Desierto de los Leones, Mexico, July 2013

Judging by the popularity of the name around here, my money is on Carlos for the new heir to the throne. Unlikely, I grant you, but not out of the question.

The taxi driver, Carlos, dropped me short of the convent on this visit to Desierto de los Leones. I had no idea how short; nor did he, as neither of really knew where we were. I managed to pinpoint the location on Google Earth when I got home and found that it was less than a kilometre away (cut and paste these coordinates into Google Earth  99°19'3.77"W 19°18'31.74"N).

A small bird had flown across the road in front of us and the mountain shelter at the sharp bend looked like a good place to jump out. Birds were apparent immediately with calls and songs ringing through the misty forest. A Spotted Towhee was the first bird seen followed closely by an Olive Warbler and a Mexican Chickadee.
 

I back-tracked along the road for a short way and a party of birds came down to investigate my pishing. They are very responsive here. There was a steep, bushy bank on the upper side of the road and the party spent 15 – 20 minutes working their way along, gleaning insects from the underside of leaves as they went, seemingly unperturbed by the closeness of the large vehicles that brushed by.
 

Bushtits made up the bulk of the flock, but the stars were the Golden-browed Warbler and of course, the Red Warbler. The Golden-browed Warbler above looked rather tatty and dishevelled. It struck me that he wore the wide-eyed staring expression of new fathers everywhere.

The Red Warbler was not entirely red across its back. It appeared to have a bit of olive and cinnamon mixed in. I saw a juvenile bird later on with an all-over ginger look and grey cheeks.
These were two of my main target birds for the day. Both were inquisitive and responded very well to pishing. I was able to approach quite closely and took most of these pictures from the middle of the road. I had to set priorities between missing the opportunity of close encounters with these beautiful birds and getting knocked down by the traffic.
 

I usually mug up on the subtleties of identification during a break on the plane ride, but had forgotten to bring my field guide on this occasion. I tentatively put down a Tropical Parula, which I have seen here before, but once I got back to the book, the eyebrow very clearly made it a Crescent-chested Warbler. Actually, it was a relief not to have to carry the bulky book around at the dizzying altitude of nearly 10,000 ft.

The jangly, descending call of the Brown-backed Solitaire (another target species) was heard all morning, but they can be tricky to see amongst the pines. One was singing full voice from very close to the road and I spent a long time trying to find it, eventually tracking it down to a very high perch, almost into the low clouds.

The sun came out occasionally and made life very pleasant, but the morning had been quite chilly. I would definitely recommend a warm top at any time of year up in the mountains during the early hours.
 

At the convent, restaurants have sprung up to serve traditional Mexican fare. Carlos, the waiter, led me to a table from which I could see Yellow-eyed Juncos feeding in the grass.

The first roll of thunder came as I started up the trail above the convent. For those with a low haemoglobin count, or a restricted lung capacity, horses are for hire in the car park.

A ranger, Carlos, approached and warned me of the dangers of walking in the forest during a storm and advised that I stay out until it was over. I decided to head back down the mountain. My plan would have been to walk down the path that leads downhill from the left side of the convent, but that would take me through a different forested area with the same dangers during the storm. Not wanting to take any more risks, I waylaid a couple of student film-makers who looked as if they were headed for town and scrounged a lift from them. They very kindly dropped me in Mexico City where I was able to find my own way home.

Taxis do occasionally pass the convent and an irregular bus heads to the villages at either end of the road, but getting back home from Desierto de los Leones can be a little uncertain at times.

Birds seen; 14

Mexican Chickadee 10, Bushtit 60, Brown Creeper 4, Golden-crowned Kinglet 4, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Brown-backed Solitaire 1, White-throated Thrush 1, American Robin 2, Olive Warbler 5, Crescent-chested Warbler 3, Golden-browed Warbler 8, Red Warbler 6, Spotted Towhee 4, Yellow-eyed Junco 3.

For previous posts from Desierto de los Leones, follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/10/desierto-de-los-leones-mexico-city-mex.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/desierto-de-los-leones-mexico-city.html

  

Visit the dedicated South and Central American page for more posts from Mexico including Xochimilco and ParqueNacional de Tlalpan

Desierto de Los Leones, Mexico City, November 2012

My colleague JP joined me today for a trip to the pine/oak forests of Desierto de Los Leones in the mountains above Mexico City. It was a quiet day in the forest, but I cannot say whether an exciting earthquake early that morning had dampened the birds’ appetites, or J’s hi-vis shorts had scared them off. Red warblers still proved to be reliable and were seen in each party along with Mexican Chickadee and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The number of parties was much reduced from my previous visits and each feeding flock was smaller with fewer species.

It was cold when the taxi dropped us at a mountain hut approximately 2.5kms along the road (Google Earth ref; 19°18'18.83"N 99°18'29.80"W), but less than a kilometre southeast across the valley from the Carmelite convent. The sun was just touching the tops of the trees across the valley, but the road remained shaded and gloomy. Our priorities were set by being chilly and underdressed.

The first party, with the Red Warbler, Mexican Chickadee and Ruby-crowned Warbler stalwarts, was augmented by a Hairy Woodpecker and a Brown Creeper. The distinctive call of the Brown-backed Solitaire jangled back and forth across the valley, but the birds could not be seen. I had assured J that they were fairly common and we would probably find one later, but despite hearing it numerous times, we never managed to pin one down.
 

A stream passes under the road and we were surprised to find the area quite devoid of bird life. We had reached a section of road blessed by the weak morning sun and we were able to stop for a while as J’s flip-flopped toes came back to life. We reached the convent as one of the cafés opened for business and we stopped to warm up for a while. I should have learned my lesson from last time when a large breakfast reduced my capacity for lung expansion in the thin atmosphere at 3000m, but having Sherpa J along to carry the brick-like field guide was a big help.

 

A path leads uphill from the convent, past the hermitages, for about 1km before meeting an unmade road. The sun had a chance to light some of the birds here which were feeding in lower branches. Even so, they remained aloof and photos had to be taken through the leaves and branches. A Slaty-throated Redstart proved to be the most accommodating of them all.
 

We returned to the convent and continued downhill via a path to the left of the building as we approached it. This area often gives up a Green-striped Brush-finch as it did today. Further down a small party included a Crescent-chested Parula and a Golden-browed Warbler.

The path eventually leads down to a village and a junction with a road on which a taxi can be readily found. Keep to the right at the first junction and go straight across onto the cobbled road at the stream crossing. The village and neighbourhood at the bottom of the hill did not give us cause to fear for our safety, but the descent is remote and lonely. It took approximately 3 hours from the convent by the time we stopped for a bowl of soup at a café on the lower slopes (Google Earth ref; 19°19'51.20"N 99°18'6.24"W).

 

If a visitor elects not to follow the path down from the convent, then they will have to arrange an alternative way home. Taxis pass through during the day, but not regularly and it would be as well not to have to depend on one chancing by. 

Birds seen; 13

 Acorn Woodpecker 2, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Mexican Chickadee 12, Brown Creeper 3, Golden-crowned Kinglet 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 12, American Robin 6, Crescent-chested Warbler 1, Golden-browed Warbler 3, Red Warbler 10, Slate-throated Redstart 4, Green-striped Brush-finch 1, Yellow-eyed Junco 8

For a previous post from Desierto deLos Leones, follow the link below;

Visit the dedicated Central and SouthAmerica Page for more posts from the area, including Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco and UNAM Botanical gardens.