I was actually a bit hungry, so I slowly worked my up the hill to the office, where there was a continental breakfast. I was in no rush, so I took time to check out all of the birds. I was particularly pleased with a Black-headed Siskin and a White-throated Towhee, though the towhee was less than flashy. White-eared Hummingbirds were very common. I had a bit of fruit and sweet bread, along with some coffee, while I checked my iPad. There was a fire, which was very pleasant. I didn't see any hummingbirds coming to the feeders on the porch. I left pretty quickly after I ate and continued to bird. I was surprised at how well I did walking up and down the rather steep trail from the office to the cabin. I ended up doing the round trip at least four times. I was obviously recovering.
Martin and the group returned. I have to admit I was a bit crestfallen to hear they had a Bumblebee Hummingbird, which I badly wanted. A Hooded Yellowthroat started singing, which helped make up for it. I even got a poor photo. We had several other birds around the office, White-throated Flycatcher, a couple of brown-throated House Wrens, and a gorgeous Amethyst-throated Hummingbird. I glimpsed a tiny brownish hummingbird zip by, which may have been a Bumblebee, but it wasn't enough to count it.
We got in the van and started for the city. We went at a pretty good clip until about 1:30PM, when we all decided we needed lunch. We spotted a sign on the main road for a restaurant which was back on a gravel road. We decided to give it a try and were very happy we did! It was a bit late for lunch, so Michael went in to see if they were still serving. The staff was cleaning the dining room, but they said we could sit outside under the umbrellas. We went into the garden, where we were greeted by a rather scruffy West Mexican Chachalaca, who looked like he made his living begging. We could see a small lake next to the restaurant and scanned for water birds. We couldn't see a lot, because of the trees, but did pick up American Coot and Least Grebe. A Boucard's Wren, which is in the same family as our Cactus Wren sang from a nearby snag.
Our food arrived and it was great! I had a shrimp soup that was perfection. The staff was very attentive and seemed thrilled to have us there. They brought out their guest book and took numerous photos of us. I have a feeling they don't see many gringos. After we finished, we walked down a small dirt road, where we could see the lake a bit better. Peggy spotted a small plover, which we got in the scope. We were really surprised to see it was a Snowy Plover, not at all expected in that area. It started to rain, so we decided to make our way to the city.
When we arrived in Oaxaca in the late afternoon we decided to make good use of the light and continue birding, before going to the hotel. We drove out out of town to Teotitlian del Valle. This was a xeric area, with several specialty birds. I added Cassin's Kingbird to my Mexico list, along with Pileated Flycatcher, which has a fancier name than appearance. We were very pleased to see a singing Bridled Sparrow, sitting up, allowing good photos. Michael spotted a Oaxaca Sparrow flitting around low in the bushes. He said that it was as good a look as we could expect. Then the bird sat up on a stick and showed off beautifully!
It was getting a bit late, so we went back into town to our hotel, Casa Arnal. It was in a lovely older area of Oaxaca with cobbled streets. There was a church across the street that was built in about 1700. Gary realized when we got inside that he had actually stayed there several years earlier. Our room didn't have air conditioning, but with the open window and fan it was very comfortable. We went out to eat and had our first excellent meal in the city, gourmet pizza, believe it or not! I was really excited to experience this wonderful city.
Photos for the day:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sngcanary/sets/72157656804779295
Birds seen:
FAMILY NAME
Cracidae West Mexican Chachalaca
Podicipedidae Least Grebe
Podicipedidae Pied-billed Grebe
Ardeidae Great Egret
Cathartidae Turkey Vulture
Accipitridae Harris's Hawk
Rallidae American Coot
Charadriidae Snowy Plover
Columbidae White-winged Dove
Apodidae Vaux's Swift
Trochilidae Magnificent Hummingbird
Trochilidae Amethyst-throated Hummingbird
Trochilidae White-eared Hummingbird
Tyrannidae Pileated Flycatcher
Tyrannidae Western Wood-Pewee
Tyrannidae White-throated Flycatcher
Tyrannidae Buff-breasted Flycatcher
Tyrannidae Vermilion Flycatcher
Tyrannidae Cassin's Kingbird
Corvidae Steller's Jay
Hirundinidae Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Certhiidae Brown Creeper
Troglodytidae House Wren
Troglodytidae Boucard's Wren
Turdidae Russet Nightingale-Thrush
Mimidae Curve-billed Thrasher
Ptilogonatidae Gray Silky-flycatcher
Parulidae Hooded Yellowthroat
Thraupidae White-collared Seedeater
Emberizidae Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch
Emberizidae Rufous-capped Brush-Finch
Emberizidae Spotted Towhee
Emberizidae Oaxaca Sparrow
Emberizidae White-throated Towhee
Emberizidae Bridled Sparrow
Emberizidae Yellow-eyed Junco
Cardinalidae Hepatic Tanager
Cardinalidae Black-headed Grosbeak
Icteridae Great-tailed Grackle
Icteridae Bronzed Cowbird
Icteridae Black-vented Oriole
Fringillidae House Finch
Fringillidae Black-headed Siskin
Fringillidae Lesser Goldfinch
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