Mexico: Barranca del Cobre Oct 08—16, 2011
Posted by Brian Gibbons
Brian Gibbons
Brian Gibbons grew up in suburban Dallas where he began exploring the wild world in local creeks and parks. Chasing butterflies and any animal that was unfortunate eno...Related Trips
From the tropical lowlands around El Fuerte to the cool pine forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental, we birded an amazing cross section of northwest Mexico. On our first morning in the unusually cool Parque Sinaloa, right in the middle of Los Mochis, we found our first Mexican birds. Plain-capped Starthroat, Happy Wren, Rufous-backed Robin, White-collared Seedeater, and Streak-backed Oriole were all tallied. Migrants from north of the border were also in evidence: MacGillivray's Warbler, Wilson;s Warbler, flycatchers, orioles, vireos, and most commonly, Western Tanagers were all on the move to their wintering grounds. Early in the morning a Peregrine Falcon passed over, on its first hunt of the morning.
As we left the busy city behind, we found our first of many endemic Sinaloa Crows. In El Fuerte, founded in 1563, we enjoyed the colonial charm of this old pueblo and the birds that live along the river on the edge of town. Vermilion Flycatchers, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, Green Kingfishers, Social Flycatchers, Mexican Parrotlets, and many warblers call the river home.
The next morning we watched the river again from the edge of town. Rufous-bellied Chachalacas called, but never revealed themselves. An obliging flock of parrotlets flew in from great distance to settle into a Montezuma bald cypress right in front of us, only to be flushed again by a dashing Merlin. Birds were everywhere; as the sun warmed the woodland across the river, orioles, flycatchers, robins, warblers, and grosbeaks vied for the highest sunlit branches to shake off the morning chill. Upstream we found a male Elegant Quail taking in the morning from a derelict wall, a spectacular bird with his rusty headdress flared in the sun. Along the river we were thrilled to find White-fronted Parrots screeching and flying about and occasionally settling on the pitaya cactus to dine. Not to be outdone, a flock of Black-throated Magpie-Jays crossed the river and briefly harassed a family of Gray Hawks before heading over the ridge. Common Black-Hawks were flying around the river as well, hoping for a hapless frog. In a weedy cornfield near the river, a couple of male Painted Buntings delighted everyone with their primary colors. At mid-morning, a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl revealed itself to us and its tormentors in the thorn forest of the Brand Ranch.
The following morning our time at the train station was brief, and we were soon swept up to see the rising Sierra Madre Occidental. The thorn forest yielded slowly to curving tracks as we climbed the foothills; the tropical forest with Bursera trees and enormous figs along the rocky canyon was a different habitat that we would see just from the train. On we climbed, into steep rocky canyons, the Sierra Madre soaring above us. The stream curved below us and we even witnessed a few small waterfalls despite the drought. Soon we found our first pine trees, and the Tropics were gone. Oaks dominated the steep, rocky slope around us now, home to an entirely new suite of birds. We rattled along a dirt road after disembarking the train in Bahuichivo.
The bear at Paraiso del Oso greeted us for lunch. The following morning we had a great stop at an overlook of Cerocahui. The Greater Pewee remained on his perch for a half-hour as we called out directions to other birds in relation to him. Crescent-chested Warbler; Painted Redstart; and Townsend's, Black-throated Gray, and Grace's warblers were all around the pewee tree. One of my favorite west Mexican experiences is to hear the Brown-backed Solitaire's cascading song echo through a canyon. We moved farther into the mountains and found a wonderful breakfast spot. Right out of the car we found a White-striped Woodcreeper. Forty minutes later we would return to a wonderful breakfast in an amazing setting. Mesa de Arturo didn't produce the hoped-for Mountain Trogon, but we did find Gray Silky-flycatchers flying over, Mexican Chickadees, and a Hermit Warbler. Finally we reached the spectacular overlook at Cerro Gallegos. The towns of Urique and Guapilina were more than a mile below us in Urique Canyon. Just hours after a great breakfast we were treated to a wonderful lunch on the amazing overlook. While we dined, a Peregrine, clinging to the cliff face, watched the canyon from below.
Between birding trips we had plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings of the Paraiso del Oso Lodge. Berylline, Blue-throated, Anna's, and Black-chinned hummingbirds all dined on the feeders in the courtyard. In the front yard, fledgling Lesser Goldfinches were learning the ropes as anxious parents urged them on, and nearby, a beautiful Buff-breasted Flycatcher pleased everyone.
The following morning we had some nice birds in the Arroyo Ranchito behind Paraiso del Oso, but the highlight was the incomparably camouflaged banded rock rattlesnake. Lichen-green, granite-pink, grays and blacks all combined in beautiful patterns to disguise this little viper in plain sight. After observing him for 20 minutes, we headed back to the lodge and then off to the train station for another leg of our journey, farther into the Sierra Madre.
We climbed for much of the train ride, eventually cruising at more than 7,000 feet. After the amazing engineering of our first leg of the train, the second leg held "the Lasso," where we loop over the tracks after a mile-long climbing circle. The Divisadero stop is always thrilling for its view and its brevity; Tararecua, Cobre, and Urique Canyons all sprawled in front of us. Soon we were all aboard again and pulling into Creel an hour later. Before the lodge we found a family group of Striped Sparrows, a handsome high elevation endemic.
The Cabañas Cañon del Cobre is one of the most charming places I have stayed in Mexico. With Eared Quetzals as a yard bird and gas lamps lining the tiled front porch of the log building, what else could you need to be transported to another time? On our first evening we watched a beautiful Eared Quetzal fly over in evening light; at least, I thought to myself, there is one Eared Quetzal in this parched canyon today!
The next morning was one of the quietest I have ever experienced as a birder. Steller's Jays were evident, but not much else was. Finally, a singing quetzal answered my call and sat in a pine, brilliantly illuminated by the morning sun. There were scope views for everyone before he flew across the canyon and into our minds. While contemplating our next move and sunning ourselves, a Mountain Trogon chuckled to announce his presence. He ended up coming in and sitting for us a few times; fore and aft scope views were had by all. This was one of my most successful mornings birding, and we had hardly seen twenty birds! We all hiked on to Cascada Cusarare and enjoyed our burritos for lunch. The falls were beautiful despite the near lack of water.
Our last day was spent in transit from Creel to Chihuahua through the apple country around Ciudad Guerrero and Cuahtemoc. Our final outing was to the Pancho Villa Museum in Chihuahua where we learned of his exploits as a hero, villain, revolutionary, and lover.