Gray-crowned Woodpecker, Mexican Hermit, Butterflies And More

 November 18, 2021 (continued)

That afternoon, Laura and I checked into our hotel on the outskirts of Pluma Hidalgo, a place called Finca Don Gabriel. We headed out north of town just before dark to search for a few night birds. Eared Poorwill has been found in the area on a few occasions. This Mexican endemic is more common further west in the country, but we were keen to give it a shot here. 

Unfortunately, the Eared Poorwills remained silent. We did not know the exact area to check and I did not have a good quality recording of this species. Perhaps, if I was more prepared we would have been successful. The night was not a waste, however. We found several Mexican Whip-poor-wills (including one that hovered mere feet from our faces!), Mottled Owls, Middle American Screech-Owls and one unidentified owl whose voice I recorded. 

Mexican Whip-poor-will - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

November 19, 2021

We enjoyed a leisurely morning, sleeping in all the way until 6:30. You see, the next few mornings would require an early alarm as we would be in the lowlands. Laura tells me that I am only allowed so many early mornings in a row, so I have to choose them wisely!

Sunrise at Finca Don Gabriel, Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

We returned to the site of the previous evening's escapades, this time to walk the road in the daylight. There were a few birds that I hoped to see, tops among them being the Gray-crowned Woodpecker. This would be our final chance at this west Mexican endemic species. 

The roadside birding was quite good with a nice selection of wintering warblers alongside orioles, wrens, flycatchers and more. One of the first birds was a sharp male Red-headed Tanager; our second sighting in two days. 

Dahlia imperialis - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

A bend in the road gave way to an incredible mirador that was worth lingering at. We noticed a few birds chipping below which slowly morphed into a mixed flock. I encouraged the action by playing a pygmy-owl song. Pandemonium ensued. 

Bullock's Oriole - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

During the frenzied action of a mixed flock, I rarely manage good photos since I am so focused on observing every species in the flock. This situation was no different. Standouts included Blue-capped Hummingbird, Hammond's and Dusky Flycatchers, numerous Bullock's Orioles, a Blue Bunting, several Rose-throated Becards and a single Gray-collared Becard. Even a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl responded far below us in the valley, though it did not feel like flying up the mountainside to check us out. 

Gray-collared Becard - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

We were nearing the point where we considered turning around and I was still without a Gray-crowned Woodpecker. The habitat had consisted of mature forest on a steep slope, whereas the woodpecker prefers woodland, coffee plantation and other more open environments. We passed a homestead and a small plantation. Sure enough, a Gray-crowned Woodpecker was around!

Gray-crowned Woodpecker - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

Gray-crowned Woodpecker - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

We walked back to where we had parked. The birding had slowed somewhat, though we added several new species to the checklist like White-collared Swift and Blue Mockingbird. The butterflies came out of the woodwork as the sun crested the mountainside and shone its rays on our path. 

Crimson Patch (Chlosyne janais) - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

Pteronymia artena praedicta (tentative) - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

My favourite was a White Morpho, appearing almost like a piece of tissue paper floating by on the breeze. Waiting for one of these to land is hopeless; I managed an identifiable flight shot instead. 

White Morpho (Morpho polyphemus) - north of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

We stopped one more time at the mirador. The mixed flock had moved on but the views were just as nice as earlier, though with slightly harsher light. 

North of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Mexico

We checked out of the hotel and continued to the south along the winding mountain road. Landslides are frequent here; road crews were busy, working away to clear some from previous months. Luckily, it is currently a dry time of year and so we did not worry too much about the possibilities of active landslides. 

Another bird that we had not crossed paths with was the Mexican Hermit. This spectacular hummingbird is endemic to a narrow strip in the lowlands and foothills from west Mexico to our location in Oaxaca. They love heliconia flowers and I had found just the spot on eBird: a botanical garden called Hagia Sofia. Situated at only 300 m in elevation, the air was quite hot during our midday visit. Note to others who wish to visit: the actual location of the gardens is around 15.869329, -96.365602, several kilometres along a gravel road north of the location shown on Google Maps and the eBird hotspot.

