Veracruz River of Raptors Tour, Day 3

After a quick breakfast in the hotel, we departed at 6 am for Playa Juan Angel, also known as Johnny Angel Beach. This area has a wide diversity of habitats including spectacular dunes, coastal thorn-scrub forest, open fields and a small freshwater river. The views of the dunes and the surrounding mountains were spectacular.
As we walked the road to the beach, we saw many Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Tropical Kingbirds, Scissor-tailed, Olive-sided, Social and Vermillion Flycatchers, Blue-Gray and Yellow-winged Tanagers perched in the shrubs and on the fence posts. A Rufous-naped wren (a Veracruz endemic) scolded us from a tree, while a Gray-crowned Yellowthroat (Warbler) was busy gleaning the leaves.
The shrubs and flowers were covered with nectaring Butterflies. Ceranunus Blues were mating. The very tiny Barred Yellow was stunning in its smallness. Other Species seen included: Fine-lined Stripe-streak, Mousy Sombermark, Sword-tailed Beautymark, Mexican Fritillary, Julia, Banded Orange, Erato, and Tiger Heliconians, White Peacocks, Common Mestra, Monarch, Soldier, Queen, White-striped longtail, Knobby Aguna, and Sickle-winged Skipper.
The road began to follow a small river where we saw Green, Ringed, and Amazon Kingfishers, Tri-colored and Green Heron, Least Grebe, Jacana, and Fork-tailed Flycatcher. Some people were net-fishing from small boats along this river, repeatedly tossing their large nets and pulling them back in.
At the end of the road, by the beach was a large resort hotel, very fancy and in stark contrast to the seeming poverty of the people we passed along the road. The edge of the dunes by the beach were covered with large shrubs with thick, waxy leaves. These shrubs were filled with many dragonflies: Black, Carolina, and Wandering Gliders, and Black and Carolina Saddlebags.

We returned to Cardel for lunch at the hotel, which we took up onto the roof to watch another fantastic flight of raptors on the roof. Broad-winged and Swainson's Hawks and thousands of Turkey Vultures were swirling in kettles right above our heads.

Needless to say, it is really hard to eat with so much amazing bird activity right overhead, and my lunch sat forgotten by my side as I tested my bird ID skills with this flowing mass of hawks passing before me.

Kenn Kauffman, author of the Kauffman Focus Guides, was there with a film crew shooting a documentary about the River of Raptors project. He couldn't have picked a better day! While we watched, 89,285 raptors passed overhead.

It was so hard to tear ourselves away from the raptors, but we left Cardel and traveled to the historic site of Zempoala, a historic archaeological site of the Totonac civilization. Zempoala housed a large population of over 200,000 residents. Cortez entered the town in 1519 and made an alliance with the Totonac people, who helped him conquer the Aztec nation is central Mexico. Several of the buildings have been restored since they were rediscovered in the early 1900s.

It was very hard to pay attention to our guide, Martin, who again told us "no birds, no birds" while he was talking, but the raptor migration continued this afternoon and a stream of Broad-wings and Swainsons's Hawks was passing right over our heads. They were flying very low, and it felt like I could see every feather even without binoculars. Mixed in with the raptors was a massive flight of White Pelicans, flying right over the ruins.

A Frutillo tree was full of birds flying in and biting the fruits from their hanging clusters: Clay-colored Robins, Orioles, Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Red-billed Pigeons, and Bronzed Cowbirds, all working on stripping this fruit from the tree.

From Zempoala, we headed inland to the second official hawk-watching count site of Pronatura Veracruz, Chichicaxtle. This site was selected because the migrating raptors often move inland to the west in the afternoon, when the coastal winds can push the birds in that direction. "Chichi," is a very small town, and the hawk watch site is located next to a group of soccer fields. Pronatura used to erect a series of scaffolding for the hawk counters, but construction of a permanent observation tower and observation platform was completed in 2007, and a dedication ceremony will be held this coming Friday, 10/12. Many dignitaries, including the Governor of Veracruz are expected to attend.

When we arrived at Chichicaxtle, a soccer game was in full swing with much cheering and yelling from the crowd on the sidelines. The new observation tower was beautiful and was welcome for the shade awnings included on the deck. The raptor river continued to flow; it is amazing that we have seen major flights from three locations today.

Least Grebe, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican,Neotropic Cormorant, Anhinga, Magnificent Frigatebird,Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron,Wood Stork, White Ibis, White-faced Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Mississippi Kite, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Gray Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Aplomado Falcon, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Bobwhite, Northern Jacana, Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover,Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Rock Pigeon, Red-billed Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Inca Dove, Olive-throated (Aztec) Parakeet, Squirrel Cuckoo, Groove-billed Ani, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Ringed Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Boat-billed Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Band-backed Wren, Rufous-naped Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Clay-colored Robin, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Brown Jay, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Blue-gray Tanager, Yellow-winged Tanager, Scrub Euphonia Blue-black Grassquit, Dickcissel, Melodious Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Bronzed Cowbird, Altamira Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole,