Highlands of Mexico

A Hundred Million Monarchs

A Greentours Tour Report

7th – 22nd February 2011

Led by Ian Green & Eric Miranda

Day 1 February 7 th Departure – sort of!

A slightly tardy take-off at Heathrow, however we soon encountered a problem as a lady sitting behind me suffered a serious health issue. Though the stewards tried to get the take-off aborted the pilot had already revved up the engines and was accelerating down the runway, no time to pull-out now when you are in a 747! The lady's situation was researched and monitored during the next few minutes and as we flew northwards on the great circle route that took us over Scotland it was decided that she should get immediate medical help so the flight was diverted to Prestwick. The pilot did rather well to land the fully laden jumbo, complete with a virtually full fuel tank on Prestwick's runway. Paramedics were soon taking the rather less poorly woman into their care. Then we sat there for hours as the BA crew and hierachy went to plan B (take-off later in the afternoon) and then plan C as first pilots and then crew ran out of allowed work time and it was found that the landing gear needed one and a half hours to pump up again such was the pressure exerted on it during landing. Of course, the only guy licensed to do this in Scotland didn't have his mobile on. So after four hours sat on the runway we were sent to a hotel in nearby Irvine, a pleasant enough hotel, there for the golfers of Royal Troon! So we settled in for the night.

Day 2 February 8 th Departure – the sequel!

We returned to Prestwick where all check-in-ers had been called into deal with the very large number of passengers in a jumbo. Eventually we were boarded by one o'clock and only then did we encounter a situation where perhaps BA let us down – we couldn't take-off because the truck carrying supplies from Glasgow hadn't arrived. Eventually we took off at two, arriving into Mexico City only twenty-five hours after our scheduled arrival. We sped to the Grand Prix and settled in for the night!

Day 3 February 9 th Laguna Maria

We left the comforts of the Grand Prix at the allotted five-thirty, and just minutes later were at the check-in in Terminal 2 at Mexico City Airport. Our double change of ticket presented no problem and so we were soon checked in and through security and able to discuss the day's

1 events as if they would actually happen! Soon we were on our turboprop, a little eighty-seater affair that meant most of us had window views. We were soon rising up past Popacatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl as the sun rose. Then we turned west and headed along the Neovolcanic axis of Central Mexico. The flight provided a marvellous panorama of this rather spectacular geographical feature and we were able to pick out numerous volcanic cones, some quite large, many small, but perfectly formed. At one point we passed Tancítaro and its subsidiary cone, Paricutín, and could see smoke rising from lots of little vents. We would visit this famous little volcano, which only appeared in 1943, some days later. Next the plane turned a little to follow a valley down to Colima whilst on our right the two great cones of the Nevado de Colima and El Fuego, both giant stratovolcanoes, rose above a thin layer of cloud.

It was like a breath of fresh air, stepping out onto the tarmac at Colima's small, friendly, and dare we say it, rather beautiful little airport. Crested Caracaras patrolled one end of the runway and whilst we awaited (for just a minute or two) our baggage we watched Ruddy Ground Doves and Social Flycatchers as well as the beautifully marked Stripe-headed Sparrow. We met up with Eric, Beto and Christina in the entrance hall (were they the only people there?) and so soon they were packing up the minibus in the car park as we watched various birds go by, these including a pair of Mexican Parrotlets. We drove just a short distance out of the terminal before stopping for a picnic breakfast. This was delicious, but whilst we waited Eric's superb cheese, squash blossom and avocado tacos, we had our first chance to take in the local fauna and flora. Black and Turkey Vultures cruised overhead whilst three Wood Storks sat atop a dead-looking tree. Various Eurema yellows gave us an indication of the likely variety present though the skippers were equally hard to nail down!

El Fuego loomed above us as we drove steadily uphill along quiet lanes and through small colourful villages, everywhere seemed covered in a riotous assemblage of vegetation, though being 'winter' here (26°C!), it also looked very dry, as the rains fall here in the summer. Spectacular Tabebuia donnel-smithii , completely leafless but covered, quite literally, in magnificent yellow flowers, caused much comment and eventually we stopped to photograph a nice specimen. One could easily have spent all day stopping along this road but we needed to get to the Laguna and so an hour's drive from the airport later we pulled into the little cobbled lane that runs up to the Laguna Maria. The volcano now appeared very close and the surrounding habitats looked very exciting as birds flung themselves out of our path. Laguna is a very birdy place! We settled into Laguna Maria's new rooms, set in a line looking down across the scrub towards the green lagoon set in a volcanic vent and surrounded on three sides by crumbling volcanic ash cliffs covered in a rich forest. The rooms were exceedingly spacious, made all the more so by the almost complete lack of furniture!

As Eric, Christina and Beto set about making a lunch time picnic for us, we took a late morning stroll down to the laguna, just two hundred metres away. Nigel was already finding butterflies before we’d left the verandah outside our rooms. Lots of tiny Dainty Sulphurs and then a Monarch – Oh no its not! A Monarch-mimic, the smaller and darker Queen! We had our first acquaintance with the Monarch's food plant. This the pretty orange and yellow milkweed Asclepias currasavica . Our first blues were noted, unlike the incredibly diverse groups of many other butterflies here, the blues only come in a few species, though all are common. Our first were Eastern Tailed Blues. Spotted Wrens came out to play and we saw lots of Nashville and Yellow-rumped Warblers. The brilliant scarlet and black ball that is a male Vermilion

2 Flycatcher in display mode wowed its audience and we also enjoyed blue and orange Eastern Bluebirds. Above, vultures were common and then an Osprey whisked across the slopes before we watched no less than three Grey Hawks soaring above the vent's slopes. A superb green and black Zebra Heliconid was our first 'exotic' butterfly then a larger bright orange butterfly sped past, a Julia. We started to see crescents, both Texas and Ardent, and the barred Banded Mapwing sped past. Cassin's Kingbirds introduced us to the flycatcher group, with many species in this area, some days we'd see ten or more. The lovely yellow and orange pendant flowers of Lobelia laxiflora , the plants sometimes several feet tall, and the scarlet bells of both Bouvardias and Loeselias , all attracted hummingbirds. These zippy little birds are sometimes difficult to follow so quickly do they move, but when you do get a view, its good – at least one Berylline Hummingbird gave most 'scope views. Close by the laguna we realised that there is a tremendous variety of trees in this forest, all sorts that we couldn't identify, and several different figs, some of the most majestic with giant Tillandsia imperialis with fabulous upright flower spikes. On the same trees were many ferns, epiphytic Piperaceae , even epiphytic cacti! There were orchids too, though very few were in flower and those were high above us. We found a male Williamson's Sapsucker and Grey-crowned Woodpeckers, the latter one of a number of bird species seen during the morning endemic to the West Mexican thorn forests. The ringed tailed ground squirrels Spermophilus annunlatus were seen several times and a new skipper was a Turk's-cap White Skipper.

Walking back a little late for lunch I saw a pair of Olive-green Woodpeckers and a pair of Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrows in the shade of a coffee plantation and then disturbed a group of around fifteen White-nosed Coatimundis that were foraging noisily amongst the very dry leaf litter not a hundred metres from our rooms.

After Eric's excellent picnic in the grounds we had a break before meeting up for a short drive up the volcano. Leaving the Laguna Maria and turning a bend in the road one is immediately confronted by El Fuego's perfect and very steep cone. Today all was quiet though it still looked impressive against a pure blue sky. We drove a few minutes up the dirt track and then got out to explore. We walked down a quiet side track to a shallow but steep-sided barranca, a mini- canyon. On the way we passed a few birds but more notable were the orchids. We found two pretty species growing on the small trees near the barranca's edge, these Prostechea concolor and Stellis retusa . Descending the few metres into the canyon we had hoped to see the furry mats of harvestmen that populate the canyon walls some years, but they were not to be seen this time. After a few minutes we encountered a superb bird party and stayed with these until it was time to go. The birds were at times very visible on the steep slopes and one particular perch was favoured by several species in succession. First a White-throated Thrush, then a Swainson's Thrush, then Rufous-capped Warblers, then a stunning Flame-coloured Tanager. This male was really bright, but the female that appeared briefly was pretty too. Ivory-billed Woodcreepers arrived on the trees and other birds seen included Sinaloa Wrens and Happy Wrens. Walking back we started to find hummingbirds in the brushy fields, Berylline and Rufous/Allen's in particular.

I walked down to the laguna in the evening to put out the trap camera. I watched both Nine- banded Armadillo and a Virginia Opossum before setting the camera up.

3 Day 4 February 10 th Laguna Maria, Los Amoles TD Forest, Boca de Apiza & Playa Mezcala

We met just after dawn and took a walk down the track from the Laguna. This is one of the birdiest spots I know, it can take all morning to get to the road a mere kilometre from the entrance. We however only had an hour and three-quarters and we still had to walk back smartish! First to show this morning were a family of garrulous Spotted Wrens and then an equally chatty family of Stripe-headed Sparrows gave us a little performance. In the citrus grove alongside the track were a number of warblers as well as White-throated Thrushes, Inca Doves, Black-headed Grosbeak and stunning male Varied Buntings. As we moved downwards Social Flycatchers were noisy and conspicuous and there were also Nutting's Flycatchers, a White-throated Flycatcher, a pair of Boat—billed Flycatchers and a Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Blue Grosbeaks were in the scrubby fields along with Chipping Sparrows whilst overhead the morning flypast of Cattle Egrets was in full swing and a small group of Lilac- crowned Parrots flew past. We started to see the odd Berylline Hummingbird and then we watched a female Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, at close range, building her nest! Tropical Ground Squirrels were seen and in the last area before we turned back we came across some fine birds - the prize was definitely the fabulous male Painted Buntings. This gem sat on a stone in full sunlight showing off his blue, green and red plumage to stunning effect. The group of equally close Lesser Goldfinches hardly got a look in nor the Black-throated Gray, Nashville and Black & White Warblers! Back to the Laguna for a well-earned breakfast.

A quick check through footage from the trap camera after breakfast showed it had been a busy night in the coffee plantation! There were numerous shots of Opossums and some really good ones of a deer species – this looked like a brocket deer which is odd because there's only supposed to be White-tailed Deer in the area! No sign of the hoped for Margay or Ocelot though, I have seen the former in the same spot!

Our first stop, just a few kilometres below the Laguna, yielded relatively little. There was a Dusky Flycatcher and good views of several West Mexican Chachalacas, but little else bird wise. Butterflies were a little more forthcoming and included both Stubby Gemmed-Satyr and West Mexican Gemmed-Satyr. So we soon continued down past Colima and into the lowlands where we drove across some low hills covered in coastal dry deciduous forest. We took a break to take a look at this fascinating habitat. The low thorny trees were almost bereft of leaves at this season, but some had flowers, notably a fine Hibiscus and the strange Combretum farinosa which had fingered blooms covered in stamens with some bright red, others orange and still others (going over?), green. There were strange-looking Polygalas , a nice climber with pink bracts and pink tubular flowers, and on the steep rocky slopes where the terrain narrowed to a gorge, lots of a tall Lemairocereus cactus. Sudden noises led us to a group of West Mexican Chachalacas, their tails shining bronze-green in the sun as they flew off and then ran through the forest. Flycatchers were obvious with several species seen, and there was also a brief sightings of Golden and Black-capped Vireos, however the unquestioned avian highlights were a female Citreoline Trogon which proved elusive for most, and a group of spectacular Black- throated Magpie-Jays, which everyone got a look at. There were several butterflies about though mostly too quick moving, hence we never obtained definitive views of a swallowtail, nor of a large Nymphalid . Similarly the fine deeply-coloured Bluewings that flew past and the Cracker, were never identified to species level.

4 It was nearing one so we left for the coast, and after a brief sortie into Tecoman we took ourselves to the Apiza, the river that marks the border between Colima and Michoacan. A Ringed Kingfisher was eyeing a large pool as we drove past and Tropical Kingbirds and abundant martens and swallows lined the wires. Driving alongside a mangrove lined channel we spotted a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Down at the river/sea-side Eric and Beto started setting up the lunch whilst we looked around this promising site. Upriver we could see abundant birdlife. A group of Brown Pelicans loitered on a small island and around them were both Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorants and in front, a lively Reddish Egret. Laughing Gulls and Royal Terns flew back and forth down the river and in the distance we could see around a hundred Black-necked Stilts, these later flying closer to join Willets, Least Sandpipers, Little Blue Herons and Blue-winged Teal, all much closer to us. Nigel and I got closer to these and in quick succession had Little Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron and Tricolored Heron appear right by us! Nigel spotted an elf—streak butterfly but otherwise butterflies were scarce. A Roseate Spoonbill was an amazing sight! After lunch we headed to the beach and the rivermouth itself. On the sands was a covering of a pea species. Out by the rivermouth a tight group of around three hundred birds was made up of fifty percent Royal Terns and most of the rest being Franklin's and Laughing Gulls. There were a few cormorants and a group of twenty or so Willets, and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Amongst the terns we spotted half a dozen Elegant Terns and two Caspian Terns.

Around four we headed a few miles along the coast to Playa Mezcala. This is one of a number of beaches in this area that have significant populations of turtles nesting. This year had been a poor year (it seems that every two or three years there's a low point) and so there were no baby turtles hatching during our visit. The lagoon behind the beach however provided plenty of interest not least the Neotropical River Otter which was seen only briefly by a couple of us. On the floating vegetation there were plenty of Common Gallinules, Purple Gallinules and Northern Jacanas. An Anhinga was a surprise. Little Green Herons and Sora Rails skulked on the edge of cover. Along the shore were various waders and three White Ibises and offshore we could see various terns and gulls, and several boobies, these too distant to be sure of identification. Snail Kites, around half a dozen birds, overflew the marsh, whilst in the reeds was a large flock of White—collared Seedeaters and a smaller one of Stripe-headed Sparrows. Beach-combing proved productive with many nice finds including some large bright pink shells, and Nigel found a single large brown Pelagic Snail shell which he has since identified as Pila globosa . Elizabeth and Robert trumped that with a large Sand Dollar. At dusk we went for a walk along the beach with Pablo who looks after the turtles on this beach for much of the year. He's paid by the Mexican Government to do this though the wages aren't great! He said that this winter they'd only had five Leatherbacks nest and he showed us where two of these leviathians, which can reach the size of a VW Beetle, had hauled themselves out. He also showed us a Green Turtle’s nest before we returned to Eric's seafood pasta dinner served by candle and firelight on the beach to breaking waves illuminated by phosphorescence – a great evening, only slightly marred by the long drive back to Laguna Maria in the dark. However the latter did give us the chance to see a Northern Raccoon up close!

Day 5 February 11 th El Fuego

Shortly after dawn several of us met up for a walk down to the lagoon. We had great views of

5 Grey-crowned Woodpeckers as well as a Smoky-Brown Woodpecker. West Mexican Chachalacas were exceptionally vociferous this morning. Greenish Elaenia was found along with Greater Pewee and Hammond''s Flycatcher. Warbling Vireos were quite common and we found a single Golden Vireo whilst warblers were represented by Townsend's, Black-throated Grays, Wilson's and MacGillivray's. We watched Slate-throated and Painted Redstarts flitting about the same trees and saw Indigo and Lazuli Buntings before returning for a much needed breakfast, hearing the large gang of White—nosed Coatis en route.

Heading up towards the volcano we stopped almost straightaway for an obliging Orange- billed Nightingale-Thrush. The dirt track took us up above the last village to a small plateau called Las Mesas where we disembarked. Suddenly Eric shouted – the volcano was erupting! El Fuego erupts frequently, just small eruptions in terms of what it can do, but nonetheless spectacular, especially from our vantage point - the volcano is continually monitored and if more dangerous eruptions are likely the army keep the area sealed off! We enjoyed the show immensely watching great clouds of ash and steam rise in a mushroom cloud that skewed off to the east. We could track the path of large rocks cascading down the impossibly steep cinder cone as they left great impact marks as they bounced all the way down the cone! Wonderful.

We walked up through the pastureland, recently planted with avocados. We stopped by an old tree here and looked at the abundant epiphytes, many orchids, two of which were in flower (but too high to examine) as well as mosses, lichens and bromeliads. Two Acorn Woodpeckers were atop a dead snag as we entered the forest. We took a circular route which though only about three kilometres took us until early afternoon as there was so much to see and enjoy, for this forest is both beautiful and full of fine flora and fauna. It was the former that got us going, just inside the forest we found small trees hosting the tiny but very lovely orchid Oncidium hyalinobulbon . Nearby Phil spotted its much bigger and flamboyant cousin Oncidium cavendishianum . We made the acquaintance of the spectacular thistle Cirsium anartiolepis whose large pale flowers are set atop great thick trunks up to four metres high. There were yellow heads of blooms decorating bushes of Galphimia glauca and in the turf we found Salvia longispicata and red-topped Castilleja arvensis . Townsend's and Hermit Warblers were in the trees where impressive plants of Tillandsia prodigiosa and the smaller Tillandsia juncea resided. We walked up a short steepish section and up onto a higher area of pastureland where we rested. In the gully below we found Orange-patch Crescents and foraging in the mistletoe close by us were around eight Blue-hooded Euphonias, a very good find. We walked across the pasture admiring the Opuntias just coming into flower before descending down past a cattle drinking point where the wet ground was attracting a few butterflies. Spring Azures and Black Crescents in the main. We found a huge Clethra tree in flower before starting on down the rest of the trail. Various butterflies delayed us en route including the Falcate Metalmark and Ardent Crescents. I saw a Green-striped Brush Finch. Out of the forest we soon found Eric and co making a fine picnic including freshly made quesedillas with cheese and mushrooms. And all this under a huge spreading fig tree with El Fuego gently puffing out smoke into a bluer than blue sky – magnificent!