We walked around the gardens for a little bit. No wonder why this has become a stakeout spot for Mexican Hermits - nearly every type of heliconia you could imagine was growing here. The gardens were well maintained and this is definitely a place worth spending more time at. A single Mexican Hermit announced its presence with chip notes and hovered only a couple of metres from me, seemingly checking me out. About five seconds later it zipped off into the forest. I was struck by how large this species was, even for a hermit. 

Urbanus sp. - Parque Botánico Hagia Sofia, Oaxaca, Mexico

We spent some time beside a small creek where it crosses under the gravel road. A large fruiting tree had attracted numerous birds. We watched at least four Citreoline Trogons, a pair of Scrub Euphonias, White-throated Magpie-Jays, a half-dozen Rufous-backed Robins and a Spot-breasted Oriole among several other species. The butterflying along the creek was excellent as well. Here are a few of the standouts. 

Many-banded Daggerwing (Marpesia chiron) - Parque Botánico Hagia Sofia, Oaxaca, Mexico

White-dotted Crescent (Castilia ofella) - Parque Botánico Hagia Sofia, Oaxaca, Mexico

Orange Banner (Temenis laothoe) - Parque Botánico Hagia Sofia, Oaxaca, Mexico

Pyrrhogyra neaerea hypsenor - Parque Botánico Hagia Sofia, Oaxaca, Mexico

Apricot Sulphur (Phoebis argante) - Parque Botánico Hagia Sofia, Oaxaca, Mexico

The electric blue of this next butterfly was dazzling; you really needed to see it to believe it!

Lasaia agesilas callaina - Parque Botánico Hagia Sofia, Oaxaca, Mexico

We finished the rest of the drive into the dry coastal lowlands. Our base for the next two nights was the town of La Crucecita, located on the edge of Parque Nacional Huatulco. Here, dry forest and desert scrub is home to a new suite of birds, while beautiful sand beaches and rocky cliffs disappear into crystal clear waters. That evening, we watched the sun set over the Pacific while sipping mezcal and watching the last frigatebird of the day over the open water. 

Jays and Snakes In The Sierra Madre Del Sur

November 17, 2021 (continued)

Driving in Mexico is fairly straightforward, but like many countries it has its quirks. I've put together a short list of some of these characteristics from my limited experience on the roads here. 

1. Stop signs and red lights are just a suggestion in lightly traveled sections of cities and towns, loosely followed by most motorists but completely ignored by taxis. This is obviously not something that is restricted to Mexico, but a practice utilized in many countries around the world.  

2. When at one of the few stoplights where the rules are adhered to, the light will turn green and multiple vehicles will honk simultaneously. If you are the vehicle at the front, do not get offended by this. They are simply letting you know that the light has changed, since the vehicles at the front often do not have a clear visual of the light. This is something that we have noticed throughout Latin America. 

3. Using your indicators is optional as well. One exception to this - motorists will often use their left hand indicator on the highway, not because they hope to turn left, but because they are letting you know that it is reasonably safe for you to pass them. 

4. When driving on the single lane highways, common courtesy is to drive halfway on the shoulder to allow faster vehicles going the same direction as you to pass. This also allows passing vehicles coming from the other direction to squeeze by you. I actually prefer this, since it makes the flow of traffic that much easier. In Canada, one must take care when overtaking other vehicles. If you finish passing while an incoming vehicle is only a hundred meters away, that driver will lay on the horn and likely say some choice words to themselves and the occupants in their vehicles. In Mexico, even if there is a transport truck coming straight at you, feel free to pass anyways. The transport truck will simply move over enough onto the shoulder so that you can squeeze through the (admittedly, small) gap. 

5. Many of the roundabouts have yield signs for the motorists already in the roundabout. This can be confusing to North American drivers, since we assume that the vehicle in the roundabout always has the right of way. 

