Introduction

We spent the period between 20th April and 7h May 2004 birding in Northern Mexico. We flew with Continental from London (via Houston, where we had to overnight on the way out) to Mazatlan. This is an unusual destination but necessary as we had to stay out of potential malarial areas for the duration of the trip. If your wife or partner is pregnant then this trip is tailor-made! We hired an expensive car through Alamo for the duration (>£700!). Driving is easy enough in Mexico although the mountainous stretches of the Durango Highway offers plenty of opportunity for mayhem and should be driven with extreme caution. As usual we got lost a lot in towns so take a compass. Check out Durango for the freakiest city highway system in the world. We stayed in cheap but comfortable hotels throughout. The Durango Highway used to enjoy the reputation of being one of the more hazardous places to go birding in the world but seems secure enough now - certainly there is a very noticeable armed police presence in the area and presumably the days of highway robbery are receding into history as a result.

Strategy and birds we missed

We attempted to see as many of northern Mexico's endemics as possible in the time available and spent a reasonable amount of time driving as a result. I suspect a visit earlier in the year would secure many of the species we managed to miss as well as a hatful of wintering visitors. Many of the species we missed (with the exception of Tamaulipas pygmy-owl) are present further south in the Sierras and will have to wait for another trip. The key species to see on this itinerary are the following regional endemics not found elsewhere: maroon-fronted parrot, red-crowned parrot, Tamaulipas pygmy-owl, tawny-collared nightjar, tufted jay, Altamira yellowthroat (though also in northern Veracruz), crimson-collared grosbeak and Worthen's sparrow. Ideally we would have had another three days for this trip and would have used the time to visit Copper Canyon near Chihuahua for eared quetzal and a few other species that are easier here than elsewhere. We had very little site information other than that contained in Steve Howell's excellent site guide - this was sufficient for our purposes and is still up-to-date for the sites we visited. Very few site details are included therefore in this gen (buy the book!) but where changes have occurred we highlight these in the site section below.

We missed the following birds:

Black-vented shearwater	Possible off Mazatlan.
Least storm-petrel	Possible off Mazatlan.
Singing quail	Apparently easier at El Naranjo than elsewhere!
Thick-billed parrot	Present in small numbers and highly nomadic in the Durango Highway area.
Lilac-crowned parrot	A surprising dip for us - recorded at sites along the Durango Highway.
Lesser ground-cuckoo	Heard but not seen along the Durango Highway and La Noria road - tough bird to see.
Owls	We like owling and the fact that we could not get into the Highrise area due to high rainfall cost us a few species. At El Naranjo we did not even hear Tamaulipas pygmy owl.
Chestnut-collared swift	Possible along Durango Highway.
White-naped swift	Possible along Durango Highway.
Violet-crowned hummingbird	Possible along Durango Highway.
Amethyst-throated hummingbird	El Naranjo.
Sparkling-tailed woodstar	Possible along Durango Highway.
Bumblebee hummingbird	Possible along Durango Highway.
Eared quetzal	Possible along Durango Highway at Barranca Rancho Liebre but rare.
Grey-crowned woodpecker	Possible along Durango Highway.
White-throated flycatcher	Possible along Durango Highway.
Clark's nutcracker	Possible at El Potosi (isolated population) - we dipped!
Grey-breasted wood-wren	El Naranjo - we could not find this species despite a reasonable amount of pro-active tape playback.
Black-capped gnatcatcher	Durango Highway and La Noria road - we could not find this species despite a reasonable amount of pro-active tape playback.
Grey silky	Another surprising dip of the trip.
Red-breasted chat	Durango Highway and La Noria road - we could not find this species despite a reasonable amount of pro-active tape playback.
Hooded grosbeak	Possible but elusive at El Naranjo and Durango Highway sites.

References

Take both North American and Mexican field guides, we used:

We used the following excellent source of site information:

Sites visited

20-23/4 and 3-5/5              Durango Highway (various sites)

This large area is well covered in Howell's site guide and includes a number of discrete sites, most notably the Panuco road and Barranca Rancho Liebre. If you have the time a week can easily be spent here. In the lower reaches of the road a new toll highway has been constructed (but as yet remains unopened) and this has undoubtedly disturbed habitat at the Pantitlan road and Cerro el Elefante. Likewise the La Petaca road has recently been paved for the first three kilometres and this work has temporarily removed the banks of flowering shrubs attractive to hummingbirds (still worth birding it though). We stayed at the Hotel Villa Blanca in Capilla de Taxte, which is handy for birding the lower stretches and Panuco but stay at the small motel-style place in El Palmito when birding the Barranca Rancho Liebre. The birding here is superb and must be even better in the winter. Tufted jays are the one of the stars of the show here and not difficult to find - we even had them in the centre of El Palmito whilst having lunch! Ensure you have time to visit most of the sites mentioned in Howell as subtle changes of altitude, aspect and habitat produce different birds.