After dinner we went on a short nightwalk down to the Laguna. This proved to be most excellent with great views of a Nine-banded Armadillo. This great little creature was snuffling through the grass just eight metres from us and at one point it stood on its hind legs and took a good long look in our direction! A little further on we found a White-nosed Coati snuffling in

6 amongst the coffee bushes. There was much noise too from other presumed coatis further up the slope! Later I went out to place the trap camera and took a much lengthier nightwalk – in two hours I found and photographed only a superb Mottled Owl and just one mammal, an Opossum.

Day 6 February 12 th Nevado de Colima and Zapotlan Lake

I went out pre-breakfast to pick up the trap camera which during the night had recorded only a couple of Opossums! Breakfast was Huevos Rancheros or eggs any style for those that preferred to ignore the refried beans and salsas, both green and red.

We left at eight-thirty, the sky again a scintillating blue. It was sad to leave the Laguna Maria and all its wonderful wildlife, it is an exceptionally diverse place, and the food’s pretty good too! Our route took us round the flanks of El Fuego and its twin, now dormant, Nevado de Colima. It took us nearly two hours to complete the quarter circuit, a reflection on the winding roads and the size of these great stratovolcanoes. Nevertheless we didn't suffer for the scenery was always rivetting, whether it be the peak of Fuego itself, steaming only a little this morning, or the rich mosaic of habitats found on its slopes. We passed a Lesser Roadrunner (on the toll road verge!) before stopping to look at some beautiful Cochlopsernum vitifolium trees. The large butter-yellow blooms give this tree its apt common name of Buttercup Tree and it is a marvellous sight with its pale trucks leafless at this season. It grew with Burseras , their bark peeling a shining dark ruby, and a clambering Malphigiacean . Western Tanager and Ash- throated Flycatcher were seen briefly. After an ice-cream break in Cuidad Guzman (now Zapotland el Grande), we headed over to the slopes of Nevado de Colima, crossing the tectonic depression in which the town sits before rising steadily and ever more steeply up the volcano's slopes. On the lower slopes abundant birds tried to stop us but we soldiered on determined to reach the pine-oak zone before stopping. We took our first walk as we neared this habitat. Birds were rather scarce, comprising mostly flocks of Bushtits and a few warblers, Hermit, Orange- crowned and Black-throated Gray, though we did see our first White-eared Hummingbirds. Butterflies were rather more diverse. We saw several Mexican Silverspots as well as our first Tropical Leafwings, amazingly camouflaged when alighted on the leaf litter. A couple of Creamy Stripe-Streaks were found and Nigel located a superb Mexican Elf-streak with strongly striped undersides contrasting with a brilliant blue upper. Various grass yellows were common and there was an assortment of other Pierids including the Cloudless Sulphur, Mexican Yellow and Apricot Sulphur. The roadsides along this stretch were lined with lots of Montanoa , the abundant bipinnatifida in seed, but the less frequent small-flowered tomentosa in bloom. Beto picked us up and took us up to 2450m where we were well into the pine-oak zone and in a very flowery place. As Eric prepared lunch we pottered about find four species of Salvia including the shining red elegans , the pink-furry curviflora and the little blue longispicata . A relative, Satureja macrostema , had twinned orange flowers. Lobelia laxiflora was in great form and along the banks were the ferns Blechnum occidentale , Asplenium monanthes , Adiantum princeps and Adiantium andicola . There were shrubs of the large showy Rumfordia floribunda and smaller yellow Asteraceae including Coreopsis petrophiloides and Senecio stoechadiformis among others. Butterflies remained excellent. Here we found our first Mexican Dart-Whites, though accolade of best butterfly of the day must go to the Cloud-forest Monarch, here on the edge of its range. Birds were not frequent but did include Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the superficially very

7 similar Hutton's Vireo.

After lunch we descended slowly through the forest. It was great to walk in such a sublime habitat enjoying all the flowers and pleasant mountain air. Chisos Skipper was added to the list. Under a log we found a shiny brown Skink ( Pleistodon brevirostris ) with a creamy patch on its head, and birds included Arizona Woodpecker and a superb Red-faced Warbler. After Beto picked us up we saw a Peregrine at close range.

Down in the valley we stopped briefly by some Erythrinia trees to look at orioles (Hooded and Bullock's) as well as the stunning flowers themselves, and then it was on round the town to Zapotlan Lake. We stopped for a while enjoying the variety of birds present. As a Northern Harrier quartered the marshes in the background a Cooper's Hawk had flown in and sat surveying the fauna on show. Ducks included lots of Green-winged Teal, a few Cinnamon Teal, Mexican Ducks, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler and a group of dapper Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. There were several White-faced Ibis and waders, the latter being mostly Short-billed Dowitchers, as well as a few Killdeer and Black-necked Stilts.

While Beto and Eric took some of the group direct to the hotel, the rest of us studied a couple of areas at the corner of the lake. First was by a small holding that seemed to farm its livestock pretty intensively. However the small field by it was a magnet for 'blackbirds'. Most striking was the large flock of Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Along with them were several Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackles and also abundant Brown-headed Cowbirds and Shining Cowbirds. We moved across the road to the rowing club and the lake. Here were Neotropic Cormorants and White Pelicans. Also Great White Egrets, Little Blue and Great Blue Herons, and even Little Green Herons. Common Yellowthroats, a pair of Vesper Sparrows and a Marsh Wren or two were seen on the marshy fringes, as were Wilson's Snipe and on the water, two Fulvous Whistling Ducks. We saw an incredible flock of mixed 'blackbirds' across the track and were able to photograph these at close range, the highlight coming when they all took off, forming an avian wall in front of us!

Then it was back to the Hotel Hacienda and a fine meal that Eric had asked the chef to prepare so that we could learn the difference between an Enchilada and a Burrito. Delicious!

Day 7 February 13 th to Patzcuaro

Today would be a long journey so we started a little early, departing at eight-thirty after an excellent breakfast. Our route took us first north along the tectonic depression in which sits the Sayala Salt Lakes, and thence eastwards along the south shore of Mexico's largest lake, Chapala. Eighty kilometres long, this lake sits in another tectonic depression. Then we headed southeast through the Sierra el Tigre to the great shield volcano, Tancitaro, on whose flanks the lively little Paricutin sits. Then it was down into the avocado-laden subtropics of Uruapan before heading backup into the highlands and the beautiful Lago Patzcuaro. So all in all a very varied journey though long. However we managed a number of good stops, the first of which was in Sayala's salty wastes where we took a look at a number of birds on a roadside wetland. Among these were plenty of American Avocets. It was then that we realised that there were Snow Geese on the opposite side of the road – though a long distance away. We could see around two hundred of these birds strung out along a water channel – an incongruous sight!

8 Then something magical happened. A musical honking presaged the arrival of around four hundred more Snow Geese, these flying in against the background of the mountains and volcanoes that surrounded the salty flats, a quite magical sight.

Our next stop was at the far end of Chapala Lake. Here we explored the Water Hyacinth and Marsilea -choked cattail marsh fringing the lake. White-faced Ibises mixed with Coot and Moorhen and there was a mix of herons present, notably Little Green and Tricolored. Caspian Terns and both Ring-billed and Herring Gulls flew about. House Finches and Loggerhead Shrikes were seen and our first Gold-naped Woodpecker and Curve-billed Thrasher. Nigel found a tiny Mylitta Crescent and then a Green-eyed White and there were also skippers present, Turk's-cap White Skipper and Plain Longtail. A scrambling flower like a convolvulus but with a ten centimetre long tube was noteworthy.

Next was our lunch stop by another similarly overgrown waterbody. Here we studied the Ardeidae surrounding a presumably uninterested Bovid – seven birds of six species, being little Blue and Great Blue Herons, Cattle, Snowy and Great Egrets, and a Tricolored Heron. Cassin's Kingbirds and Yellow-rumped Warblers were common out on the floating vegetation and nearer at hand three Orchard Orioles hawked insects from a little acacia. Barrie found a large Dahlia sorensenii growing as a roadside weed and there was a bright blue Ipomoea . Large clumps of yellow-flowered Senecio salignus attracted plenty of bees and a few butterflies. Indeed this was a very good spot for butterflies generally with our first Monarchs seen, as well as their mimic, the Queen. There was a Banded Peacock and Texas Crescents and some metalmarks, these including the lovely Checkered Tanmark. Skippers were once again the most diverse with the tailed Mottled Longtail, Juvenal's Duskywing with white-edged hindwings and Laviana White Skipper.

We had a long drive to our next stop so it was about four when we pulled into the local Indian village by Paricutin and stopped at a viewpoint. Here we heard how the volcano had first appeared in a farmer's field back in 1943 as a little hole in the ground spurting fire, and how it grew to a volcano two thousand feet high over the next year. The cone looked bare and forbidding, and its little side cones were smoking away merrily. On the way back through the village we encountered a party on the road. There were guys with chairs over which was stretched hide and with a pair of cattle horns on. Two of these were play-fighting with a guy with a long stick! A band comprising several trumpets, and a cello played as a guitar, walked alongside and all were accompanied by many of the local villagers, the women dressed in their favoured colourful pleated skirts and tops gaudily shining with sequins!

Then it was down to Uruapan, one of the main centres of avocado production on the region. This affluent and busy little town has a very nice atmosphere and in its centre is a wonderful little national park, the Eduardo Ruiz NP, now known as the Barrancas del Cupatitzeo NP. We just about got in before they closed and spent fifty minutes walking down the km or so through the subtropical ravine. It is protected because of the unusual and quite intricate way in which the river's water has been captured by little channels that at various points descend as waterfalls or cascades back down into the main stream. Very impressive. We also liked it because on the wet banks are many wonderful ferns such as Dennstaedtia distenta and Diplazium lonchophyllum , and the abundant large and varied trees provide a home for orchids, these mostly not flowering now, however there were a few Oncidium cavendishianum in bloom. Birds

9 were largely confined to numerous White-throated Thrushes however we did also see Blue Mockingbird and Hepatic Tanager. Departing, it was a busy Sunday evening in Uruapan, however this meant we had a gentle look at the lively town as we passed through the central Zocolo and out through the busy shopping streets beyond. It was seven-thirty when we arrived at the hotel in Patzcuaro. We were allotted rooms and then went for an excellent meal in the restaurant where Eric ordered various tasty starters such as a local cheese eaten in a taco, some excellent tamales served with sour cream and salsa, and of course, guacamole. I had a slightly tough but very tasty pork chop, whilst others had good chicken dishes and the steaks were apparently very good.

Day 8 February 14 th Tacambaro, Arroyo Frio and the Cerro Burro

We left Patzcuaro just as the sun was rising and were soon up into the hills that border the lake to the south. The road reaches around 8,000 just south of the town and the coolness of the night was evidenced by an obvious ground frost. Not something we needed to worry about though for we sped south, down towards the Tierra Caliente, the Hot Lands, and the small town of Tacambaro which overlooks this forbidding sounding terrain. We'd been just over the hour mark getting there and were ready for breakfast so we gave a cursory glance to the Black- vented Oriole in an Erythrinia by the entrance and then went inside for our feast. Our breakfast was at a delightful little hotel set in gardens filled with fruit trees, the building itself a former flour mill. They soon bought platefuls of flavoursome papaya (these fruits had ripened in the sun!) which we squeezed limes over. There was tea and coffee and a wonderful orange juice. Then came the feast, a plate of potato fritters and avocado and local cheese omlettes. If you've never had avocado omelettes you have missed something. Tacambaro is in the avocado belt and the town prides itself on a particularly rich creamy version of the fruit.

Fully sated, indeed hardly able to move, we paused outside to look at a Happy Wren, a few Rufous-backed Thrushes and Yellow-winged Caciques and a Violet-crowned Hummingbird. Then it was down to morning's main destination, the Arroyo Frio. This is some way below the town and into the sugar cane zone, and in the middle of the day it gets hot here. However the narrow canyon provides ample shade and abundant water, so the result is a beautiful place with plenty of trees and cliffs and abundant fauna, particularly the butterflies. Being a warm sunny morning conditions were good for the butterflies and as the morning progressed we realised we were on to a bit of a bonanza. They sped here and there, landing by water or on flowering trees and shrubs, or just sat, never the two the same, amongst the grasses, in the case of the skippers. Almost straightaway we saw our first Banded Peacocks and it wasn't long before we also saw a White Peacock though this one was the only one of this species noted. A largish orange butterfly with dark margins flew past us, later we were to see it mud-puddling, a superb Orange Owlet. Down by the stream were other spectacular Nymphalids with both Karwinski's and Blomfield's Beauties seen well. Up in the trees we saw a Leading Red-ring and there were Ruddy Daggerwings and Julias (or at least one of the similar species) flying about. At one point we saw a fantastic Orange-spotted Prepona fly past, the uppers a shimmering blue. A shout went up when a huge white butterfly came into view, flapping lazily along the river course, this the West Mexican endemic White Morpho, a truly spectacular butterfly. There were plenty of whites too. The large White Angled Sulphurs only dwarfed by the White Morpho, and there were Apricot, Cloudless and Lyside Sulphurs. There were Sleepy Oranges,

10 Tailed Sulphurs and Mexican Yellows, and quite possibly a West Mexican Sulphur. Swallowtails were seen at regular intervals, and some even sat still long enough to be photographed. Nigel caught a Polydamus Swallowtail on camera and there were Pink-spotted Cattlehearts performing on bougainvilleas. One of the star butterflies of the morning was a little metalmark with strange patterns of yellow and brown – the Square-spotted Yellowmark. Nigel spotted a Green Hairstreak species that sped away and on the same tree we found a Sky- blue Greatstreak, a large and beautiful hairstreak with a silver underside dotted regularly with black. And the skippers. Wow! We saw so many. The highlight was sadly a leader only sighting, down in the river. A superb Two-barred Flasher, a very large skipper with the body and part of the wings a bright blue. Juvenal's Duskywings and Esmeralda's Longtail came readily to any water on the road. Southern Skipperlings were common in the grass. I saw a Fantastic Skipper. No, that's its name! Other skippers included checkered skippers, Erichson's White Skipper, Turquoise Longtail, White-striped Longtail, Pale-rayed Skipper, and Tropical Least Skipper. Other butterflies not yet mentioned were the Red-Rim, Tanmarks, Ceraunus, Eastern Tailed and Cassius Blues, and a superb female Red Cracker. In all around fifty species were seen today!

Other insect life was pretty amazing too from an impressive katydid up a tree to the iridescent green bees visiting the black Phaseolus flowers. Odonata were particularly varied with many damselfly species and dragonflies such as the lovely Roseate Skimmer. The highlight here was undoubtedly the fabulous 'gold-tipped helicopter damselfly' that flew in the shady streamside. This was around 10-12cm long, though very delicate looking, and its wings, whirring in a helicopter-like fashion, were gold-tipped, especially memorable in the sun!

The lush streamsides were home to the impressive fern Adiantum trapeziforme whilst roadside banks held all manner of flowers, two nice vines caught the eye, one with chocolate and green flowers, the other an Aristolochia with long dark-tipped blooms. A yellow Heima ( Lythraceae ) looked very like an evening primrose and a yellow Ipomoea was a surprise. The tree Guazama ulmifolia ( Sterculiaceae ) had hard prickly olive-shaped fruits. By the waterfall was a cascade of a large blue Thunbergia, surely not native? And in the grass below was lots of a blue Commelina . Birds hardly got a look-in this morning though there were some good species seen. I briefly saw a Dusky Hummingbird near the start of our visit and later two Squirrel Cuckoos were seen. Pam and Elizabeth saw a Green Kingfisher fly in to perch near the waterfall and there were also Dwarf Vireo, Rusty-crowned Ground Sparrow, Black and White Warbler, and Audubon's Oriole to enjoy.

