Back from Sonora

Another wonderful week in Alamos, with birds old and new making every moment a pleasure. This time we were joined by friends from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Arizona, and Mexico, and visited a couple of new sites in addition to the old stand-bys that never fail to produce. As always, we were comfortable and happy at the Rancho Acosta, and greatly enjoyed a wonderfully congenial dinner at Stephanie’s place.

E-mail me if you want a copy of the trip list—it looks like about 185 species. I got a lifebird, a Great Black-Hawk over the Mentidero Wash; but the big surprise was a Yellow-throated Warbler between the cemetery and the Alamos sewage ponds. I haven’t been able to do any thorough checking yet, but I believe that this little bird represents only the third record for the species in Sonora!

I think most people’s highlight, though, was the first Squirrel Cuckoo we found in the Mentidero. A lifer for several of us, this bird followed (or at least did not flee!) us for nearly half an hour, chipping and scurrying through the foliage a bit like, well, a squirrel. We saw a second one in the Aduana Wash the day after, quite a good showing for this uncommon species.

One of the new locations we visited, thanks to Janet’s recommendation, was the mountainside above El Chalaton Park. We made too late a start to get up into any serious elevation, but a flock of nearly 200 Mexican Parrotlets swirling against the forested hillside more than made up for any high-altitude species we may have missed.

Gotta start planning the next trip….