MASKS ARE MANDATORY IN MEXICO, indoors and out and even while driving in the city. Vaccinations are also mandatory in Mexico but there aren’t any vaccines—just the opposite of the situation on the US side of the border. We’ve decided to go sin cubrebocas while birding. Even though Eric hasn’t been vaccinated, as a licensed guide he is tested before and after each trip so we feel safe.
Eric, sin máscarilla
Eric picked us up at six this morning in his VW Tiguan, a more humane hour than other birding trips we’ve been on. We spent the day getting to know each other, ironing-out details for the next three weeks. Our banker screwed up the wire transfer payment for the trip, and although we ostensibly use the same bank, BBVA, Eric is doubtful that they will honor our check. So we are working out an installment plan consisting of regular ATM withdrawals. We are using our Visa to pay for Eric’s meals and gas and covering any other expenses we can just so he’s not out-of-pocket on our account. It will take a while but with Connie keeping the books we will work it out.
Villagers from Teotitlán del Valle Dyeing Wool for Rugs
We started low-ish—Oaxaca is nearly a mile high—and climbed through Eric’s home-town of Teotitlán del Valle. He says it’s one of the oldest in Oaxaca, going back to 7000BC. The Zapotec people—which include Eric, I suppose—are known for their hand-loomed woolen rugs. We feel bad that he has to make the 40-minute drive to get us twice each day but there is really no place to stay in the town.
Beautiful Hummingbird Collared Towhee Blue Mockingbird
We ventured higher searching the pine/oak forest for some of our feathered friends. At 7900 feet elevation we had to turn around at the tiny village of Benito Juarez. It’s the end of the road because the village isolated itself due to Covid and hasn’t re-opened. We managed to hit all of our targets for the day and I got pretty good photos of many (well, some) of the birds. The total for the day was fifty species, 18 new ones for us, a great start to the trip.
It's Not All Birds—Ground Orchid
