Birding Above 5,000 Feet

Red warbler near Tepoztlán, Mexico (photo from Wikimedia) 5 October 2026, WINGS Veracruz: Migration is a Moving Experience: Day 6, the highlands around Xalapa and Cofre de Perote In the lowlands we saw many familiar northern-breeding birds within the migration corridor, but now we’re in montane pine-oak and fir forests at 4,000 to 11,500 feet (1200m to 3500m), both pictured below. Pine-oak forest in southern Sierra, Oaxaca, Mexico (photo by Mario E. Fuente Cid via Wikimedia) Fir forest at Cofre de Perote (photo from Wikimedia) At this altitude many of the birds are new to me including the red warbler (Cardellina rubra) at top. Birds of the World describes him: A standout in an already distinctive family, Red Warbler is easily identified by its strikingly red plumage and silver or dark gray auricular patch. Endemic to three disjunct mountain ranges in Mexico, this montane specialist inhabits the edges of pine-oak forests from 2900-3500 m (9,500-11,500 ft) during the breeding season,…