Breeding, Migratory, and Wintering Birds of the Northern Jaguar Reserve East-Central Sonora, Mexico

In 2008, I reported on the status, distribution, and abundance of breeding and migratory birds on the newly established Northern Jaguar Reserve based on surveys that I completed in July and September 2007 (Flesch 2008a). During that effort, I documented 124 species of birds, 71% of which were potential breeders (32% confirmed) and 25% were migratory species. Bird density of all species combined was similar in July and September but Neotropical migratory species that typically breed north of the reserve accounted for 44% of total bird abundance in September versus only 1% in July. Results from 2007 indicated that the Northern Jaguar Reserve supports a diverse community of breeding and migratory birds including several species that are at or near their northern distributional limits.

At the request of Northern Jaguar Project, I endeavored to repeat surveys completed in 2007, during the summer and fall of 2008. Surveys in July 2008 were successful and highly productive yet intense monsoon storms followed by Hurricane Norbert precluded vehicle access to much of the reserve shortly thereafter. These logistical constraints however, provided an excellent opportunity to describe the status and distribution of wintering birds on the reserve for which little information was available. Therefore I modified our original objectives and completed surveys in July 2008 and January 2009.

Report to Northern Jaguar Project and Naturalia A.C. (PDF)