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Tour Highlights:
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Day 2  You
will be able to get a good view of the fabulous crest of the male Great
Curassows that wander the grounds of the zoo in Tuxtla Gutierrez.
Consider it practice for the real thing as you gain insight into the amazing biodiversity of Chiapas before setting out to experience it for yourself during the next week of adventure and wildlife travel! The grounds of this world-class reserve attract a wide variety of wildlife and birds, so in addition the views within the live enclosures, birding is excellent, too. Watch for large Cracids, plus groups of seemingly fearless but totally wild Great Curassows, Plain Chachalacas, and others strolling the grounds, unconcerned and in plain view! We'll overnight in Tuxtla Gutierrez. |
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Day 3  Highland
Guan.
One of the most striking and arguably best-preserved birding areas in Chiapas, the dizzying Canyon Del Sumidero is incredibly scenic and home to such-sought after west Mexican and northern Central American specialties as Belted and Flammulated flycatchers, Slender Sheartails, Highland Guans, Bar-winged Orioles, and more; rare Maroon-chested Ground-Doves and Blue Seedeaters are sometimes common when the bamboo thickets are flowering and seeding. Obviously, this is a photographer's paradise, and we'll be prepared for high-energy fun and excitement where this aspect of the trip is concerned! |
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Day 4 Today we'll continue our exciting tour of Canyon Del Sumidero National Park as we enjoy an amazingly scenic water-borne journey on the Rio Grijalva, one of the largest rivers in Southwest Mexico, as we maneuver through placid glades, open water and whitewater rapids, all-the-while marveling at cliffs rising to 3000 feet above us. Wildlife--especially aquatic birds and large amphibious reptiles--is often abundant. A local naturalist will narrate in English about the geology of the region and wildlife encountered, including some of the largest American Crocodiles in Mexico! In the afternoon we'll head for San Cristobol de las Casas in the pine-clad Chaipan highlands. |
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Days 5-6  The
utterly charming Pink-headed Warbler is at risk because of
deforestation. To learn more
about this wonderful bird in Chiapas, see this article at the Neotropical Bird Club web site.
Highlights of our final two days in Chiapas include visits to: 1) Pronatura's Reserva Ecologica Huitepec, where cloud forest birds such as Blue-throated Motmot, Rufous-collared Robin, Unicolored Jay, and Bearded Screech-Owl abound; 2) Ocosingo Highway, breeding site of the amazing Pink-headed Warbler; and 3) Historic San Cristobol de las Casas. |
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Day 7 We leave Tuxtla Gutierrez behind for a flight (via Mexico City) to the beachside resort town of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. If the flight schedule permits, we'll enjoy a relaxed schedule of sightseeing and coastal birding on Mexico's Pacific sun-and-fun destination, Puerto Vallarta. The afternoon is at leisure on Puerto Vallarta's beautiful beaches and this evening we'll celebrate the commencement of the second part of our beautiful journey with a sumptuous seafood dinner. What a better way to look forward to this part of our three part itinerary along Pacific Western Mexico! |
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PART II: BIRDING PACIFIC WESTERN MEXICO ON THE CENTRAL COAST OF WEST MEXICO Mexico's Central West Coast is home to both stunning scenery and exciting endemic birdlife unequaled in North America. Examples include endemic Mexican Parrotlets, Lilac-crowned Parrots, Mexican Hermits, Mexican Woodnymphs, Colima Pygmy-Owls, Citreoline Trogons, Russet-crowned Motmots, Purplish-backed and San Blas jays, Fan-tailed Warblers, Goldman's Euphonias, Cinnamon-rumped Seedeaters, and Yellow-winged Caciques, to name but a few. Day 8 We take a few hours to travel by land from Puerto Vallarta to San Blas, Nayarit. Here we'll spend the night at the beautiful Hotel Garza Canela, named for the Boat-billed Herons that inhabit the nearby Matanchen Mangrove Reserve. But they aren't the only exciting wildlife to spot!
This afternoon we undertake birding in the vicinity of San Blas, with a visit to Mirador del Aguila. This birding hotspot of San Blas is located on the tropical coast of Nayarit, and is famed for its record-breaking Christmas Bird Count totals, though birding is great any time of the year. The birdlife accessible from this beach paradise reads like a who's who of central West Mexican endemics. And a little-known overview--Mirador del Aguila (Eagle Overlook)--located about midway between Tepic, the capital of Nayarit, and San Blas, is obviously misnamed, for it offers what is perhaps the most accessible views of Military Macaws on the planet--with flocks of 50 or more regularly staging their appearances! We'll overnight in the sleepy seaside village of San Blas. A flock of Military
Macaws can fly in tight formation.
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Days 9-10  Mangrove Warblers
are common residents of the extensive Red Mangrove forests at Matanchen
Bay.
