If I Were Going...: El Cielo Biosphere Reserve

Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve

The next morning, we headed out in Mario’s truck (an ancient affair with two benches and a fabric roof in the back) for our trip up the road from Gómez Farías to the small town of Alta Cima to bird along the way.

Our route

Susan and Rene with the truck

Rene rode in the back and we all started out in the cab. Later, Heather moved to the back, and I even did a brief (bumpy) stint there. The truck wasn’t air conditioned (of course not), but it wasn’t too, too bad while driving.

I must tell you, however, this part of Mexico was hot and, more importantly, humid.

Very hot.

Very humid.

Before hitting the main road, we stopped by the El Cielo Ecological Interpretive Center. It wasn’t open yet, but it is a good place to see birds. We started by watching some White-crowned Parrots in the trees above us.

A popular feeding spot

We estimate there were about 30 of them flying in and out, hopping around and feeding.

Lots of noisy activity

This bird's scientific name is Pionus Senilis, so given because the male's white forehead and crown look like an old man's white hair (senillis = senile).

A common Parrot in Mexico

We also saw some Wedge-tailed Sabrewings, too deep in the shade to show their colors.

My photo on the right; an eBird photo on the left shows the bird's color in the light

I captured one of two Spot-breasted Wrens we saw, perching above me. This is a species that had evaded my camera in Costa Rica.

I was happy to get it even though it was dark

I have mentioned Clay-colored Thrushes a lot because they are plentiful. I just didn’t concentrate much of snapping their picture (I have some good ones from other trips).

We saw some Clay-colored Thrushes here and more later on during the day

We had heard but not seen a Scrub Euphonia (a lifer for me) the evening before. We saw some more this morning ...

A cute little bird

... as well as the first of several Black-headed Saltators for the day ...

The name is from the Latin "saltator' or " saltatoris," meaning "dancer"

The road is, to put it mildly, rough. They say four-wheel-drive is required. Believe it.

The only way to go

The locals all either have old four-wheel-drive trucks (I never saw so many ancient pick-up trucks, several with Texas plates) or they ride mules up and down from Alta Cima. There is no hope for a regular car.

They tether the mules along the road when not using them

We had started early because we were hoping to get a quick glimpse of the very shy and secretive Thicket Tinamou, which sometimes darts across the road early in the morning. We heard two calling and then Rene was shocked when one came out of the bushes and strolled down the road.

Tinamous are the oldest birds genetically, closely related to prehistoric birds

He said he had never seen one out in the open for as long as this one. It’s not an exciting bird to look at, but pretty hard to see.

While not actually flightless, they seldom fly

Moments later (prompted by some calls), we saw the other hard-to-see bird Rene was looking for, four Singing Quails. Unlike the Tinamou, they stayed in the undergrowth. But, their loud song certainly underscored where they got their name.

True to its name, a singing Singing Quail

Then, we headed up, stopping occasionally to observe both magnificent scenery and birds.

Two views of an overlook: traditional and Mario's 360 degree camera

See the video from that camera here:

The day was steamy, switching back and forth from clear to foggy. When one of the enveloping clouds drifted by, the temperatures dropped, giving us a brief respite.

The temperatures and humidity favor many types of plants

There were lots of mosquitoes, which is why, despite the heat, I wore long sleeves and pants. I had treated my clothes with permethrin and I was slathered in repellent lotion. Still, I was bitten a few times, mainly on my hands, which I had washed since applying the lotion.

As we labored up and back down the mountain, we saw a number of birds. I got photos of a Red-billed Pigeon, which is such a hearty bird that we thought it was a raptor until I got a good look at my photo.

A Red-billed Pigeon and lots and lots of Spanish moss

I spent a long time shooting an adorable little Yellow-throated Euphonia that, unlike most birds, sat out in the open and sang.

Giving us a song

I was so occupied that I missed a lot in the thick bushes.

You know what they say about birds in the bush

Once we reached the small town of Alta Cima, we took a break for water and snacks, birded some, had lunch (some rather fatty chicken in sauce that I couldn’t stomach and some good rice), and birded some more.

The entrance to the town

The tiny village has about 180 residents living in 40 households. There is a hotel, which consists of cabins and campsites and the residents open their homes to visitors and tourists The town is only nine miles from Gómez Farías, but takes about an hour to reach (without birding stops!). The elevation gain is about 2,000 feet.

Rene birding in the middle of town

Alta Cima has recorded 255 species of resident birds and 175 migrants. In and around town we saw a pretty good representation ...

A Yellow-winged Tanager with its distinctive wing bars and a Fan-tailed Warbler

The Fan-tailed Warbler is much larger than you would expect a Warbler to be and has a truly long and luxurious fan tail.

We also saw ...

An Azure-crowned Hummingbird (another one in the shade!)

Pretty little Black-headed Siskins popping in and out of a bank of flowers

A Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush

Male Bronzed Cowbirds courting the (maybe uninterested) ladies

Some Cinnamon-bellied Saltators

A Golden-crowned Warbler and lots of Morelet's Seedeaters

Male (dark) and female (light) Yellow-faced Grassquits

Success with a Target Bird

We spent a considerable amount of time trying to find the endemic Tamaulipas Pygmy-Owl, which can be found only in this part of Mexico. Both Rene and Mario called and listened, effectively triangulating the bird’s position as it silently flew over our heads to multiple trees high in the canopy. They caught several views until it finally landed about 30 feet up and sat for an extended period.

Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl

How they found this tiny Owl – just five inches tall – in the middle of a dense jungle, I’ll never know.

And, this is zoomed in!!!

It looks somewhat like its cousin, the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, but since it favors forest over open areas, it is seen far less frequently.

A rare owl to see

See the video we took here:

The little guys watched us as we watched it, hooting occasionally and, briefly, reacting to a dive-bombing Wedge-tailed Sabrewing Hummingbird.

The Hummingbird resting after harassing the Owl

What a treat to see this cutie! I doubt that I could ever find one myself.

Success!!!

Throughout the day, we saw, but I didn’t snap, lots more birds (many repeats from previous sightings): White-tipped Doves, Turkey Vultures, a female Barred Antshrike that flew off a wire just after we saw it, another Social Flycatcher, Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, a Yellow-green Vireo, Green Jays, more hard-to-see Brown-backed Solitaires, lots of Olive Sparrows, Altamira Orioles, a Louisiana Waterthrush, a Black-and-white Warbler, another Crimson-collared Grosbeak and some Melodious Blackbirds.

The whole mountain was also alive with butterflies and Moths, especially White Angled-Sulphur Butterflies.