Torreón is a metropolis within the heart of the Mexican Plateau, an enormous highland basin within the north of Mexico that lies between the western and jap Sierra Madre mountain ranges. Torreón and two different cities kind a metropolitan space of some million and a half inhabitants, collectively referred to as la Laguna. (Apparently the realm as soon as was occupied by a sequence of intermittent lakes, however they have been drained way back for agriculture.) In contrast to virtually all Mexican cities, Torreón can be a brand new metropolis, having grown from a tiny city since 1900. In distinction, Morelia, the place I reside, was based in 1540.
I taught per week of lessons within the Baptist Seminary in Torreón final month. However the lessons have been all within the evenings, which left me a little bit of time for birding within the mornings. Would this massive city space supply something attention-grabbing?
My first full day in Torreón turned out to be a free day. The one that had the accountability of creating positive I’d be housed and fed, and who took me the place I wanted to go, had additionally been warned that I prefer to see birds. So he had deliberate to take me to Torreón’s two largest city parks.
I’m not going to fake I can advocate Torreón as a birding vacation spot, though I additionally can’t declare to have executed a whole research of town’s potential. However Torreón is a somewhat vital industrial and agricultural hub, so a few of our readers might find yourself going there for work functions. In the event that they do, they could be concerned with what I noticed whereas there (19 species in a single week, versus over 100 species on an identical journey to the tropical state of Tabasco).
First, you will note loads of doves and pigeons in Torreón. White-winged Doves are in all places. It is a dominant species in northern Mexico, however one which I virtually by no means see in Michoacán. Feral Rock Pigeons and Inca Doves are additionally quite common. Invasive Eurasian Collared Doves should not widespread, however may be seen, as can Mourning Doves.
The ever-present White-winged Dove
Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, which may be seen all through Mexico, are quite common right here. In contrast to many woodpeckers, these typically probe the bottom for grubs. They’re quite a few in Torreón’s parks.
Different widespread birds embody Nice-tailed Grackles, Home Sparrows, and Home Finches. Completely no surprises there. Sadly, invasive Monk Parakeets are additionally quite common. I felt higher concerning the Verdins hiding within the mesquite timber.
Many of the Nice-tailed Grackles appeared to be immature, and had tails that weren’t but nice.
Sigh…
I had a somewhat quixotic hope to see a pair of desert-loving sparrows, the migratory Brewer’s Sparrow, and the resident Cassin’s Sparrow. However these are apparently hardly ever seen within the metropolis, and the dates have been off for the previous species. Nonetheless, whereas I didn’t obtain these potential lifers, I picked up a pair of sudden lifers as an alternative. At one park, many Barn Swallows have been flying simply overhead. However then I seen a gaggle of barely smaller swallows flying even increased, all with out the Barn Swallow’s attribute “swallow” tail. In Michoacán, these would completely have been Cliff Swallows. However the dates turned out to be mistaken for that species, which implies these have been Cave Swallows, virtually an identical to the Cliff Swallow. (Cave Swallows have a lighter throat and darker rump than Cliffs.) Lifer!
Swallow pictures being what it’s, I didn’t handle any photographs of Torreón’s Cave Swallows. These have been Cliff Swallows, from Morelia.
And on my final day, I had a while to kill, alone, so I half-heartedly determined to see what could be across the neighborhood. I ended up visiting a big undeveloped plot of some two hectares (5 acres). A Gnatcatcher was patiently working its method by means of the desert scrub. It seemed an identical to the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers seen in all places through the winters in Michoacán. However, in contrast to the whiny descending calls of the Blue-grays, this one constantly stated che-che-che-che, with a tone not in contrast to a wren’s scolding calls. Once I talked about this to an ornithologist pal who has extra expertise in northern Mexico, he instantly confirmed the ID I had already decided: Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. My second, and final, lifer for the journey!
Alas, I didn’t have my digital camera with me after I noticed the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. Think about the underside of this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher’s tail being black, and also you get the concept.
And right here is the one actually uncommon fowl I noticed in Torreón. No shock, it’s a dove.