After lunch by the falls it was time to head back uphill. At least seven thousand feet of uphill! So driving up from around 3000 feet to a little over 10000 feet in just over an hour. It was certainly a different world on top of Cerro Burro though the weather was still warm and sunny, just a hint of chill when out of the sun. The vegetation had changed markedly of course. Up here were Ericaceae – notably Comarostaphylos species, lots of Baccharis conferta , hawthorn trees amongst the young firs and pines, and lots of the large Cirsium ehrenbergii . We spent the remainder of the afternoon walking back down the mountain until the guys picked us up again at five-thirty. We wound down gradually spotting new plants as we went. Salvias were particularly good with the powder blue Salvia lavenduloides and the vibrant scarlet Salvia elegans the best. We also saw pink Salvia curvifolia , some large red Salvia fulgens , and an unknown purple Salvia . Yellow Bidens ostruthioides was joined by other members of the Asteracae , also

11 yellow – Senecio tolucana and another Senecio that looked a lot like barba-jovis . Other plants of note were an Angelica-like Arracacia atropurpurea , Eryngium alternatum and Vicia americana . Among the many oaks present we saw the shiny-leaved Quercus laurina . There were also some special ferns here, notably the thickly-scaled Plecosorus speciosissimus , a large Peltapteris species, and the absolutely minute (5cm tall) Asplenium soleirolioides . Hummingbirds were very short on the ground this year though we did get good views of both Magnificent and Ruby-throated. Elizabeth spotted a White—striped Woodcreeper and near it we saw Williamson's Sapsucker. Other birds included Yellow-eyed Junco and several Ruby-crowned Kinglets. On the way down we admired tall yellow Cirsium toluccanensis .

Day 9 February 15 th Lago Cuitzeo, Morelia and the Mil Cumbres

Several of us left early for a visit to Lago Cuitzeo whilst others took the more leisurely approach and after an eight-thirty breakfast went into Morelia for a spot of culture with Eric. Those of us who went to the lake started proceedings with an hour or so along the road causeway which passes through the northern section of the lake. This has extensive marshes either side of the road, with open water, marshy grassland and large areas of cattail beds. Immediately apparent were the large numbers of Ardeidae . Great White Egrets numbered in their hundreds and there were also good numbers of Little Blue Herons as well as a scattering of Snowy Egrets and Great Blue Herons. There were also a few White-faced Ibis and in the distance a huge flock of American White Pelicans. Ducks were abundant, particularly Shoveler, with more than a thousand birds visible, as well as lots of Northern Pintail, Mexican Ducks and Green-winged Teal. We also saw some Cinnamon Teal, Blue-winged Teal and on the causeway over the main lake, we'd seen some Buffleheads. A very nice surprise was a female Maccoa Duck lurking in the reeds. There were thousands of Black-necked Stilts and a few hundred, mostly distant, American Avocets. One large group of waders was comprised of 30% Long- billed Dowitchers and 70% Stilt Sandpipers. There were Common Yellowthroats, Yellow- headed Blackbirds and Little Green Herons in the cattails and along the shore we spotted a King Rail which flew off into the sun. A Northern Harrier quartered the marsh.

We returned to the main lake and the old causeway. Our quarry here were snakes. It didn't take long to find them. First were a few Diamondback Watersnakes, the form here almost all black, basking on the concrete pilings supporting an electricity pole. We walked along disturbing more snakes until the next piling where we saw some gartersnakes presumably Black-bellied Gartersnake. And a huge Diamondback Watersnake. As these stayed put we made to walk the few metres to get a closer look, and Barrie almost stepped on a gartersnake, which barely seemed to register the event and maintained its pose whilst all photographed it. Indeed the other snakes present allowed a fair bit of photography too. We walked on finding many more snakes, at least sixty seen, and many more heard slithering off into the cattails. We flushed Black-crowned Night Herons and a rail. On the waters around us were many Clark's Grebes, with one pair doing their water-walking display. There were plenty of gulls and also lots of Ruddy Ducks.

Then we drove a short distance up into the dry hills that face the lake. Here we explored some dry thorn forest characterised by acacias, tree Ipomoeas and cacti, the latter including at least two Opuntias and a tall Pachycereus . Flowers were generally few, however we did find Asclepias

12 mexicana in bloom and there were some fine bromeliads with flowers, notably the tall orange- red spikes of Tillandsia fasciculata . Butterflies were few though we did find a superb Zilpa Longtail doing its hanging leaf impression. The bird highlight was undoubtedly the Great Horned Owl which flew across the thorn forest and landed in full view for a minute before continuing on its way. Other birds of note were Lucifer Hummingbird, Clay-coloured Sparrows, Ash-throated Flycatchers and, just as we were leaving, a flyover by some beautifully lit American White Pelicans.

Back into Morelia where we met up with Eric and the rest of the group. Eric had taken his party on a very gentle and informative tour of some of the highlights of Morelia's city centre, a UNESCO world heritage site because of its cultural significance. No less than one thousand three hundred buildings are listed as heritage sites and almost the entire city centre dates from the 17 th century. We visited the law court – the Palace of Justice - where Eric showed us the amazing murals produced by Alejandro Cardenas . The main one depicts Morelos holding Los Sentimientos de la Nacion, the sheaths of paper cascading downwards to signify the speach on the document, whilst all around are images that provide the substance to the revolution. The Spanish are illustrated as rather pained figures on the ground, their eyes blinded, signifying the blindness of power. We next moved to an old school where many of the major figures in Mexico's revolution either taught or were students. It was amazing to see all the modern day students wandering about in this historical building - it is still used today as a school. We went into a room which contained a collection of books, many of them botanical, bought back from Europe by Melchor Ocampo in 1847. His heart, preserved in formalin for nearly two hundred years, sat at the end of the room. Our last port of call was the Conservatory of the Roses, a Dominican Convent. Here we learnt of life once a girl went inside to become a nun, and that she never came out again. Eric's tale of the goings on surrounding the moving of the nunnery were very amusing.

From Morelia we headed east and within half and hour were up into the Mil Cumbres, or thousand peaks, an extraordinary area of highland with peaks stretching away as far as the eye could see, much covered in forest, some with avocado groves, and some with campesino farms. It seems amazing that such a good road goes eighty kilometres through such terrain and yet there's hardly a settlement of note nor indeed many connections with other roads. We stopped for lunch at a small waterfall. This proved a great spot for butterflies with the highlight being the huge Magnificent Swallowtail. There was also a Mexican Silverpost, a Julia, some Pallid Tilewhites, Crescents including Orange-patch and Ardent. There were Clethra trees in flower by the stream and alongside a wet ditch we found lots of a pretty little Cuphea cf bustamata .

We continued east, stopping first by a cliff where there was a fine show of the agave Furcraea bedinghausenii with at least a dozen in bloom, the inflorescences spectacular arching things a couple of metres long, though now over. Nearby drifts of Mimulus glabratus covered the wettest parts of cliffs while little yellow pouched Calceolaria mexicana preferred unstable slopes. Salvias were represented by the lovely furry (Barbara Cartland-)pink Salvia curvifolia and the blue Salvia polystachya . Dyssodia tagetifolia added its own brand of orange to the scene and there was lots of Lopezia racemosa and an orange and yellow Cuphea with pink stamens and purple 'ears'.

Next was a stop for orchids. These the lovely Rhyncostele cervantesii , an epiphytic species with large white orange-brown lined blooms. Birds were rather good here with notable species being the simply red Red Warbler, a pair of Golden-browed Warblers and a pair of White-

13 breasted Wood-Wrens. Our last stop was at the Mil Cumbres viewpoint where mile after mile of blue-tinted mountains faded into the distance, a truly impressive, if difficult to photograph scene. Then it was through some sublime high altitude country to the hotel, arriving there at seven-thirty. Eric went straight to work in the kitchen and produced, by eight-fifteen, a tasty corn soup with avocado leaves, and a tasty and very creamy Carbonara!

Day 10 February 16 th Sierra Chincua

We awoke to yet another sunny day though being at over eight and a half thousand feet it was a mite chilly out first thing. Eric and the staff provided us with a most excellent and filling breakfast as usual and so we were on our way at nine. Already it was warming up and by the time we'd risen up to eleven thousand feet and the entrance to the Sierra Chincua Mariposa Reserve some forty-five minutes away it felt decidedly warm with no hint of the frost that we often see on arrival here!

During the past year the Mexican Government had funded and built a whole new complex here, gone were the rustic shacks and rather downtrodden feel to the place, now there were gleaming new wooden cabanas hosting a few shops and the concinas. Same families running the place though which was good to see and also the same feeling of intimacy which pervades this place – there was one other vehicle in the carpark and we didn't see the occupants of that until gone eleven. In the carpark we saw a flock of Grey Silkies (large flycatchers) in one tree and atop another was a group of Cassin's Finches.

This year the butterflies were further away than we'd ever known them, which made walking to them not impossible, but impractical, so we all elected to sit on the led horses. This had the dual benefit of saving us a very long walk, and of supporting the local families whose land and to a certain extent livelihoods have been appropriated by the new butterfly reserves. The gleaming new cabanas don't tell the whole story! As is usually the case hardly anyone had been on a horse, or if they had phrases like 'fifty years ago' and 'Blackpool Beach' came out, so it was with some trepidation that we met our mounts. We were soon calmed of our worries for the horses were small and each was led. It took us over an hour to get to the dismounting point (often its been twenty minutes or so in the past) and involved a dusty ascent before a long long descent which made us all realise that walking back would have been very hard work – must have been over two thousand feet we descended. Other than the dust, which at times was terrible, the ride was pleasant and we needed do no more than admire the wonderful Abies religiosa forest all about us. Once off our horses we slowly made our way on foot towards the butterflies which were just fifteen minutes away. As we approached the main colony the Monarchs became abundant, and then everywhere, and then.... We were met by an incredible sight. In amongst the thickest firs we could see the vast masses clinging to all the branches, trunks and all, however it was nearer at hand that was taking the breath away for the air was filled with brilliant orange. Even whilst walking you could hear all the wings, and the stream next to the path was full of butterflies – literally bank to bank and beyond with little or no water or land showing. The effect was mesmerising and as the morning, already warm when we arrived, continued to get warmer the activity just got better and better. At one point butterflies were streaming past us so thickly on a track that it felt that we'd get swept along with them. It is a unique experience and one that is difficult to portray on recording media.

14 Video or film perhaps works best but most of us had cameras and so we spent much of the morning trying to capture some of the essence of this incredible experience onto our camera cards. All sorts of techniques were tried – individual and group portraits, humans with butterflies sat on them, looking directly up into the sky and trying to catch the feel of myriad orange butterflies belting hither and thither. My favourite was using a wide angle low down amongst the hordes by the streams so that you could seethe masses at ground level, the Oyamel Trees (firs) up to their tops and a bunch of butterflies in the air too! It was an amazing two and a half hours with the sight and sound rather overwhelming.

With the constant noise and movement it was difficult to pick out any other wildlife indeed in all that time the only birds we saw were two Red Warblers and Nigel did phenomenally well to find a Camberwell Beauty sat upon the path, in perfect condition.

We left at a quarter to two and rode back, very appreciative of our horses in taking us back up the long long uphill stretch. Back in the centre we had a superb lunch laid on by one of the local concinas with the help of Beto and Eric. A fine soup was followed by blue-corn tortillas filled with cheese and veg, and then a large plate of fried beef, onion and nopal (cactus – prickly pear without the prickles) arrived.

Several of us went up to the stream to look for Axolotls and were well rewarded. The Michoacan Stream Salamander was reasonably common though difficult to see well, and some showed the external gills. In one pool we found some impressive Mexican Tiger Salamanders, the biggest was more than six inches long and a grey colour covered in blotches. Walking back to join the others Phil found Steller's Jay and there were also Yellow-eyed Juncos, Hermit Warblers and Canyon Towhees to be seen. Hopping, tail's cocked, through the undergrowth, was a pair of Sierra Madre Sparrows, a great surprise and rarest bird of the day.

On the way back we made a brief stop at a nearby ranch. Here we checked out the stream, and sure enough, there was a beautifully mottled Puerto Hondo Salamander, our third species of Axolotl or Salamander for the afternoon. Striped Sparrow and Western Bluebird were seen. Then it was back to Tlalpujahua where Eric rustled up another excellent soup, and a main dish of chicken in a mole (chocolate-flavoured) sauce which included squash and courgettes as well as pepper and a little chili – very tasty!

Day 11 February 17 th Tlacotepec & the Brokmann Lakes

Today was a day of slow local exploration, Eric and Beto taking us round sound of their childhood haunts. We started though with a visit to an old church that now stood only as the tower, the rest of the church having been engulfed in the huge mudflow that erupted from the dam which collapsed up by the mines, sweeping down the valley and erasing much of the town from the map, killing several hundred people in the process. Needless to say the valley has not been much built on since. The lone church tower, and the excavations around the main building, were a poignant reminder of the devastation wrought on that day. Of course we found plenty of birds to distract us, a pair of Song Sparrows under a riverside Alnus acuminata , lots of Acorn Woodpeckers in the eucalyptus, and flocks of Chipping Sparrows with a few Clay-coloureds mixed in. A group of Curve-billed Thrashers didn't hang around long, the Blue

15 Grosbeaks were rather better behaved, and two birds sitting side-by-side atop a tree, both glowing in the morning sun, made a fine sight – these an American Robin and a Baltimore Oriole.

Next we visited Tlacotepec, a nearby village. Here Beto took us through the back streets, past some really old houses – like many of the villages in this region the older buildings date back to the 16th century. We parked up next to a spring amid cedars and went on a walk through the dry oak forest. It was tinder dry and so the gentians were not flowering. We did find several ferns, a fine bromelliad, Tillandsia bourgaei , and an abundance of oak species. The understory was largely Arctostaphylos pungens and the strawberry tree Arbutus tesselata was common. Butterflies were notable by their absence, and birds were rather thin on the ground too, though Nigel did flush a Montezuma's Quail and we also saw Bushtits, Red-tailed Hawks and Ruby- crowned Kinglets. We headed off across country towards the Brokmann Lakes, stopping for a short walk. Here we saw two superb Two-tailed Swallowtails.

Lunch, including some excellent trout, was taken close by the shore of Brokmann Lake. We took a look at the far end, and were amazed by the numbers of American Coot and American Wigeon, at least a thousand of the latter! There was also a single Ring-necked Duck. A small grove of pears held a Black Phoebe, a superb Abeille's Oriole (endemic) and some Gold-banded Dartwhite butterflies. We drove to close to another lake and walked through the forest. We found a delicate coralroot orchid with flowers barely 2mm round, and later on the walk some fine specimens of pale yellow Prescotia tubulosa , a species reminiscent of a ladies tresses. The shrub Monnina ciliolata had blue and yellow flowers, and Barrie found a strange little pink five- pointed flower. We saw White-breasted Nuthatch en route to the first lake where a willow- fringed corner Tufted Flycatcher, Mexican Chickadee and Louisiana Waterthrush. On the last lake we saw a flock of mixed Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Duck was well as various egrets, Spotted Sandpiper, and four Pied-billed Grebes. Then it was back to Tlalpujahua where I went on an evening walk notching up sightings of Western and Summer Tanagers, both males, an Olive Warbler, and a Chestnut-naped Swift. Eric conjured up a fine creamy Azteca soup with tortillas and avocado leaves, and the main course was thin fried steak with vegetables cooked with rosemary.

Day 12 February 18 th Tlalpujahua & Rancho de los Cedros

After another excellent breakfast it was time to say farewell to the Hotel Mineral, and head into town with Eric to the cathedral, the insides of which give meaning to the description 'baroque'. Then there was some free time to enjoy the town's great atmosphere, its cobbled streets (Clovelly without the sea but with more colourful houses), or the wonderful local food stalls. Meanwhile I'd been to visit Beto's brother who lives in a superb location overlooking the town square. Sadly the Christmas decoration shop was not open so we headed off to the old goldmine. Eric took most of the group inside. Between 1907 and 1913 it was the largest producer of gold in the world. It continued producing for many more years but disaster overtook the mine in 1937 and many people died. The town dwindled for a period but is now thriving again. A few of us elected to stay above ground and went down to the stream below the mine, even risking crossing the rickety old bridge! We found just the three butterflies, but all nice species. First was a Pine Satyr, a strikingly marked species, and then Nigel found a

16 Gold-banded Dartwhite, and last was a Mexican Silverspot. There was a nice display of ferns along the river, especially Adiantums, and Barrie found a new fern which I am still to identify. Birds were few and far between though Gray Flycatcher was new.

Now we drove south passing through high country, mostly around eight and a half thousand feet above sea level. After an hour’s drive we arrived at the home of friends of Eric, Beto and Christine's, namely Victor and Michelle, and their two children, Camilla, eleven yesterday, and Pablo, five today! They live on the Rancho de los Cedros, perched high on montane plains. Their abode is a wonderful two hundred year old house with extensive farm buildings of a similar age. Victor has to some extent renovated all of this, and he attempts to farm the land in as sustainable way as possible. Income is often minimal from such an enterprise so our visit is most useful as well as great fun for us. As Eric and the team worked hard in the kitchen with Victor we spent an hour and a half exploring the property. The oak trees up by the cliffs had a healthy covering of a fine bromeliad, Tillandsia erubescens , the narrow glaucous leaves form a vase from which rises a glowing orange red inflorescence, and when a flower opens it is bright yellow (apparently sometimes purple too). We searched for the lovely yellow and orange flowered Echeveria secunda . We found perhaps a hundred rosettes but none of them were in flower. There was a fine large flowered Ribes , probably affine , and the fern Pellaea cordifolia growing on the cliffs. There were few butterflies, indeed all seemed to be one species, a new one for us, the Acmon Blue. There were a number of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in the oaks, as well as a few Acorn Woodpeckers.

