Trip Report: Veracruz Raptor Tour 2014

Bill Clark & Zach Smith led our 2014 Raptour to Veracruz, Mexico. Here's what they saw...

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Trip Report by Zach Smith

A small fraction of a multi-thousand-bird mixed flock of migrating Turkey Vultures, Swainson's Hawks and Broad-winged Hawks, as seen from the Hotel Bienvenido rooftop, in Cardel. Photo by Sergio Seipke.

Between 4-11 October 2014 we observed raptors from several locations along the coastal plains of Veracruz, including Jose Cardel and Chichicaxtle, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. We recorded 28 species of raptors, and were blown away by a 200,000-raptor flight on the 7th of October; mostly Turkey Vultures, Swainson’s Hawks and Broad-winged Hawks, but also spotted quite a few rarer migrants including Zone-tailed Hawks and Hook-billed Kites. We saw numerous American Kestrels on migration, and an unexpected Swallow-tailed Kite (straggler) took us by surprise. We enjoyed relaxed morning walks along a number of beaches where we spotted Common Black Hawk, Gray Hawk, and Aplomado Falcon, and had good looks at many Common Black Hawks and a Black-collared Hawk on a pleasant boat ride.

We are looking forward to coming back there on our Veracruz River of Raptors Tour, 4-12 October 2015.

TRIP REPORT

Day 1 | October 4

After some airport mishaps the night before, everyone was safely in Cardel by midday. We planned to spend some time on the Hotel Bienvenido rooftop getting our folks acquainted with the site and birds. We had arrived to witness the spectacle of the Veracruz River of Raptors, the most amazing raptor migration on the planet.

Migration was slow today, but that is a relative term in Veracruz during October. There is usually something to watch, even on a slow day. By slow I mean a mere 9,957 raptors were counted from the rooftop. This was perfect for an introduction, as we did not want folks to be overwhelmed too much on the first day. Over the course of a few hours we saw 9 raptor species, including Black and Turkey Vultures, Osprey, Mississippi Kite, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Broad-winged and Swainson's Hawks, plus American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon, two of which were a pair that had taken temporary ownership of the town's cell towers. The kettles weren't big, but everyone got a taste of what was surely to come in subsequent days.

We then made a short drive to the Chichicaxtle count site, roughly 10 km to the west. Here, the count team is perched atop a colorful education center with two observation decks. To the list from Cardel we added a high-flying Hook-billed Kite, a local Roadside Hawk, a lone Swainson's Hawk plus a local Short-tailed Hawk. This area is often more productive than the hotel roof in the afternoon due to winds off the gulf pushing the flight west.

Day 2 | October 5
We spent the early morning at birding at Playa Juan Angel, an area northwest of Cardel with dune and beach habitats plus some Casuarina trees (Australian Pine). The primary goal here was the Aplomado Falcon and we were not disappointed. At least three birds were spotted perching on Casuarina trees or making short flights. We witnessed one of these birds give a short chase to a passing Merlin. We also spotted a Roadside Hawk, Peregrine Falcon and Crested Caracara. The general birding was also good here in some of the scrubby vegetation along the road as well as at the river mouth where the Hotel Charly Brand used to sit (washed away in a flood).

A second stop before returning to the hotel was near the town of Palmar, a short drive west of Cardel. A small patch of pastureland sits amidst the seemingly endless sugar cane fields. This type of habitat is relatively scarce in this part of Veracruz, so we hoped for some raptors in the open habitat. Here we stumbled on a pair of calling Roadside Hawks and a stunning Aplomado Falcon perched low in a field. As late morning approached, Black Vultures were beginning to catch thermals, so it was back to the hotel. From the hotel roof, there was a steady trickle of American Kestrels and Peregrine Falcons heading south, amidst small kettles of Broad-winged Hawks and some groups of Mississippi Kites. Our first Zone-tailed Hawk brought smiles to faces.

We decided to make the afternoon trip to Chichicaxtle, and while the flight was not overly impressive, we did add a juvenile Gray Hawk to our day list. With some daylight left, we took a short scouting trip to Rio Escondido, our morning site for the next day. A dirt road travels through some overgrown grassland/scrub along a canal that eventually overlooks the Rio Antigua valley. Here we lucked upon a Bat Falcon hunting at dusk from a high-tension tower. The ubiquitous Roadside Hawk and a fly-over Short-tailed Hawk also made appearances. Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a fine dinner and were treated to Sergio Seipke talking about his Raptors of South America book project, and Bill Clark showing raptor photos from a recent trip to Australia.