Highlights (ie birds not recorded elsewhere) at all the sites along the Durango Highway included: Cooper's hawk, common black-hawk, short-tailed hawk, orange-fronted parakeet, military macaw, Mexican parrotlet, Colima pygmy-owl, mottled owl, golden-crowned emerald, broad-billed hummingbird, beryline hummingbird, cinnamon hummingbird, plain-capped starthroat, citreoline trogon, russet-crowned motmot, golden-cheeked woodpecker, gila woodpecker, Arizona woodpecker, pale-billed woodpecker, white-striped woodcreeper, common tufted flycatcher, western pewee, bright-rumped attila, flammulated flycatcher, thick-billed kingbird, rose-throated becard, black-throated magpie-jay, tufted jay, Sinaloa crow, Mexican chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, spotted wren, canyon wren, happy wren, Sinaloa wren, blue-grey gnatcatcher, eastern bluebird, Townsend's solitaire, orange-billed nightingale-thrush, russet nightingale-thrush, rufous-backed thrush, Aztec thrush, Cassin's vireo, Hutton's vireo, golden vireo, orange-crowned warbler, hermit warbler, Grace's warbler, MacGillivray's warbler, red-faced warbler, red warbler, golden-browed warbler, yellow-breasted chat, olive warbler, scrub euphonia, western tanager, red-headed tanager, greyish saltator, yellow grosbeak, varied bunting, rufous-capped brush-finch, green-striped brush-finch, rusty-crowned ground-sparrow, striped sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, streak-backed oriole, red crossbill and black-headed siskin.

24/4                                        Tanque de Emergencia

Well-covered in Howell - although note that the dirt road is only signed from Route 54 if you are coming from the south. We found Worthen's sparrows at many locations along the road, as they were very vocal and conspicuous. This site seemed to be packed with wintering/migrating sparrows and bunting too and was great birding. Unfortunately the road between El Cercado and Hedionda Grande was being re-graded and we therefore had to re-trace our path back to the main road and then turned off again on the Hedionda Grande road and through eventually to Route 57. To accomplish this follow your nose and then turn left when you get back to a metalled road. Highlights here included: northern harrier, golden eagle, peregrine, burrowing owl, western scrub jay, American pipit, phainopepla, loggerhead shrike, black-throated sparrow, Worthen's sparrow, vesper sparrow, lark bunting, grasshopper sparrow, Baird's sparrow, song sparrow, McCown's longspur and western meadowlark.

24-26/4                                  Cerro El Potosi

We liked the sound of this place and it was interesting (as well as the only place we could find pine flycatcher) but in hindsight it may have been better to have spent the time elsewhere. Although if we had successfully seen individuals of the isolated population of Clark's nutcracker things might have been different! Rain prevented easy access to the lower slopes detailed in Howell and we had to walk in instead. We stayed in the obvious (bright orange) hotel in the plaza of Galeana. The road up to the summit was possible in a 2WD, although we had to move a few rocks by hand on occasion. Highlights here included: ruddy duck, broad-tailed hummingbird, hairy woodpecker, pine flycatcher, brown-crested flycatcher (certainly under-recorded), pygmy nuthatch, rock wren, black-chinned sparrow and Baltimore oriole.

26/4                                        San Antonio de Alazanas

We visited this site briefly one afternoon in order to look for maroon-fronted parrot and hooded yellowthroat (which we failed to see at El Potosi due to rain making the road impassable). Although the rain continued we managed to get good flight views of the parrots and taped out a splendid male hooded yellowthroat. The site is well covered in Howell although we found the kilometre readings to be slightly out.

27/4                                        Highrise

Rather than drive into Highrise at night in the appalling wet weather we were experiencing we elected to retreat to Saltillo and drive in during daylight. This proved to be a good idea as twice the monthly average of rain had fallen in just 24 hours! We got an impressively long way along the dirt road before a length of road works on a steep slope finally prevented us from going any further. We were sliding inexorably backwards even with the brakes on at one point! Eventually after re-decorating the car we admitted defeat and headed back to the main road missing out on some great birding no doubt. Highlights here included: Colima warbler, lazuli bunting and rufous-crowned sparrow.

