Most weeks, I can weblog about going someplace a bit extra unique, and seeing one thing a bit extra uncommon for me. However this week, I had no automobile to drive, so I needed to go on foot to the character reserve on the far facet of our neighborhood.
This place, referred to as Los Filtros Viejos (the Previous Filters) as a result of it was once Morelia’s fundamental water supply, is definitely an important place for birding. The one purpose I don’t go there usually, is that it is just calmly forested, is usually sizzling (particularly in April), and I inevitably find yourself strolling a tough 10 km/6 miles on its very uneven, rocky pathways with the intention to see its number of habitats. I’m all the time down for the day once I get residence. And there’s nothing I can see there that I can’t additionally see, alongside rarer birds, elsewhere.
Nonetheless, I did handle to see a good 65 species in 6 hours, and lots of of them stayed fairly near me, permitting for some good images. Let’s see if you happen to agree:
I preferred among the images as a lot for his or her backgrounds as for the fowl itself, comparable to this Lincoln Sparrow foraging amongst duckweed, algae, Ficus fruits, and Jacaranda flowers.
This feminine Diversified Bunting exhibits only a trace of the male’s stunning colours. You will notice one other feminine beneath.
Warbling Vireos are quite common in Morelia within the winter, together with at my birdbath. Most different North American vireos have an virtually shrike-like invoice, however this one is extra warbler-shaped.
Since I don’t have a photograph right here of the male Black-headed Grosbeak, you’ll should take my phrase for it that this feminine is simply as good-looking because the male, which isn’t the case with many different fowl species:
The Rusty Sparrow is discovered solely from central Mexico south to Central America. However you possibly can usually see it at Los Filtros Viejos. It seems frustratingly much like the Rufous-crowned Sparrow of the western United States and Mexico, however is way bigger and has a heavier invoice.
Black-and-white Warblers are normally dapper little birds, with their head-to-tail zebra stripes. However this one had simply bathed, and had not but combed its hair. Or maybe it was going by means of that awkward stage.
This Plumbeous Vireo, nevertheless, couldn’t have seemed extra put collectively. Observe that shrike-like invoice.
The stunning Rufous-capped Warbler is one thing of a flagship species for this website. And no, I didn’t flip this picture on its facet; that’s a very vertical rock face.
On this photograph, the star attraction was the stunning new pink foliage of a Cedrela tree. However there’s a yellow Wilson’s Warbler within the background, as properly. (Locals name this tree Cedro Rojo, Purple Cedar. However it’s clearly not a real coniferous cedar.)
Most of our winter New World sparrows appear to have already headed north. However our resident Chipping Sparrows by no means go away.
No different native fowl can match the colours of our male Elegant Euphonias — though the females come shut. The excellent news is that these images do present these colours faithfully. They usually present their favourite habitat: within the middle of mistletoe thickets, the place they eat the tiny fruits. Sadly, he by no means moved out from the middle of that thicket.
Since I not often get to see migratory male Indigo Buntings of their summer season finery, I’ll embody this very fuzzy photograph, taken from a substantial distance:
So then I began taking images of that different feminine Diversified Bunting, feeding on grass seeds. All of the sudden I noticed a floor squirrel creeping up on the Bunting. After I noticed this photograph, I couldn’t assist however consider the 2 observe theme from Jaws. BUM-bum, BUM-bum!
After which, the enormous beast lunged! Fortuitously, the little Bunting managed to flee. Leaving the squirrel to feed on the exact same grass stalk.
And in the direction of the top of my lengthy stroll, since I’m exhibiting these images in chronological order, I had an in depth encounter with a totally endemic fowl. The Noticed Wren can solely be discovered within the mountains of central Mexico, and up alongside the nation’s Sierra Madre Occidental.
I like the closeup this fowl gifted me. However there is also one thing particular about nature itself completely framing a shot:
As so usually occurs, I even have a pair of non-bird images to share. The bromeliad’s flower spike was about one meter/three ft lengthy. And this turtle should be somebody’s escaped pet, since Painted Turtles shouldn’t be discovered within the wild a lot past the southern U.S. border. It clearly is doing properly in its new residence, having grown to a couple of foot lengthy. However I do surprise how properly it’s dealing with this 12 months’s drastically decreased water provide right here.
