San Cristobal De Las Casas

Our time in Chiapas was ending, but first, we had a day in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, widely considered the cultural capital of the state. My target birds were limited since I had explored similar habitats in Guatemala in 2019. Laura and I had had a busy few days and needed some downtime; therefore, we did not see much of the cultural side of the city while our birding was also limited. Instead, we caught up on photo editing, journal writing, laundry, and other necessary chores. Our host’s three dogs required a lot of petting as well!

Birding around San Cristobal de las Casas can be tricky as there are not many places with high quality montane forest and easy access. Several Pronatura reserves on the outskirts of the city including Huitepec and Moxviquil supposedly do not open until 9 AM, while I had also read that the forest quality was poor (lots of second growth). The Dos Lagunas area southeast of San Cristobal de las Casas has a tenuous history with birders. Apparently, some members of the communities here have been known to damage vehicles, harass and extort birders, break into vehicles, and generally give off an unwelcoming and threatening vibe. It seems, in my uninformed opinion, that an entry fee requirement would be a simple solution that would be beneficial to everyone. But I don’t know the nuances of the situation. Alas, Laura and I were not willing to risk a clandestine visit here. 

We settled on Parque Ecoturistico Montetik. Located just southeast of San Cristobal de las Casas, a series of trails snake through the pine forest while a gravel road popular with cyclists heads in a straight line for several kilometres. Adjacent to the far side of this park is a restricted access road, owned by several of the indigenous communities, that ascends into much higher quality oak-pine forest. 

 San Cristobal de las Casas area, Chiapas, Mexico

Our arrival time was somewhat delayed due to a Google Maps gaffe that led us through a maze of one-way streets becoming progressively narrower and narrower, and leading to a dead-end that required me to back out for several hundred metres. Fun! Waze had already been fired several times over during the trip, and Google Maps was really testing our patience too. Finally, we found the correct road but it was already 8:30 AM when we arrived. We paid the entrance fee and began searching for birds. 

Parque Ecológico Montetik - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

We could easily see that the forest here was fairly low quality despite mature pine trees, and the birdlife reflected that. Laura spotted this incredible caterpillar while we waited for the first birds to show. 

Leucanella sp. - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Slowly but surely, we added common species for the area – White-eared Hummingbirds, Wilson's and Hermit Warblers, Unicolored Jays, a Hammond's Flycatcher. We heard a Blue-throated Motmot call. This was a big target species for us. Not only is the Blue-throated arguably one of the most interesting motmots, but it was a potential lifer for Laura. I had seen one poorly in Guatemala and was eager to improve on that view and photo. We are both closing in on seeing all the world's motmots with just a couple to go, so this was an important one!

A little while later we heard another motmot. This time, we were successful in our search and enjoyed fantastic views. It even perched out in the open, though partially obscured by shadows.

Blue-throated Motmot - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

A nice mixed flock contained some Olive Warblers, Brown Creepers, a Crescent-chested Warbler and every age and sex of Hermit Warbler (a nice treat for this Ontario boy). We unsuccessfully attempted to tease out a Golden-cheeked Warbler from the flock since a few often overwinter here. 

Catasticta flisa - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

A big flock of Unicolored Jays and Yellow-backed Orioles held our attention for a while as well. 

Unicolored Jay - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

We hoped for a Pink-headed Warbler, one of the prized species in these mountains. Unfortunately, rampant deforestation has caused a serious decline to populations of this rare and beautiful bird across its range in the highlands of Chiapas and Guatemala. It is pretty disheartening to look at a satellite view of the region. Apart from several large protected areas, almost everything is gone. Below is a Pink-headed Warbler that I photographed on that January 2019 Guatemala trip. 

Pink-headed Warbler - Huehuetenango, Guatemala (January 21, 2019)

We were not quite in the correct habitat for the Pink-headed Warbler. Despite a thorough search, it was not too surprising that none appeared in our binocular views. We debated on heading up the restricted access road towards better habitat, but decided against it. 