27-29/4                                  La Pesca

We visited this site, which is dealt with admirably in Howell, in order to see yellow-headed parrot and tawny-collared nightjar - both of which were present in good numbers in the thorn-forest on the low hills just inland of the coastal plain. In addition to these two endemics the site greatly enhanced our trip list with a wealth of wetland species not seen elsewhere. This spot would be great place to spend April if you have the time, as the migration through here must be fantastic on occasion. Chiggers are bad here so get the old insect repellent on your socks and legs. Highlights here included: American white pelican, little blue heron, tricolored heron, reddish egret, yellow-crowned night-heron, roseate spoonbill, osprey, roadside hawk, northern bobwhite, black-bellied plover, American golden plover, Wilson's plover, piping plover, American oystercatcher, black-necked stilt, greater yellowlegs, willet, ruddy turnstone, red knot, semipalmated sandpiper, least sandpiper, pectoral sandpiper, stilt sandpiper, Franklin's gull, ring-billed gull, gull-billed tern, Caspian tern, Sandwich tern, Forster's tern, black skimmer, yellow-headed parrot, Chuck-will's-widow, tawny-collared nightjar, ruby-throated hummingbird, lineated woodpecker, eastern pewee, eastern kingbird, scissor-tailed flycatcher, brown jay, Tamaulipas crow, yellow warbler, northern cardinal, white-collared seedeater and eastern meadowlark.

29/4 - 2/5                             El Naranjo

Climatically as you drive south to El Naranjo from La Pesca you cross an invisible boundary between North America and tropical Central America and likewise the avifauna changes too. The birding here is great and sadly we did not have enough time to do it credit. The site is much as described in Howell, although I fear that the marsh he details near the El Salto junction is much altered and not as good for birds these days. We birded the obvious sewage ditch between this junction and El Naranjo and picked up Altamira yellowthroat here instead. We stayed in the obvious hotel, just before the bridge at the end of town, which was OK (but do not eat here - we did and lost an afternoon in the field being sick!). The El Salto area was great for parrots and should not be ignored.

Highlights here included: thicket tinamou, muscovy duck, bat falcon, red-billed pigeon, green parakeet, red-crowned parrot, white-collared swift, wedge-tailed sabrewing, Canivet's emerald, buff-bellied hummingbird, azure-crowned hummingbird, blue-crowned motmot, bronze-winged woodpecker, olivaceous woodcreeper, spot-crowned woodcreeper, boat-billed flycatcher, sulphur-bellied flycatcher, spot-breasted wren, black-headed nightingale-thrush, yellow-green vireo, rufous-browed peppershrike, Altamira yellowthroat, grey-crowned yellowthroat, golden-crowned warbler, yellow-throated euphonia, yellow-winged tanager, black-headed saltator, crimson-collared grosbeak, blue bunting, blue-black grassquit, melodious blackbird and Audubon's oriole.

5/5 - 7/5                                  Mazatlan

We took things very easy here and did the minimum of birding in the scrubby grassland and wetlands behind the coast road. We stayed in the Freeman Hotel in Old Mazatlan, which looks out over the seabird islands just offshore. These islands are best scoped from the road to the lighthouse and we had red-billed tropicbird from here. The highlight of our stay here was an 8 hour pelagic trip organised through Flota Bibi Fleet (gogetem[at]bibifleet.com and flotabibifleet[at]hotmail.com). This trip cost £150 and was an interesting exercise and produced some great views of black storm-petrel, red phalarope (some red!) and a few other species. Unfortunately the set of the waves made heading due west extremely uncomfortable so we did not get as far offshore as I had hoped. The boat was quite small and, in the moderate swell, viewing conditions were often extremely difficult. Worth doing though if you are in the neighbourhood and have a day to spare.

Highlights here included: least grebe, pink-footed shearwater, black storm-petrel, red-billed tropicbird, blue-footed booby, brown booby, magnificent frigatebird, northern jacana, red phalarope, Heerman's gull, Sabine's gull, common tern and cinnamon-rumped seedeater. The pelagic also produced good views of a large shark and a sunfish.

6/5                                          La Noria Road

This site is at low altitude and should be worked early in the morning. We hoped to catch up with lilac-crowned parrot here but failed despite searching hard. Howell covers this site well and we caught up with our other target species along the two tracks mentioned in the book at km 2.4/2.5. Highlights here included: elegant quail, white-fronted parrot and purplish-backed jay.

