And On to Yecora

It had been cold when we left Tucson, colder still as we completed the border formalities, but rising temperatures and the lingering sense of satisfaction gained at Imuris and Terrenate made it easier for us to push on south and then east. A quick stop at Puente San Jose de Pimas on MX 16 convinced us that it would be a worthwhile destination in the breeding season, but on a warm early afternoon in November, Green Heron, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, and a few Wilson’s and Orange-crowned Warblers were about all we could dig up.

A brown pigeon poorly seen on the ground under the thick vegetation appeared to be unmarked on the wing coverts, making us wonder about White-tipped Dove, but it never showed itself again (further evidence that it must in fact have been a Leptotila!).

Our next stop was at the Rio Yaqui, a spectacular desert riverscape with good vehicle access on the east side.

It was almost hot while we were there, and a little bleak in the autumn afternoon; I suspect that the birding would have been better had we continued up toward the scarp and the denser vegetation at its base. Still, though, we had Green Kingfisher on the river and such desert species as Verdin, Gila Woodpecker, and Ash-throated Flycatcher, birds we wouldn’t run into higher in the Sierra. And I’ve always been a sucker for Turkey Vultures against a blue sky.

The sun was definitely showing signs of fidelity to its evening habit by the time we started the real climb up the Sierra, and Tim had to drive the last hour and a half of hairpins, switchbacks, doglegs, and just plain nasty corners in the dark. There were rewards, though: a few coatis on the roads, and a Common Poorwill that froze on the road in our headlights.

We arrived in Yecora fourteen hours after leaving Tucson, tired and hungry and excited to be in the Mexican Sierra–and eager to see what the next days would bring.