Aplomado Falcons occur locally on pastures and beaches. They prey on birds and are a delight to watch when they chase them. We observed several at Playa Juan Angel (Johnny Angel Beach), one near Palmar, and on the road to Catemaco. Photo by Dario Podesta.

Day 3 | October 6
Our morning birding trip was back to Rio Escondido. We caught a quick glimpse of the Bat Falcon near the same high-tension tower, and had Roadside Hawks calling. Several American Kestrels dashed southward over the river valley. After a fun morning looking at other birds along the canal, the Black Vultures began to get up in the air, so we stopped by Chichicaxtle to see if raptor migration was heating up. The temperature surely was. The flight was mostly single American Kestrels and a couple of Peregrines. Back to the hotel we drove, with lunch and hopes of streaming hawks on our minds. Not too much was flying past the rooftop, but we lingered and saw small numbers of the common raptor migrants.

Mid-afternoon found us back at Chichicaxtle. While the flights are typically good in the afternoon here, the rural setting is also a pleasant change from the noise of Cardel. We finally saw some good streams of Broad-winged Hawks and Turkey Vultures in addition to several Mississippi Kites and Osprey. The waterbirds were moving in decent number today, as well. Some big groups of White Storks and American White Pelicans passed. One group of storks had a lone Roseate Spoonbill, which gave everyone a little thrill. We now had the feeling that a good raptor flight was imminent.

White Storks and American White Pelicans (photo) are always a highlight, even on a raptor tour! Photo by Sergio Seipke.

We Are Going Back!
Our Veracruz River of Raptors Tour now runs yearly from 4-12 October. Learn more about our 2015 edition & sign up online.

Make the most of your trip!
Join our Eagle Tour Extension, 1-4 October to target Black, Black-and-white, and Ornate Hawk Eagles.

Other RAPTOURS Destinations
ARGENTINA 9-16 January 2016
ARIZONA 12–20 March 2016
AUSTRALIA 6–19 September 2016
INDIA 21 Nov – 13 Dec 2015
PATAGONIA 9–16 January 2016

Other Yearly Tours
NEPAL 5–20 November
THAILAND 18–31 October

Day 4 | October 7
We chose the well-known birding area around the La Mancha Biological Station for our morning outing. This rich area is home to a great diversity of birdlife, thanks to a variety of habitats. The temperature was pleasant as we drove along the entrance road towards the beach. Forest patches interspersed with open areas gave us some good views of the countryside. Our first stop produced a vocal Collared Forest Falcon, usually a difficult bird to see. After about an hour of scanning the forest edge and imitating its call, we were unable to actually observe it. This was one of our target species, so to miss out on seeing it was a bit disheartening. We also had a vocal Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl at the same location, but were also unable to get views of this little tecolotito. We pushed on to the lagoon and beach and located a juvenile Gray Hawk perched on the far side of the lagoon. We spotted some migrating Osprey, a lone Peregrine Falcon, and an adult Common Black Hawk perched above the dunes overlooking the beach.

With thoughts of a potentially good migration foremost in our minds, we headed back to the Bienvenido. From around 10.30 am to 2.00 pm, we saw our first good sized kettles and streams of Broad-winged Hawks plus the first substantial numbers of Swainson's Hawks. As the easterly winds picked up, the flight was being pushed towards Chichicaxtle. And there were a lot of birds in the sky. We hopped in the van and drove west to try and get under the raptor streams. We succeeded in finding a good pullout along the road just as some big streams were passing right overhead. It was a mixture of the two previously mentioned buteos and large numbers of Turkey Vultures. Several times, the birds kettled right over us and there were many gasps, oohs and aahs from everyone.

Thousands of birds were going by, with many more in sight to the north. This is what we came to see. Migration at its epic, crazy, incalculable, indescribable best. The sun was beating down hot as we stood in the dirt pullout, so we pushed on to the comfort of the tower in Chichicaxtle to enjoy this incredible flight.