Birds recorded in Mexico between 20th April and 7th May 2004

Sites visited: Durango Highway (DH) including Panuco Road (PR) and Barranca Rancho Liebre (BRL) 20/4 to 23/4 and 3/5 to 5/5; Tanque de Emergencia (TE) 24/4; Cerro El Potosi (EP) 24/4 to 26/4; San Antonio de Alazanas (SAA) 26/4; Highrise (H) 27/4; La Pesca (LP) 27/4 to 29/4; El Naranjo (EN) 29/4 to 2/5; Mazatlan (MZ) 5/5 to 7/5; and the La Noria road (LN) 6/5.

Thicket tinamou	Crypturellus cinnamomeus	[LP], EN
Least grebe	Tachybaptus dominicus	MZ
Pied-billed grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	EP, en route to Durango (2/5)
Pink-footed shearwater	Puffinus creatopus	Single off MZ on pelagic trip
Black storm-petrel	Oceanodroma melania	35+ off MZ on pelagic trip
Red-billed tropicbird	Phaeton aethereus	Single coming into seabird islands off MZ, three birds on pelagic trip
Blue-footed booby	Sula nebouxii	MZ
Brown booby	S. leucogaster	MZ
American white pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	LP
Brown pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	LP, MZ
Double-crested cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus	LP, MZ
Neotropic cormorant	P. brasilianus	EP (under-recorded)
Magnificient frigatebird	Fregata magnificens	MZ
Great blue heron	Ardea herodias	LP, EN, MZ
Great egret	Egretta alba	Widespread in lowlands and plateau wetlands
Snowy egret	E. thula	LP (under-recorded)
Little blue heron	E. caerulea	LP
Tricolored heron	E. tricolor	LP
Reddish egret	E. rufescens	LP
Cattle egret	Bubulcus ibis	EP, LP, EN, MZ
Green heron	Butorides virescens	LP, EN
Yellow-crowned night-heron	Nycticorax violaceus	LP
White ibis	Eudocnimus albus	LP, MZ
Roseate spoonbill	Platalea ajaja	LP
Black-bellied whistling-duck	Dendrocygna autumnalis	LP, EN
Muscovy duck	Cairina moschata	EN
Mexican duck	Anas diazi	DH, en route to Durango (2/5)
Blue-winged teal	A. discors	EP, LP, en route to Durango (2/5)
Northern shoveler	A. clypeata	EP, LP
Ruddy duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	10+ at Laguna de Labradores (EP)
Black vulture	Coragyps atratus	Widespread in lowlands
Turkey vulture	Cathartes aura	Widespread
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	LP
Northern harrier	Circus cyaneus	TE
Sharp-shinned hawk	Accipiter striatus	BRL, EP, DH
Cooper's hawk	A. cooperi	Pair at La Petaca road (DH)
Common black-hawk	Buteogallus anthracinus	Single over DH on 21/4
Grey hawk	Buteo nitidus	En route to EN, EN, PR
Roadside hawk	B. magnirostris	LP
Short-tailed hawk	B. brachyurus	Single at La Petaca road (DH)
Swainson's hawk	B. swainsoni	Single en route to Galeana
White-tailed hawk	B. albicaudatus	Singles near main highway en route to Galeana and en route to EN
Zone-tailed hawk	B. albonotatus	Pair displaying at summit of Cerro El Potosi (EP) at 3,750 m. An immature bird along the La Petaca road (DH).
Red-tailed hawk	B. jamaicensis	DH, TE, EP
Golden eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	TE
Crested caracara	Caracara plancus	Low down on DH, TE, LP
[Collared forest-falcon]	Micrastur semitorquatus	[PR]
American kestrel	Falco sparverius	TE, EP, H, LP, DH
Bat falcon	F. rufigularis	EN
Peregrine	F. peregrinus	TE
Plain chachalaca	Ortalis vetula	LP, EN
Rufous-bellied chachalaca	O. wagleri	PR, LN
[Crested guan]	Penelope purpurascens	[BRL]
Northern bobwhite	Colinus virginianus	LP
Scaled quail	Callipepla squamata	TE, EP
Elegant quail	C. douglasii	LN
[Common pheasant]	Phasianus colchisus	[H]
Common moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	MZ
American coot	Fulica americana	DH, EP, en route to Durango (2/5), MZ
