Much of this blog is written in real time, even if there’s a significant delay in uploading to our website. I like to take notes and/or write as I go. For me, I’m inspired in the moment and much of what I see is then immediately written down as I see it. This method works for me because I have learned over the years that if I don’t write it all down immediately, we will have already moved on to something new and the intricacies of that moment will escape me.
We accomplished a lot in our last days in Mexico. We visited various locations and saw plenty of birds, and I think at this point many of us, with the exception of Ross of course, were tired. I would hate to gloss over it all, but it was so much moving that I was simply too tired to write in the moment. The intricacies of each little stop have escaped me, but I don’t want to bore you with them anyway. Lately eBird had been dictating our stops and birding trips are always full of little stops like these for a particular target that don’t necessarily warrant a mention here.
With all of that said, surely a highlight from that time was a visit to Sumidero Canyon National Park. This deep, natural canyon is as picturesque as canyons can be, with steep vertical walls and a sparkling river running below. There are plenty of overlooks to appreciate it, so long as the sky remains clear. Unfortunately on our visit the canyon was fogged in and we only got brief views between the clouds, but it was enough to appreciate the sheer height and size. Besides, we really were there looking for birds! (But according to one local woman we spoke with along the trail, it was “the cherry on top of the cake” and I suppose she’s not wrong.)
We had to work quite hard for our main target, Belted Flycatcher, but after we found it, it was very cooperative. And then while watching the flycatcher, Matt noticed a Blue Seedeater on the other side of the trail — quite a scarce species and one we weren’t expecting to find! (Full eBird checklist from Mirrador el Roblo if you’re interested.)
Blue Seedeater 
Belted Flycatcher 
Belted Flycatcher
We then moved further up the canyon in search of the near endemic, Slender Sheartail, a bird Ross and I had already dipped several times in Guatemala. This was our last chance to see it. The fog didn’t help, but with enough effort anything is possible, right? We hung around near the top, and eventually managed views of a single male and two female Slender Sheartails amongst the vegetation making our trip a success!
Oh, and for the record, I do not think anything is possible with enough effort. Sometimes you can put in enough effort and come up short. Such is the case of Flammulated Flycatcher, which Ross spent the next several hours searching for only to come up empty handed. At least time birding is not time lost, and along the way we had views of the canyon, the vegetation, and various birds, such as Varied Bunting, Rufous-browed Peppershike, and Bar-winged Oriole.