Paco's Reserva, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico

 On January 26 we were picked up at our hotel in Mazatlán by Paco (Two) and taken to Paco´s Reserva de Flora y Fauna.  It's a small place but very important when so much of the natural area around the city is disappearing.  Paco's father, Paco (One), started the Reserva about forty years ago when he began planting native plants on his farm.  Now the plants attract wildlife we didn't even know could be found in the area. There is a water body there, too.  I don't recall if this water belonged to the Reserva or if it was just conveniently located. There we saw three White Ibises and a Snowy Egret.  There was a White-faced Ibis, too, but it missed the photo.

Wood Storks

and the cutest member of the grebe family, the Least Grebe.   

There were good birds in the trees, too.

The most special to me was a winter visitor, one that never spends anytime anywhere near us. The Northern Cardinal.

A warbler we've seldom seen was the Nashville Warbler.  I took about twenty photos, but only the last couple were worth saving.

Nearby was a female Painted Bunting.  Not as spectacular as her mate, she is still a very pretty bird.

At home I hang feeders to attract birds.  Something similar happens in the warm places where we've gone birding.  Paco serves peanuts to attract several birds that might not have dropped by otherwise.

There were a couple of Golden-cheeked Woodpeckers.

Purplish-backed Jays 

 Yellow-winged Caciques

Black-throated Magpie Jays

and Rufous-bellied Chachalacas.

 Also interested in the peanuts were a couple of Coatis.

Paco concentrated on birds for us, but he also told us about the native plants, 

a few insects,

 and even an anole that was so tiny and so camouflaged that I have no idea how Paco saw it.

 

 

We appreciated seeing all the birds, even though none of them were lifers, but even more we were happy to find people who were working to create habitat for the native species.