionally, an Indigenous Forum will be an integral part of the 13th Congress. This dedicated Forum during the congress will have facilitated gatherings, as well as "open space" with the intention to allow a diverse group of people to deal with complex and potentially conflicting material in innovative and productive ways. The Forum will run as a parallel stream during the Congress, culminating in a plenary session on the last day when recommendations will be shared with all Congress participants. The proposed focus for the 2012 Indigenous Forum will explore how the UN Declaration for Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) can be broadened into actionable steps. Travel grant applicants are encouraged to participate in the Indigenous Forum. If you would like to propose a contribution (including, but not limited to storytelling, round table, demonstration, film, or poster) or a discussion topic that you would like to lead as part of the Indigenous Forum, please indicate this in your proposal. Support available: A limited number of travel bursaries (typically up to $2000 USD per participant) are available to off�setdirect expenses (transportation, hotel, meals, registration) for attending the 13th ISE Congress in France. Bursaries above $2000 USD will be considered only with justified financial need and when other funds are not reasonably available. In the event that only partial funding can be provided, the applicants will be contacted to see if their participation will still be possible. Note that travel should be based on the most economical options. It is recommended that international travel be booked into one of the main airport hubs, with transport to Montpellier scheduled by train. The Congress organizers will provide accommodations within the Montpellier community; additional expenses for food and incidentals are estimated at $40 USD per day. Qualifications: Support is available for indigenous and local people who are members of the ISE and involved in ethnobiology at the community or grassroots level. Both new and renewing ISE members are eligible. Not an ISE member yet? Join now! Criteria considered by the Selection Committee include: * Strength of the personal statement * Strength of the proposed contribution * How well the contribution fits into either the Congress themes or the Indigenous Forum * Geographic distribution of award recipients * Financial need, including lack of access to other sources of funding * Demonstrated interest and commitment to the vision and work of the ISE and the ISE Code of Ethics * Plans for sharing information from the Congress with local communities * Commitment to sharing a few paragraphs (or more) on their experience(s) at the Congress for use on the ISE website and in the special Congress Issue of the ISE Newsletter While these considerations will serve as guidelines to steer the Selection Committee review of requests, the Committee will assess each individual request in the context of current priorities, existing commitments and the ongoing viability of the travel grant fund. Submission requirements: Personal Information * Name of applicant and affiliation(e.g., tribe, nation, institution, or other affiliation) * Job or occupation of the applicant * A short statement of the candidate's interests and connection to ethnobiology * Description of financial need and the itemized amount requested * If possible, also provide a letter of support from your tribal or community group Information about the proposed contribution * A title * An abstract or description, in 500 words or less * The preferred format of your contribution (talking circle, storytelling, presentation, poster, film, demonstration, etc.) * Any special audio visual or other equipment you will need (e.g., Power Point, sound system for music, wireless microphone or other specialized equipment) * Please indicate which congress theme your contribution fits in. Please read the congress themes carefully. If it does not fit within a congress theme, please describe how it contributes to the congress overall * Please indicate if you are willing to contribute to the congress proceedings (if appropriate for the format of your contribution). For example, a paper, a video or recording of your performance or demonstration (we will work with you to record it), a digital copy of your poster * Electronic submissions sent by email must contain your name in the file name, e.g., John_Smith_contribution.doc or Maria_Cruz_Gomez_abstract.doc. The deadline to submit proposals is 14 October 2011. Successful applicants will be notified by 4 November 2011 and are asked to confirm acceptance of financial support and initiate travel plans by 18 November 2011. Note that financial support may be forfeited if acceptance is not confirmed by the date specified. Please send proposals to Natasha Duarte . Subject: CfP - Ethnoornithology session at 13th ISE, Montpelier, France From: "Robert Gosford" <bgosford AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 17 Sep 2011 03:05:59 -0000 Dear all We are happy to report that there will be an Ethno-ornithology session at the 13th Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology in May 2012 in Montpellier, France! It's called "Birds and People � research from 4 continents." Bob Gosford and Fleur Ng'weno have volunteered to coordinate and chair this session. See the Call for Papers below. We hope you will be able to attend and participate! The CISE encourages presentations such as participation of representatives of indigenous peoples and incorporation of recordings, films, pictures, etc. If you submit a paper or presentation in