Early in October, I joined my brother and six other people on a tour of Mexico. The marquee billing was to experience the River of Raptors. For about a decade, tales reached me of the amazing hawk migration passing through Veracruz, Mexico. Years ago, I remember sitting on the hard rocks of Hawk Mountain, PA as a banner day where 7,500 hawks passed over. Earlier this year, four of us Seabrook Island Birders traveled to Panama where we were able to observe thousands of hawks migrating north. My brother assured me that this trip would be far better. I took the plunge and joined him.
After a long day of travel, we landed in Veracruz, MX and spent the night in the Hotel Mocambo, a hotel that obviously had served the rich and famous years ago. The hotel sat right on the Gulf of Mexico, so before breakfast on our second day in Mexico we went looking for birds. Our guide, Alberto, started pointing out birds. After hearing a chip note, he said, “There is a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.” Totally skeptical that this young man could recognize a flycatcher’s chip note, I looked and verified his identification. My amazement grew as he pointed out a Hooded Warbler by its chip note.
We walked to a small grove of trees tucked in between the beach and the many tall buildings. To attract the birds Alberto tooted like a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. Not only did the songbirds come check us out, so did two Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls, right in the heart of the city.
That morning we drove to the town of Jose’ Cardel where the hawk watch station perched five stories up on top of the Hotel Bienvenido, the tallest building and where we would spend two nights. We struck it lucky.
Almost immediately, we spied a cluster (kettle) of vultures and hawks. We estimated at least 500 birds. This group passed us by and ten minutes later another 500 birds drifted into another swirling kettle. For those unfamiliar with hawk migration, a kettle is when a group of birds find an updraft. Once within the updraft, they lock their wings and swirl around in a lazy circle as the air lifts them higher and higher. Eventually the upward moving air grows weaker and the birds “peal off,” soaring south towards the next updraft. We stayed and watched this river of birds for about 2 hours. Our list included 20,000 Turkey Vultures, 30,000 Swainson’s Hawks, and 90,000 Broad-Winged Hawks. You read that right 140,000 birds in just under 2 hours. We also saw flocks of American White-Pelicans, White Ibis, Wood Storks, White-faced Ibis, and Anhingas flying south.
We grabbed some lunch in the hotel’s restaurant before heading to the second hawk watching station-Chichicaxtle–Observatorio de Aves Rapaces Dr. Mario A. Ramos. Our tour host Pronatura Veracruz A.C (www. pronaturaveracruz.org). founded both of the hawk watching stations. They offer tours like ours as a way to fund the effort. When they first started, they realized that with two stations about 10 miles apart, they could record different birds as they passed by on their migration. We spent another 2 hours at this location as the hawks streamed past.
We recorded 2,000 Turkey Vultures, 3,000 Broad-winged Hawks, and 7,000 Swainson’s Hawks. In just 4 hours of hawk watching, we saw almost 160,000 hawks. At this site, we would also see small numbers of other species of hawks. The watchers would occasionally sing out something like, “Hook-billed Kite coming in high, look for the really broad paddle-like wings.” The river of raptors lived up to its billing! As much as I liked seeing the huge numbers, I hungered to see other birds.
At both locations, birds other than hawks caught our attention. The Inca Doves fed along the nearby field; a Buff-bellied Hummingbird made repeated visits to the flowering bushes at the base of the hawk watching tower. Other birds visited the nearby trees.
One of the great pleasures of this trip was how most everyone was a diehard birder and wanted to be out in the field as early and as long as possible. Most days we had breakfast at 5:30 AM, piled into the Mercedes van owned and operated by our driver Victor, who was helped by his son, Victor.
Day 3 took us to the beach at Playa Juan Angel in the morning. Here, in 3.5 hours, we would find 80 species of birds. The big targets were the Mexican Sheartail, a species of hummingbird indigenous to this small section of Mexico and the Ruddy Crake, a secretive rail. Both required a ½ mile hike through tall grass thick with sandspurs. Alberto heard the hummingbird first and then located a female. We never did find a male, but she was delightful enough. When we reached the water, Alberto played a recording, something he did rarely on this trip. It worked. The crake, calling frantically snuck up to just below our feet and, essentially invisible except for a furtive movement, provided a flash of color before it slipped into the vegetation.
