Birding in Mexico: Around Gómez Farías

A juvenile Roadside Hawk

After a long day, up and down the mountain, we returned Casa de Piedra, where we saw a Blue-capped Motmot and a Masked Tityra from the balcony. 

The Motmot, left, flew in as we were watching the Tityra eat a worm

Rene then asked if we wanted to go out for some birding in a nearby sugar cane field. Susan and Heather declined, but I was game. So, off we went again, visiting Campos Héroes de Chapultepec, which yielded some repeat birds and some new ones. 

We were searching for birds in the sugar cane fields

The area is named for the Niños Héroes, six Mexican military cadets who were killed in the defense of Mexico City during the Battle of Chapultepec, one of the last major battles of the Mexican-American War in 1847.

Horrible shots of an elusive bird

We were looking for the endemic Altamira Yellowthroat that, through necessity, had transitioned from a wetlands habitat to living among the cane plants. We did see one female that was hopping in and out of the tall, green cane blades, never landing long enough for a good look. This was a lifer, so even a bad photo was better than nothing. 

Another lifer, the Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, escaped my camera completely. I did manage to photograph:

A Common Ground Dove and a White-winged Dove

A Blue-black Grassquit

Lots of Groove-billed Anis

Morelet's Seedeaters

Great Kiskadees and a Roadside Hawk

And, I saw, but didn’t capture, Ruddy Ground Doves, Mourning Doves, a Green Heron, Social Flycatchers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Bronzed Cowbirds, a Melodious Blackbird and Great-tailed Grackles.

We saw a number of Orioles, including Altimira ...

Many were sitting along the farm roads

Six Orchard and one Hooded ...

Female and male Orchard Oriole, left, and Hooded Oriole, right

The Orchard Orioles surprised Rene; he said they should have migrated on by that time. But, there they were!

Unfortunately, one target, the Aplomado Falcon, which I really, really, really wanted to photograph, did not show. 

Birding in the Dark

But, the day was not over. We had dinner at Mario’s wife’s restaurant, Comidas Sierra Bonita. Although the menu was limited, enchiladas and rolled tacos were delicious as was the great salsa.

Things were picking up

We loaded up Rene’s Jeep and headed to a narrow dirt road that ran along a river near a private ranch where we would look for night birds. Our main targets were Northern Potoos, Mottled Owls and Tawny-collared Nightjars.

Tawny-necked Nightjar; Photo: eBird

We needed to arrive at our watch spot by dusk, because, according to Rene, the Nightjars begin feeding then and will respond to calls. 

But, after sunset, they go silent and will not respond. They must be hard to see because there are hardly any photos on the Internet.

I felt that we may have left a little late because it was getting dark fast. As we drove down the road, we startled many (Rene posted eight on eBird, but I think it was more like 20) Common Pauraques that flew up in front of the car as we approached. This is typical behavior for them and I would have loved to get a photo. But, it was dark and we were moving fast.

A Common Pauraque on the road that I shot in Costa Rica

We reached an area near the ranch gate where we turned around and headed back out (Rene wanted the car positioned for an easier exit in full dark) and he headed for a site where he had seen the target birds before. But, as he drove, he stopped and said that a tree on the opposite side of the river looked like a good spot for the Potoo. 

Look at that!!!

He shined his high-powered flashlight and there it was! 

Right there!

I had seen Potoos – a Common and a Great – in daylight in Costa Rica. This was a different species – the Northern. Because it was night, it had its enormous eyes wide open! That was a treat. 

A nocturnal Nightjar, the Northern Potoo was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Common Potoo, but is now treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations. 

A common looking like a post in Costa Rica

Fairly large, with a length of 14-18 inches, it has a long tail, long pointed wings, large head, very short legs and a small bill with a large gape. In the daytime, it is commonly seen perched motionless in an upright position on branches or posts. 

Big eyes!

The large eye has a yellow iris that can shine red in light at night (the one we saw reflected black). The Northern Potoo's calls are hoarse, guttural and pretty darn weird. Because of this call, the indigenous Mopan people of Belize and Guatemala believe that if one flies over a person's house repeatedly at night, someone in that family will die. To prevent this, they chase the birds away with lighted sticks.

The Common Potoo is virtually identical in appearance, but has a very different voice consisting of a series of mournful, wailing whistles.

Potoos feed on large insects, including Moths and Beetles (and Tamaulipas certainly has insects!). It hunts from a perch, sitting and waiting for prey then launching to catch the prey in flight. 

It uses a similar perch as a "nest." It lays a single egg on a broken branch with no nesting material and both parents incubate the egg and feed the young bird.

Understand that it was across the river and dark, so I had little hope for any decent photos. While not great, these do show what it looked like. And, I can honestly say that they are the best photos I have ever taken of a Northern Potoo!

We watched for a while before the Potoo took off

We heard some Tawny Nightjars and may have briefly seen one fly from tree to tree in the distance, but never could entice one close enough to view. Then, it got dark, so we changed focus to the Mottled Owl.

Silent flight; Photo: Animal Corner

We heard two – one close and one a bit down the river – and Rene started playing a call. 

One flew right over our heads, even turning to hover a moment to look at us before flying back into the woods. 

Then, as Rene called, this pattern repeated over and over, with the Owl flying to the other side of the river deep into the trees, then back to our side, then back again. 

Sometimes we saw it fly, sometimes it just called from a new spot. Of course, even when it was right above us, we never heard it fly because Owls are notoriously silent of the wing. Finally, it landed in a tree across the river where we could see it, moving a few times in the thick foliage. I got a great view as Rene illuminated it, but never could find it in my camera long enough to focus. It was even darker now and it was a bit farther than the Potoo. So, I probably wouldn’t have gotten anything.

Mottled Owl; Photo: eBird

At 11 to 14 inches tall, Mottled Owls are big. They roost during the day at all levels in the dense cover of taller trees and often hunt at night from low perches such as fence posts and road signs. 

They have a rounded head, brown eyes framed with whitish crescents and overall streaked brown plumage.

Mottled Owls have the greatest degree of sexual dimorphism of any species of Owl, with females considerably larger. The one we saw looked large, so maybe it was a She-Owl. They produce a range of calls including a hoot used in maintaining territory boundaries (what we heard since our call would be a challenge), various whistles, screeches and hisses. They can sound like a barking dog.

Santa Margarita Ranch Owl; Photo; SMR

Because they are native to Mexico and Central and South America, maybe I’ll get another opportunity to see one some day. I missed a chance in April when I couldn’t stay to do a night hike at Santa Margarita Ranch. 

Well, at least I saw it this time!

What a great day – so many birds – so many lifers – and a Potoo!!!

Trip date: August 12-18, 2024