1. Matanchen Bay: A lovely and relaxing panga trip through the shaded mangroves leading to La Tovara Spring (great swimming here) will allow us close-up viewing opportunities of some hard-to-see birds, including Great and Common black-hawks, Crane Hawks, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, Boat-billed Herons, Reddish Egrets, Rufous-necked Wood-Rails, roosting Common Potoos, Mangrove Cuckoos, Mangrove Vireos, many species of warblers, and others. In addition to a daylight panga trip up the river, we'll return during the night to sight Common Potoos and other nocturnal birds and animals, including endangered American Crocodiles.  Brown Booby is one
of two species of Boobies seen just off the coast of San Blas, Nayarit.
2. Piedra Virgin or Elefante: A short distance (about a half hour to an hour, respectively, by open panga) offshore from San Blas are a couple of guano-bleached sea stack rocks, the latter in the shape of an elephant's head. En route to the rocks, our open panga provides good chances to sight endemic Black-vented Shearwaters and Least Storm-Petrels; Black Storm-Petrels are also regularly sighted. The rocks house nesting Red-billed Tropicbirds, Blue-footed and Brown boobies, and Bridled Terns. 3. "Singayta Jungle": An enticing but ever-diminishing palm forest located adjacent to San Blas forms the so-called "Singayta Jungle," home to exciting endemic and indigenous land birds like Rufous-bellied Chachalacas, Mexican Hermits, Mexican Parrotlets, Lilac-crowned Parrots, Citreoline Trogons, Russet-crowned Motmots, Black-throated Magpie-Jays, Fan-tailed Warblers, Red-breasted Chats, Goldman's Euphonias, and indigenous Collared Forest-Falcons, Hook-billed Kites, Crane Hawks, Laughing Falcons, Plain-capped Starthroats, Rosy Thrush-Tanagers, Red-crowned Ant-Tanagers, and Blue Buntings. During the winter and spring months they are joined by a wonderful assortment of hummingbirds, warblers, flycatchers, vireos, grosbeaks, buntings and tanagers from both western and eastern North America, including endangered Black-capped Vireos! With
some expert (and ethically done) song playback, it is possible to see
this elusive and beautiful skulker, the Rosy Thrush-tanager.
 Roseate Spoonbills,
San Blas Shrimp Ponds.
4. Shrimp Pond Road: This road provides access to sites where Collared Plovers, Orange-fronted Parakeets, and a host of wading birds may be seen, including abundant Wood Storks and common Roseate Spoonbills.  Spotlight safari
scores a Mottled Owl with katydid prey.
5. La Bajada: Located in the foothills near Matanchen Bay, this location allows access to canyons where most of the birds found in the Singayta Jungle occur--only in far superior numbers!--in addition to mouth-watering endemic specialties like Colima Pygmy-Owls, Mexican Woodnymphs, Gray-crowned Woodpeckers, San Blas Jays, Rusty-crowned Ground Sparrows, etc. On occasion, previous Natural Encounters groups have sighted endangered Jaguarundis in broad daylight at La Bajada. Likewise, La Bajada is an excellent area to glass impressive, large Pale-billed and Lineated woodpeckers side-by-side! |
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Day 11 We travel by land to trade bayside San Blas for glitzy Mazatlan, Sinaloa, a trip of 4-5 hours with roadside birding en route. We'll overnight either in Mazatlan or Concordia, Sinaloa. |
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PART II: Days 12-20: BIRDING CENTRAL WESTERN MEXICO DAYS 12-14 Mazatlan is famed for its white sand beaches and warm Pacific waters. Situated amid the shimmering Pacific lowlands of western Mexico, this major fishing port and vacation magnet provides a beautiful base for exploration of both the tropical thorn forests which surround it in addition to the pine-clad highlands of the Sierra Madre Occidental, which rises above the city. Some very localized and endemic birds--especially the striking, rare Tufted Jay, which is common at Ranch Liebre Barranca--are most easily seen via this gateway. |
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Day 12 Now we will bird the Northwest Mexican thorn forests near Mazatlan for exciting endemics in the afternoon: Rufous-bellied Chachalacas, Elegant Quail, Lilac-crowned Parrots, Golden-crowned Emeralds, Golden-cheeked Woodpeckers, Purplish-backed Jays, Sinaloa Crows, Sinaloa and Happy wrens, Black-capped Gnatcatchers, Rufous-backed Robins, Goldman's Euphonias, Cinnamon-rumped Seedeaters, and Yellow-winged Caciques exemplify but a few of the specialties found within a 20-mile radius of Mazatlan. We will spend the night in Mazatlan. |
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Day 13 This morning we spend birding in the West Mexican thorn forests near Mazatlan, Sinaloa, seeking more sightings of the species mentioned above. In the afternoon we take a few hours to travel by road to La Capilla del Taxte in the cool, pine-clad highlands, gateway to Durango and the central Sierra Madre Occidental. We will spend the night either in Mazatlan or at the Tufted Jay Reserve near La Capilla del Taxte. If we overnight at the Reserve, we will undertake owling tonight: Stygian Owls and Mountain Pygmy-Owls will be our goals! |
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 Tufted Jay, a spectacular Mexican
endemic.