6. Speed bumps! We arrived in Mexico from Panama, where speed bumps are found in typical quantities. To prevent speeding in Panama they simply place a police officer doing radar every kilometre along the highway. In Mexico we have yet to see a speed trap. Why is that even necessary, when most roads have speed bumps every 20 m? Seriously, we have had days where we have navigated several hundred speed bumps, or reductors as they are called here. Many of these reductors sneak up on you, being unpainted and located perfectly where a shadow crosses the road. It does not take much for an unsuspecting birdwatcher to nail one when they have one eye trained on a unidentified yellow-bellied kingbird on a fence, while driving at 60 km/h (not speaking from personal experience there...). Reductors? More like destructors...

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At any rate, we headed south from Oaxaca during the afternoon on November 17, navigating the countless speed bumps along the way. 350 reductors later, we had climbed high into the mountains near the town of San Jose de Pacifico, or San Mateo Río Hondo as it is called on Google Maps. 

Spotted Towhee - Restaurante/Cabañas Puesta Del Sol, Oaxaca, Mexico

This area is home to one particular rare species of jay, one that I thought would take a miracle to find. The White-throated Jay is an alpine species with a tiny global range. Most eBird records are from the area near San Jose del Pacifico, though the number of reports is much smaller than the total count of birders who stop here. This jay really is quite rare and difficult to find. Its behaviour is reminiscent of a wren, sneaking around vegetation unobtrusively.  Well, the birding gods were smiling down on us. I pulled over along the highway about 1.5 kilometres north of our destination for a snack break, and I played the call of the White-throated Jay just for fun. Laura stopped me halfway through – “I think I heard the jay!”. We listened, and sure enough, a White-throated Jay was calling back! 

White-throated Jay - San Jose del Pacifico, Oaxaca, Mexico

It was a tense few minutes but we soon spotted the gorgeous bird up the hillside and it even came down to check us out. I managed some so-so photos and a few audio recordings whenever there was a gap in the truck traffic motoring up the mountain road. We were positively thrilled, fully expecting to “dip” on this rare species. 

White-throated Jay - San Jose del Pacifico, Oaxaca, Mexico

I know some birders who have unsuccessfully searched for this species on countless trips to this part of Mexico. We really were insanely lucky. This one sighting makes up for all the other montane jays that we seem to have terrible luck with.

White-throated Jay - San Jose del Pacifico, Oaxaca, Mexico

We headed over to a popular restaurant/cabańas called Puesta del Sol. This happens to be one of the better areas for the jay, but we rolled up without having to worry about that. Instead, we purchased hot chocolates from the restaurant and watch the warblers, hummingbirds and a Hooded Oriole in the nearby trees. Bumblebee Hummingbirds are usually found here with ease, but we could not turn one up for some reason.

Rufous Hummingbird - Restaurante/Cabañas Puesta Del Sol, Oaxaca, Mexico

The best birding was along a shrubby/weedy hillside (pictured), located between the highway and a walkway near the restaurant. We birded this area from the coordinates of 16.173190, -96.506018.

Restaurante/Cabañas Puesta Del Sol, Oaxaca, Mexico

My other potential lifer in this region was the Hooded Yellowthroat. This is a species that pretty much looks like a Common Yellowthroat, but it has a much different song, prefers scrubby hillsides, and is a non-migratory endemic species to central and southern Mexico. We found one calling along this hillside but it would not pop up and show its face. Presumably, this species is "taped out" by birders. 

Making friends - Restaurante/Cabañas Puesta Del Sol, Oaxaca, Mexico

We noted most of the 30 species on our eBird checklist from this one particular hillside. Highlights included Rufous Hummingbird, Lincoln's Sparrow, Spotted and White-throated Towhees, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer and multiple Bullock's Orioles. 