We also found a Cassin’s Kingbird a species not supposed to be there, but well documented by all the photographers on the trip.
Once again, Alberto whistled like a Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and several owls replied and came closer to investigate. This scenario would repeat itself at almost every stop we made during the trip. A rare bird in the continental US, this bird is common in Mexico.
Later that morning we headed to a new location. A low hanging tree limb prevented us from driving down to the intended destination, a preserve and wetland. Instead, we walked down a dirt road next to a sugar cane field, the primary crop in the area. In the 1.5 hours spent here, we found only 33 species of birds, though some of them were special like a Squirrel Cuckoo and a Mangrove Cuckoo. The occasional hawk coursed over the fields hunting prey. We had Osprey, Mississippi Kites, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, a Gray Hawk, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, American Kestrels, and an excellent view of a light-phase Short-tailed Hawk.
After lunch, we returned to the Chichicaxtle Observatory for 2.4 hours of hawk watching and while not as busy as our first day, it did not disappoint. We had 2,000 Turkey Vultures, 3,000 Broad-winged Hawks, 2,000 Swainson’s Hawks and a close cooperative Grey Hawk. We also found our first Montezuma’s Oropendola (right) and Altamira Oriole.
Our fourth day started out at 6:30 am in Laguna El Llano. The original intent was to explore a small field, mangrove marsh, and river edge. When we arrived 6 burly men in camo clothing toting guns were preparing to hunt the White-winged Doves that were migrating through in huge numbers. Our plans changed. We birded just down the street at the river’s edge and a nearby pond. Despite the blazing gunfire, Alberto estimated we saw 1,500 White-winged Doves in the hour and a half we spent there. I am sure that was a gross underestimation.
More amazing were the migrating Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. They flew higher than the doves, well out of gunshot range and hardly noticeable until pointed out by Alberto. We watched them stream by constantly for the whole time. Alberto estimated we saw 9,000 Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on their southern migration.
We spent a lot of time at a small pond recording many of the 61 species we would see here. Many were familiar US birds. Birds like 6 of our species of herons and ducks like Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, and Ruddy Duck. We also found some more southern species like the Least Grebe and Purple Gallinule.
The presence of the hunters had Alberto changing the plans and taking us to a famous archaeological site, Zona Arqueologica Quiahuiztlan.
These ruins are located high up on the very last mountain by the coast and provided an excellent opportunity to understand why Veracruz attracts the River of Raptors.
Study a Map of Mexico and you will notice the spine of mountains moving north and south through the country. Then there is an east/west mountain that cuts across the country just north of Veracruz. This mountain funnels the birds into the thin open flats, concentrating them in huge numbers. The small size of this pinch point was very visible from Zona Arqueologica Quiahuiztlan.
Briefly, Alberto was buzzing with excitement as a large dark bird with white patches in its wings approached our location. He hoped that he would have a rare Golden Eagle. As it approached his disappointment turned into our excitement as it proved to be a young Great Black Hawk.
For lunch we stopped at a local “Eco-camp,” Campamento del Mangel. Alberto knew the owners and knew they would prepare a safe lunch for us despite the local situation. He also knew that there had been reports of a Northern Potoo. After our meal, we strolled around the grounds. Northern Potoos tend to perch stock still on the end of a dead branch looking just like an extension of the branch. We checked every stub we could find. No luck. As I passed an opening on the canopy, I spied a gray stump sticking up and announced that I had found the potoo. It turns out it was a young bird perching on a branch, maybe not smart enough to sit like a potoo should. Still a beautiful life bird! We only spent 42 minutes birding observing just 19 species with the Northern Potoo as the highlight for everyone!
The rest of the afternoon was spent along a riverbank, producing 36 species, though nothing too special.
Day 5, we packed up and moved up into the mountains stopping in Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz and sitting at 5,000 feet above sea level, and the home of our young guide, Alberto.
Our first stop was a park that encompassed a hill right in the middle of the city, essentially the Central Park of Xalapa. As an island in the sea of houses, this park attracted a number of birds.
Our 3.5-hour walk resulted in 31 species. We had a great look at an Azure-crowned Hummingbird, a Wedge-tailed Sheartail, the endemic Blue Mockingbird, and Golden-crowned Warbler.