Back at the ranch we enjoyed a wonderful creamy avocado soup, followed by locally caught rabbit served with caramelised onion and nopal (prickly pear leaves). Then it was off for another wander this time past the large pond. Here were flocks of sparrows, mostly Clay- coloured as well as a few Striped Sparrows. There were also Black-breasted Grosbeaks, Buff- breasted Flycatchers and Lesser Goldfinch. I continued down to the lake with Camilla. We found some meadowlarks near the shore and ignored abundant flocks of sparrows en route as time was short. Out on the water was an amazing number of wildfowl. American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, and Gadwall all numbered at least a thousand each! There looked to be in excess of two thousand Ruddy Ducks. And there were even more American Coot. There was also a scattering of herons and egrets, and a lone gull, though too distant to identify. Walking back we found a deep gully in which we saw two Mourning Cloaks, and a Belted Kingfisher.

We continued southwards across the plateau before re-entering forested lands and descending towards Valle de Bravo. We stopped to photograph the spectacular orange-yellow flowered parasitic Psittacanthus calyculatus which gave some of the local trees a heavy load. Then it was the short distance down to the Rancho de las Margaritas where we settled in and got ourselves organised before dinner at eight.

Day 13 February 19 th Colorines & Santo Tomas

I started with a dawn wander in the woodlands and fields out back. Best finds included Mexican Gray Squirrel and Bridled Tit.

At nine we departed for areas lower. Our journey took us down to the lake that is the centre of

17 Valle de Bravo, which, as someone said, was looking very Italian this morning! Water skiers on one side and bromeliads on the other! Later we were to continue down the valley at times in gorges and ravines, at others across tablelands with views of steep-sided hills and ridges. At the farthest point of our journey we were a little over an hour's direct drive from Rancho las Margaritas. The habitats varied from semi-arid hillsides to lake, and from lush river and stream valleys to cacti and agave-clad cliffs. Perhaps not surprisingly the fauna was particularly varied today.

Our first stop was just below the lake where noted the variety of bromeliads in the trees, these including Tillandsias calophrysus and Tillandsia dugesii . A Rusty Sparrow and Lincoln's Sparrow sat in front of a house, above which Hooded and Streak-backed Orioles foraged. Then it was down to a dry hillside where we took a track up into some areas that had recently been burnt. This might go some way to explaining the variety of flycatchers present with Pine, Dusky and Ash-throated Flycatchers, and also Cassin's Kingbirds. There were flocks of seedeaters and overhead Sharp-shinned Hawk and Vultures. We found many bromeliads on the trees and photographed the tree convolvulus and noted the number of orchids in leaf on some of the trees. We eventually located some in flower, this the delicate Encyclia linkiana with brown ridged callosities on the white flowers. Back down by the spring things were really hotting up. A Monarch flew in and landed on its foodplant Asclepias currasavica . There were a number of skippers and metalmarks included a scintillant species and the yellow Square-spotted Yellowmark. There were some large tadpoles in the pool and I found the probable parent, a frog, Lithobates montezumae , near the entrance. There were also crabs.

Now we moved down through Colorines and thence down a steep slope, passing over a bridge which though only 5m across, spanned an impressive drop. We stopped at the bottom of the dam and whilst Eric and Christina found various small flowers (including a pretty Lobelia) and Zilpa Longtails in a nearby ditch, we walked up to the waterfall. There were some nice dragonflies about, lots of the pink-violet Roseate Skimmer, and a filigree-type skimmer as well as various damselflies. There was an impressive variety of butterflies present. Straightaway it was the lovely lined green and black Zebra Heliconids to the fore. There were many of them, indeed of the larger butterflies these were the commonest. As well as a variety of whites and yellows there were swallowtails, including several Colima/Polydamus types in flight. The latter was photographed by Nigel whilst I spent awhile capturing the brilliant reds, pinks and at one angle, shining cerise-violet, of a cooperative Variable Cattleheart. Impressively large Two- tailed Swallowtails shot by occasionally although one stopped on the muddy, water-hyacinth choked bank and allowed us to photograph it. Back on the green and black theme we spotted at least two Malachites. Ardent Crescents came down to the water's edge to sip salts in company with all sorts of skippers - White-striped and Brown Longtails and Acacia Skipper. Flying amongst a fine Aristolochia draped over Piper bushes was an orange and black Isabella Heliconid, teasing us with its slow 'not settling' flight! We found three Least Heliconians chasing each other round a bush as the almost equally bright Ruddy Daggerwing sped past. It was difficult to keep track of birds with all these butterflies flying around but we could hardly fail to notice the big flock of Groove-billed Anis that kept pace with us and we also got much the best views we'd had of Squirrel Cuckoos when a pair sat in the open, allowing 'scope views.

We stopped at an ice-cream shop in Santo Tomas de Platanos, this the new Santo Tomas, we'd see the church tower of the old one sticking up out of the mud-filled lake some kilometres

18 downstream half an hour later. There were many flavours available however many of us tried the lurid orange 'mummy apple', delicious! The church and village here sit atop an impressive cliff. Having almost reached old Santo Tomas we turned off and drove through some back lanes for a short distance to a river where a little shop and cafe was probably somewhat surprised to receive a bunch of foreigners requesting the use of their table for our picnic. They were happy to oblige. So whilst Eric and co prepared lunch we explored. Again butterflies were strongly to the fore (it was the middle of the day!) though there were some really good birds too with Great Kiskadees down by the river and a flock containing Blue-black Grassquits and the adorable orange, yellow, green and blue Orange-breasted Bunting.

During lunch a couple of magnificent White Morphos sailed past. The valley we walked up after lunch was very pretty, the small river flowed downhill sedately, with a little riverine vegetation each side and then a narrow belt of farmed land before the slopes rose steeply covered in dry thorn forest with some impressive cacti. An Asteracean flowering alongside the river attracted abundant small butterflies with various skippers, and lots of Ceraunus Blues and a few crescents. A White Peacock was amongst them and every now and again another superb White Morphos sailed past. Trees across the river held a fine pair of Streak-backed Orioles and we also saw various warblers and hummingbirds.

Our last port of call was the remaining houses of the original Santo Tomas. We pulled up under a huge fig tree and looked out onto the lake that was now almost entirely mud. Out of it the church tower stood on a pedestal of concrete. It was an odd sight. One or two (or three or four..!) decamped to the friendly little village bar whilst the rest of us walked through some of the villagers back gardens en route to a little side valley. Our target here was the Orange- breasted Bunting, only seen by one or two before lunch. So it proved again with a fine male seen by only one or two of us! We all got a look at the pretty Black-chested Sparrows. Under the mango trees satyrids flew up at every step, these Stormy Satyrs. On the trees uphill a little we found some fine flowering plants of the large yellow orchid Oncidium cebollata , with rounded (in cross-section) fleshy leaves. On trees all about were the curly-leafed vases of the bromeliad Tillandsia caput -medusae . A tiny species was found too, Tillandsia ionantha , though sadly only in bud, for when in bloom this is a little stunner, the upper leaves bright scarlet, the flowers violet and yellow!

We started to drive back only to stop when more Orange-breasted Buntings were seen by the road. This time everyone got a good look at a stunning male – this really is a beautiful bird, the word citrus comes to mind for the pure greens, yellows and oranges, but then there's bright clear blue too. Perhaps the macaw of the buntings world might be better! There were also Rufous-capped Warblers and just as we were about to leave we saw the impressive large blue shot Gilbert's Skipper. Then it really was time to get back to the hotel. After dinner several of us went for a nightwalk some six kilometres from the hotel. We walked for an hour and twenty minutes and saw no mammals at all. We heard Mountain Pygmy-Owl and both Eared Poorwill and Mexican Whip-poor-will, seeing the latter and probably Eared Poorwill too.

Day 14 February 20 th Temascaltepec

We met up at seven-fifteen for our trip on a loop that takes us through the Valle de Bravo to

19 Temascaltepec and thence to Polvorin by back roads before returning to Valle de Bravo on the lake shore. With so much to do we had to have an early start!

We drove through a sleepy Valle de Bravo and its cobbled streets before the rich and famous had woken. An indication of the local ABC rating was soon illustrated by a lone guy out for a run – with a police escort! Our first stop was on a high area south of the town where rocky bluffs rose from the pine-oak woodland and some cultivation next to a small village. This was a very birdy spot! We made it no further than about three hundred metres from the vehicle during our stop. We started with the trees next to us which held loads of Gray Silkies as well as Lesser Goldfinches and House Finches. Next were our first hummingbirds, a beautiful Broad- tailed and then a tiny hummer buzzed just a couple of yards from us. It perched allowing cracking views and the whisked back and forth. The World's second tiniest bird – Bumble-Bee Hummingbird. A Red-tailed Hawks sailed over the bluffs, these adorned in spectacular bromeliads. Large basal rosettes were topped by red-bracted spikes. This may have been Hetchia podantha . We found a particularly productive area after the first house. Orange- crowned, Townsend's and Black-throated Gray Warblers flitted in the low buses. A stunning Blue Grosbeak in fine plumage shone in the sun. Inca Doves joined around thirty Gray Silkies in one tree. A Northern Oriole glowed in the morning sun and there was a very nice male Scot's Oriole in one tree top. We watched Indigo and Varied Buntings and out in the field were Striped, Lincoln's and Clay-coloured Sparrow. We walked back to the van and found that the team had laid out quite a spread for us, breakfast in an idyllic spot. Eric had made croissants with ham and cheese, these melted to mouth-watering consistency in the pan. There was even piping hot water for tea and coffee provided by the house down the road!

We drove on down the hill a few kilometres before pulling off at a most unpromising looking spot. Indeed it proved rather so as the hoped for White-naped Swifts failed to show. A kettle of Black and Turkey Vultures was little compensation. Meanwhile Barrie had been wandering and had found some nice short Eryngium subacaule and by the road, a creamy milkweed. He lay with legs outstretched on the road to take photos of the latter, causing much concern to a couple of passing motorists who must have thought that he was the victim of a collision with a vehicle!

We descended to the valley floor just a couple of minutes away, and the small town of Temascaltepec. After stocking up on ice-creams etc we rejoined the road to find ourselves in the middle of some kind of parade. A bus had just disgorged a group of people dressed in costumes of the local indigenous peoples from pre-conquest days. They walked or ran up the road wearing spectacular headgear adorned with pheasant and turkey feathers and looking for all the world like they'd appeared from the set of a film about the Aztecs! We followed them slowly for twenty minutes before the peeled off into town. We headed up a side road, stopping a few kilometres above the town and walking downhill for ninety minutes before Beto picked us up again. Right by the van we found a Golden Vireo and then the beautiful little Crescent- chested Warbler. Though it was very warm and sunny it was not as good for butterflies as might have been imagined, though perhaps we'd been rather spoilt on this trip! Nonetheless there was a good number of crescents about and a few yellows, these including Statira Sulphir, Mexican Yellow, Orange-barred Sulphur, and the curious Jethys Mimic-White. Two-tailed Swallowtails belted past a few times.

The steep and sometimes cliffy inner edge of the road obviously had regular moisture and this

20 resulted in a great variety of plants. Most striking were the two Melamostomacious sub-shrubs, Monochaetum calcaratum with pinky-purple flowers 3cm across and the spires of white with a hint of pink blooms of an unknown Tibouchia . Amongst Cheilanthes and other small ferns we found tiny blue and white Lobelias and the impressive leaf rosettes of Pinguicula moranensis , these holding innumerable tiny insects captive. Calceolaria mexicana grew in damp areas with Tinantia erecta , the purple flowers of the latter not open this year. Salvias were appearing, here lavenduloides , polystachya , mexicana and prunelloides . Across the road the trees were festooned in ferns, tillandsias and orchids. There were Encyclias , but not in bloom, whereas some trees held fine flowering spikes of yellow Oncidium cavendishianum . The roadside trees were draped in the spectacular purple trumpets of the climber Cobaea scandens . We visited an orange grove, the smell of the oranges starting to rot on the ground was pleasant and powerful. Banded Peacocks and Common Buckeyes were here and by the river we saw a cryptically-marked lizard, the pattern jewel-like if rather understated! A Brewer's Sparrow was a nice find. Further down stream we visited the edge of the river again. A huge Cucurbitacean had a fruit that looked like a cross between a water melon and a giant marrow. It must have weighed many kilos and it was a mystery how the fine sinuous vine kept it in the air. Black Phoebe and Townsend's Warblers were by the river. There was a superb tall many headed thistle too, the blooms bright pink.

We continued uphill a short distance in the vehicle stopping again by the small river. We looked in vain for the Orange-striped Eighty—eight here, one of very few failures on the butterfly front this year. There were again many of the fine Oncidium cavendishianum blooming, a good collection probably moved from elsewhere and tied to a tree above one small house! Then it was uphill and into an altogether different terrain. Once on the ridge above the valley we were in dry pine-oak woodland, and then into a long strung out village built on the recent cultivation of these lands for avocado and for cut flowers, mostly carnations and dahlias. We stopped just after the village and whilst Eric and co set about our picnic we explored the area. Some scrubby recently cleared areas held a nice population of the pink Plumbago pulchellum . Nigel found a fallen tree with orchids about to bloom on it and nearby were several hummingbirds including White-eared and Amethyst-throated. In the trees were lots of orioles, here Northern, Bullock's and Baltimore. Acorn Woodpeckers were frequent and in the skies above we started to see swifts. A first there were Chestnut-naped Swifts, maybe about fifty of them, then high above, soaring majestically, a group of ten or so White-naped Swifts, the world's largest swift, their twenty-inch wings never flapped once as we watched them! In marked contrast to the bat-like flutterings of the Vaux's Swifts seen at lower levels. We introduced Barrie to some fine flowering Conophilis alpina , a saprophytic plant akin to our own broomrapes, and forming a nice colony under some roadside shrubbery.

Beto took us up the rough track, considerably improved since last year, stopping occasionally over the next few kilometres. First was a fine clump of the orchid Encyclia candollei in very good flower, then we stopped at the highest point on the road on a ridge sparsely treed with pines. The views all round were stunning with the stark peak of Volcan Toluca visible above the nearer ridges. Flycatchers here included Greater Pewee, Tufted Flycatcher and a Brown-crested Flycatcher. A pretty hairy yellow-orange pea looking rather like a Thermopsis was dominant on the ground. Next we passed through an area of forest recently cleared for avocado production and stopped by a small remnant of forest which, it seemed, had rather concentrated all the birds! There were loads of finches and hummingbirds, some very pretty Black-headed Siskins,

21 and briefly, a Mountain Trogon!

The last part of the afternoon was spent, for most of us, walking slowly down the last kilometre and half of track to the river where the track reached the main road. It took us nearly two hours, indeed, the first forty minutes saw us get precisely nowhere so many birds were seen. Nigel walked ahead and saw only the one butterfly, but by now the sun was waning and little could be expected. Not the case with the birds. A stunning male Lazuli Bunting started things off. As we tried to get a look at this White-eared and then Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visited the abundant Lobelia laxiflora by the roadside. Down in the trees below the road we could hear Green Violet-ears and then a stream of birds came by. Phil spotted a small flock of Hooded Grosbeaks close at hand that gave fantastic views. A Flame-coloured Tanager shone brightly for a few seconds before disappearing. Northern Orioles, Audubon's Orioles and Gray Silkies were common in the higher trees. Warblers were everywhere and included Black and White and Townsend's Warblers. More Black-headed Siskins and even some Pine Siskins came through then a flock of Bushtits. Hummingbirds were constantly distracting us on the other side of the road, in all we saw nine species today! Berylline and White-eared allowed great views then the closest of all was a Broad-tailed Hummingbird, a tiny species, that stayed put sitting just a few feet above my head! Walking on down we kept encountering more species, Pine and Dusky Flycatchers, Western Wood-Pewee, Blue Mockingbird etc etc. We started to encounter huge beds of Salvia gesnerifolia , tens of square metres in extent and up to four metres high and covered in bright orange-red flowers five cm long. Not surprisingly these continued to attract hummingbirds and we started to see the 'big ones'. The Blue-throated Hummingbird was the commonest of these, with several seen, including a fine male with the eponymous blue throat. We also saw the equally large Magnificent Hummingbird. Nigel saw a Green Violet-ear in the vicinity and Eric and Christina had another brief sighting of a Mountain Trogon. Exhausting stuff!

We left at six and by seven had descended, complete with a fine sunset, into the quaint town of Valle de Bravo. En route we stopped for a clear view of the impressive 17,000 foot cone of Volcan Toluca, lit with a little hint of purple in the evening light. Christina showed us some souvenir shops for a few minutes whilst Eric got our table arranged – on a floating restaurant! This specialised in sea food and the meal was excellent. My Camarones de la Diablo was hot and spicy as suggested by its name, but very tasty. Others had trout in various forms and professed them to be very good, whilst Robert tried some sea fish in a rich looking sauce with a smoky flavour – also very good. Barrie and Pam had a medley of seafood served in a pineapple!

Then it was back up to the Ranchos las Margaritas for some much need sleep!