Steller's Jay - Restaurante/Cabañas Puesta Del Sol, Oaxaca, Mexico

The staff at Puesta del Sol were quite accommodating. One gentleman, seeing we were birders, gave us directions to a trail that begins close to the restaurant. We went down it a short ways and enjoyed some Mountain Trogons. Presumably, this trail would be a good birding location, one of the few in the area that is off the main highway. 

November 18, 2021

Laura and I spent the night at a great little spot that we found on AirBnB in San Jose del Pacifico. We had booked a room in this town so that we could have a full afternoon and morning to search for the White-throated Jay before moving on. Well, that wasn't really necessary any more. I considered going back to Puesta del Sol for another crack at the Hooded Yellowthroat in the morning, but in the end we decided to leave town at dawn and drive further down the mountainside to bird a different region while the day was still young. 

We chose a dirt road at around 1500 m in elevation that leads to a few small villages. The turnoff is at 15.9831879,-96.5245914 and on eBird it is called Sierra de Miahuatlán - La Soledad. This is a great spot to look for the extremely range-restricted Blue-capped Hummingbird, as well as the Red-headed Tanager and the local subspecies of Northern Emerald-Toucanet (Wagler's Toucanet). We parked at 15.980823, -96.525003 and walked up the road for 1.5 kilometres or so before turning back. 

The birding here was quite good and we found all of our main targets listed above. The Blue-capped Hummingbird was the dominant species of hummigbird along the road, excluding the wintering Ruby-throated, of course. We enjoyed great looks at several females feeding on red tubular Salvia flowers along the roadsides. Later, a sharp male perched above us for just a few seconds before departing. 

Blue-capped Hummingbird - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

Wagler's Toucanets were also quite frequent. We found several groups of them, including a half dozen feeding on a fruiting tree alongside Rose-throated Becards, White-throated Thrushes, Brown-backed Solitaires, Black-headed Saltators and Audubon's Orioles. The latter was also a new species for both of us. 

Wagler's Toucanet - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

Birding was slow at times - it was now mid-morning - but we slowly chipped away. Greenish Elaenia was a species that I had never photographed before and so I made that a priority here, a location where they are reasonably common. 

Greenish Elaenia - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

Hawks included Broad-winged, Gray, Red-tailed, and a single Zone-tailed that provided excellent views. 

Zone-tailed Hawk - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

We passed a few houses located at a high point along the road. The sun was really beating down here but the butterflies were just getting started. 

Anna's Eighty-eight (Diaethria anna) - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

We turned around and began heading back to our vehicle. But a small mixed flock was reason to pause. I thought I heard the chips of a Red-headed Tanager and so played a bit of tape. Sure enough, a young male flew in to check out the intruder. Score!

Red-headed Tanager - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

The mixed flock continued to grow, and best of all, we were able to observe a female and adult male Red-headed Tanager as well. Our morning walk had been pretty successful with all main targets acquired. I had been holding out hope for a Mexican Hermit as well, but you can't get them all! 

Red-headed Tanager - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

We drove a little further to a restaurant called El Mirador that happened to show a cluster of records of the Cinnamon-sided subspecies of Green-fronted Hummingbird on eBird. It was lunchtime when we arrived. Unfortunately, our stakeout of this spot was unsuccessful with the hummingbird but we found a small flock of warblers that included a locally rare Cape May Warbler. With several hours still to kill before we could check into our hotel in Pluma Hidalgo, we chose to return to the same road from that morning, at La Soledad. 

This was a prescient decision since we found the day's main highlight. There, crossing the road in front of us, was a huge ratsnake of some sort, its scales glistening as it made its way across the road. No bird gets our blood pumping quite like how a snake does for us! 

Middle American Gopher Snake (Pituophis lineaticollis) - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

The beautiful animal in front of us was not a ratsnake, but a Middle American Gopher Snake, a species closely related to the ratsnakes. It was around 5 feet in length - a hefty individual - and seemed to be in very good condition. 

