Oct. 21, 2005 420 Raptors counted San Jose Papaloapan, Veracruz Mexico
Things slowed down a bit today.




I was able to collect about 40 seeds from this tree....I don´t know the name of it yet.
The fruit attracts all kinds of birds. I am going to see if I can get some of the seeds to sprout so that I can replant them in the field.

2,373 Raptors counted San José Papaloapan Oct.20, 2005
Good solid day of raptor observations.
Time: 10:30 am til 18:30
Breeze from NNE, with periods of absolute stillness. 32C Temp.
Skies mostly sunny.
Turkey Vulture.....................1,547
Swainson´s hawk.....................679
Osprey...........................................5
Sharp-shinned hawk..................34
Cooper´s hawk............................45
American Kestrel........................61
Peregrine falcon............................1
Northern Harrier..........................1
TOTAL.....................................2,373

8 species of non-migratory raptors observed......Black vulture, Aplomado falcon, Laughing falcon, Northern Caracara, Snail kite, Black-collared hawk, Roadside hawk, Great black hawk.

16 species of raptors observed here today.

The "good stuff". 13,794 raptors counted in San José Paploapan Vercruz October 19, 2005.
(Click on the image below to see the larger image)














Click on the image below for larger image












I got to the site and got settled by 11:00 am....things were "dead". At 12:30 p.m. I begin to count Sharpies , Coop´s and American Kestrels.
At 13:00 I spotted my first turkey Vulture for the day.......the beginning of the "river of raptors" for the day. For the next 22 minutes I am able to photograph and count a constant "stream" of some 13,000 raptors.
At one moment I had three lines in my view......slow moving "potpurri" of aquatics and raptors.......American white pelican(600+), Anhinga(375) , Wood storks (1,550+) Swainson´s hawks, Turkey Vultures, Broad-winged hawks, Osprey, Sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper´s hawks, Merlin, Perigrine falcon, Northern Harrier, American kestrel.......
What a wonderful mix........it doesn´t matter how many times I see it, I am in awe, and grateful to witness one of natures greatest spectacles.
Enjoy the photos...this is the "good stuff".......

































Click on the image below to see the larger image























Today´s Report:
San José Papaloapan
Oct. 19, 2005
11:00 a.m. til 17:00 (6 hrs.)
Breeze from the NNW....mixed clouds.
Swainson´s hawks..............5,805
Turkey vultures.................6,884
Broad-winged hawks............916
Osprey.........................................4
Sharp-shinned hawk...............74
Cooper´s hawk.........................46
Merlin..........................................3
American kestrel.......................55
Peregrine Falcon..........................6
Northern harrier..........................1
Total.....................................13,794

Non migrating raptors observed:
Black vulture, Northern Caracara, Roadside hawk, Laughing falcon, Snail kite, Great black hawk,
Aplomado falcon, Black-collared hawk.

I want to thank all of the men and women of San José Papaloapan for sharing their knowledge of this migration with me, they told me that "lots" came overhead, I believed them and it paid off today.
Good birding,
David

Lackluster raptor day.....I "digiscope" a Green-breasted mango hummingbird and photograph a Northern Cat-eyed snake.
Today was the first morning that it has not rained in over a week.....I got on the bus and headed for San José Paploapan looking forward to seeing lots of raptors.
todays results:
Observation time 10:00am to 16:30
Perfect conditions for raptor migration......somebody should have told the raptors!
Turkey Vulture............14
SW...................................0
BW...................................0
Osprey.............................1
Sharp-shinned hawk. .11
Cooper´s hawk...............8
Am. Kestrel.....................8
Merlin..............................2
Total..............................44

Today provided another oportunity.......I had the scope with me and I was able to "digiscope"(digital camera attached to a spotting scope) some Green-breasted mango hummingbirds. What a treat! The pics below.....


Immature green breasted mango (note cinnamon sides of neck)


Imm.


Imm.


Imm.


Imm.


Male Green-breasted Mango

Imm.




feeding on a bird of paradise flower















The patch of Bird of Paradise was filled with hummingbird movement, I also observed Buff-bellied hummingbirds and Rufous-tailed hummingbirds.

In the afternoon some kids came by we talked about birds a bit, (I gave them a copy of my photo booklet "Birds of Veracruz" That I use here when I make presentations in the schools.
They asked me if I wanted to see the snake that they just caught.
And I did.
Here are the photos.... it appears to be a Northern Cat-eyed snake Leptodeira septentrionalis










Click HERE for a large view.

Greetings All:
Here´s the day............

Green-breasted mangos are hummingbirds


The dark clouds tell the story...lots of sprinkles....




Some pics to give you a feel of the people here in Veracruz.....a lot of fun loving people here and I love to share the "hawkwatch experience " with them.

It is nice to see that Pronatura Veracruz has begun to make posts on Hawkcount of their migration totals. Although I have had some good days this year in raptor observation here in the tropical wet/lowlands, nothing compares with the visuals of of Cardel, Chichicaxtle and the higher ridges of Paso de Ovejas.

After more rain in the morning the sun finally came out and I headed to San José Papaloapan to observe.
I was able to observe for 0ne hour (13:00-14:00) When I arrived I saw Swainson´s hawks and Turkey vultures just beginning to come up and form "kettles" All movements were slow
Here´s my count for the hour:
Swainson´s hawk...................467
Turkey Vulture......................233
Broad-winged hawk.................56
Sharp-shinned hawk..................3
Osprey..........................................1
American Kestrel........................1
Total............................................761
**Note that after one hour of observation the rain started in again. I stayed around for another hour looking for a break and then headed back to Tlacotalpan.

Now for today´s weather.....I woke up to a downpour, took advantage of a letup of the rain and ventured out to take a few pictures.

If this moisture in the Gulf of Mexico gets to us I would not be surprised to see a bit of flooding here in the next 24 to 36 hours. As I write this the sun is shining, so who knows?
This has been one crazy year weather wise.
It will be nice to see some raptors.....I promise, there are still some out there!








Areas that I would normally bird this time of year (in hiking boots) are presently only accesible with a good horse...or canoe.
Good birding,
David

Forty days and forty nights..........looking for wood to build the ark.....how many cubits?

Believe it or not....more rain...steady all day....... much more of this and I am changing the name of the blog from Veracruz Hawk Watch to Veracruz Weather Report......(laughs)
I did catch a glimpse of a Peregrine falcon on the telecommunications tower here in Tlacotalpan....that will have to do for the moment.
David