A full day of birding for the spectacular Tufted Jay at the Tufted Jay Reserve and/or Rancho Liebre Barranca, Sinaloa/Durango, famed home of this flamboyant, endemic jay and many more Sierra Madrean Mexican endemics. Other exciting endemic specialties regularly found in the area include White-naped Swifts (the largest swifts in the world; they whisk by like small falcons); Gray-crowned Woodpeckers; Eared Quetzals (erratic); Berylline Hummingbirds; White-striped Woodcreepers; Pine Flycatchers; Gray-collared Becards; Spotted Wrens; Brown-backed Solitaires; Russet Nightingale-Thrushes; Aztec Thrushes; Blue Mockingbirds; Gray Silkies; Crescent-chested, Red, Rufous-capped and Golden-browed warblers; Red-headed Tanagers; Rufous-capped and Green-striped brushfinches; and Black-headed Siskins; and more. The area is also rich in hummingbirds, with many species present including the amazing Sparkling-tailed Woodstar! We overnight in Mazatlan. |
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Day 15 We travel--by land or air--between Mazatlan and historic El Fuerte, Sinaloa, where we will lodge at Natural Encounters' lodge of choice, the wonderful Posada Hidalgo. |
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Day 16 As we take in the avian sights near El Fuerte, we'll be looking for Sonoran Desert specialties  Social Flycatchers are near the northwest extremity of their geographic range in the El Fuerte Area. |
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Day 17  This Elegant Trogon seems to delight in its own flight. Watercraft will provide us with birding opportunies on the Fuerte River. The sky's the limit, but Black-throated Magpie-Jays, Elegant Trogons, Green Kingfishers, Vermilion Flycatchers, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons, Gray and Crane hawks are frequent sights while partaking in relaxing birding along the Fuerte River by boat. |
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Day 18 You won't find trail travel quite like this elsewhere! We'll experience the enthralling rail ascent through Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) while en route to Divisidero, Chihuhahua. There will be excellent dining aboard the train during our ten-hour journey to the Posada Hildalgo's spectacular five-star sister hotel. The Chihuahua Railroad coaches are first-class, of course! And they give you a premier view in this vast, roadless Mexican wilderness.  Cusarare Eco-Park, a top destination to glass spectacular Eared Quetzals. Our phenomenal hotel of choice at Divisidero, the five-star Posada Barrancas Mirador (Canyon View Lodge) is perched on the lofty walls of the Urique drainage of Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon), gateway to Mexico's version of the Grand Canyon, only much larger. We are based smack-dab in the middle of the best and most scenic birding area in the State of Chihuahua, where we'll make forays to birding hotspots such as unforgettable Cascadas de Cusarare (Cusarare Waterfall) Ecopark near Creel, home to desireable west Mexican specialties and endemics such as Eared Quetzals (common here), Mountain Trogons, White-eared Hummingbirds, Striped Sparrows, and a lineup of colorful West Mexican birds that reads like a who's-who of the most sought-after birds of northwest Mexico. Other notable species include Blue-throated Hummingbirds, Mexican Chickadees, Red-faced and Olive warblers, Painted Redstarts, and Mexican (Yellow-eyed) Juncos, to name just a few; all are common here. |
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Day 19  The dining room at the Posada Barrancas Mirador offers an stunning view of Copper Canyon. In 2005 an unconfirmed sighting of a female Imperial Woodpecker, the world's largest and arguably most spectacular woodpecker, was reported from near the train station at Divisidero, just down the hill from our lodge. This hints at the allure of the Sierra Madre Occidental and its hidden secrets! |
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Day 20  Even female Eared Quetzals are marvelously colorful! We may explore Batopilas Canyon, one of the most scenic wilderness canyons in Mexico, with its dizzying switchbacks, 3,000-foot precipices, singing Canyon Wrens, Five-striped Sparrows, and the screaming Military Macaws that reside in the area. |
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| Day 21 This is an expedition day to search for more exciting highland birds of Mexico's Copper Canyon region before driving to Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, ahead of our homebound flights, tomorrow. We will visit the Creel Museum en route, and enjoy lunch afield. We might take dinner en route too, if we haven't arrived in Chihuahua yet, a trip of 4-5 hours from Creel. We will lodge in Chihuahua. Day 22  Participants and guides of the 2011 Endemics of Mexico's West Coast tour enjoying birds and bougainvilleas with their hosts at the lovely Rancho Primavera, El Tuito, near Puerto Vallarta. |
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Bon voyage and thanks for adventure touring with Natural Encounters Birding and Wildlife Tours! |
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 © Greg R.
Homel1-661-231-5828 birdingadventures@mac.com |
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