Parque Ecológico Montetik - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

A few days earlier, Laura and I had reached out to Royal Flycatcher Birding Tours to inquire about a visit to some of the restricted areas I mention above. Alberto Martinez was able to accommodate our last-minute request, though due to a morning commitment at Sumidero Canyon he could only join us for a half-day followed by some owling. Unfortunately, due to an accident on the highway, Alberto was running late and so we had to cancel, since we would only have an hour or so of light to explore together. Laura and I headed off to Montetik to bird in the afternoon on our own. Alberto clearly felt bad about the situation, and offered to meet us when he could get there, free of charge. He joined up with us in Montetik, bearing gifts of coffee and French pastries. And that is how an incredible couple of hours of birding began!

He took us up the restricted access road on a last-ditch search for Pink-headed Warblers. The weather had turned gloomy and bird activity was low. Despite our best efforts, Pink-headed remained unaccounted for. But Alberto teased a few other species out of the woodwork including Garnet-throated Hummingbird, Amethyst-throated Mountain-gem, Rufous-browed Wren, the Central American subspecies of Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush and more.  

Garnet-throated Hummingbird - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

That evening, we went to an undisclosed location in search of owls. This was the event I was most looking forward to, since we had a chance at locating the Bearded Screech-Owl. Limited to a few locations in Chiapas and the mountains of Guatemala, the Bearded Screech-Owl was one I had wanted to see for a few years now. And see it we did…

Bearded Screech-Owl - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

The above rufous-morph provided amazing views, while it and another one called to each other only a few metres from us. Not to be overshadowed by its rarer cousin, a handful of Whiskered Screech-Owls also vocalized, including this one who came in to check us out. 

Whiskered Screech-Owl - San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

We heard a Guatemalan Pygmy-Owl at dusk, as well as another call which I was about 90% sure was an Unspotted Saw-whet Owl, though it refused to come in to the tape. A highly successful evening, thanks to Alberto’s skills and knowledge of the area. If anyone is planning a birding trip to Mexico, reach out to Alberto at Royal Flycatcher Birding Tours and he can take care of you. He has extensive experience not only in Chiapas and elsewhere in Mexico, but throughout a large part of Latin America. He speaks fluent English, and is a top-notch guide and person. We felt fortunate to spend a few hours with him. 

Chiapas: Navalandia and Sumidero Canyon

We pivoted from searching from one rare wren to another. From the oversized and gregarious Giant Wren, to the undersized and skulky Nava's Wren. 

The Nava's Wren only lives along limestone outcrops in the shade of humid, evergreen forest. It spends its days scampering over thes rocks in search of juicy, invertebrate morsels found within the crevices. Birdlife International estimates that less than 7,000 Nava's Wrens exist in the world. This is because the global range is relatively small due to the species's unique geographic requirements, and because most of the forest within this tiny landmass has already been cut down. Fortunately, the Nava's Wren can survive in small forest patches, but these keep getting smaller and more fragmented as the human population expands its resource use. One large protected area found in the heart of the Nava's Wren range is called El Ocote; the problem is that the specific limestone habitats are not widespread there. The Nava's Wren is listed as Vulnerable and this ranking is unlikely to be improved in the coming decades. 

Limestone rocks  - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Most birders who wish to see the Nava's Wren do so in one of two areas: either the forest near the town of La Esmeralda in the western part of the species range, or the entrance road to the town of Armando Zebadúa in the eastern portion. We chose the latter site, "Navalandia". 

 Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

We visited Navalandia on two occasions: first, on the morning of November 24th, and again on the 27th. I'll cut to the chase and mention that we saw a single Nava's Wren, in two mornings of trying. The views were good (for around 10 seconds) as it popped around the base of some limestone boulders, but I stupidly did not go for my camera. By the time that I was satisfied with my look and traded my bins for the camera, the bird slipped behind a boulder and was never seen again. That epic fail prompted the second visit, upon which we did not see a single Nava's Wren. However, we heard quite a few of them - at least 4 individuals during this second trip. This species has been "taped out" here, meaning it no longer responds to playback. In fact, playing recordings causes the Nava's Wrens to go silent. The best strategy is to listen for the distinctive calls notes of the wrens and then try to spot them (without being tempted to play tape - it will not work here!). 

Lesson's Motmot - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

The other range-restricted bird that we sought out at Navalandia was the Long-tailed Sabrewing. This species was a little more accommodating and we saw a few blast by. Only one perched long enough for a few low-quality photos. For a hummingbird, it is not that exciting, though it does have an intriguingly long tail that it flashes around as it hovers in front of flowers. 

Long-tailed Sabrewing - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Since this was our first time birding humid lowland forest in Mexico, the new species for our Mexico list came in fast. One that I was particularly happy with was the Rufous-breasted Spinetail. Spinetails are always fun to watch, though they can be impossibly sneaky in thick bamboo vegetation. The Rufous-breasted was a new one for Laura. My only previous encounter was a heard-only bird in Guatemala; the excellent views of this one were greatly appreciated! If only my photos were as good...  

Rufous-breasted Spinetail - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

An unexpected lifer that appeared during the mid-morning of November 24 was a sharp Fan-tailed Warbler. Some have said that it appears as if the bird's tail is only loosely attached, as it flips from side to side. An apt descriptor! This needs to be seen to be believed; my photos do not capture this at all.

 

Fan-tailed Warbler - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Mid-morning on a clear day always brings the lizards, butterflies and other solar powered creatures out of the woodwork. We experienced this on our first visit here, though the second was clouded over for its duration. 

Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus variabilis) - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Falcate Emesis (Emesis tenedia) - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Lamplight Altinote (Altinote ozomene) - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Longwing Crescent (Eresia phillyra) - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Turquoise Emperor (Doxocopa laurentia) - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Eagle-eyed Laura even noticed a serpentine shape, resting quietly on the shoulder of the road. I foolishly thought that I had a chance at catching the racer. It shot off into the thick vegetation quicker than I could blink.

Dryad Snake (Mastigodryas melanolomus) - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

In our two visits to Navalandia we noted around 75 bird species. Birdsong was less than I had hoped and the cooler temperatures on the second visit also seemed to quiet the activity. In this rich environment, 100 species should be doable in a morning.

Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Some of the other standouts from our visits included Crimson-collared Tanager, Azure-crowned Hummingbird, White Hawk, Ruddy Woodcreeper, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Long-billed Gnatwren, Slate-coloured Solitaire, White-winged Tanager, Orange-billed Sparrow, Yellow-billed Cacique and both species of ant-tanagers. 

White Hawk - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

Morelet's Seedeater - Armando Zebadua area, Chiapas, Mexico

November 25, 2021

The Grand Canyon in the southwestern United States may be the most famous gorge in North America, but I would argue that Mexico has quite a number of its own impressive canyons. We visited one of these - Cañon del Sumidero - on November 25. 

Our goal was, in part, to view the awesome canyon but you could guess that I had ulterior motives as well. Those being the Belted Flycatcher, Flammulated Flycatcher and Slender Sheartail. The gates for the national park do not open until 8 AM. This allowed Laura and I to sleep in at our accommodations in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. We were the second car in the park.

Microtia elva - Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

I had sleuthed online the night before and settled on a particular trail to explore first, before the temperatures got too warm. We parked at a small lot just off the paved road (at 16.803214, -93.091147) and walked in through the dry forest. 

 Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

Even though the best hour and a half of the morning was behind us, we worked hard to catch up. The birding was pretty good - White-eyed Vireo, Plain-capped Starthroat and Cabanis's Wren were quickly accounted for. 

