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Post by tmanson on Jan 26, 2008 16:15:53 GMT -8
hi all- don´t know whether this has been tried before, but i am sending this to you from san cristobal de las casas in chiapas, although i am having trouble figuring out how to capitalize on this spanish keyboard.
san cristobal is a very interesting colonial town-city-rivals old havanna to me for beauty and charm, and at 6000 feet, a bit chilly compared to the beaches of puerto escondido.
have seen some great birds, and will do an out of town report when i get home. down here i am looking for resplendent quetzal and scarlet macaw. i guess the former are a bit scarce, the latter being more common, if i can get to the remote location where they are found. adios for now. thor
thor manson
san critobal de las casas, chiapas, mexico
usually of hope, b.c.
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Post by Gord on Jan 27, 2008 23:48:52 GMT -8
Greetings from a snowy and chilly BC to you!! ;D ;D ;D
Great to hear from you. I look forward to hearing in more detail about your trip. Already I know two things:
1) You're warm
2) You've seen plenty of great birds!
Enjoy the rest of your holiday. Hope to hear more from you if you get near a computer.
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Post by butterfly on Jan 30, 2008 21:32:56 GMT -8
We are looking forward to some excellent stories when you get back.
Regards from the deep freeze, Mother Nature needs to push the defrost button
Bruce and Joanne
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Post by tmanson on Feb 2, 2008 14:18:57 GMT -8
Greetings again from mexico. Sounds like we are missing a bit of winter this year. i won't dwell on the sun and warm temps down here. We are in palenque now on the atlantic slope and part of the humid tropical rainforest.
Couldn't find a quetzal in its very diminshing mexican environment, but this was more than made up for by great views of 14 Scarlet mcaws, a cople of keel billed Toucans, and their smaller cousins. Stilll lots of good birding to do with the odd look at a mayan ruin or two. Back soon to hopefully melting snow, and some spring sunshine. Cheers, Thor
Thor manson
pallenque, Chiapas, mexico
usually in hope, B.C.
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Post by Dave on Feb 3, 2008 0:08:46 GMT -8
Hey Thor, Sounds like you are having a great trip! Looking forward to the full report when you return! Thanks for updating us on your sightings. This past week I have been near Vernon chaperoning a Grade 12 ski trip to Silver Star. (work is tough  ) No Keel-billed Toucans spotted, but the odd Crossbill kept things interesting! Dave |
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Post by tmanson on Feb 12, 2008 14:22:14 GMT -8
Hi all: Back home now after 6 weeks in the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca, and Chiapas. Good holiday, and, obviously, a break from the winter of 08; ( so far ). Spent 3 weeks along the coast of Oxaca between Puerto Angel, and Puerto Escondido, doing basically beach stuff, with some birding squeezed in. Rest of time was inland, with, for me, the highlight being the time spent in the SE tropical rain forest along the Guatemalan border. This was the only area visited that was still somewhat intact as an ecosystem, although with major human encroachments.
Saw 179 species, 84 being lifers. Met a guy at the Oaxacan airport on the way home, who had been on a birding tour of a much smaller area, and with his guide, he saw close to 300 species. Shows you the benefit of a birding tour with an experienced guide, and birding full time, if birding is the entire focus of the trip.
There were many birding highlights, but a couple stand out. Certainly, at the top of the list was seeing 14 Scarlet Macaws. We stayed 3 days at an ecolodge in Guyacamas, and the folks there have established nesting boxes on the property. As it is mating season for Macaws, the chances of seeing these beautiful, big, birds is increased by hanging out around the nesting box sites, especially towards the end of the day. We did a river trip whilst there, where we saw more Scarlet Macaws, a couple of Keel Billed Toucans, a Crested Guan, and several Collared Aracaris, ( cousins of the toucans ), as well as crocodiles, Howler, and Spider Monkees, and a few snakes of some kind.
I also found it neat to see neotropical species, several of which I hope to see within the ABA area some day. I saw Ferruginous Pygmy Owl on a couple of occasions, Scissor tailed, and Fork tailed Flycatchers, Roadside Hawk, and many species of warbler that will be heading north within a month or so. I realize a few of these have put in very rare appearances north of the border.
I will post some pictures in the Gallery once I get them sorted out.
Anyway, it's good to be back home; ( I know my gut is particularly appreciative!! ). I'm sorry I seemed to have missed the Iceland Gull, as I have been looking for a definitive version for a few years now. Maybe, as Gord says, it is still in the area, but if anyone has any suggestions as to where to look, I'd appreciate that. So now, back to the shoveling; ( it is Hope after all!! ). Cheers, Thor
Thor Manson
Hope, B.C.
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Post by deb&tony on Feb 12, 2008 14:36:23 GMT -8
Welcome back Thor!
Thought I saw you earlier today. Looking forward to viewing your photos, sounds like you had a great trip.
Deb
BTW, Hope had an accumulation of 75 cms of snow over a 10 day period. Great time to be away!
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Post by Gord on Feb 12, 2008 22:26:27 GMT -8
Thor, great to have you back. Look forward to hearing more about your trip and seeing photos. 84 life species!!! Nice!! Now go get that Iceland Gull!  |
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) No Keel-billed Toucans spotted, but the odd Crossbill kept things interesting!