Black-bellied plover	Pluvialis squatarola	LP
American golden plover	P. dominica	LP
Wilson's plover	Charadrius wilsonia	LP
Piping plover	C. melodus	Single male on the beach at La Pesca.
Killdeer	C. vociferus	TE, en route to Durango (2/5)
American oystercatcher	Haematopus palliatus	LP
Black-necked stilt	Himantopus mexicanus	LP
American avocet	Recurvirostra americana	6+ between Torreon and Saltillo, LP
Northern jacana	Jacana spinosa	MZ (single)
Greater yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	LP
Lesser yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes	TE, LP
Willet	Catoptrophorus semipalmatus	LP
Spotted sandpiper	Actitis macularia	TE, EP, LP
Long-billed curlew	Numenius americanus	4 between Torreon and Saltillo, 150+ TE, small numbers at LP
Ruddy turnstone	Arenaria interpres	LP
Red knot	Calidris canutus	LP
Sanderling	C. alba	LP, MZ
Semipalmated sandpiper	C. pusilla	LP
Least sandpiper	C. minutilla	LP
Baird's sandpiper	C. bairdii	TE, EP, LP
Pectoral sandpiper	C. melanotus	LP
Stilt sandpiper	C. himantopus	LP
Long-billed dowitcher	Limnodromus scolopaceus	en route to Durango (2/5)
Wilson's phalarope	Steganopus tricolor	LP, en route to Durango (2/5)
Red phalarope	P. fulicaria	9+ off MZ
Laughing gull	Larus atricilla	LP, MZ
Franklin's gull	L. pipixican	LP
Heerman's gull	L. heermanni	MZ
Ring-billed gull	L. delawarensis	LP
Herring gull	L. argentatus	LP, MZ
Sabine's gull	L. sabini	10+ on pelagic trip out of MZ
Gull-billed tern	Sterna nilotica	LP
Caspian tern	S. caspia	LP
Royal tern	S. maxima	LP, MZ
Sandwich tern	S. sandvicensis	LP
Common tern	S. hirundo	MZ
Forster's tern	S. forsteri	LP
Least tern	S. antillarum	LP, MZ
Black tern	Chlidonias niger	LP, off MZ
Black skimmer	Rhynchops niger	LP
Red-billed pigeon	Columba flavirostris	EN
Band-tailed pigeon	C. fasciata	BRL, [EP]
Feral dove	C. livia	Common in urban areas
White-winged dove	Zenaida asiatica	Widespread
Mourning dove	Z. macroura	Widespread
Inca dove	Columbina inca	Widespread
Common ground-dove	C. passerina	Widespread in lowlands
White-tipped dove	Leptotila verreauxi	Widespread
Green parakeet	Aratinga holochlora	EN (El Salto)
Orange-fronted parakeet	A. canicularis	PR
Military macaw	Ara militaris	13+ at PR on 21/4, 4 at La Petaca road (DH), 20+ at close range at PR on 5/5 and 4 flying along highway between PR and Concordia on same day
Maroon-fronted parrot	Rhynchopsitta terrisi	15+ at SAA
Mexican parrotlet	Forpus cyanopygius	PR
White-fronted parrot	Amazona albifrons	LN
Red-crowned parrot	A. viridigenalis	EN (El Salto)
Yellow-headed parrot	A. oratrix	LP (small numbers in hilly thorn forest just inland)
Squirrel cuckoo	Piaya cayana	PR, EN
[Lesser ground-cuckoo]	Morococcyx erythropygus	[PR]
Greater roadrunner	Geococcyx californianus	TE, EP, LP
Groove-billed ani	Crotophaga sulcirostris	LP, EN, MZ
[Whiskered screech-owl]	Otus trichopsis	[BRL]
Colima pygmy-owl	Glaucidium palmarum	PR
Ferruginous pygmy-owl	G. brasilianum	Frequently heard in lowlands, seen low dwn on DH, LP, and EN
Burrowing owl	Athene cunicularia	TE
Mottled owl	Strix virgata	PR
Lesser nighthawk	Chordeiles acutipennis	EP, PL
[Common nighthawk]	C. minor	[DH]
[Pauraque}	Nyctidromus albicollis	[LP]
Chuck-will's-widow	Caprimulgus carolinensis	LP
Tawny-collared nightjar	C. salvini	LP
Buff-collared nightjar	C. ridgwayi	[PR]
White-collared swift	Streptoprocne zonaris	EN
Chimney swift	Chaetura pelagica	Large flock north en route to EN
White-throated swift	Aeronautes saxatilis	H, DH, BRL
Wedge-tailed sabrewing	Campylopterus curvipennis	EN
Canivet's emerald	Chlorostilbon canivetii	EN (single)