Plain-capped Starthroat - Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

I clued into the call notes of a Belted Flycatcher from beside the trail. Minutes later, we were eyeing two of them up. This handsome little flycatcher is only found in a small region of southern Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador. I had seen one on my previous Guatemala trip but it was a new one for Laura. We enjoyed watching the spiky-crested little flycatcher belting out his song - a clear Bird Of The Day winner for both of us.

Belted Flycatcher - Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

The Flammulated Flycatcher was another target. We had heard them a few days earlier at Parque Nacional Huatulco, but actually seeing one was the morning's goal (for me at least!). Again, I was stymied. At least three birds vocalized at different points along the trail but I was unable to actually lay eyes on one. 

Adelpha iphicleola - Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

With our birding itch scratched, Laura and I drove the rest of the way to the various lookouts by the famous canyon. It was pretty impressive, the scale difficult to capture in photos. 

Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

The height of the canyon is nearly 1 km at certain points. This really becomes apparent when Neotropic Cormorants or American White Pelicans cruise up the river, appearing as mere specks down below. One option for tourists is to take a boat along the river. We opted against this as we didn't really feel like being jammed into a small boat with 20 others during COVID-19 and we had read some negative things about these tours such as the abundance of garbage in the river. 

Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

The Slender Sheartail is sometimes observed as it feeds on flowers in the canyon. The final lookout, Mirador Los Chiapas, is the main go-to spot for birders seeking out this species. The problem, is that November is not an ideal time to find the correct flowers in bloom; successful birders typically find this species between January and March. We gave it our best shot but fell short. Again, you can't get them all!

Smicropus laeta - Cañon del Sumidero, Chiapas, Mexico

As the sun rose high in the sky and the busloads of tourists kept arriving, we hit the road and headed east to the city of San Cristobal de las Casas. 

Giant Wren Search And An Incredible Waterfall

The genus Camylorhynchus contains 13 species of rather interesting wrens. They all seem to have an abundance of character, being rather large and boldly patterned, with unusual vocalizations and exhibiting a fair amount of curiosity. The Giant Wren is, you guessed it, the largest of the bunch. It also happens to be quite range restricted, occurring only along the coastal strip of Chiapas State in southern Mexico as well as a very small area in adjacent Guatemala. This was a bird we had to see!

November 22, 2021 (continued)

We left the isthmus and its gale-force winds behind, making good time on the straight roads. Mexico has a series of toll highways crisscrossing the country and while they are not cheap, they are well-built and well-maintained. We have saved countless hours of travel time by using these highways during our trip. The benefit of them on this day was that our early arrival in Tonalá permitted a brief mid-afternoon nap before we headed out to look for birds. 

Great Egret - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Laura and I cruised south towards the coast, keeping an eye out for decent looking birding roads. One road in particular seemed to fit the bill, heading west from 15.977991,-93.775216. An earlier perusal of eBird had also shown a smattering of Giant Wren sightings along this road, and so we turned down it and parked. 

The heat of the day had slowly subsided and the birds came out of the woodwork. In just a few minutes we tallied around 30 species including a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron in a ditch, a Rose-throated Becard along a fence line (weird spot for one), and a female Painted Bunting in some shrubbery. 

Painted Bunting - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Our search for the Giant Wren was short lived since we quickly picked up on their unique vocalizations. A trio skulked around some roadside vegetation, playing hide and seek. Eventually, they popped up into the open canopy of a large tree. 

Giant Wren - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

The wrens were all that I had hoped for and more, such a cool bird!

Giant Wren - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Around this time, Laura glanced up the road, yelled "turtle!" and took off running. Luckily, she caught up with the surprisingly fleet-footed testudine before it could disappear into the ditch. She certainly drew the attention of several people driving past on their motorcycles. Not a lot of foreigners visit this area, and fewer still are seen running alongside a road after a turtle!

Laura with a Red-cheeked Mud Turtle - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

It was a Red-cheeked Mud Turtle, a subspecies of the Scorpion Mud Turtle. This species occurs through much of the Neotropics in all kinds of waterbodies but it was a new one for both of us. The colours were just outstanding. 