Middle American Gopher Snake (Pituophis lineaticollis) - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

I very gently picked it up and the snake did not seem to mind at all. Maybe I am anthropomorphizing, but it seemed to even enjoy the warmth from my hands. 

Middle American Gopher Snake (Pituophis lineaticollis) - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

Middle American Gopher Snake (Pituophis lineaticollis) - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

The Middle American Gopher Snake ranges from southern Mexico to southern Guatemala. It is an absolutely gorgeous snake, with the lines on the neck eventually transforming to blotches further down the length of its body. 

Middle American Gopher Snake (Pituophis lineaticollis) - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

After admiring it, we let it go beside the road and watched it crawl up the embankment. Eventually, it found a crevice to its liking and slowly disappeared into the hillside. We wished it well, warned it of the dangers of roads, and continued on our way. 

Middle American Gopher Snake (Pituophis lineaticollis) - La Soledad, Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca Valley Part 3: Dry Scrub Birding At Yagul And Monte Albán

My target list for the Oaxaca Valley was dwindling, and we had one full day remaining to explore the area. The only bird that had completely eluded me to this point was the Slaty Vireo, while I had several others - the Dwarf Vireo and Ocellated Thrasher - as heard only. Of course I had struck out on Fulvous Owl as well, but that will have to wait until I visit Honduras or Guatemala. 

Laura and I decided to drive southeast of Oaxaca to search for these species along a road leading to some radio towers. Afterwards, we hoped to stop at a nearby archaeological site called Yagul. 

Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

The drive out of Oaxaca took a little longer than anticipated (and we did not have the earliest start to the day to begin with). It was already 8 AM by the time that we arrived at the eBird hotspot called Microondas Ocotepec. 

Some of the first birds included a small group of Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays along the bumpy entrance road. This required a quick stop; it was a new species for Laura whereas my last sighting was over a decade earlier in California. 

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

We parked the car and explored the roadside scrub for several hours. Birding was slow at times, but then we would encounter a small mixed flock and race to see every species that composed it. But our main targets remained elusive. 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

The numerous lizards and butterflies kept us occupied during the quieter stretches. 

Aspidoscelis sp. - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

Reakirt's Blue (Echinargus isola) - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

Mexican Dartwhite (Catasticta nimbice) - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

And then Laura spotted it: a Slaty Vireo! I raced over and locked onto this cool looking species for the first time. 

Slaty Vireo - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

This species is notorious for being a skulker, and it took some time before we had fully satisfactory views. But what an awesome vireo it was!

Slaty Vireo - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

I wish that I could say that our other two target birds fell in quick succession, but that was just not the case. We did not even hear a peep from the Ocellated Thrasher or the Dwarf Vireo. The birding was actually rather slow following the Slaty Vireo excitement. Everything was staying low to the ground and almost nothing was vocalizing. A Lesser Roadrunner ran off the road, barely providing adequate views to identify it, but nothing at all satisfactory. We hoped that the lee side of the mountain would be better since the sun was not beating down on it. Nope! That side was even slower and so I refocused my gaze on butterflies and flowers.  

Mexican Silverspot (Dione moneta) - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

This lobelia was very small, but quite eye-catching. I believe that it is Diastatea tenera. 

Diastatea tenera - Microondas Ocotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

Our next stop was the Yagul archaeological site, located just off of our intended route on the way back to Oaxaca. In comparison with the Monte Albán ruins in Oaxaca, the Yagul site receives several orders of magnitude fewer visitors, yet it is a spectacular site in its own right. The birding here can be quite good as well. We were sold. 

Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

We paid our admission fee (around $4 each) and wandered the site for around two hours. I am no historian, but from what we learned from interpretive signs (and from what Wikipedia tells me), Yagul was a former city state associated with the Zapotec Civilization. The site was likely first occupied from 500-100 BC, though most of the visible remains were built between 1250 and 1521 AD. There is also evidence of human habitation in the general area dating back to at least 3000 BC. 

Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

At the time of the Spanish conquest, around 6000 people lived at Yagul; they were forcefully removed from here and relocated to the town of Tlacolula where some of their descendants still live. 

Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

Despite it being midday, we enjoyed several bird sightings at the ruins including Boucard's Wrens, White-throated Towhees, Bridled Sparrows, Rock Wrens, Gray-breasted Woodpeckers and a nice selection of flycatchers. 

White-throated Towhee - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

Boucard's Wren - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

This site is popular amongst visiting birders who are seeking out the range-restricted Beautiful Hummingbird. It was a good thing that we had found one earlier in the trip at San Andrés de la Cal, since we could not drum one up here. The only hummingbirds were a single Dusky Hummingbird and far too many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, here on their winter grounds. 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

The most surprising bird here was a vocal Dwarf Vireo that came right in to check us out. I managed a brief view of a vireo-shaped bird flying away through the shrubbery, but we were unable to actually see it. At least we heard it well this time...

Tailed Orange (Pyrisitia proterpia) - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

Archaeological sites can be great locations to search for lizards. These sun-loving saurians are fond of hanging out on the rock walls. 

Sceloporus spinosus - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

Sceloporus sp. - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

We followed a path up the side of a rocky hillside, eventually reaching a mirador with an impressive view of Yagul and the valley beyond. 

Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

Several interesting orthopterans met us at the top, necessitating some photography. 

Before leaving Yagul, we briefly explored down a gravel track south of the site that leads to a wetland. Here, we noted our first MacGillvray's Warbler of the trip, while a crisp male Vermilion Flycatcher blinded us with his splendour. 

Vermilion Flycatcher - Zona Arqueológica Yagul, Oaxaca, Mexico

November 17, 2021

Laura and I visited the famous Monte Albán archaeological site for our final morning in the Oaxaca area. Our plan was not to actually visit the ruins. Only a certain number of people are allowed in each day, and so vehicles start lining up at the entrance several hours prior to it opening at 10 AM. This did not seem like a good way to spend our morning! We had just visited the Yagul site, which we basically had all to ourselves, so standing in line for several hours just to be able to see a slightly more famous set of ruins did not appeal to us. 

Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico

Fortunately, an ecological trail runs parallel to the entrance road at Monte Albán. It provides access through scrub habitat, and is a relatively reliable area to search for the Ocellated Thrasher, Slaty Vireo, and several other key species. 

The morning was cool as we walked on the shady side of the ridge. Right away, a Pileated Flycatcher called from somewhere near the start of the trail but it remained out of sight. We slowly birded along the ecological trail, crossing paths with numerous joggers and dog-walkers. It appears that this location is popular with the locals, not just with birders. 

Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico

Laura has excellent eyes for spotting cryptic birds on their day-roost, and this skillset has helped her locate owls and potoos in the past. She expertly spotted a Lesser Nighthawk resting on a pine bough. 

Lesser Nighthawk - Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico

We followed the ecological trail all the way to its southern terminus, though once again, the Ocellated Thrasher eluded us. I had heard one on a previous afternoon visit here, and we tried searching for that individual, but it wasn't willing to give itself up on this day. 

Near the end of the trail was an open picnic area that was quite birdy - flocks of warblers and orioles in the trees, doves on the ground, and towhees, flycatchers and thrushes along the scrubby edge. 

White-winged Dove - Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico

Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet - Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico

A Crested Caracara was patrolling the area for something good to eat. 

Crested Caracara - Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico

We completed the loop by following the paved road back down to where we had parked. Along the way, we passed around 40 cars, vans and buses lined up, waiting for Monte Albán to open. 

Our time in the Oaxaca Valley was over but it was very successful. And I haven't even mentioned the food scene! We left the valley behind and drove south to the Sierra Madre del Sur, home to White-throated Jays, Blue-capped Hummingbirds and more. Seeking out these birds will be the focus of my next post.