Golden-crowned emerald	C. auriceps	PR
Broad-billed hummingbird	C. latirostris	PR
White-eared hummingbird	Basilinna leucotis	BRL, DH
Berylline hummingbird	Amazilia beryllina	La Petaca road (DH)
Buff-bellied hummingbird	A. yucatanensis	EN
Cinnamon hummingbird	A. rutila	PR, DH
Azure-crowned hummingbird	A. cyanocephala	EN (single)
Blue-throated hummingbird	Lampornis clemenciae	BRL, Chevaria road (DH), La Petaca road (DH)
Magnificent hummingbird	Eugenes fulgens	DH, Chevaria road (DH), EP
Plain-capped starthroat	Heliomaster constantii	PR
Ruby-throated hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	LP
Broad-tailed hummingbird	Selasphorus platycercus	EP
Citreoline trogon	Trogon citreolus	PR - single on 21/4 only
Mountain trogon	T. mexicanus	BRL, EN, DH
Elegant trogon	T. elegans	PR, EP, H, [LP], [EN]
Blue-crowned motmot	Momotus momota	EN
Russet-crowned motmot	M. mexicanus	PR
Ringed kingfisher	Ceryle torquata	LP, EN
Acorn woodpecker	Melanerpes formicivorus	H, EN, DH
Golden-cheeked woodpecker	Centurus chrysogenys	DH
Golden-fronted woodpecker	C. aurifrons	Widespread
Gila woodpecker	C. uropygialis	Low down on DH
Hairy woodpecker	Picoides villosus	EP
Arizona woodpecker	P. arizonae	BRL
Bronze-winged woodpecker	Piculus aeruginosus	EN - treated as race of Golden-olive woodpecker by Clements.
Northern flicker	Colaptes auratus	TE, EP, LP, en route to Durango (2/5), DH
Lineated woodpecker	Dryocopus lineatus	LP
Pale-billed woodpecker	Campephilus guatemalensis	PR
Olivaceous woodcreeper	Sittasomus griseicapillus	EN
Ivory-billed woodcreeper	Xiphorhynchus flavigaster	PR, EN
White-striped woodcreeper	Lepidocolaptes leucogaster	BRL
Spot-crowned woodcreeper	L. affinis	EN
Common tufted flycatcher	Mitrephanes phaocercus	BRL
Greater pewee	Contopus pertinax	BRL, PR, EP
Western pewee	C. sordidulus	Chevaria road (DH)
Eastern pewee	C. virens	LP
Pine flycatcher	Empidonax affinis	EP
Western flycatcher	E. difficilis	BRL, H
Buff-breasted flycatcher	E. fulvifrons	BRL, H
Black phoebe	Sayornis nigricans	DH, H, EN
Say's phoebe	S. saya	DH, TE, EP, H
Vermilion flycatcher	Pyrocephalus rubinus	EN
Bright-rumped attila	Attila spadiceus	La Petaca road (DH), PR
Dusky-capped flycatcher	Myiarchus tuberculifer	DH, H
Nutting's flycatcher	M. nuttingi	PR, low down on DH
Brown-crested flycatcher	M. tyrannulus	EP
Flammulated flycatcher	Deltarhynchus flammulatus	Low down on DH - single on 5/5. Others heard
Great kiskadee	Pitangus sulphuratus	LP, EN
Boat-billed flycatcher	Megarhynchus pitangua	EN
Social flycatcher	Myiozetetes similis	LP, EN
Sulphur-bellied flycatcher	Myiodynastes luteiventris	EN
Tropical kingbird	Tyrannus melancholicus	LP, PR
Cassin's kingbird	T. vociferans	DH, TE
Thick-billed kingbird	T. crassirostris	La Petaca road (DH), PR
Eastern kingbird	T. tyrannus	LP
Scissor-tailed flycatcher	T. forficatus	LP
Rose-throated becard	Pachyramphus aglaiae	PR
Masked tityra	Tityra semifasciata	PR, EN
Horned lark	Eremophila alpestris	TE, EP, LP
Tree swallow	Tachycineta bicolour	TE
Mangrove swallow	T. albilinea	MZ
Violet-green swallow	T. thalassina	BRL, TE, H
Northern rough-winged swallow	Stelgidopteryx serripennnis	Widespread
Cliff swallow	Hirundo pyrrhonota	PR
Cave swallow	H. fulva	DH
Barn swallow	H. rustica	Widespread
Steller's jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	BRL, DH, EP
Black-throated magpie-jay	Calocitta colliei	DH
Tufted jay	Cyanocorax dickeyi	DH, BRL
Green jay	C. yncas	LP, EN
Brown jay	C. morio	LP
Purplish-backed jay	C. beecheii	LN
Western scrub jay	Aphelocoma californica	TE