A fun find was a very cooperative immature male Wilson’s Warbler (note the scaling of the cap). When I studied for this trip, I used the Merlin app and ask it to show me the most common birds in each location we were to visit. In almost every location, Wilson’s Warbler scored first. “Oh, its just a Wilson’s Warbler,” became a common refrain at most stops.
A rainy afternoon had us in the lower parts of the park and then visiting an Archeological Museum. Having been raised in this city and a frequent visitor to the museum as a child, Alberto knew as much or more about the history as our well-versed museum guide.
Afterwards we traveled further up into the mountains to the town of Perote and a small local hotel right in town at about 8,000 feet above sea level where we would spend the next two nights. When studying for this trip, the next few days were what I looked forward to most as it held the highest number of new birds for me. Unfortunately, we arrived with the rain, which made birding difficult and forced us to keep moving.
Day 6 we explored near Perote. We explored a lake in the dry almost desert portion of Mexico. We explored several different habitats including a scrub area and a Fir Forest at about 9,000 feet up. Here, the target species was the Red Warbler. Alberto found one and got us all a great look in the pouring rain, so we did not linger. Unfortunately, the rain forced us to forgo looking for some of the rarer birds I had hoped to see and made me leave my camera in the van.
Day 7 in the Perote area brought even heavier rains squashing hopes of seeing many birds. Alberto made the decision to return to the lowlands where the rain had already stopped. One stop back near Xalapa was on the side of a really busy road. Alberto pointed out a little purple flower he said was the favorite food source for the Bee Hummingbird. We only spent 10 minutes looking as cars and trucks whizzed by just a few feet away. The Bee Hummingbird never showed up, another target bird missed. By then, we had figured out that Alberto was taking us to some non-traditional locations, places where he knew we might find new species for our trip list. We also learned that this remarkable young man was trying to become the youngest (he is 27) birder to see over 1,000 species in Mexico. He was already in the high 800’s. We did spend 2.5 hours in a protected rainforest. All the other woodlands we visited were considered dry forests. The rain held off for our walk, but barely.
For the afternoon, Alberto mentioned that he heard from the hawk watch friends that the hawks were pouring through after the rains had stopped. He offered us a chance to go to the hawk watch station or to explore a new area. We opted for the new area in hopes of seeing birds like Keeled-billed Toucan. He had Victor drive us into this tiny village and as far as Victor was willing to take his van down a rutted dirt road. Alberto pointed out how the community recognizes the importance of the forest and they are protecting their forest. Everyone should travel to a poorer country like Mexico sometime in their life to see how those people live! How lucky we are! We heard the toucans but never saw one.
After leaving and as we ate dinner at the “spa” where we would spend the next two nights at, we learned we made the wrong decision. The hawk watch station had seen 500,000 birds that afternoon. I put spa in quotes because while the place was nice and being the off-season we had it to ourselves, the building codes in Mexico are not as stringent. They don’t put traps in their shower and floor drains. Without a constant flow of water from numerous visitors, the odors emanating from the drains forced us to keep our bathroom doors shut tight.
Day 8, we woke up to a loud call from a Collard Forest Falcon, which became a life heard but not seen (HBNS) bird.
That morning we spent an hour at a beach area, Playa Chachalacas. We saw many familiar birds including almost all of our herons, 1,000 White-winged Doves, lots of our shorebirds, and many Neotropical Cormorants.
The morning and early afternoon were spent visiting local areas, slowly adding new species like the Black-crowned Tityra and Cinnamon-bellied Saltator.
Late in the afternoon, we traveled to a local river where we boarded a small boat (upper left) that slowly puttered up stream. We were able to get up close to birds like Boat-billed Heron (right), Ringed Kingfisher (lower left), Belted Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher, and Green Kingfisher.
The boat then took us downstream to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. The beach abounded with shorebirds, gulls, and herons. The target bird here was the Collard Plover, a bird similar to our Wilson’s Plover. With my love of shorebirds, this may have been my favorite bird of the trip.