Day 15 February 21 st to Mexico City and University Botanical Garden

I went out early and walked in the forests below the Ranchas las Margaritas. Whiskered Screech Owls and Flammulated Owl were calling as dawn broke over the sublime landscape of forested ridges. I spent twenty minutes quietly absorbing the scene in a little gully inhabited by a pair of Brown-backed Solitaires. From close range their song is incredibly loud! There was also an Amethyst-throated Hummingbird and a Wilson's Warbler. Moving along a track

22 through the open sunlit pine and oak forest the birds came thick and fast. Red Crossbills flew in and toyed with pine-top cones whilst Black-headed Grosbeaks pecked at the flowering Strawberry Trees. Black-headed Siskins, Yellow-eyed Juncos and a Hermit Thrush followed by an old quarry. Then a wave of birds came through the trees. There were half a dozen Bridled Tits, lots of warblers including Black-throated Gray, and a group of Pygmy Nuthatches. An immature Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was the precursor to several Acorn Woodpeckers. There followed Bewick's Wrens, Slate-throated and Painted Redstarts, and Mourning Doves before another group of birds homed in on a Ruby-crowned Kinglet that was literally shaking so agitated had it become. I couldn't see what was causing all the fuss, but did manage to watch a Brown Creeper (with nesting material!) and Grace's Warbler round about it and then another group of the delightful little Bridled Tits. Reaching open ground I saw a variety of sparrows and finches and then a group of Mexican Jays before I had to return to packing and breakfast. Meanwhile others in the group had been tackling the garden’s birdlife which contains approachable and colourful species, though the Vermilion Flycatcher was still giving Robert the runaround. He did score a partial success this morning proving that persistence gains reward! Nigel had spotted a skunk with a full white tail, so probably a Hog-nosed Skunk, and had also been photographing the garden's birds, notably a fine Bullock's Oriole. By the rooms was a Swainson's Thrush.

We set off at ten, gaining height gradually through the beautiful landscapes that typify this land. Eventually we reached the more open country around Toluca, and there got on the cuota to Mexico City, the journey to the city taking an hour and a half and another forty-five minutes to the University Botanical Garden. Here we had almost two hours to explore this very good garden. A series of paths take one through a landscape of shattered lava, so with hollow, some filled with ponds, and dells, cavelets and crevices, and planted over the couple of acres that is the main garden, are an abundance of succulents. There were all sorts of cacti, from giant Barrel Cactus to Cardon and Lemairocereus , down through variously shaped Prickly Pears to squat Mamillarias . Some of the latter had flowers, pink, cerise and orange blooms noted! There were also plenty of Agaves, Notholirions and a spectacular Ocotillo or Boojum Tree, a plant of the northwestern deserts that takes bizarre architecture to the limit. There were plenty of Echevarias too, some fine orange-red ones in flower, and lots of Crassulaceae . It was great to see that a lot of work had taken place in the past year, the whole place had been tidied up and there were lots of new plantings and quite a decent number of plants labelled. Crevice Spiny Lizards were well camouflaged on the dark grey rocks and there were terrapins in the ponds, these Red-eared Sliders, and not native. Damselflies flitted about the pools whilst every now and again fine Two-tailed Swallowtails sailed past. We found a number of the prettily marked Xami Hairstreaks, the bright green undersides patterned with black, white and silver. Nigel photographed a Gulf Fritillary. There were plenty of birds about, mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers and House Finches. Several Broad-billed Hummingbirds posed in the sun and an Amethyst—throated Hummingbird was seen. Other birds included Bewick's Wren, Rufous- crowned Sparrows and a real surprise, a female Hook-billed Kite which circled close overhead. Unmistakable, and quite a rare bird in these parts.

We all gathered by the shop and then Beto whisked us a few minutes drive away where Eric introduced us to a Pozole fast food restaurant. This is a chain that specializes in soups based on a local type of corn. These are huge in size and have a nice texture. The soups were meals in themselves and Eric had also laid on various starters that included some wonderful pork

23 crackling with a guacamole dip. And some had puddings! Fast food but very good food. Then it was off to the airport which we reached in good time, so we had time to say farewell to Eric, Christine and Beto, a great team who had looked after us so well during the tour.

Day 16 February 22 nd Return

We arrived back more or less spot on time at Heathrow after a comfortable (I slept for about seven hours!) and quiet flight.

24 Systematic List Number 1 Mammals

Nomenclature and taxonomic order is a bit of a mish-mash and is borrowed from both ‘Neotropical Rainforest Mammals’ by Emmons (1997) and ‘The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals’ by Whitaker (1993).

Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana noted on nightwalks at Laguna Maria (IG only) and numerous photos there on the trap camera! Rock Squirrel Spermophilus variegatus widespread more or less everywhere Spermophilus mexicanus University Botanical Garden, D.F. Tropical Ground Squirrel Spermophilus adocetus common in the Colima area Ring-tailed Ground Squirrel Spermophilus annulatus noted at Laguna Maria Mexican Gray Squirrel Sciurus aureogaster Common in the Highlands Mexican Fox Squirrel Sciurus nayaritensis a few Laguna Maria and Nevado de Colima Collei’s Squirrel Sciurus collaei seen Tacambaro & Tlalpujahua area Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus scattered Pygmy Spotted Skunk Spilogale pygmaea 1 in the football field below Laguna Maria at night (IG only) Hog-nosed Skunk Conepatus mesoleucus 1 noted by Nigel at Ranchas las Margaritas Northern Raccoon Procyon lotor 1 at night as we returned from Playa Mezcala White-nosed Coatimundi Nasua narica c.25 close by the accommodation at Laguna Maria (IG only), at least 1 on night walk there two night later Neotropical River Otter Lutra longicaudus 1 briefly in the lagoon at Playa Mezcala Brocket Deer sp ???? 1 captured on the trap camera at Laguna Maria

25 Systematic List Number 2 Reptiles & Amphibians

Michoacan Stream Salamander Ambystoma rivulare un-patterned dark, narrow-headed Small species in stream at Sierra Chincua. Mexican Tiger Salamader Ambystoma velasci aka Ambystoma subsalsum . Large species in stream at Sierra Chincua. Puerto Hondo Salamander Ambystoma ordinarium well-patterned small species in stream at Ivan’s Godfather’s ranch on the Sierra Chincua. Seen at night.

a frog! Lithobates montezumae spring near Colorines

Ctenosaur Ctenosaura pectinata noted in Los Amoles dry forest and at Laguna Maria Plestiodon brevirostris pretty blue-tailed skink on Nevado de Colima Whiptail spp Aspidoscelis uniparus Los Amoles dry forest Sceloporus nahuales ?probably this species University Botanical Garden.D.F. Crevice Swift Sceloporus torquatus University Botanical Garden.D.F.

Ring-necked Snake Diadophis punctatus a dead one Temascaltepec Two-striped Garter Snake Thamnophis hammondii quite common at Lago Cuitzeo Diamondback Water Snake? Nerodia rhombifer quite common at Lago Cuitzeo

Pacific Ridley Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea tracks shown to us at Playa Mezcala Leatherback Turtle tracks shown to us at Playa Mezcala

26 Systematic List Number 3 Birds

Nomenclature and taxonomic order follows The Sibley Guide to Birds (2000) and Howell and Webb’s ‘A Guide to the Birds of Mexico’ (1995). The number of days a species was seen is indicated as 5/13 – so five days out of the 13 in the field (arrival days(!) and landing day at either end not included).

Itinerary

Day 3 February 9 th Laguna Maria Day 4 February 10 th Laguna Maria, Los Amoles dry forest, Boca de Apria & Playa Mezcala Day 5 February 11 th Laguna Maria & Volcan Fuego Day 6 February 12th Volcan Nevado de Colima & Zapotlán Lake Day 7 February 13th to Pátzcuaro via Paricutín & Uruapan Day 8 February 14 th Tacambaro, Arroyo Frio & Cerro Burro Day 9 February 15 th Morelia, Lago Cuitzeo & Mil Cumbres – to Tlalpujahua Day 10 February 16 th Sierra Chincua Monarch Reserve Day 11 February 17 th Tlacotepec & Brokmann Lake Day 12 February 18 th Tlalpujahua & Rancho de los Cedros & to Valle de Bravo Day 13 February 19 th Santo Tomas de los Platanos & Colorines. Rancho las Margaritas Day 14 February 20 th Temascaltepec Day 15 February 21 st to Mexico City & the University Botanical Garden

Clark’s Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii 50+ Lago Cuitzeo Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis 1 at Zapotlán Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps Playa Mezcala & Brokmann Lakes. 2/13 Least Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus 4 at Playa Mezcala Booby sp Sula sp 2 were too far offshore ay Playa Mezcala to identify American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos 30+ at Zapotlán Lake, lots along Chapala’s shore, also very many at Lago Cuitzeo. 3/13 Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalus c.50 at Boca de Apria & Playa Mezcala Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus scattered. A large breeding colony at Zapotlán. 3/13 Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus several on the Pacific coast Anhinga Anhinga anhinga 1-2 at Playa Mezcala Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax noted Playa Mezcala & 2 Lago Cuitzeo Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea 3 at Boca de Apria Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis widespread. 12/13 Green-backed Heron Butorides virescens scattered throughout. 4/13 Snowy Egret Egretta thula common at most wetlands. 7/13 Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea scattered throughout. 4/13 Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens 2 at Boca de Apria Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor 1 at Boca de Apria, 1 at Chapala & 1 south of there. 3/13 Great Egret Carcharodius albus widespread at wetlands, an extraordinary 700+ at Lago Cuitzeo. 7/13 Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias scattered. 6/13 White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi locally common. 4/13 White Ibis Eudocimus albus 1 at Boca de Apria & 3 at Playa Mezcala

27 Roseate Spoonbill Ajaia ajaja 1 at Boca de Apria Wood Stork Mycteria americana 4 close to Colima Airport and 1 over Zapotlán Black-bellied Whistling Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis 10 at Zapotlán Fulvous Whistling Duck Dendrocygna bicolor 2 at Zapotlán Snow Goose Anser caerulescens c.600 on Sayula Saltflats! Mexican Duck Anas platyrhynchos diazi most wetlands. 3/13 Gadwall Anas strepera 2 at Zapotlán & 400+ at Victoria Reservoir. 2/13 Green-winged Teal Anas crecca most wetlands. 4/13 American Wigeon Anas americana c.1000 at Brokmann Lakes and 1000+ at Victoria Reservoir. 2/13 Northern Pintail Anas acuta a few Lago Cuitzeo and 400+ at Victoria Reservoir Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata most wetlands. 3/13 Blue-winged Teal Anas discors most wetlands. 3/13 Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera most wetlands. 3/13 Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris a male at Brokmann Lake Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis c.20 at Brokmann Lakes Bufflehead Bucephala albeola 3 at Lago Cuitzeo Masked Duck Oxyrua dominica an excellent record was a female lounging on the edge of some reeds at Lago Cuitzeo Ruddy Duck Oxyrua jamaicensis 200+ at Lago Cuitzeo, c.10 at Brokmann Lakes and 2000+ at Victoria Reservoir. 3/13 Black Vulture Coragyps atratus widespread. 10/13 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura widespread and common. 12/13 Hook-billed Kite Chondrohierax uncinatus an unusual rcord was a female at close quarters over University Botanic Garden DF (IG only) White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus singles in the Colima area. 3/13 Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis c.6 at Playa Mezcala. This is an odd record of this distinctive raptor as they are 500km north of their known range on the Pacific Slope! Second year running, so presumably resident. Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus a female at Zapotlán and a female at Lago Cuitzeo. 2/13 Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus four seen. 3/13 Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii scattered. 5/13 Gray Hawk Buteo nitidus several in Laguna Maria area, also noted Chapala. 3/13 Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris 1 lowlands near Tecoman Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyurus 2 at Laguna Maria Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Reasonably common. 9/13 Osprey Pandion haliaetus scattered throughout. 5/13 Crested Caracara Caracara plancus quite common this year in the Colima area, with a notable 30+ at the airport on arrival! 4/13 American Kestrel Falco sparverius widespread. 9/13

28 Peregrine Falco peregrinus 1 briefly on Nevado de Colima West Mexican Chachalaca Ortalis poliocephala 7+ seen Laguna Maria, more heard! Montezuma Quail Cyrtonyx montezumae 1 flushed by Nigel at Tlacotepec King Rail Rallus longirostris /elegans 1 at Lago Cuitzeo Sora Rail Porzana carolina 2 at Playa Mezcala Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica c.10 at Playa Mezcala Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus frequent at some wetlands. 5/13 American Coot Fulica americana widespread at wetlands. 10/13 Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus 5 at Playa Mezcala Killdeer Charadrius vociferous scattered. 3/13 American Avocet Recurvirostra americana c.50 at Sayula and 200+ at Lago Cuitzeo. 2/13 Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus most larger wetlands. 4/13 Northern Jacana Jacana spinosa most larger wetlands. 4/13 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 4 at Playa Mezcala & Boca de Apria Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca c.10 at Boca de Apria Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes 2 at Boca de Apria Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus 100+ at Boca de Apria & Playa Mezcala Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia scattered. 5/13 Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus c.50 at Zapotlán and 100+ at Lago Cuitzeo. 2/13 Common (Wilson’s) Snipe Gallinago gallinago delicata Singles at Zapotlán and Lago Cuitzeo. 2/13 Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor c.12 at Lago Cuitzeo Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri 4+ at Boca de Apria Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla 20+ at Boca de Apria Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus 200+ at Lago Cuitzeo Sanderling Calidris alba 4 at Playa Mezcala Herring Gull Larus argentatus Chapala Franklin’s Gull Larus pipixican 100+ at Boca de Apria Laughing Gull Larus atricilla 100+ at Boca de Apria, also noted Lago Cuitzeo. 2/13 Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis scattered. 4/13 Royal Tern Sterna maxima 150+ on the Pacific coast, mostly at Boca de Apria Elegant Tern Sterna elegans 6+ at Boca de Apria Caspian Tern Sterna caspia noted at several wetlands. 3/13 Rock Dove Columba livia widespread. 9/13 Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura common around Valle de Bravo. 2/13 White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica 3 in Los Almoles dry forest Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti noted below Laguna Maria and Colima area. 2/13 Inca Dove Columbina inca Locally common. 11/13 Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina 1 in Los Almoles dry forest White-tipped Dove Leptoptila verreauxi scattered. 3/13 Lilac-crowned Parrot Amazona finschii locally common at Laguna Maria with max daily count of 50. 4/13 Mexican Parrotlet Forpus cyanopygius 2 at Colima Airport was a great record! Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana scattered. 4/13 Lesser Ground Cuckoo Morococcyx erythropygus 1 seen very briefly about five kms below the Laguna Maria (IG only)

29 Lesser Roadrunner Geococcyx velox 1 in the canyon south of Zapotlán seen briefly from the vehicle (IG only) Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris scattered. 3/13 Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus 1 seen in daylight on the dry hills south of Lago Cuitzeo Mottled Owl Strix virgata one photographed at night at Laguna Maria (IG only) and heard there nightly Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus heard at Rancho las Margaritas (IG only) Mountain Pgymy-Owl Glaucidum gnoma heard above Rancho las Margaritas Eared Poorwill Nyctiphrynus mcleodii heard at night above Rancho las Margaritas Mexican Whip-poor-will Caprimulgus arizonae 1 seen at night above Rancho las Margaritas Buff-collared Nighjar Caprimulgus ridgwayi a male seen on night walk above Laguna Maria (IG only) Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis 4+ nighthawks seen above Playa Mezcala were presumed to be this species Chestnut-collared Swift Cypseloides rutilus 1 above Tlalpujahua and many above Temascaltepec White-naped Swift Streptoprocne semicollaris 10+ Temascaltepec, unfortunately very high in the sky! Vaux’s Swift Chaetura vauxi Volcan Fuego & Temascaltepec. 2/13 White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatilis El Fuego Green Violet-ear Colibri thalssinus 1 Temascaltepec (Nigel) Broad-billed Hummingbird Cynanthus latirostris scattered. 4/13 Dusky Hummingbird Cynanthus sordidus 1 at Arroyo Frio (IG only) White-eared Hummingbird Basilinna leuctois this normally widespread and common. This species was unaccountably scarce this year. 3/13 Berylline Hummingbird Amazilia beryllina Widespread. 8/13 Violet-crowned Hummingbird Amazilia violiceps singles Chapala and Tacambaro. 2/13 Amethyst-throated Hummingbird Lampornis amethystinus a female on a nest at Laguna Maria, 3+ Temascaltepec area and 3 at the University Botanic Garden DF. 4/13 Blue-throated Hummingbird Lampornis clemenciae 3 Temascaltepec area Magnificent Hummingbird Eugenes fulgens a male Cerro Burro, a female Lago Cuitzeo and 1 Temascaltepec. 3/13 Lucifer Hummingbird Calothorax lucifer a female Lago Cuitzeo Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris at least 2 Cerro Burro and 1, either this species or Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri Temascaltepec Calliope Hummingbird Archilochus calliope 1 above Laguna Maria Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus really scarce this year, only noted Temascaltepec Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus /sasin 1 above Laguna Maria Bumble-Bee Hummingbird Selasphorus heliosa 1 Temascaltepec area Mountain Trogon Trogon mexicanus 2 seen Temascaltepec area Citreoline Trogon Trogon melanocephalus a female seen in Los Almoles dry forest Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana 1 at Arroyo de Frio & 2 below Colorines. 2/13