Grey-breasted jay	A. ultramarina	EP, H, DH
Tamaulipas crow	Corvus imparatus	LP
Sinaloa crow	C. sinaloae	DH
Chihuahuan raven	C cryptoleucus	TE, EP
Northern raven	C. corax	Widespread
Mexican chickadee	Parus sclateri	BRL, Chevaria road (DH)
[Bridled titmouse]	P. wolllweberi	[BRL]
Black-crested titmouse	P. atricristatus	EP, EN
Bushtit	Psaltriparus minimus	EP, H
White-breasted nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Chevaria road (DH)
Pygmy nuthatch	S. pygmaea	EP
Brown creeper	Certhia americana	BRL, Chevaria road (DH)
Spotted wren	Campylorhynchus gularis	La Petaca road (DH)
Cactus wren	C. brunneicapillus	TE, en route to Durango (2/5)
Rock wren	Salpinctes obsoletus	EP
Canyon wren	Catherpes mexicanus	La Petaca road (DH), DH
Spot-breasted wren	Thryothorus maculipectus	EN
Happy wren	T. felix	PR
Sinaloa wren	T. sinaloa	PR, La Petaca road (DH)
Bewick's wren	Thyromanes bewickii	TE, EP, H
House wren	Troglodytes aedon	BRL, EP
Ruby-crowned kinglet	Regulus calendula	Chevaria road (DH), EP
Blue-grey gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	DH
Eastern bluebird	Sialia sialis	La Petaca road (DH)
Western bluebird	S. mexicana	DH, TE, EP, H
Townsend' solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	2 at Chevaria road (DH)
Brown-backed solitaire	M. occidentalis	BRL, EP, H, EN
Orange-billed nightingale-thrush	Catharus aurantirostris	La Petaca road (DH)
Russet nightingale-thrush	C. occidentalis	BRL
Black-headed nightingale-thrush	C. mexicanus	Single at EN
Swainson's thrush	C. ustulatus	Single at BRL on 22/4
Hermit thrush	C. guttatus	BRL, EN
Clay-coloured thrush	Turdus grayi	EP, LP, H, EN
White-throated thrush	T. assimilis	BRL, EN
Rufous-backed thrush	T. rufopalliatus	PR
American robin	T. migratorius	DH, EP, H
Aztec thrush	Zoothera pinicola	12+ at BRL along rim of Barranca
Blue mockingbird	Melanotis caerulescens	PR, BRL, EN
Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	EP, LP, EN
Curve-billed thrasher	Toxostoma curvirostre	TE, EP, LP
Crissal thrasher	T. crissale	TE, EP
American pipit	Anthus rubescens	TE
Phainopepla	Phainopepla nitens	TE
Loggerhead shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	TE
Cassin's vireo	Vireo cassini	Single at BRL
Hutton's vireo	V. huttoni	Single at BRL
Golden vireo	V. hypochryseus	PR
Warbling vireo	V. gilvus	PR, EP, BRL
Yellow-green vireo	V. flavoviridis	EN
Rufous-browed peppershrike	Cyclarhis gujanensis	EN
Orange-crowned warbler	Vermivora celata	DH
Colima warbler	V. crissalis	2 at H
Nashville warbler	V. ruficapilla	H, EN
Crescent-chested warbler	V. superciliosa	BRL, EP, EN
Yellow warbler	Dendroica petechia	LP - single migrant race on beach plus "Mangrove warbler" common in mangroves
Yellow-rumped warbler	D. coronata	DH, TE, EP, H
Townsend's warbler	D. townsendi	BRL, EP, H, EN
Hermit warbler	D. occidentalis	BRL
Grace's warbler	D. graciae	BRL
Black-and-white warbler	Miniotilta varia	EP, EN
MacGillivray's warbler	Opornis tolmiei	La Petaca road (DH)
Common yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	LP, EN
Altamira yellowthroat	G. flavovelata	EN - single male in sewage ditch between El Salto junction and town
Hooded yellowthroat	G. speciosa	Single male at SAA near "Fin de Camino"
Grey-crowned yellowthroat	Chaemaethlypis poliocephala	EN - in fields around wetland at El Salto junction
Wilson's warbler	Wilsonia pusilla	BRL, EP
Red-faced warbler	Cardellina rubrifrons	BRL
Red warbler	Ergaticus ruber	BRL, Chevaria road (DH)
Painted whitestart	Myioborus pictus	Chevaria road (DH), EP, H
Slate-throated whitestart	M. miniatus	BRL, DH, EP