When we arrived, there was little sound from the counters except the metallic clicking of their hand-held counting devices. The flight was so enjoyable, with mixed groups passing on both sides as well as directly overhead. A little lull ensued around 3.00 pm, which gave us a chance to ponder what we had just seen. But the flight wasn't over. Kettles again emerged to the north and put the counters back to work. We were treated to the birds passing lower overhead as the thermals lost strength. We had great looks at several dark morph Broad-winged Hawks and all morphs and ages of Swainson's Hawks. Accipiters, falcons, Osprey and a few Mississippi Kites were pleasant momentary distractions from the big streams. By the end of the day, nearly 200,000 raptors had been tallied between the Cardel and Chichicaxtle count sites. Not the big day for the season, but an impressive total, nonetheless.

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Wedge-tailed Eagle photo by Bill Clark

Day 5 | October 8
We visited La Catalana in the morning, an abandoned housing development along the main highway between Cardel and Veracruz. The habitat is tropical lowland forest/scrub with a lagoon. The sky looked grey with the potential for rain, but we headed off towards the lagoon. After about 10 minutes, it began to rain with no sign of stopping any time soon. We beat a hasty retreat to an abandoned building by the road and spent some time looking at non-raptors in the scrubby vegetation. All we saw here were a wet Osprey and Turkey Vulture. Since raptors were the goal—specifically, good looks at Gray Hawks—we opted for a backup plan and drove the short road out to Playa Chalchihuecan, a beach lined with Australlian Pines. Along the road to the beach, we spotted two Roadside Hawks and an American Kestrel. In the pines, we picked out a Merlin taking a break from migration, as well as a Common Black Hawk on the beach and a Sharp-shinned Hawk migrating low over the trees.

We arrived back at the Bienvenido by 11 am and after getting cleaned up, most of us wandered up to the roof. In no time we were treated to a very nice raptor flight, with a good diversity of species. Turkey Vultures, Swainson's and Broad-winged Hawks were kettling and streaming by in good numbers. Many of the streams were coming close over the hotel, affording all who braved the hot sun incredible looks. Potentially the bird of the day was a late Swallow-tailed Kite that tried to pass for a Swainson's Hawk on the edge of one of the streams. But we picked it out. Unfortunately, some of our group missed this bird. I ran down to inform those who were at lunch that a good flight was happening and that we would likely be moving to Chichicaxtle for the afternoon. A big afternoon flight did not materialize here today, but there were still some impressive kettles of mostly Swainson's Hawks passing. One highlight was a local Short-tailed Hawk that had captured a female American Kestrel and flew low and close in front of the observation tower to show it off. One of the counters actually found where the bird landed and retrieved the feathers to nail the ID of the unfortunate falcon.

Day 6, October 9
We said goodbye to Cardel and took off early for Alvarado, a coastal town south of Veracruz that sits on the shore of a large mangrove lagoon. Our boat driver, Carlos, met us at the dock with his sons and in short time we were on the water. Terns, gulls, cormorants, herons and ibis were all around us as we sped towards one of the feeder rivers in search of our day's target birds. First up were the Common Black Hawks, which were perched along the river nearly every 100 meters. And almost all of them were adults. The looks were at times spectacular. We pushed on for the big target for the day, Black-collared Hawk. We were on the water a little late for finding perched birds, but our sharp-eyed companion Irving (coordinator of the VRR count effort) spotted two adults soaring at a distance. Carlos maneuvered a little closer and we watched these Aguilillas Canelas (Cinnamon Hawks) soar high over the lagoon for several minutes. On the way back to the dock, Frank spotted a perched adult, so we were able to study the bird up close for several glorious minutes until it decided it had enough of our company.

After a fine fish lunch in Alvarado, we headed towards the riverside town of Tlacotalpan. Along the way, Bill spotted a Laughing Falcon hunting from a fencerow near the road. We jumped out and got great scope views of the bird just before it dove on some unfortunate reptile. The habitat along the road to Tlacotalpan is a mixture of savannah, pasture, and wetland. We found numerous Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures, which are quite distinctive from Turkey Vultures, as well as several Crested Caracaras, a Great Black Hawk and several Roadside Hawks. Bill was lamenting how the wetland areas have become more overgrown since his last visit, which did not bode well for one of our target species, Snail Kite. I had expected to see several of these elegant birds, but we were only able to find two, an adult and a juvenile, perched along a fence line.