30 Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alycon 2 on the coast and 1 Rancho de los Cedros. 2/13 Ringed Kingfisher Ceryle torquata 1 near Boca de Apria Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus scattered throughout. 6/13 Golden-cheeked Woodpecker Centurus chrysogenys scattered in lower areas. 3/13 Golden-fronted Woodpecker Centurus aurifrons Chapala and Tacambaro. 2/13 Ladder-backed Woodpecker Picoides scalaris scattered. 3/13 Arizona Woodpecker Picoides arizoniae 1 Nevado de Colima Grey-crowned Woodpecker Piculus auricularis a pair seen two days at Laguna Maria. 2/13 Smoky-brown Woodpecker Veniliornis fumigatus a total of 3 at Laguna Maria. 2/13 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius scattered. 3/13 Williamson’s Sapsucker Sphyrapicus thyroideus a male at Laguna Maria and a male at Cerro Burro. 2/13 Ivory-billed Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus flavigaster a total of 3 at Laguna Maria. 2/13 White-striped Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes leucogastor 1 at Cerro Burro Greenish Elaenia Mysiopagis viridicata scattered. 3/13 Pileated Flycatcher Xenotriccus mexicanus 1 at Arroyo Frio (IG only) Tufted Flycatcher Mitrephanes phaeocercus widespread. 10/13 Cassin’s Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans widespread. 13/13 Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus only noted on the Colima coast Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis wetlands on the coast, Zapotlán and Chapala. 3/13 Thick-billed Kingbird Tyrannus crassirostris locally frequent in lower areas. 5/13 Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer Laguna Maria. 2/13 Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens scattered throughout. 4/13 Nutting’s Flycatcher Myiarchus nuttingi common at Laguna Maria. 2/13 Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus 1 at Temascaltepec Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus 2 at Arroyo Frio, and 3 Santo Tomas. 2/13 Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis common at Laguna Maria. 4/13 Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus scattered throughout. 4/13 Greater Pewee Contopus pertinax scattered throughout. 6/13 Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans frequent near water. 5/13 Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe Rancho de los Cedros Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus Widespread and common. 11/13 Bright-rumped Attila Attila spadiceus 1 at Laguna Maria (IG only) Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus 2+ Temascaltepec Pine Flycatcher Empidonax affinis widely scattered. 5/13 Many unidentified Empidonax flycatchers Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri widely scattered. 4/13 White-throated Flycatcher Empidonax albigularis 1, almost certainly this species, Laguna Maria Hammond’s Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii widely scattered, especially in the higlands. 5/13 Cordilleran/ Pacific Slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis scattered.24/13 Buff-breasted Flycatcher Empidonax fulvifrons widespread. 7/13 Gray Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii 1 at Tlalpujahua Black-throated Magpie-Jay Calocitta colliei c.10 at Los Almoles dry forest – superb! Grey-breasted Jay Aphelocoma ultramarina Rancho las Margaritas area. 2/13

31 Steller’s Jay Cyanocitta stelleri 1 Sierra Chincua Raven Corvus corax scattered. 5/13 Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor noted Zapotlán Violet-Green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina locally common. 6/13 Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis widespread. 11/13 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica scattered. 6/13 Mexican Chickadee Parus sclateri only seen at the Brokmann Lakes this year! Bridled Titmouse Parus wollweberi a total of 11 seen at Rancho las Margaritas. 2/13 Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus scattered. 4/13 Brown Creeper Certhia americana 1 at Rancho las Margaritas White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis 1 at the Brokmann Lakes Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea 3 Rancho las Margaritas (IG only) Brown-throated Wren Troglodytes brunneicollis 2 El Fuego Bewick’s Wren Thryothorus bewickii scattered. 6/13 Happy Wren Thryothorus felix 4 at Laguna Maria and 1 Arroyo Frio. 3/13 Banded Wren Thryothorus pleurostictus 2 Santo Tomas (IG only) Sinaloa Wren Thryothorus sinaloa several at Laguna Maria and 2 at Tlalpujahua. 2/13 White-bellied Wren Uropsila leucogastra singles twice at Laguna Maria (IG only) Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris 1 at Zaptolan (IG only) Grey-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucophrys 2 on the Mil Cumbres Spotted Wren Campylorhynchus gularis locally common. 7/13 Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula widespread and common. 9/13 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea common. 10/13 Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis widespread and locally common. 8/13 Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana scattered in highlands. 3/13 Brown-backed Solitaire Myadestes occidentalis Locally common. Heard more often than seen. 5(seen)/13 Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Catharus aurantiirostris singles thrice at Laguna Maria and 1 Colorines. 4/13 Swainson’s Thrush Catharus ustulatus singles Laguna Maria, and twice Rancho las Margaritas. 3/13 Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus scattered. 3/13 White-throated Thrush Turdus assimilis locally common. 7/13 Rufous-backed Thrush Turdus rufopalliatus Noted at Tacambaro/Arroyo Frio, Temascaltepec and Santo Tomas. 3/13 American Robin Turdus migratorius locally very common. 6/13 Blue Mockingbird Melanotis caerulescens widespread. 9/13 Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre frequent in centre and east. 6/13 Grey Silky Ptilogonys cinereus local. 3/13 Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus scattered. 3/13 Black-capped Vireo Vireo atricapillus 2 at Laguna Maria Dwarf Vireo Vireo nelsoni singles El Fuego and Arroyo Frio. 2/13 Bell’s Vireo Vireo bellii 1 Tlacotepec Cassin’s Vireo Vireo cassinii 1 Nevado de Colima and 1 Colorines Hutton’s Vireo Vireo huttoni 1 Nevado de Colima Golden Vireo Vireo hypochryseus singles Laguna Maria, El Fuego and Temascaltepec. 3/13

32 Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus widespread. 7/13 Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata widespread. 13/13 Tennessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina 1 Temascaltepec Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla widespread. 9/13 Crescent-chested Warbler Vermivora superciliosa 1 Temascaltepec Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata Widespread and common. 13/13 Black-throated Gray Warbler Dendroica nigrescens Widespread in low numbers. 11/13 Townsend’s Warbler Dendroica townsendi widely scattered in forest. 5/13 Hermit Warbler Dendroica occidentalis scattered. 3/13 Grace’s Warbler Dendroica graciae 1 at Rancho las Margaritas (IG only) Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia 1 near Colima airport Black-and-White Warbler Mniotilita varia scattered throughout. 8/13 MacGillivray’s Warbler Oporornis tolmiei scattered throughout. 5/13 Mourning Warbler Oporornis philadephia scattered singles. 3/13 Wilson’s Warbler Wilsonia pusilla widespread and common. 12/13 Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis scattered. 3/13 Louisiana Waterthrush Seiurus motacilla 1 Brokmann Lakes Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas scattered. 3/13 Gray-crowned Yellowthroat Chamaethlypis poliocephala 1 close to Colima Airport Red-faced Warbler Cardellina rubrifrons stunning! 1 on Nevado de Colima Red Warbler Ergaticus ruber 2 Mil Cumbres & seversl Sierra Chincua. 2/13 Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens Laguna Maria. 2/13 Olive Warbler Peucedramus taeniatus male Tlalpujahua and male and female Temascaltepec. 2/13 Rufous-capped Warbler Basileuterus rufifrons scattered. 4/13 Golden-browed Warbler Basileuterus belli 2 Mil Cumbres Slate-throated Redstart Myioborus miniatus widespread. 8/13 Painted Redstart Myioborus pictus scattered throughout. 4/13 Blue-hooded Euphonia Euphonia elegantissima c.8 El Fuego Hepatic Tanager Piranga flava scattered. 4/13 Summer Tanager Piranga ruber a male Tlalpujahua (IG only) Flame-coloured Tanager Piranga bidentata 4 at Laguna Maria and a male Temascaltepec. 2/13 Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana males on Nevado de Colima and Brokmann Lakes. 2/13 Yellow Grosbeak Pheucticus chrysopeplus 1 Laguna Maria Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocepahlus widespread. 10/13 Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus an immature Temascaltepec Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea scattered. 5/13 Grayish Saltator Saltator coerulescens 2 near Colima Airport Orange-breasted Bunting Passerina leclancherii c.10 in and near Santo Tomas Painted Bunting Passerina ciris a few including a stunning male at Laguna Maria and also noted Tacambaro. 3/13 Varied Bunting Passerina versicolor daily at Laguna Maria, scattered elsewhere. 6/13 Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea scattered. 7/13 Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena 2 at Laguna Maria and a fantastic male at Temascaltepec. 2/13 Rufous-capped Brushfinch Atlapetes pileatus 1 Mil Cumbres (IG only)

33 Green-striped Brushfinch Atlapetes virenticeps 1 El Fuego (IG only) Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow Melozone kieneri two days at Laguna Maria and also at Patzcuaro. 3/13 White-collared Seedeater Sporophila torqueola local in Colima area. 2/13 Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina scattered at lower altitudes. 3/13 Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer Diglossa baritula 1 El Fuego and 1 Cerro Burro. 2/13 Rufous-sided Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus scattered. 4/13 Canyon Towhee Pipilo fuscus locally frequent. 7/13 Black-chested Sparrow Aimophila humeralis 6+ at Santo Tomas Stripe-headed Sparrow Aimophila ruficauda locally common at Laguna Maria. 4/13 Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps 1 Colorines and 3 at University Botanic Garden DF. 2/13 Rusty Sparrow Aimophila rufescens 1 Colorines Striped Sparrow Oriturus superciliosus scattered in the highlands. 3/13 Vesper Sparrow Pooectes gramineus 2 Zapotlán and noted Lago Cuitzeo. 2/13 Sierra Madre Sparrow Ammodramus baileyi interesting record of two of these at 11,000 feet in the Sierra Chincua Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia 2 at Brokmann Lakes and 2 at Rnacho de los Cedros – the strange heavily marked highland form. 2/13 Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii widespread. 9/13 Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus 2 near Zapotlán Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina widespread and common. 13/13 Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida scattered. 7/13 Brewer’s Sparrow Spizella breweri 1 Temascaltepec Yellow-eyed Junco Junco phaeonotus widespread from Morelia east. 6/13 White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys 1 noted Mil Cumbres (PH & PH only) Meadowlark spp Sturnella spp noted Sayula area and Rancho de los Cedros area. 2/13 Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocepahlus xanthocephalus locally abundant at wetlands. 4/13 Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus local at wetlands, common Zapotlán. 3/13 Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater local but some sizeable flocks. 5/13 Bronzed Cowbird Molothrus aeneus only noted at Zapotlán where common Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus widespread. 9/13 Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius 3 Chapala area Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus widespread. 10/13 Black-vented Oriole Icterus wagleri 1 Tacambaro Audubon’s Oriole Icterus graduacauda 2 males Temascaltepec Streak-backed Oriole Icterus pustulatus noted Arroyo Frio and 4+ in Santo Tomas area. 2/13 Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullocki scattered. 4/13 Scott’s Oriole Icterus parisorum scattered. 4/13 Abeille’s Oriole Icturus abeillei a male at Brokmann Lakes Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula scattered. 3/13 Yellow-winged Cacique Cacicus melanicterus several Colima region and also noted at Tacambaro. 3/13 House Sparrow Passer domesticus by habitation. 9/13 Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostris 10+ Rancho las Margaritas (IG only) Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus scattered, highlands. 2/13

34 Black-headed Siskin Carduelis notata Temascaltepec and Rancho las Margaritas. 2/13 Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria widespread. 8/13 Hooded Grosbeak Cocothraustes abeillei 4 Temascaltepec House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus widespread. 9/13

35 Systematic List Number 4 Butterflies

Nomenclature and taxonomic order taken from Butterflies of Mexico and Central America (Glassberg 2007). Many thanks to Nigel Sawyer who found and/or photographed many of the species listed. The number of days a species was seen is indicated as 5/13 – so five days out of the 13 in the field (arrival day(s!) and landing day at either end not included).

Papilionidae Polydamus Swallowtail Batus polydamus Arroyo Frio, Colorines Waterfall & Santo Tomas Variable Cattleheart Parides erithalion at least one at Colorines Waterfall Pink-spotted Cattleheart Parides photinus several at Arroyo Frio Magnificent Swallowtail Papilio garamus 1 in the Mil Cumbre Two-tailed Swallowtail Papilio multicaudatus scattered. 4/13

Pieridae Surprising White Pereute charops only record was a dead one near Laguna Maria! Mexican Dartwhite Catasticta nimbice Nevado de Colima and Mil Cumbres. 2/13 Golden-banded Dartwhite Catasticta teutila several at Brokmann Lakes and 1 at Tlalpujahua. 2/13 Pallid Tilewhite Hesperocharis costaricensis Mil Cumbres and Colorines Painted White Pieriballia viardi Colorines & Temascaltepec Great Southern White Ascia monuste noted Temascaltepec Checkered White Pontia protodice 1 Chapala Giant White Ganyra josephina scattered. 3/13 Common Greeneyed-White Leptophobia aripa 1 Chapala Lyside Sulphur Kricogonia lyside scattered. 3/13 White Angled-Sulpur Anteos clorinde widely scattered. 5/13 Yellow-angled Sulphur Anteos maerula scattered. 3/13 Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae widespread. 6/13 Tailed Sulphur Phoebis neocypris scattered. 4/13 Orange-barred Sulphur Phoebis philea El Fuego & Mil Cumbres Apricot Sulphur Phoebis argante scattered. 3/13 Statira Sulphur Phoebis statira Temascaltepec Barred Yellow Eurema daira close by Colima Airport Mimosa Yellow Eurema nise Laguna Maria Salome Yellow Eurema salome scattered. 3/13 Sleepy Orange Eurema nicippe widely scattered. 4/13 Tailed Orange Eurema proterpia scattered. 3/13 Mexican Yellow Eurema mexicana widespread. 6/13 Boisduval’s Yellow Eurema boisduvaliana Colorines Dainty Sulphur Nathalis iole common around Laguna Maria. 4/13 De la Maza’s Mimic-White Enantia mazai El Fuego Jethys Mimic-White Enantia jethys Temascaltepec

Lycaenidae Sky-blue Greatstreak Pseudolycaena damo Arroyo Frio Mexican Elf-Streak Laothrus erybathis single on Nevado de Colima

36 Creamy Stripe-Streak Arawacus jada widely scattered. 4/13 Zebra Cross-streak Panthiades bathild Los Almoles dry forest and Santo Tomas Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus ?probably this species at the swift lookout above Temascaltepec Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak Strymon istapa Laguna Maria (Nigel) Burnt-chocolate Hairstreak Theclopsis mycon Santo Tomas Xami Hairstreak Callophrys xami common in the University Botanical Garden, D.F. Also another Callophrys seen Cerro Burro Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus Scattered. 3/13 Reakirt’s Blue Hemiargus isola Scattered. 3/13 Cyna Blue Zizula cyna Colorines & Temascaltepec Spring Azure Celastrina ladon widely scattered. 4/13 Marine Blue Leptotes marina scattered. 3/13 Cassius Blue Leptotes cassius Arroyo Frio Eastern Tailed Blue Everes comyntas widely scattered. 6/13 Acmon Blue Plebejus acmon Rancho de los Cedros

Riodinidae White-rayed Pixie Melanis cephise noted at Colorines and Santo Tomas Red-brodered Pixie Melanis pixe 1 near Santo Tomas (IG only) Square-spotted Metalmark Baeotis zonata 2 at Arroyo Frio & at least one 1 Colorines Falcate Metalmark Emesis tenedia scattered. 2/13 Fatal Metalmark Calephelis nemesis east of Chapala Rounded Metalmark Calephelis perditalis near Santo Tomas (Nigel) Scintillant sp Calephelis sp noted Colorines and elsewhere Sharp Tanmark Emesis fatimella near Santo Tomas (Nigel) Bow-winged Tanmark Emesis tegula El Fuego Checkered Tanmark Emesis poeas 1 east of Chapala Walker’s Metalmark Apodemia walkeri 1 Arroyo Frio – looks like a fritillary

Nymphalidae Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae 1 at University Botanic Garden DF Mexican Fritillary Dione moneta noted at Arroyo Frio Mexican Silverspot Dione moneta scattered. 3/13 Least Heliconian Euiedes alpihera several at Colorines Isabella Heliconian Euiedes isabella at least two at Colorines Julia Heliconian Dryas iulia 1 at Laguna Maria, probably elsewhere Zebra Heliconian Heliconius charithonia scattered throughout. 5/13 Orange-patch Crescent Phyciodes drusilla Laguna Maria and Mil Cumbres. 3/13 Texan Crescent Phyciodes texana scattered. 2/13 Ardent Crescent Phyciodes ardys scattered throughout. 5/13 Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta scattered. 3/13 Mexican Crescent Phyciodes pallescens Chapala area and Santo Tomas Black Crescent Phyciodes ptolyca Laguna Maria and Temascaltepec Common Buckeye Junonia coenia scattered throughout. 5/13 West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella 1 Brokmann Lakes Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa our Camberwell Beauty. Scattered. 3/13 Banded Peacock Anartia fatima scattered. 3/13 White Peacock Anartia jatrophae 1 Arroyo Frio