Fan-tailed warbler	Basileuterus lachrymose	EN, La Petaca road (DH)
Golden-crowned warbler	B. culicivorus	EN
Rufous-capped warbler	B. rufifrons	La Petaca road (DH), EN
Golden-browed warbler	B. belli	BRL
Yellow-breasted chat	Icteria virens	DH - single on 21/4
Olive warbler	Peucedramus taeniatus	DH, BRL
Scrub euphonia	Euphonia affinis	PR - potential split as Godmann's euphonia.
Yellow-throated euphonia	E. hirundinacea	EN
Blue-hooded euphonia	E. elegantissima	BRL, EP, EN
Yellow-winged tanager	Thraupis abbas	EN
Hepatic tanager	Piranga flava	BRL, EP, DH
Western tanager	P. ludoviciana	DH - small numbers in April
Flame-coloured tanager	P. bidentata	BRL, EN
Red-headed tanager	Spermagra erythrocephala	BRL
Greyish saltator	Saltator coerulescens	PR, La Petaca road (DH)
Black-headed saltator	S. atriceps	EN
Crimson-collared grosbeak	Rhodothraupis calaeno	EN - single male
Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	LP
Yellow grosbeak	Pheucticus chysopeplus	PR
Black-headed grosbeak	P. melanocephalus	BRL, EP, H
Blue bunting	Cyanocompsa parellina	EN
Blue grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	PR, EP, H, LP
Lazuli bunting	P. amoena	H - single male
Indigo bunting	P. cyanea	EP, H, LP
Varied bunting	P. versicolor	PR, DH
Painted bunting	P. ciris	PR, H
Rufous-capped brushfinch	Atlapetes pileatus	BRL, DH
Green-striped brushfinch	A. virenticeps	BRL
Olive sparrow	Arremenops rufivirgatus	[LP], EN
Rusty-crowned ground-sparrow	Melozone kieneri	PR, La Petaca road (DH)
Spotted towhee	Pipilio maculatus	Chevaria road (DH), EP, H
Canyon towhee	P. fuscus	EP, H, DH
Blue-black grassquit	Volatina jacarina	EN
White-collared seedeater	Sporophila morelleti	LP
Cinnamon-rumped seedeater	S. torqueola	MZ
Rufous-crowned sparrow	A. ruficeps	H
Rusty sparrow	A. rufescens	La Petaca road (DH), EN
Striped sparrow	Oriturus superciliosus	DH - especially between Llanos Grandes and Las Cumbre.
Black-throated sparrow	Amphispiza bilineata	TE
Chipping sparrow	Spizella passerina	DH, TE, EP, H
Clay-coloured sparrow	S. pallida	TE, EP, H
Worthen's sparrow	S. wortheni	TE
Black-chinned sparrow	S. atrogularis	EP
Vesper sparrow	Pooocetes gramineus	TE
Lark sparrow	Chondestes grammacus	TE, H
Lark bunting	Calamospiza melanochorys	TE
Baird's sparrow	Ammodramus bairdii	TE
Grasshopper sparrow	A. savannarum	TE
Savannah sparrow	A. sandwichensis	LP
Song sparrow	Melospiza melodia	TE
Lincoln's sparrow	M. lincolnii	DH
Yellow-eyed junco	Junco phaeonotus	BRL, EP, H, DH
McCown's longspur	Calcarius mccownii	TE
Red-winged blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	LP, EN, MZ
Eastern meadowlark	Sturnella magna	LP
Western meadowlark	S. neglecta	TE
Melodious blackbird	Dives dives	EN
Brewer's blackbird	Euphagus cyanocephalus	TE, EP
Great-tailed grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	Ubiquitous
Bronzed cowbird	Molothrus aeneus	EN
Brown-headed cowbird	M. ater	TE, EP
Hooded oriole	Icterus cucullatus	LP, EN
Black-vented oriole	I. wagleri	TE, EP
Audubon's oriole	I. graduacauda	EN
Streak-backed oriole	I. pustulatus	PR
Altamira oriole	I. gularis	LP, EN
Baltimore oriole	I. bullockii	EP
Yellow-winged cacique	Cacicus melanicterus	PR, DH
House finch	Carpodacus mexicanus	TE, H, MZ
Red crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	DH
Pine siskin	Carduelis pinus	EP, DH
Black-headed siskin	C. notata	La Petaca road (DH)
Lesser goldfinch	C. psaltria	PR, LP, EN
House sparrow	Passer domesticus	Common in urban areas and around habitation

Phil Benstead is a freelance birder based in the UK and is available to lead tours to Northern Mexico and the Yucatan.