CERRO SAN FELIPE & LIST 
MEXICO

OAXACA (Compass)

Lat:00^o00´S/00^o00´W ha topography 2,750+m 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (5th November, 2004)

Birding Site Guide

Cerro San Felipe was reached in just over an hour from Oaxaca´s second-class bus station by the 07.00 (Benito Juarez) public bus. A small collection of buildings comprises the windswept settlement of La Cumbre (2,750m) at km 192. From here an unpaved road headed nw uphill. I walked 4-5km along this road as well as going down a track (for 1-2km) leading left before the 3km marker. The main track headed gradually uphill upto 3000m altitude, where I turned back. The weather was very inhospitable. Constant mist, as well as occasional drizzle and strong winds made birding hard. An hour wait for a bus on the way back almost finished me off. The habitat was pine plus mixed forest and some cleared areas where a lot of flowers attracted many hummingbirds. I saw my target bird, the Dwarf Jay at the 1km mark just as I was heading back having given up. I saw 37 species including 7 lifers. 

Species seen 

• Band-tailed Pigeon ? Patagioenas fasciata
• Green Violet-ear Colibri thalassinus
• White-eared Hummingbird Hylocharis leucotis
• Amethyst-throated Hummingbird Lampornis amethystinus
• Magnificent Hummingbird Eugenes fulgens
• Bumblebee Hummingbird Atthis heloisa Endemic
• Mountain Trogon Trogon mexicanus
• Spot-crowned Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes affinis
• Tufted Flycatcher Mitrephanes phaeocercus
• Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri
• Pine Flycatcher Empidonax affinis
• Rose-throated Becard Pachyramphus aglaiae
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
• Gray Silky-flycatcher Ptilogonys cinereus
• Gray-barred Wren Campylorhynchus megalopterus Endemic
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Gray-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucophrys
• Brown-backed Solitaire h Myadestes occidentalis
• Russet Nightingale-Thrush Catharus occidentalis Endemic
• Mexican Chickadee Poecile sclateri
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
• Dwarf Jay Cyanolyca nana Endemic Vulnerable
• Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni
• Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata
• Crescent-chested Warbler Parula superciliosa
• Townsend's Warbler Dendroica townsendi
• Hermit Warbler Dendroica occidentalis
• Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
• Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusilla
• Red-faced Warbler Cardellina rubrifrons
• Red Warbler Ergaticus ruber Endemic
• Slate-throated Redstart Myioborus miniatus
• Golden-browed Warbler Basileuterus belli
• Yellow-eyed Junco Junco phaeonotus
• Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii
• Scott's Oriole Icterus parisorum

Author: Charles Hesse 

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