A long drive over many topes (speed bumps) ensued on the road to Catemaco and the Sierra de los Tuxtlas. We saw several more Roadside Hawks (living up to their name) and a lone Aplomado Falcon on our way. The comfortable La Finca Hotel, on the shore of Lake Catemaco, was a welcome sight after the topes.

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Black Baza photo by Sergio Seipke

Day 7 | October 10
After a pleasant night on the shore of Lake Catemaco, we headed out for the hills of Las Tuxtlas and the UNAM Biological Station. This field station lies in the most northerly patch of cloud forest in Mexico. Along the road, which was rough at times, Susan spotted a Bat Falcon on a snag, which remained perched long enough for some great looks. The habitat along the road into the station is a bit overgrown for seeing raptors, so we were lucky to spot this bird. We encountered nothing more than a couple of Roadside Hawks for most of the drive.

At a rise just before the Biological Station, we parked and began scanning for raptors in the air. Two dark-morph Short-tailed Hawks soared into view over the forest along with a few vultures. Soon after, a Common Black Hawk was in view, for a nice comparison. Moments later, Frank spotted a white bird circling up... an adult White Hawk! This tropical species is reliably seen here near the station, but it is nonetheless a spectacular bird. We searched and waited for more exotic raptors, but decided to move on.

Some forest birding followed on the edges of the UNAM Station. Howler Monkeys were frequently heard giving their other-worldly calls from the canopy. We spotted trogons, vireos, orioles, oropendolas, warblers and woodcreepers, but no more raptors in this area.

A quick lunch in Sontecomapan was followed by a pleasant boat ride on the town's namesake lake. Highlights of this trip included Osprey and close looks at a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. Our timing for this boat ride may have been a bit early, as our local guide said the bird activity can be much better near dusk. We still had a great time and enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of the lake and its smaller side channels lined with mangroves. We spent another delightful night alongside Lake Catemaco.

Day 8, October 11
Our last day on the Main Tour. We took the road from San Andrés Tuxtla that climbs through some nice rain forest on the way to the village of Ruiz Cortines. Along the way, we picked up Braulio, a local birding guide, to help us on our day's quest. We first made stops in the forest hoping to hear/see Barred Forest Falcon, which has been detected here recently on several occasions. While our attempts at imitating the species' call were praiseworthy, they did not succeed in attracting the attention of any forest falcons. We did manage to see some nice forest birds, including a group of Blue-crowned Chlorophonias.

We arrived in the village as the early morning clouds were lifting and conditions were better to locate flying raptors. Our first sighting was an adult Great Black Hawk flying low over a nearby hillside. The bird perched in the open to allow study through the scopes. After a time, the bird got up again and dazzled us with a leg-dangling, vocal display flight before dropping out of view into the top of another tree. It is amazing how long those legs really are! Another Bat Falcon put in a brief appearance over the village, but was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

A short ways beyond the village the muddy, rocky road led into another patch of lush rain forest and towards our real goal for the day. One of the counters at the VRR Project had informed us a few days ago about an Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest near Ruiz Cortines. It was not known to be active this year, but the birds had been seen recently in the vicinity. Braulio confirmed this. Apparently the nest could be seen from this road we were now on. What we did not know was how close the nest was to the road. When we pulled the van to the spot and piled out, only Braulio and myself caught glimpses of these stunning birds as they (likely a mated pair) fled the scene. We did hear them call repeatedly from nearby trees, but the birds were well-hidden in the canopy vegetation. The birds had been sitting on or near the nest when we arrived, so maybe a nesting attempt is underway. Such are the challenges of birding in a group.

Mexico is a wonderful place for watching raptors, with friendly and helpful people, and Veracruz is a mere 2-h flight away from Houston, TX. Many Neotropical raptors and other birds are seen here as well, in addition to big numbers of migrants from the north.

Zach Smith holds a B.Sc. Zoology from University of California, Davis (1994). He started watching raptors in 1992 in the U.S.A. and since then has watched raptors in seven countries including the U.S.A., Mexico, Canada, Spain (Canary Islands), Italy, Chile, and Cape Verde Islands. Zach has published a small number papers dealing with raptors, especially wintering raptors in California, and some popular articles, as well.

Zach leads our Veracruz River of Raptors Tour every year 4-12 October. If you have questions or would like to join him, please don't hesitate to email us.