37 Malachite Siproeta stelenes 3+ Arroyo Frio & everal Colorines Leading Red-ring Pyrrhogyra neaerea 1 at Arroyo Frio Blomfild’s Beauty Smyrna blomfildia 1 at Arroyo Frio Karwinski’s Beauty Smyrna karwinskii 2 at Arroyo Frio Banded Mapwing Hypanartia dione 1 Laguna Maria Ruddy Daggerwing Marpesia petreus 10+ at Arroyo Frio & noted Colorines Bluewing sp Myscelia sp Los Armoles dry forest Red Cracker Hamadryas laodamia a female at Arroyo Frio. Another, or possibly the same, cracker species, noted at Los Armoles dry forest White Morpho Morpho polyphemos 3+ at Arroyo Frio and several in the Santo Tomas area. 2/13 Orange-spotted Prepona Prepona deiphele Arroyo Frio Orange Owlet Opsiphanes boisduvalii Arroyo Frio Tropical Leafwing Anaea aidea 3+ Nevado de Colima Split-banded Owlet Opsiphanes cassina Uruapan Pine Satyr Paramacera allyni 1 Tlalpujahua Mexican Ur-Satyr Taygetis weymeri Los Armoles dry forest Big-eyed Gemmed-Satyr Cyllopsis suivalenoides Los Armoles dry forest Stormy Satyr Cissia similis Santo Tomas Falcate Satyr Pindis squamistriga Mil Cumbres (Nigel) Queen Danaus gilippus scattered. 3/13. A Monarch mimic Monarch Danaus plexippus Quite a few MILLION! Cloud-Forest Monarch Anetia thirza 1 Nevado de Colima was a good record

Hesperidae Zilpa Longtail Chioides zilpa Los Amoles dry forest, Lago Cuitzeo & Colorines – amazingly leaflike in repose White-striped Longtail Chioides catillus widely scattered. 3/13 Gilbert’s Flasher Astraptes gilberti Santo Tomas – wow! Two-barred Flasher Astraptes fulgerator 1 at Colorines (IG only) Chisos Banded-Skipper Autochton cincta Nevado de Colima Mottled Longtail Typhedanus undulatus 1 near Chapala Brown Longtail Urbanus procne Arroyo Frio & Colorines Plain Longtail Urbanus simplicius Chapala area Teleus Longtail Urbanus teleus Santo Tomas Esmeralda Longtail Urbanus esmaraldus Arroyo Frio Turquoise Longtail Urbanus evona Arroyo Frio Jalapas Cloudywing Achalarus jalapus Santo Tomas Mimosa Skipper Cogia calchas ?probably this species, Arroyo Frio Acacia Skipper Cogia hippalus Colorines Purplish-black Skipper Nisoniades rubescens Colorines Rounded Bolla Bolla imbras Mil Cumbres (Nigel) White-patched Skipper Chiomara asychis 2 Colorines area Texas Powdered Skipper Systacea pulverulenta Los Almoles dry forest Common Checkered Skipper Pyrgus communis scattered. 3/13 Tropical Checkered Skipper Pyrgus oileus Laguna Maria & Colorines area Laviana White-Skipper Heliopetes laviana Chapala area Turk’s-cap White-Skipper Heliopetes macaira scattered Erichson’s White-Skipper Heliopetes domicilla Arroyo Frio Juvenal’s Duskywing Erynnis juvenalis scattered throughout. 4/13

38 Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis Colorines Tropical Least Skipper Ancyloxypha arene scattered Southern Skipperling Copaeodes minimus Arroyo Frio and Santo Tomas Pale-rayed Skipper Vidius perigenes Arroyo Frio ‘Bold’ Faceted Skipper Synapte syraces Santo Tomas Violet-patched Skipper Monca tyrtaeus Colorines Fantastic Skipper Vettius fantasos Arroyo Frio (IG only) Whirlabout Polites vibex near Santo Tomas (Nigel) Clouded Skipper Lerema accius Colorines Sachem Atalopedes campestris Santo Tomas Common Glassywing Pompeius pompeius Colorines, Santo Tomas & Arroyo Frio

39 Selected List Flowers

Identification, nomenclature and taxonomy are taken from a variety of sources. We are still sratching at the surface – the flora is very diverse! Species in square brackets were not recorded this year. Species not seen in 2011 have [square brackets].

Pteridophyta Adiantum andicola widespread in higher forests [Adiantum braunii Mil Cumbres] Adiantum poiretti Arroyo Frio Adiantum princeps delicate species. Laguna Maria and Tacambaro Adiantum trapeziforme very large species. Arroyo Frio Asplenium monanthes Common small fern in the higher forests Asplenium polyphyllum Sierra Chincua [Asplenium resille Cerro Burro] Asplenium soleirolioides very tiny pinnate fern! El Fuego Athyrium bourgaei Laguna Maria area Athyrium skinaeri Laguna Maria Blechnum occidentale Laguna Maria Cheilanthes bonariensis neatly twice-pinnatifid fern with long fronds to 30cm, common in all habitats, esp semi-dry oak woodlands. Throughout, mostly dried up! [Cheilanthes chaerophylla above Angangueo] Cheilanthes farinosa Tlacotepec & Tlalpujahua Cheilanthes incana Tlacotepec & Tlalpujahua [Cheilanthes kaulfussii scattered throughout] Cheilanthes lendigera Sierra Chincua [Cheilanthes membranacea ? Brokmman Lakes] [Cystopteris fragilis above Angangueo, also Rancho de los Cedros and Colorines area] Dennstaedtia distenta Uruapan Diplazium lonchophyllum shiny, twin-sorri fern. Uruapan [Dryopteris maxonii El Fuego] Elaphoglossum muelleri large entire fronds. Tlacotepec [Gleichenia bifida branched fern. Tacambaro] Pellaea cordifolia pretty tri-pinnate maidenhair with rhomboid leaflets. Tlacotepec & Rancho de los Cedros Peltapteris sp Cerro Burro. Doesn’t seem to be one of the four recorded from the area?! [Pleopeltis angustata Laguna Maria] Pleopeltis mexicana roadsides between Angangueo and El Rosario. Also Piedra Herredia. 2010 – noted Rancho de los Cedros [Pleopeltis polylepis widespread] Plecosorus speciosissimus very scaly fern! Cerro Burro [Polypodium furfuraceum Paricutín] Polypodium madrense widespread [Polypodium polypodioides Uruapan] Polystichum distans above Angangueo. Also Piedra Herredia. 2010 noted Temascaltepec Pteridium caudatum Uruapan. Also Paricutín. 2010 Rancho de los Cedros Pteridum feei Uruapan. Also Valle de Bravo area Pteris erosa Temascaltepec Thelypteris albicaulis Chapala area [Thelypteris pilosa El Rosario] Woodwardia spinulosa Mil Cumbres. 2010 in Sierra Chincua

40 Selaginaceae Selaginella delicatissima scattered

Cupressaceae Cupressus lusitanica Brokmann Lakes area Juniperus deppeana Tlalpujahua & Mil Cumbres Juniperus monticola common in glades at higher levels

Pinaceae Abies religiosa Oyamel. Locally dominant ‘fir’ at higher levels in all areas Pinus ayacahuite Pátzcuaro area Pinus hartwegii Volcan Nevado de Colima & El Rosario. Also Sierra Chincua Pinus montezumae scattered at higher altitudes Pinus oocarpa common in Valle de Bravo, e.g. above Temascaltepec Pinus pseudostrobus Mil Cumbres. Paricutín

Acanthaceae Justica caudata blue blepharis-like plant. Santo Tomas & Colorines

Amaranthaceae Iresina diffusa common herb with wands of pale flowers, rather like a meadow-rue crossed with an Astilbe!

Anacardiaceae Mangifera indica Plantations of. Lower areas. [Spondia purpurea Red Mombin. Pistachia-like pinnate pointed leaves. Fleshy red/pink flowers. Temascaltepec]

Apiaceae Arracacia atropurpurea dark angelica-like species in bud. Cerro Burro Eryngium alternatum Cerro Burro [Eryngium bonplandii tiny bracts! Temascaltepec] Eryngium carlinae ? Temascaltepec [Eryngium subacaule Piedra Herredia] Hydrocotyle umbellata Highlands – damp areas

Apocynaceae Vinca major Periwinkle. Scattered

Arialaceae Oreopanax peltatum looks like a papaya! Roadsides, widespread Oreopanax xalapensis Lago Cuitzeo, Tlalpujahua and Rancho de los Cedros

Aristolochiaceae Aristolochia spp near the waterfall at Colorines. Also Arroyo Frio where a fine long- lipped species with dark blotch at the tip. Also near Colima. Three species noted

Asclepiadaceae Asclepias currassavica orange and yellow milkweed. Widespread Asclepias mexicana white-pink umbels. Lago Cuitzeo and Brokmann Lakes [Sarcostemma cynanchoides? climbing milkweed with balls of creamy flowers. Temascaltepec]

41 Asteraceae Acourtia turbinate pink flowers somewhere between knapweed and Catananche. Tlacotepec Baccharis conferta widespread in pine-oak forest Bellis perennis scattered Bidens ostruthioides El Rosario. Also Cerro Burro [Bidens triplinervia scattered] Cirsium anartiolepis pine/oak woodlands on El Fuego. All these Cirsiums are much more spectacular than most European species Cirsium ehrenbergii a large thistle in the Sierra Chincua area. Not sure what the similar species was on Nevado de Colima Cirisum subcoriaceum widespread in highlands Cirsium tolucanum yellow flowered species on Cerro Burro Coreopsis petrophiloides largish yellow daisy with odd tri-partite leaves. Highlands Cosmos bipinnatus scattered. Pink flowers. Dahlia sorensenii in seed. Tall many-headed species. Scattered in the highlands [Dyssodia squamosa orange daisy. Laguna Maria] [Dyssodia tagetifolia orange daisy. Common around Laguna Maria, also Lago Cuitzeo] Gnaphaliothamnus salicifolius cudweed. Highlands [Melampodium divaricatum Temascaltepec. Yellow ragwort-flowered shrub] Montanoa andersonii a tree-daisy. Sierra Chincua Montanoa bipinnatifida a tree-daisy. Abundant alongside roads especially Nevado de Colima, tall, with large variously-shaped leaves, in seed at this season Montanoa leucantha a tree-daisy. Common El Fuego and Nevado de Colima Montanoa tomentosa a tree-daisy. Smaller-flowered umbels than other species. Nevado de Colima Packera sanguisorbae yellow groundsel with pinnate toothed leaves. Sierra Chuncua & Cerro Burro [Psilactis asteroidis like a tallish Bellis perennis. Temascaltepec] Roldana angulifolia large groundsel with distinctive pentagonal leaves. Widespread in Mountains Roldana barba-johannnis widespread in Mountains [Roldana lineolata Sierra Chincua and elsewhere in the highlands] Rumfordia floribunda large tree-daisy with umbels of yellow flowers. Nevado de Colima [Senecio albonervia Laguna Verde] Senecio callosus scattered in the highlands – a purple species [Senecio cinerophylla Laguna Verde] Senecio salignus along shores of Chapala, Lago Cuitzeo etc Senecio stoechachiformis Nevado de Colima – small, very long narrow white-hair leaves Senecio toluccanus oval toothedsucculent leaves, stems 30cm high. Sierra Chincua & Cerro # Burro Sonchus asper Prickly Sow-thistle. Arroyo Frio Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sowthistle. Scattered throughout [Stevia elatior Laguna Verde] [Stevia latifolia Rancho de los Cedros] Stevia monardifolia widespread Tagetes lucida another yellow daisy with shiny pinnate leaves Taraxacum officinale roadsides Tithonia rotundifolia large bright orange-flowered daisy with swollen top to stem. Abive Laguna Maria [Verbesina oncophora common at Piedra Herredia]

42 [Verbesina virgata narrow leaves. Piedra Herredia] [Vigiuera sessiliflora Mil Cumbre]

Balsamaceae Impatiens wallerana highlands generally

Begoniaceae [Begonia gracilis Piedra Herredia where just a few in flower]

Betulaceae Alnus acuminata Laguna Verde. Tlalpujahua Alnus jorullensis scattered

Bignoniaceae Campsis radicans orange trumpets, climber. Uruapan – by the park entrance Jacaranda acutifolia widespread, some in flower, especially around Tacambaro Spathodea campanulata scattered. Large orange-red flowers – e.g. Uruapan Tabebuia donell-smithii stunning yellow-flowered tree. Canyon sides near Queseria and Colima Tabebuia palmeri a pink flowered species around Colima and Los Almoles dry forest Tecoma stans widespread yellow flowered small tree

Bombacaceae Bombax palmeri Silk Cotton Tree. Common in dry thorn forest e.g. Santo Tomas area Ceiba pentandra Silk Cotton Tree. Scattered, fields, roadsides, lower altitudes Pseudobombax ellipticum Shaving Brush Tree. Leafless with sprays of pink flowers. Laguna Maria & Santo Tomas. Also Lago Cuitzeo

Brassicaceae [Brassica rapa widespread] Cardamine flaccida small bittercress in the highlands [Descurainia impatiens Zapotlán] Eruca sativa roadsides

Buddlejaceae Buddleia cordata large elliptic leaves. Higher forests – sometimes quite a large tree Buddleia sesseliflora locally common in forests

Burseraceae Bursera sp reddish-barked elephant-trees (more than one species?) at mid levels

Cactaceae Pachycereus grandis tall cardon cactus in dry thorn forests throughout. Another Pachycereus species seen Santo Tomas area Lemaireocereus doumorteri possibly this species Los Amoles dry forest Mammillaria sp Santo Tomas area, also same or another, Los Amoles dry forest Rhipsalis baccifera epiphytic species common at mid-levels throughout

Campanulaceae Lobelia laxiflora widespread [Lobelia irasuensis Laguna Verde margins!] [Lobelia nana small blue species around Angangueo etc. Also Pátzcuaro] [Lobelia plebeia small white species around Angangueo. Another white species in Temascaltepec]

43 Caprifoliaceae [Sambucus nigra roadsides] Symphoricarpos microphyllus plant in leaf locally in the highlands

Caryophyllaceae Stellaria cuspidatum scattered

Celastraceae Celastrus pringlei laurel-like toothed leaves. Sierra Chincua

Cistaceae Helianthemum glomeratum above Angangueo. Also Brokmann Lakes

Clethraceae Clethra hartweggi Mil Cumbre and Colorines Clethra mexicana highlands generally Clethra sp another species seen at Laguna Maria was in flower

Cochlospermaceae Cochlospermum vitifolium Buttercup Tree. Beautiful open yellow flowered small tree. Canyon sides near Queseria and Los Amoles dry forest

Combretaceae Combretum farinosum fine wands of vibrant orange flowers mostly made up of stamens, green when old. Los Amoles dry forest

Convolvulaceae Cuscuta corymbosa scattered in El Fuego and Nevado de Colima area, also Temascaltepec Dichandra sericea pretty cordate leaves forming a mat. Laguna Maria, El Fuego, Sierra Chincua Ipomoea arborescens Morning Glory Tree. Dry forests generally – Lago Cuitzeo etc Ipomoea murucoides White-flowered tree species in Colorines & Temascaltepec areas, also Los Amoles dry forest Ipomoea purpurea widespread Ipomoea quamclit tiny brilliant orange trumpets. El Fuego

Crassulaceae [Altamiranoa mexicana Tacambaro] Echeveria mucronata orange flowers. Cliffs in Mil Cumbres – mostly over this year Echeveria secunda bright orange flowers and glaucous compact rosettes. Rancho de los Cedros, none in flower this year [Echeveria sp on trees at Laguna Verde] [Sedum minimum Sierra Chincua on rocky outcrops]

Ericaceae Arbutus tesselata Tlacotepec and Colorines etc Arbutus xalapensis widespread Arctostaphylos pungens Tlacotepec where dominant in the understory Comarostaphylis longifolia Cero Burro Comarostaphylis rupestris Cero Burro and Tlacotepec. Var discolor also present on Cerro Burro

Euphorbiaceae [Euphorbia furcillata Sierra Chincua]

44 [Euphorbia peplus scattered] Ricinus communis Castor Oil Plant. Roadside weed

Fabaceae Bauhinia variegata widely planted Calliandra grandiflora pink powerpuffs at Laguna Maria Dalea bicolor Purple flowered vetch. Laguna Verde. Cerro Burro and Mil Cumbres, Nevado de Colima [Desmodium aparines Trifoliate leaves. Laguna Verde] Enterolobium cyclocarpum Elephant’s Ear Tree. Laguna Maria – by the main building! Erythrinia spp at least one species of these beautiful trees in flower at various localities Indogifera sp El Fuego [Inga spuria white sprays] Lupinus elegans Sierra Chincua Lupinus montanus scattered in higher areas. Probably at least two other Lupinus species present but could not work them out! [Phaseolus lunatus trifoliate leaves, orange flowers, large pods. El Fuego] Vicia americana scattered throughout

