Cruise Birding--Hualtulco 5-2-08

Happy Wren Day--I didn’t even know there was a bird with such a cool name, and with such a cool appearance. Now, thanks to Cornelio, I have made this bird’s acquaintance.

Huatulco is a relatively new resort area in Oaxaca, and an overnight cruise from Puerto Chiapas. There are several bays with nice beaches and luxury hotels. Much of the area is designated as Huatulco National Park and designated for preservation. At the south border of the Huatulco area, the Copalita River enters the Pacific. At Huatulco we signed up for a Bird Watching Ecotour. This turned out to be the best birding day of the cruise! We were randomly assigned to about 4 groups of 10 each, and introduced to our leader for the morning, a young gentleman named Cornelio. On the way to Copalita Park about 15 minutes south of the cruise terminal, we stopped briefly to look at Orange-breasted Buntings feeding in the highway median. Very pretty little birds! Copalita Park apparently was being developed to showcase an archeological site, but is perfect for birding. Wide paved trails lead through a dry area of deciduous trees interspersed with palms, which was alive with birds, most of them new to us. We were greeted by Rufous-naped Wrens building a nest, White-throated Magpie-Jay sitting on a nest, White-fronted Parrot, Yellow-winged Cacique, Citreoline Trogon, and to cap off the first 10 minutes, killer views of a Colima Pygmy-Owl, the first Cornelio has seen at this location! As we strolled along the pathways, we added Squirrel-Cuckoo, Blue Bunting, Altamira Oriole (at a nest), Spot-breasted Oriole, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Doubleday’s Hummingbird, Cinnamon Hummingbird and Russet-crowned Motmot. We walked up to an overlook of the Copalita River mouth far below. Our brief visit to this viewpoint was rewarded by very close flybys of Osprey and Crested Caracara. On the beaches and shallow areas far below we could pick out a large flock of Black-necked Stilts, several Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and various herons and egrets.

Our official shore excursion ended at noon, but with our excellent experience in the morning, you can bet I asked Cornelio if he was booked for the afternoon! Luckily he was not, and we hastily arranged a private afternoon excursion to Huatulco National Park. Pat and I were joined by Scott, our new birding friend from Denver who was also on the cruise. We met under a large tree in the small park in Santa Cruz, the small village at the cruise ship terminal. The park was less than a square block, surrounded by busy traffic and noise, and full of Great-tailed Grackles. I thought the plan would be to get out of town as fast as possible, but Cornelio started looking in the trees, and said, “Let’s see if we can find a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl!” I thought he was crazy, but in a few minutes, after we had seen Golden-cheeked Woodpecker (including a juvenile begging from a nest cavity), Orange-fronted Parakeet, and Rufous-backed Robin, he found the owl! It was very instructive to observe the differences between this bird and the Colima Pygmy-Owl from the morning.

We drove some 10 minutes to an area of the National Park where we walked along a gravel road for the next couple hours. Bird activity was somewhat decreased in the hot humid afternoon, but Cornelio was amazing at finding more and more new birds for us. Within 2 minutes we had White-lored Gnatcatcher, and soon after added several new species including Nutting’s and Flammulated Flycatcher, Olive Sparrow, Yellow-green Vireo, and a brief but good look at a Lesser Ground-Cuckoo. And yes, we did see the Happy Wren, and hear his happy song. After all that, Cornelio apologized for not finding the Red-breasted Chat which he said was usually present in this area!

If going to the Huatulco area, contact Cornelio first and arrange some time with him. His e-mail address is birdguidecornelio@yahoo.com.mx

 

           Altamira Oriole                                    Golden-cheeked Woodpecker


Bird List for Huatulco: 53 species, 23 of them new for us, and all between 9 AM and 3:30 PM. What a day of birding!


Brown Pelican       Everywhere

Neotropic Cormorant       Copalita River Overlook

Magnificant Frigatebird       Everywhere

Great Blue Heron           Copalita River Overlook

Great Egret              Copalita River Overlook

Reddish Egret               Copalita River Overlook

Snowy Egret            Copalita River Overlook

Tricolored Heron             Copalita River Overlook

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Black-bellied Whistling Duck         Copalita River Overlook

Osprey        Copalita River Overlook. This and the Caracara had close flybys at the overlook.

Crested Caracara     Copalita River Overlook

American Coot      Copalita River Overlook

West Mexican Chachalaca       Very shy. We saw 5 or 6, mostly beating a hasty retreat. No photos.

Black-necked Stilt      Copalita River Overlook

Laughing Gull

Inca Dove

Orange-fronted Parakeet     Copalita Park

White-fronted Parrot     Copalita Park

Groove-billed Ani

Lesser Ground-Cuckoo      Short but close look at Huatulco National Park. No photo.

Squirrel Cuckoo     Copalita Park

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl     Downtown Santa Cruz, as well as Huatulco National Park.

Colima Pygmy-Owl      Great look at Copalita Park. Image in my camera monitor clinched the identification. First one Cornelio has seen in this park!

Cinnamon Hummingbird      Copalita Park as well as Huatulco National Park.

Doubleday's Hummingbird     Both Parks

Citreoline Trogon      Copalita Park

Russet-crowned Motmot     Copalita Park

Golden-cheeked Woodpecker      Downtown Santa Cruz, including a baby poking her head out of the nest cavity.

Ash-throated Flycatcher    Huatulco National Park

Dusky-capped Flycatcher     Huatulco National Park

Flammulated Flycatcher     Quite rare. Good photo. Huatulco National Park. Cornelio was very excited to see it, and show it to us.

Great Kiskadee

Nutting's Flycatcher     Seemed quite common at Huatulco National Park.

Pacific-slope Flycatcher    Huatulco National Park

Tropical Kingbird

White-throated Magpie-Jay    Both Parks

Mangrove Swallow

Rufous-naped Wren     common both parks

Happy Wren      Cornelio was very happy to show us this one! We were happy also. I got a few OK photos. Not great ones.

 White-lored Gnatcatcher     Cornelio called it up with recordings. Nice views and photos! Huatulco National Park

Yellow-green Vireo     Huatulco National Park

Rufous-backed Robin     Downtown Santa Cruz park.

Yellow Warbler    Copalita Park

Olive Sparrow     Huatulco National Park

Blue Bunting     Both Parks

Northern Cardinal     Huatulco National Park

Orange-breasted Bunting      In the grass highway divider, on Boulevard Benito Juarez, just before the golf course, going toward Copalito Park.

Altamira Oriole     At nest, in Copalita park.

Streak-backed Oriole     Copalita Park

Great-tailed Grackle

Yellow-winged Cacique      Copalita Park                   Next Stop  Acapulco   Back to Home