Change Of Plans! Are We Crazy?!

This road, with steep walls of green forest on either side, is a well-known birding location boasting 291 species for the eBird Hotspot list (the total number of species recorded at the location), as well as the extremely range-restricted Nava’s Wren. We were at Camino a Ejido Armando Zebadua in search of another extremely range restricted endemic, Nava’s Wren. Nava’s Wren, a rather chunky LBJ* with a notably long bill, endemic to Mexico, and restricted to lowland limestone karst forest, was our biggest target of the day. With a range smaller than the size of Chester County, my home county back in the states, it is almost entirely seen from one road. AKA, quite a small range. The EPITOME of range restricted.
With limestone rock available in abundance and so precisely stacked, it was as if the Mayans had been here making retaining walls all over the place. It had me pause to think, perhaps it was nature, the best source for all ideas, that inspired the Mayans. After we finally had a Nava’s Wren come in and sing on front of us, it was obvious how proficient this wren was at navigating all over the limestone rock ledges.

We hoped to amass a list of 100 birds, but strong winds blew through all morning and we feared these gusts would impact our abilities to see many of the canopy birds who would rather be sitting still than attempting to fly against the wind. Despite the wind, we ran into several mid-story flocks and had great views of some breeding plumage warblers all dressed up for the big migration north. In the end we only managed half of our 100-bird goal, but got several good birds and the bird that mattered most so the morning was indeed a success!

And then a decision needed to be made — what to do next?? Ross had an idea. Do we drive 5 hours through the day to arrive right at dusk to tick a lifer Tawny-collared Nightjar and then drive the 5 hours back the next morning? Or do we stay and bird around The San Cristobal area where Pink-headed Warblers and countless other birds are to be had. Ross knew what he wanted to do.
This nightjar was a lifer for Jason, his last one in all of Central America, so he was definitely going to go for it. Matt, perhaps wisely, decided to avoid the long drive and have an afternoon of leisure, birding a pine forest outside of San Cristobal instead. We all know Ross is crazy, but maybe I am too because I opted to go as well. This little excursion wasn’t part of the original itinerary or even on Ross’s radar prior to a scan of eBird earlier that morning. The three of us set off for Naha Jungle Lodge in eastern Chiapas.

The road to get there was paved, but with a speed bump every 50 to 100 meters it might as well not have been. About half were sign posted with a sign saying “REDUCTOR,” and the other half blended in with the pavement so well they might have been invisible. But if “Reductor” isn’t the name of an evil supervillain, I don’t have a better one in mind. The evil speed bump, causing delays in travel, sore behinds, and popped tires. mwahahaha.
It was a slow and very bumpy ride. And then, when we had only 50km to go (30mi) our GPS said it would still be an hour and a half until we reached our destination! The road must really get bad. Just in time too for the torrential downpour. We joked that Google was factoring the storm into our ETA. At least we were still on pavement. And then the rains came. And the hail. And then, with 26km to go, the road became dirt.
Perhaps it was related to the weather, or phase of the moon, or cycle in the breeding season, but whatever the reason, we couldn’t seem to get a single Tawny-collared Nightjar to come in. We heard them call almost immediately upon our arrival, but then they fell silent. It was such a long day that by 11pm I was beginning to fall asleep standing up, so I went back to the room to get some sleep. A local guide must have heard Ross’s tape because he came out to play tape only to find out Ross and Jason were the nightjar! Ross, Jason, and the local, Miguel, went to one of Miguel’s best spots at midnight. Luckily they heard the bird, but couldn’t see it. At 0130 they called it quits (and by quits I mean bring Miguel back to his hour to get some sleep)
I had nearly 4 hours of sleep when Ross woke me up to try again. He and Jason had only slept for 1 hour. At 3AM the three of us trudged back out to the trails. We came all this way for this bird, we weren’t going to settle for only hearing it. Sleep was not the priority. For the next 2.5 hours we ran around in the dark chasing after a single bird every time we heard it call.

And then, in the eleventh hour, (it’s a well known phrase that seemed applicable, but for the record it was actually the tenth hour of searching) Ross FINALLY found the bird perched high in a tree. Photos, videos, recordings, and great views were had. Tawny-collared Nightjar was finally in the bag! It was practically daylight at this point so we drove back to the lodge with plans to meet Miguel for a morning of birding, but we regret not attempting to see the Crested Owl that was calling nearby first. I blame sleep deprivation.

The morning was exceptionally birdy and we ran into several flocks. Miguel was a really nice guy and we opted to tip him for joining us, knowing that the eco-tourism economy has been hit harder than most. He adamantly refused our money saying that he just likes birding and it was all for fun. Regardless we insisted. Highly recommend a visit to this lodge and this part of Mexico. There was so much to be seen – orchid gardens, lakes, trails, and tons of good birds. Not to mention comfortable lodging. If you do go, say hello to Miguel (+51 916 117 4603) for us (and of course, if you do want a guide, Miguel knows the birds extremely well!)

And then, at 10AM, we turned to leave and start the 5 hour drive back. When we were only 45 minutes from our destination, thousands of speed bumps already behind us, we encountered an impasse. An impasse that could have been days before the road reopened — a landslide. Continuing onward was simply not a possibility until the road was repaired. We scoured the map for an alternative route. How could it be that a town the size of San Cristobal only had one road in?! I guess we were on the wrong side of the mountain. We did find a small road, the only reasonable alternative, to cut across and it added 3 additional hours to our drive! Sadly the road, once nicely paved, had deteriorated into nothing more than a compilation of pot holes. What a disaster. A road full of potholes is infinitely worse than a dirt road. And it was all done on zero sleep.
But, we got the bird. So call it what you want, but we are choosing to call it a success.
We arrived in San Cristobal well after dark, but picked up Matt at the hotel and we set off in search of another nocturnal specialist, Bearded Screech-Owl. Some birders hate owling because it cuts into precious sleep. And some birders forgo sleep altogether to see night birds. I’ll let you guess where we fall.