Fagaceae Quercus candicans Nevado de Colima. Large white oak type leaves with bristle tips Quercus castanea El Fuego, Mil Cumbres etc. Elliptic toothed leaves Quercus crassifolia Nevado de Colima & Tlacotepec where very common. Large obovate leaves toothed in distal third Quercus crassipes Volcans Fuego & Nevado de Colima. Narrow elliptic leaves Quercus laeta Tlacotepec. Smallish obovate leaves Quercus laurina scattered. Glossy small leaves Quercus magnoliifolia Volcans Fuego & Nevado de Colima. Also Cerro Burro & Mil Cumbres. Very large obovate leaves Quercus obtusata Nevado de Colima. Smallish rather typical oak leaves Quercus rugosa widespread. Very rough hard leaves

Gentianaceae Gentiana spathacea above Angangueo. Lots at Tlacotepec, but in seed [Halenia brevicornis in seed above Angangueo] [Halenia plantaginea in seed above Angangueo]

Geraniaceae Erodium cicutarium Cerro Burro! Geranium deltoideum Nevado de Colima. Cerro Burro [Geranium hernandezii El Fuego] Geranium latum Sierra Chincua. Cerro Burro Geranium lilacinum scattered in higher areas Geranium seemannii Sierra Chincua & El Fuego

Grossulariaceae Ribes affine Scattered in highlands – was this the beautiful flowering currant at Rancho de los Cedros? [Ribes pringlei Volcan Nevado de Colima. Probably also Colorines]

Guttiferae [Hypericum silenoides Temascaltepec]

45 Lamiaceae Leonotis nepetifolia widespread orange-flowered Leonotis – weed of fields, road edge etc. [Salvia cinnabarina small tubular reddish flowers. Volcan de Colima] Salvia curviflora fine medium sized pink species. Cerro Burro, Mil Cumbres & Temascaltepec Salvia elegans red flowers – small and narrow. Widespread in highlands Salvia fulgens large red flowers and wide leaves. Common in the Mil Cumbres and noted Sierra Chincua Salvia gesnerifolia another large orange- red flowered species – huge in fact! Widespread in the highlands Salvia gracilis pink-purple species with white marks on flower. Highlands [Salvia iodantha pink-purple flowers in clusters, velvety flowers with stamens long extruded. Volcan Fuego and Temascaltepec] Salvia lavanduloides blue with purple calyces – highlands where widespread Salvia longispicata small dark-blue flowered species. El Fuego & Nevado de Colima Salvia longistyla narrow peachy-red flowers. Temascaltepec Salvia mexicana purple-blue. Scattered – only Temascaltepec in 2011 Salvia polystacha shrubby weedy species along roadsides with blue & white flowers [Salvia regla large orange-red flowers, inflated calyx, semi-shrubby. Temascaltepec and Colorines area] Salvia santanae possibly this species. Small pale blue flowers. Nevado de Colima [Salvia stricta widespread in highlands] Satureja macrostema orange flowers. Mil Cumbres. Also Cerro Burro Stachys coccinea orange-red. Widespread Stachys sanchezii ? More distinctly red than previous species but unsure about identity. Laguna Maria

Lentibulaceae Pinguicula moranensis var moranensis . Not in flower. Nice rosettes near Temascaltepec

Loranthaceae Cladoclea diversifolia On trees north of and in the Valle de Bravo Psittacanthus calyculatus the large yellow/orange flowered parasite weighing the trees down between Angangueo and Valle de Bravo Psittacanthus mayanus Laguna Maria Psittacanthus ramosus Santo Tomas area. In 2011 at Laguna Maria [Psittacanthus sieheanus probably this species near Colorines]

Lythraceae Cuphea aequipetala purple flowers. Rather weedy. Scattered throughout Cuphea bustemata ? orange and yellow with pink stamens and purple 'ears'. Mil Cumbres Cuphea jorullensis small red and yellow flowers in wet spots in the Mil Cumbre Heimia salicifolia yellow flowers in a spike. Pátzcuaro and Arroyo Frio

Malphigiaceae Galphimia glauca beautiful spires of yellow flowers. Above Laguna Maria and also Temascaltepec Galphimia sp another sp Mil Cumbre

Malvaceae Anoda cristata pink flowers, typical-looking mallow. Temascaltepec [Sidalcea sp Tacambaro]

46 Melastomataceae Monochaetum calcaratum Deep bright pink flowers on small shrubs. Cliffs and wet banks. Temascaltepec & Mil Cumbre Tibouchina scabriuscula Paler pink and smaller flowers than previous species. Temascaltepec [Tibouchina sp Temascaltepec]

Moraceae Ficus petiolaris Colorines and Ciudad Guzman. A variety of species at Laguna Maria

Nyctaginaceae [Mirabilis jalapa Long-stalked convolvulus like pink (or yellow) flowers. Laguna Maria]

Oleaceae Fraxinus utidei common large ash in the Laguna Maria area

Onagraceae [Fuschia arborescens Nevado de Colima] [Fuschia cylindracea ?probably this species. Nevado de Colima] [Fuschia microphylla in leaf in the Sierra Chincua. In flower Piedra Herredia] Lopezia racemosa Pink ‘butterfly’ flowers. Divided upper petal. Scattered throughout [Lopezia tricota Temascaltepec] Oenothora deserticola and Oenothora rosea . I am not sure how to tell these two pink-flowered evening primroses apart. One or the other seen at Nevado de Colima and Cerro Burro

Orobanchaceae Conopholis alpina Parasitic species in flower under trees a usual picnic spot past the highest village on the Temascaltepec loop. Dead spikes abundant at Tlacotepec

Oxalidaceae Oxalis corniculata scattered throughout

Papaveraceae Argemone ochroleuca Mexican Prickly Poppy. Scattered along roadsides etc. Bocconia frutescens locally dominant. Leaves a little like a red oak

Phytolaccaceae Phytolacca icosandra common along roadsides. Possibly another Phytolacca species on El Fuego

Piperaceae Peperomia galioides epiphyte. Widely scattered

Plantaginaceae Plantago australis scattered Plantago major Uruapan etc.

Plumbaginaeae Plumbago pulchella pink flowers. Lago Cuitzeo and Temascaltepec Plumbago scandens white flowered. Santo Tomas and Rancho de los Cedros

47 Polemoniaceae Cobaea scandens Climber. Large purple trumpet flowers, sometimes white. Angangueo and Temascaltepec. Also Chapala area [Loeselia amplectens ? El Fuego and Laguna Maria] Loeselia mexicana Small red trumpet flowers – hummingbirds love them. Woody shrub with wands of dark green leaves and red flowers. Scattered throughout

Polygalaceae Monnina ciliolata A shrub with pretty little milkwort flowers. Highlands Polygala sp pretty little white and green flowers. Los Amoles dry forest

Polygonaceae [Polygonum lapathifolium roadsides] [Rumex acetosella scattered] [Rumex crispus scattered]

Primulaceae Anagallis arvensis roadsides

Ranunculuceae Clematis dioica widespread – in seed [Ranunculus sp Pátzcuaro] Thalictrum pubigerum Rancho de los Cedros etc – leaf only

Resedaceae Reseda lutea roadsides

Rosaceae Acaena elongata Leaves like an Agrimonia and spikes probably similar but with distinctive spiny oval fruits. Widespread at high levels [Alchemilla pringlei tracks in the highlands – probably this species?] Crataegus mexicanus Cerro Burro & Tlalpujahua area Prunus serotina a cherry. Valle de Bravo area

Rubiaceae Bouvardia obovata Temascaltepec. Mille Cumbre in 2011 [Bouvardia ternifolia striking upright herb with heads of bright red tubular flowers. Temascaltepec] Coffea arabica Coffee. crops here and there, e.g. at Laguna Maria

Salicaceae Salix paradoxa Highlands

Saxifragaceae [Heuchera orizabensis El Chincua & above Angangueo]

Scrophulariaceae Calceolaria mexicana Small yellow flowers. Streams above Don Bruno, above Angangueo. Mil Cumbres & Temascaltepec in 2011 Castilleja arvensis widespread Castilleja lithospermoides road cuttings above Angangueo and Mil Cumbres. Sierra Chincua Castilleja tenuiflora scattered throughout [Lamourouxia xalapensis orange tubular flowers and toothed leaves. Piedra Herredia]

48 Mimulus glabratus wet cliffs – e.g. Mil Cumbres [Penstemon campanulatus blue-mauve flowers. Sierra Chincua] [Penstemon roseus deep burgundy flowers. Highlands] [Veronica arvensis scattered] [Veronica persica Pátzcuaro]

Solanaceae Cestrum thrysoideum Laguna Maria. Valle de Bravo. Nevado de Colima Nicotinia glauca roadsides Physalis coztomatl Cerro Burro [Physalis orizabae Mil Cumbres] Solandra guttata aka as Solandra maxima and probably others! Various lowland areas Solanum cervantesii quite common in the highlands [Solanum diversifolium scattered] Solanum hirsutum common in the Laguna Maria and Cuidad Guzman area [Solanum jasminoides Potato-Vine. Pátzcuaro area] [Solanum nigrum ?probably this species scattered throughout] Wigandia urens tall herb with purple flowers like a Solanum . Roadsides, esp Laguna Maria area

Sterculariaceae Guazuma ulmifolia Small tree with pinnate leaves and strange short-prickled fruits. Arroyo Frio & Colorines

Styracaceae [Styrax argenteus common in understory at El Rosario etc]

Utrichulariaceae [Utricularia gibba common in Laguna Verde]

Verbenaceae Lantana camara scrambling often spiny shrub with opposite ovate leaves and parti- coloured red-orange heads giving way to fleshy purple fruit Lantana hispida pink-purple flowered. Chapala Verbena recta Laguna Maria. Several other Verbena species seen

Violaceae [Viola grahami striking violet with white purple-lined flowers. Temascaltepec]

Viscaceae [Arceuthobium abietis-religiosae noted on the Oyamel trees at El Rosario etc. Noted on pines in 2009 and so not sure whether this is the same or a different species? 2010 at Sierra Chincua] Phoradendron schummanii mistletoe-like bright green plants noted at Laguna Verdes. 2011 at Brokmann Lakes

49 Monocotyledons

Agavaceae Agave tequilana source of tequila. Extensive crops spreading in Cuidad Guzman area Furcraea bedinghausii Scattered in the highlands esp Mil Cumbres. Also Temascaltepec

Amaryllidaceae Crinum erubescens Playa Mezcala

Anthericaceae Echeandia mexicana yellow ‘lily’. Temascaltepec

Bromeliaceae Hechtia podonantha terrestrial species on high cliffs between Valle de Bravo and Temascaltepec Pitcairnia heterophylla almost orchid-like inflorescence of white or slightly pink flowers with leaves died back, looking rather like some kind of parasite. Laguna Maria area where quite common [Tillandsia balbisiana Santo Tomas area, fallen from roadside trees] Tillandsia bourgaei densely lepidote bracts and sepals. Tlacotepec Tillandsia calophrysus scattered in the Valle de Bravo area Tillandsia caput-medusae twisted vases made by leaves. Common in the Colorines area Tillandsia dugesii long flower spikes, each highly flattened, red and green. Colorines Tillandsia fasciculata medium to large bromeliad with narrow branched inflorescence that has orange (to red) bases and yellow tips. Foliage very narrow and glaucous. Lago Cuitzeo (on Opuntias as well as trees!) and Temascaltepec Tillandsia erubescens smallish bromeliad with very glaucous foliage tightly packed into a vase shape with an unbranches inflorescence spike with red-orange bracts and yellow or purple flowers. Scattered, e.g. Rancho de los Cedros Tillandsia imperialis huge squat bromeliad. Common on large trees around Laguna Maria and on El Fuego, also Santo Tomas Tillandsia ionantha Simply stunning. Just 8cm high or so, in little colonies on the narrow branches of small trees at Santo Tomas. The basal leaves are mealy grey- green, the upper leaves a brilliant clear red and the flowers a pure purple! Only in bud in 2011! Tillandsia juncea delicate tufted bromeliad with long very thin leaves. Common in Laguna Maria area Tillandsia prodigiosa large branched bromeliad common throughout the highlands down to mid-levels too. Tillandsia usneoides Looks like Spanish Moss, hanging in great tresses from trees! Scattered El Fuego and Nevado de Colima

Commelinaceae [Commelina scabra pink tepals. ?probably this species. Temascaltepec] Commelina tuberosa blue tepals. Waterfall near Colorines [Tinantia erecta Flowers magenta-purple. Tepals roughly equal. Whole plant, esp style long glandular hairy. Temascaltepec] [Tradescantia llamasii white flowers. Ditches around Temascaltepec]

Cyperaceae [Schoenoplectus americanus Common around shores of Laguna Verde]

50 Iridaceae Sisyrinchium schaffneri yellow species above Angangueo. In 2011 noted Sierra Chincua where common Sisyrinchium tolucense Temascaltepec on cliffs. Small yellow flowers, tufted species

Juncaceae [Juncus ebracteatus Highlands] [Luzula caricina Highlands]

Liliaceae Yucca elephantides spectacular plants between Pátzcuaro and Morelia. Also around Colima

Orchidaceae [Corallorhiza involuta Ranchos de los Margaritos, Piedra Herredia and Temsacaltepec] [Corallorhiza maculata in seed in Mil Cumbres and Piedra Herredia] Encyclia condollei pretty brown and white species on pines above Real on the Temascaltepec loop Encyclia linkiana Colorines [Encyclia sp on trees at the bottom end of the reservoir at Valle de Bravo] [Malaxis soulei probably this species above Angangueo] [Maxillaria variabilis fine purple species on trees at Volcan Fuego] Oncidium cavendishianum the garish orange and yellow spotted epiphytic orchid at Laguna Verde, Laguna Maria etc Oncidium cebolleta Santo Tomas – similar to above species, much narrower leaves Oncidium hyalinobulbon delicate sprays with tiny (8mm) yellow flowers, mostly large shrubs at mid levels on Volcan Fuego, scattered in Valle de Bravo area [Oncidium sp one with big flat leaves and typical sprays of yellow flowers on Volcan Fuego] Prescotia tubulosa like a ladies tresses with very small yellowish flowers. Tlacotepec Prostechea concolor pretty white epiphyte with darker lined markings. Laguna Maria Rhynchostele cervantesii Beautiful white flowered epiphyte with red and yellow markings on the large flowers. Mil Cumbres Stellis retusa probably this species in the barranca above Laguna Maria Stellis rufobrunnea probably this species on El Fuego

Poaceae Saccharum officinarum Sugar Cane. Main crop in some lower areas.

Pontederiaceae Eichhornia crassipes water hyacinth. Noted at Laguna Maria and by the waterfall at Colorines

Smilacaceae Smilax moranensis Highlands

51 Some Seashore Molluscs from Playa Mezcala

A random selection of shells were collected from the beach and identified using “The Encyclopaedia of Shells” edited by SP Dance (1974), “Sea shells of tropical west America: marine mollusks from Baja California to Peru” Angeline Myra Keen (1958, 1971 2nd edition – web version), the Rotterdam Natural History Museum website ( http://www.nmr-pics.nl/ ), “Hardy's Internet Guide to Marine Gastropods” ( http://www.gastropods.com/ ) and any other website that had relevant images or data.

GASTROPODS Couple of other broken gastropod shells found but not been able to identify ?Pila globosa Shiny, brown pelagic snail with operculum. If it is this species (and it looks very like it) then it is a freshwater and not marine species probably from the lake/lagoon Terebra sp Small “tower” shell. Too damaged to ID Phalium sp Single broken shell with ribbed projections on the mouth whorl

Family Calyptaeidae (related to the Slipper Limpet) Calyptraea mamillaris Single conical almost pure white shell with yellowish staining on the apex Trochita trochiformis “limpet” like shell with strong ribbing and whorls. A common name is Peruvian Hat

BIVALVES Family Arcidae Anadara multicostata According to Keen similar to A.grandis but has over 30 ribs whereas A.grandis only has 25-27. Three found

Family Noetiidae Noetia reversa Solid, ribbed, shell almost pointed on one side. Common

Family Tellinidae Tellina mantaensis Large, thin-shelled (easily broken!), pink shell (>60mm long) Strigella chroma Pinkish tinge and inside pinkish- According to Keen the commonest of the Tellin species. About 15mm

Family Veneridae Pitar lupanari Shells with the spines of varying length Pitar dione Similar to above but with obviously less concentric ornamentation Tivela byronensis Common. Variety of sizes often bored in the umbro region by predatory Gastropods. Larger shell with brown stripes and bluish marks on the umbo

Family Donacidae Donax gracilis Longer than the other Donax sp with very faint radial ornamentation – some with matt purple inside. Commonest shell on the beach. May be more than one species Donaxcarinatus Distinctive “sharp/ hard” front edge. Common Amphichaena kindermanni Not uncommon. Length at least 4-5 times height and with a “kink” in the middle of the lower part of the shell

52 Family Mactridae Mactrellona exoleta Whitish shell with one pointed end. Common

Family Cardiacea Trachycardium procerum Several shells found

53