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Sunday, July 25, 2010

Starting August 15 2010 - North American Bird of Prey Migrations... experience the migration!

August 15th in Veracruz the worlds largest bird of prey migration begins. During last week in September and first three weeks of October it is possible to see tens of thousands of migrating birds of prey each day. Each year between 4.5 to 6 million raptors are counted, representing 15 different species. Species include, Broad-winged hawks, Swainson's hawks, Mississippi kites, Turkey Vultures, Peregrine Falcons, Red-tailed hawks, Coopers hawks, Sharp-shinned hawks, Osprey, Swallow-tailed hawks, Merlins.......
I am hooked on the migration and would love to share the experience with you.
birdingbuzz@gmail.com
David McCauley
hawkwatch@gmail.com

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Putting fun back in the Hawkwatch!

  Four one week Ventures to Experience the:
 “River of Raptors”
Veracruz, Mexico:
September-October 2010
 
Arrive and leave Veracruz city on Saturdays from:
 September 25 - October 2,
October 2 – 9, October 9 –16, October 16 - 23
Reservations and prepayment are required on all Ventures. Your place on this Venture will be reserved when your deposit of $300 has been received. Please make your check payable to VENTURES, Inc. and send it to this address or call the office with your VISA or MasterCard #. 
Limited to 12 participants.


Mississippi Kite by David McCauley
Venture Description
The Mexican State of Veracruz has come onto the birding scene in a big way with the well documented migration of birds of prey along the Caribbean coastline and adjacent foothills. Thousands, if not millions, of Swainson’s and Broad-winged Hawks, Turkey Vultures and Mississippi Kites all pass throuogh this narrow isthmus of land on their way south. Our first Venture to Veracruz produced a flight of over 650,000 birds of prey as well as hundreds of White Pelicans, Wood Storks and Anhingas. We should also see a lot of passerine migration and experience the little-known southbound movement of thousands of butterflies.
As well as enjoying the spectacle of the “River of Raptors”, we shall spend morning time birding the local hotspots looking for some of the local Mexican birds.  We will also get the chance to see one of Mexico’s top Anthropological museums in Xalapa and enjoy some mountain birding in one of the local parks.
Join us for an excellent tour with David McCauley, one of the experts in Veracruz birding, as we enjoy some world-class hawkwatching in this this small, yet diverse State of Mexico.
Leaders: Simon Thompson, Frank Gallo, David McCauley, Bill Thompson and others
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Cost of Venture
$1985 from Veracruz  (based on double occupancy, single room $195)
Price includes: All ground transportation, meals, hot drinks, water and beer with meals, service charges, entrance fees & gratuities (except for leader & driver/guides), information packet & bird check-list, leader/guide service throughout.
Not included: liquor, laundry, and other items of a personal nature.
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List of Birds We Hope to See
Hook-billed Kite, Swainson’s and Broad-winged Hawks (1000’s), Zone-tailed Hawk, Aplomado Falcon, Bat Falcon, American White Pelican, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron,  Red-billed Pigeon, Aztec Parakeet, Mexican Sheartail, Canivet’s Emerald, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Squirrel Cuckoo, Warblers (20+ Species), Black-headed Saltator, Altamira and Black-cowled Orioles, Montezuma Oropendola and many more…
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Broadwings and Anhingas by David McCauley
Itinerary
Please plan to arrive in Veracruz City late on Saturday, where we will be met and transferred to our hotel.
Day 1 (Saturday)  Paso de Ovejas We will meet arriving birders at the Veracruz airport and travel the 45 minutes or so to Paso de Ovejas where we will check into our hotel. Paso de Ovejas is right in the middle of the flow of migrating raptors, with great observation locations for seeing all of the action. There is also a great shaded observation deck at the hotel, complete with a pool. During this tour it will be possible for us see 100+ species, in addition to experiencing one of the most awesome raptor migrations to be seen anywhere in the world.
Night in Paso de Ovejas  
Days 2-7 (Sunday - Friday) Paso de Ovejas Each day in Paso de Ovejas will begin with early morning birding looking for Mexican specialties and migrant passerines around the area. The raptors don’t start flying in numbers until after lunch so we will have time for a relaxing lunch before we begin focusing on the wonders of the famous Veracruz hawkwatch. There is a world-class Anthropology museum in the State Capital of Xalapa featuring an excellent selection of Olmec Art (plus some nice gardens!). We will have the chance to visit this one day as well as spend some time exploring one of the local parks for higher elevation species, including the chance for an excellent selection of both eastern and western warblers.
Nights in Paso de Ovejas  
Day 8 (Saturday) This morning we head back to Veracruz for our flight back to the US.    
Last year more than 650,000 raptors of 20 species were counted during our tour in October:  Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Mississippi Kite, Hook-billed Kite, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Gray Hawk, Common Black Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Aplomado Falcon, Bat Falcon.
Due to weather and other conditions, this itinerary is subject to change.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

15 reasons why you should experience the raptor migration in Veracruz...

15 reasons to experience the hawk watch in Veracruz

1.Discover the panoramic view of the worlds most concentrated migration of  "birds of prey".
2.The Broad-winged hawks.......(in a peak season two million three hundred and eighty-nine thousand were counted.)
3.The Mississippi kites.... witness  grace in flight.  306,274 Mississippi kites counted in one migration season.
4.Discover the ancient cultures of Veracruz.....a trip to the world famous Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa Veracruz.
5.the Swainson's Hawks....(over one million Swainson's hawks counted in one fall migration)
6.The accipiters.......witness hundreds of Sharp-shinned hawks and Cooper's hawks in migration
8.the non raptor migration spectacle....hundreds and thousands of migrating american white pelicans, wood storks, anhinga, scissor-tailed flycatchers, white-winged doves and white-collared swifts....and more species
9.the falcons.....Peregrine, American Kestrel, Merlins, Bat falcon, Aplomado Falcon.
10.the Ospreys
11.Northern Harriers
12.Observe the resident raptors........Short-tailed hawks, Zone-tailed hawks, Gray hawks, Great Black Hawk, Northern Caracara, Aplomado falcons, Hook-billed kites
13.Good general birding (in the mornings, 200 species possible)
14.Learn and gain an appreciation of the bird of prey migrations
15.Turkey vultures...... 2,677,000 seen in one season....
Treat yourself in 2010 to what may be the WORLD'S greatest HAWKWATCH!
For the fall 2010 schedule contact:
David McCauley
917-957-8267
hawkwatch@gmail.com
or Simon Thompson
Ventures Birding Tours
Travel@Birdventures.com

Monday, May 10, 2010

Belted kingfisher





I took this photo of a Belted kingfisher in flight, in Veracruz Mexico (this is a female *rust colored belly band and flanks)

Friday, February 19, 2010

Getting things started


Greetings All and welcome to my weblog BirdingBuzz. Today I want to share a few bird photos that I have taken in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz.
The photo to the left is that of a Buff-bellied Hummingbird Amazilia Yucatanensis
Colibri vientre canelo (Sp)