By now we were on our way up the Durango Highway towards the Tufted Jay Preserve, we'd bought a good stock of beer and we were preparing for our next set of good birds. Aztec Thrush had been in our discussions for sometime as we'd failed to find any on Nevado de Colima (where they are most often seen) and we'd even jested that this enigmatic species would be welcome as it would be a tick for everyone. Imagine our surprise when a small foraging group of birds by the roadside materialised into Aztec Thrushes as we pulled off the road! What a sight - at least 8 of these desired birds feeding at close quarters, including a few cracking males. This turned out to be a good stop as there were plenty of birds feeding around km 216 including Red-headed Tanagers, White-striped Woodcreeper, Arizona Woodcreeper and White-throated Thrushes. On arrival at Mesa de los Alisos we dumped our gear in the cabins and had a quick look around the clearing just as the sun set. Russet Nightingale-Thrush was new to the trip, as was Blue-throated Hummer. There were plenty of Mexican Juncos in the clearing too.