Day nine started with a long drive up to a shade-grown coffee plantation. The owner’s family settled in the area in 1830 and started growing coffee in 1850. This plantation offered an example of the ideal shade grown coffee. His neighbor grew regular coffee (note the difference with regular coffee on right).
The plantation hosted numerous birds, though being so dark inside the mature forest, photography proved challenging. We did find a battalion of Army Ants foraging. Ants moved like a crawling carpet over the forest floor, and up into the tree. Small insects tried desperately to get out of the ant’s way creating a constant pitter-patter. Where you have Army Ants, certain bird species follow the ants readily snatching up the “escaping” insects. The highlight was a Fan-tailed Warbler.
The farmer provided lunch. He took us inside his house built in 1830 and showed us how the builders incorporated amphoras into the structure. By now, I was beginning to appreciate how to us, Mexican food is one thing- Tex-Mex. In Mexico, each little community has its special way of cooking with their own blend of spices and flavors. It is far from a homogeneous menu!
At the farmhouse, the butterflies were abundant and a lot easier to photograph than the birds. Images clockwise from upper left: Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia), Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima), Julia Longwing Butterfly (Dryas iulia), Passion Butterfly (Agraulis vanillae), Mimic Triclear (Melinaea lilis), and Chestut Crescent (Anthanassa argentea).
After spending the day here, we returned to Hotel Macamba in Veracruz City.
Day ten took us on another long drive to the south. We entered grasslands and marshes. At our first stop, we found Plain-breasted Ground Doves, Double-striped Thickknee (this primarily nocturnal shorebird stands about 20 inches and is tall-impressive), Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and a Black-headed Trogon. I also finally got a good look at a Morelet’s Seedeater, a bird seen by others often on this trip, but one I consistently missed. It is not an exciting bird, but I had my first chance to see one in 1984. I missed it in Texas, Costa Rica, Cancun, and Panama. It has taken this long to get a life view! No picture though.
We stopped at a few locations during the morning before Alberto took us to a local restaurant to eat. Before we got out of the van, Alberto told us that he had “brought other North Americans to this restaurant without a problem, just don’t drink the water or eat the salad. Stick to the meat and cooked vegetables.” It was delicious. I ordered fried fish with garlic. When I finished all that was left was head, tail, and bones.
After lunch, we stopped at spots along the side of the road. At one, we found a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron and had much better looks at Double-striped Thickknees, and Yellow-headed Vultures, Ringed Kingfisher (male), and Crested Caracara, and Snale Kite. We also scored my last life bird for the trip, a Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, a bird, despite the name, not closely related to our Common Yellowthroat.
Thus ended our trip. I am glad I was able to go. I managed to identify 252 species of birds of which 23 were “lifers” and 56 were ebird lifers (which means I have not seen them in years). As mentioned earlier, I enjoyed learning about the various ways to prepare food and to see how people who are not as lucky as I have been live. If you see me, ask me about the “sleeping policemen” and more of my cultural experience.
I must give a shout out to Pronatura Veracruz A.C., the non-profit that has placed Veracruz, MX on the map for birders with the River of Raptors. This organization arranged the entire experience for us. Many other international tour groups now visit Veracruz, MX and use the hawk watch stations and the counters knowledge, but they do not use the services of Pronatura Veracruz A.C. and add wealth to this non-profit working so hard to build a rigorous scientific study and to educate the local populace as to the importance of their community to the migrating birds. It is with pride that I know that other than the flights, every penny spent on the tour was used to pay a member of the local population as opposed to a large tour company. Sadly, when we returned, we learned that this organization only coordinated 2 trips in 2023 as opposed to 6 in 2022 and they are struggling for money to keep the program alive.
I was extremely impressed by our young guide, Alberto Lobato (El Chivizcoyo-his nickname which is the local name for the Veracruz or Singing Partridge, a rare bird we missed due to the rains). We learned he leads a few trips like this each year, he is a bird artist, an ebird monitor for the State of Perote, MX, a musician, and the fifth most popular YouTube personality talking about birds in Spanish.
If you even have the chance to visit Veracruz in the fall when the hawks are migrating through, grab it, especially if it is coordinated by the hard-working non-profit Pronatura Veracruz A.C. (www. pronaturaveracruz.org). I recommend it!
Article and photos by: Bob Mercer