We had expensive company from the Center East staying with us on Monday, my typical birding day. So this week, as a substitute of writing about my newest outing, which didn’t occur, I’ll speak about a couple of of my favourite birds. These species will not be solely lovely or charming, however have a private resonance for me. I’m certain every of our readers even have sure birds which imply probably the most to them; the truth is, I might love to listen to about yours within the feedback beneath.
Black-vented Oriole: set off chook #1
It’s an unnecessarily lengthy story as to why I first put a birdbath in my yard. However suffice it to say that when a Black-vented Oriole turned up for a drink, I noticed I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. (Or, extra precisely, I wasn’t in California, after which Baja California, any extra.) These orioles turned out to be frequent in our space, and sometimes go to my backyard, however they nonetheless have a spot in my coronary heart.
Grey Silky-Flycatcher: set off chook #2
It wasn’t lengthy earlier than I began testing birds within the nature reserve on the opposite aspect of my neighborhood. Sooner or later I used to be trekking the reserve with my grownup son, and a flock of Grey Silky-Flycatchers flew shut overhead to a close-by fruiting tree. We have been entranced, and my curiosity in birds elevated. I quickly purchased an inexpensive pair of binoculars. They have been of horrible high quality, and shortly broke. However they did function a gateway birding drug.
Squirrel Cuckoo: Any person else’s set off chook?
I used to be in that very same nature reserve, when a Squirrel Cuckoo turned up on the aspect of the principle path. Since Squirrel Cuckoos are 15 in/37 cm lengthy, and superior, I needed to level it out to a passing father and son — the one individuals round. The boy shouted “¡Qué padre pájaro!” (What a cool chook!) as he gazed at it. Maybe my first convert?
As an added level on this chook’s favor on my favorites record, this picture of mine is at present on the Merlin app.
Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo: I get sport.
Round 2011 or 2012, I found an internet discussion board of a moderately choose group of Mexican birders. For some inexplicable motive, they accepted me of their discussion board, permitting me to topic them to a sequence of dumb newbie’s questions and dangerous ID photographs. However once I put up a foul ID picture of a Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, I abruptly discovered that I too had one thing to supply. It seems this species could be very troublesome to see — all over the place besides in my territory, since up to now I’ve now seen it 64 instances inside an hour of Morelia.
Sinaloa Martin
By 2015, I had found the tiny city or Paso Ancho, Michoacán, as my nearest possibility for seeing the various endemics of Mexico’s Scorching Nation/Tierra Caliente. I had the nice luck to make my first go to in July, and to handle satisfactory photographs of among the swallows and swifts wheeling overhead. Lots of them turned out to have strikingly darkish backs, with a vibrant white bellies. These have been Sinaloa Martins, a big swallow so uncommon that even as we speak they solely seem on 161 eBird lists. As much as that time, these had by no means been reported for the state of Michoacán. However now, a couple of quarter of all these experiences, and greater than half of all photographs, are from this one website. And if the Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo allowed me to host some nice birders, the Sinaloa Martin has achieved so twice as a lot.
An early picture of mine, which can be nonetheless to be discovered on Merlin.
Hudsonian Godwit
Now this can be a chook that wants no private backstory to be particular. (However I’ll nonetheless present one.) It breeds on the shores of the Canadian and Alaskan Arctic, then gathers across the southern arm of Hudson Bay, to fly continuous all the way in which to the southern tip of South America. Solely on its means north in late spring does it cease at completely different factors to relaxation and feed, principally close to the western shore of the Gulf of Mexico.
In Could of 2018, I included some moderately unhappy photographs of what I had recognized as a bunch of 6 Lengthy-billed Dowitchers in my eBird report for Lake Cuitzeo. To my nice luck, considered one of Mexico’s greatest birders occurred to take a look at that report and spot the upswept payments and plumage patterns on these birds. Additional manipulation of those photographs confirmed that these weren’t dowitchers, however Hudsonian Godwits, displaying up a lot farther west than that they had ever earlier than been seen in Mexico.
Even higher, in 2022 I used to be in a position to take significantly better photographs of a single Hudsonian Godwit, not too removed from my unique sighting. I now suspect that this species is commonly a risk for Lake Cuitzeo in the course of the month of Could. I couldn’t take a look at this idea in 2024, as by that month the lake had disappeared. However since this yr’s wet season has began with 15 steady days with rain, I’ve excessive hopes for Could of 2025.
I additionally hope to see this yr’s crop of Sinaloa Martins this coming Monday. I’ll maintain you posted.