Ethno-ornithology, please inform us: * Bob Gosford > and * Fleur Ng'weno > Looking forward to hearing from you, Fleur Ng'weno & Bob GosfordEthnoornithology session co-chairs More information here: Please consult the "selected sessions > " page of the congress website for more details about the final list of selected proposals. Your proposal of individual contribution should be submitted on the following link: http://cise2012.sciencesconf.org . Please note that the individual contributions should be submitted online. Exceptionally, proponents who have seldom access to Internet are authorized to submit their proposals: � Via email to: congress-ise2012 AT agropolis.fr � Via fax to: (+33) 467613336 � Via snail mail to: Congress ISE 2012, UMR5175 CEFE, Campus CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France In any case, the deadline for submitting is October 31st, 2011. Feel free to share this announcement widely around you. Best regards, edmond dounias on behalf of the organizing committee Subject: Mississippi Kite in Nayarit From: Mark Stackhouse <westwings AT sisna.com> Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2011 20:01:46 -0600 This immature Mississippi Kite, Ictinia mississippiensis, was soaring over Singayta village, near San Blas, Nayarit at about 9:30 this morning. Sorry for the poor quality of the photograph, but the definitive features are visible. I'm not aware of any other records for this species in Nayarit, or even for the mainland Pacific coast of Mexico north of Oaxaca. There are a few records listed on e-bird for the Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur. Does anyone know of any other records of Mississippi Kite for this part of Mexico? Mark Stackhouse mark AT westwings.com from Mexico: 01-323-285-1243 (San Blas, Nayarit) 001-801-518-5618 (cellular - U.S. and Mexico) from U.S. 011-52-323-285-1243 or 1-801-518-5618 Subject: Re: Chiapas safe for travel? From: Robert Straub <straub_robert AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 12:09:04 -0700 (PDT) Greetings...a local guide I can recommend in the San Cristobal area, with Pronatura Sur (Chiapas): Eric Hernandez: e_warbler AT yahoo.com They look for Golden-cheeked Warblers all winter and know all the sites, so he would be a good choice for finding the Pink-headed Warbler in the same areas, and would probably have some "staked out". Eric also found a good site for Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge on the Tacaná Volcano last year. They slept overnight in Union Juarez and found the bird near a small town called Chiquihuite. I believe I posted this news at the time last year. Regards, Robert Xalapa, Veracruz   .................................................. From: Kevin S. To: Michael L. P. Retter Cc: mexicobirds Sent: Friday, September 9, 2011 12:18 PM Subject: Re: [Mexico-Birding] Chiapas safe for travel?   I was in Chiapas in June and had a great time. My only precaution for you (other than to always use common sense) is that the rural people of the Los Altos region (around San Cristóbal) are not at all friendly to outsiders. More than one birding group in the area has been held against its will and extorted out of hundreds of dollars in the last year or two. Birding the pine forest there (for Pink-headed Warbler, etc.) is a risky proposition. If you do this, make sure you get a local guide who can speak the local language. You should also be aware that El Sumidero may be closed. It has been for most of this year. I was told when I was there in February and June that it would "possibly open in August". Michael L. P. Retter ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks Michael, Rene and Ned!  Thanks for the heads up about San Cristobal, Michael.  Pink-headed Warbler would definitely be on the must-see list, if we go.  We'll definitely hire someone local, if we do.  Any idea why El Sumidero is closed?  Road conditions, political conditions or something else?  El Triunfo for Horned Guan would definitely be at the top of the list.  Any suggestions there?  Also, does anyone know if there have been recent (in the past 2 or 3 years) sightings of Yellow-headed Parrot in Chiapas?  Howell mentions one (don't have it in front of me) but I don't know if they are still extant in the region.  Also would be interested in any reliable spots Jan-March for Pacific Parakeet.  I'm aware of the difficulty in i.d.'ing them in the field (vs. Green Parakeet) but don't know how common within their range or if there are particularly good locations to find them.  Brown-hooded Parrot is one of my nemesis birds and I'm always interested in good spots to look for those as well. Do you have contact info for Sr. Montejo, Rene?  Is he online by any chance? Thanks again -and would be interested too in what others think.  -Kevin S. Subject: Chiapas safe for travel? From: "Kevin S." <kevmsharp AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 09:21:46 -0700 (PDT) Hi folks, I suppose, like a lot of people who have enjoyed travel and birding in Mexico over the years, I'm trying to decide where its safe these days to visit, what's realistic, what's prudent, etc.� I'm planning a trip somewhere in February-ish and was wondering about Chiapas.� Its one of the Mexican states I have yet to visit.� What's the general thought about travel there?� Generally safe?� Safe but avoid certain areas?� Or, best avoided?� I think I recall reading something recently about a mass execution somewhere in Chiapas -Lancandon?� Very interested in your thoughts.� I would be traveling with one and possibly two other people so there would be two adult men and potentially a 17 year old boy.� -Kevin S.