Red-cheeked Mud Turtle - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

It was a little shy at first but soon took off, heading towards its preferred ditch.

Red-cheeked Mud Turtle - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Red-cheeked Mud Turtle - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

A flock of Orange-fronted Parakeets went blazing by, lit up by the low angle of the sun.

Orange-fronted Parakeets - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

We continued south and then east to check out the road past Cabeza de Toro. We drove for quite a while hoping to come across decent habitat, but it was just towns, pedestrians and vehicles for miles. Even the areas of countryside were rather slow for birds and we cut our losses before reaching the town of Doctor Belisario Dominguez. 

November 23, 2021

Since our main target was already in the bag, we took it easy on November 23. I had done some eBird research the night before and had settled on a good looking gravel track to explore. As it turned out, we never reached this place since a large flock of wading birds just off of the main road grabbed our attention. We turned down a dirt track leading to the waterbody and ended up birding this area for several hours, it was so good! 

Waterbirds - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Wood Storks, Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets made up the majority of the flock, though nearly every expected wading bird was present. 

Snowy Egret, Wood Stork and Great Egret - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Wading birds - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Shorebirds were represented by numerous Least Sandpipers, a handful of both yellowlegs, a single Willet, and some Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeers. Not a lot of diversity but we enjoyed sifting through shorebirds for a change. Ducks included a flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, quite a lot of Blue-winged Teals and a Northern Shoveler. This lagoon's potential seemed high and I am sure that it acts as a rarity magnet of sorts. 

White Ibis (bottom centre) - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

We quickly realized that the dirt road opened up to a former airstrip running parallel to the wetland. 

Former airstrip - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

We heard a Lesser Ground-Cuckoo from the thick vegetation. A trio of Pacific Parakeets blasted by overhead, while raptor-types included Snail Kite and Laughing Falcon. Even a couple of Limpkins flew past. 

Limpkin - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Something flushed a portion of the birds, providing an opportunity for flight shots. 

Roseate Spoonbill - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

Roseate Spoonbill - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

White Ibis - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

American White Pelican - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

We even found another Red-cheeked Mud Turtle! This one was quickly crossing the runway. 

Red-cheeked Mud Turtle - Puerto Arista area, Chiapas, Mexico

We left the area behind and continued to the northeast, deeper into the state of Chiapas. To break up the drive , we visited a canyon complete with a stunning set of waterfalls known as El Aguacero. Full credit to Laura for researching this spot since it was not on my radar at all.

Cañón Río La Venta, Chiapas, Mexico

The entrance road was a little rough and we were thankful for our high clearance SUV, though it can be done with a small car if one drives very carefully. The entrance fee was reasonable (50 pesos per person) and we were some of the only people there. To reach the bottom of the canyon, one has to walk down ~700 stairs that descend around 150 m in elevation. We even noted a few birds during the walk: Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Yellow-throated and Blue-headed Vireos, Orange-fronted Parakeets, three species of orioles, etc. 

Yellow-throated Vireo - Cañón Río La Venta, Chiapas, Mexico

We reached the bottom of the canyon and removed our boots before wading upriver towards the falls. The course sand felt great, exfoliating our feet. And the falls were pretty impressive. 

El Aguacero - Cañón Río La Venta, Chiapas, Mexico

We climbed up and under them, peering into dark caves and enjoying the view through the coursing torrents of water. I spent some time cooling off under some of the smaller cascades; it was glorious. 

El Aguacero - Cañón Río La Venta, Chiapas, Mexico

On these trips it is easy to get so caught up in searching for different bird species, that I lose sight of the forest for the trees, so to speak. This particular site is not on the birding radar and I would not have known about it if Laura hadn't brought it to my attention. Sometimes, it is good to take off the binoculars for a few minutes and enjoy the splendour of a beautiful natural area through different means.