Highlights:
* Experience the spectacle of millions of Monarch Butterflies
* Several rare and seldom seen Mexican endemics
* Rich culture
* Remarkably diverse habitats, from columnar cacti forests to sub-alpine grasslands and high pine forests
Featured birds:
* Black-polled Yellowthroat
* Sierra Madre Sparrow
* Sumichrast's Wren
* Red Warbler
* Boucard's Wren
* Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo
* Dusky Hummingbird
* Bumblebee Hummingbird
Trip Summary
* 4-8 participants with one leader, 9-12 with two leaders
* Van and driver
* Good to very good accommodation
* Generally easy walking with a couple of uphill walks of up to an hour
Certainly one of the greatest ecological spectacles in the world is the wintering of up to 20 million Monarch Butterflies — most of the North American population — in a single area of forest in central Mexico. In addition to this wonderful sight, we visit a variety of tropical and temperate habitats to search for up to 40 species of birds endemic to Mexico and 29 nearly endemic species.
We look for Mexican endemics in reed and cattail marshes, pine and fir forests, tropical dry forest, oak woodland, subalpine grassland, an abandoned coffee plantation in tropical semi-evergreen forest and a beautiful forest of giant columnar cacti. A large number of our target birds are species that are rarely or never seen on tours.
In the Lerma marshes we seek the beautiful Black-polled Yellowthroat. In the pine and fir forests we look for a number of species including the handsome Black-backed Oriole, flashy Red Warbler and elusive Long-tailed Wood-partridge. We listen to one of the most beautiful bird songs in North America, the rich warbling and tinkling of the Brown-backed Solitaire (which we also hope to see). Grassy meadows in the vicinity have Striped and Sierra Madre sparrows; the latter has been seen by few people and is one of the few birds in North America for which a photograph had never been published until a few years ago (it first appeared in Eagle-Eye Tours' brochure and web site).
In this season, the tropical dry forest that we visit is humming with hummingbirds, and we should see among others Golden-crowned Emerald, Dusky and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds. Golden Vireo and Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrows are also more easily seen that at any other season.
An entirely different and very rich avifauna is found in the abandoned coffee plantation at Amatlán, where Sumichrast’s Wren and Fan-tailed Warbler are our principal target birds. Lastly, the unique cactus forest near Tehuacán will certainly produce a different set of species yet again, including Bridled Sparrow and Gray-breasted Woodpecker.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival and Orientation. This tour begins after dinner in Mexico City. Our tour leader(s) will meet you in our hotel lobby at 7:00pm to get acquainted, discuss the tour and answer any questions. Night in Mexico City, at a hotel adjacent to the airport.
Day 2: Drive to Angangueo. We will drive to Zitácuaro, a town close to the Monarch Butterfly wintering grounds in Michoacán. We will be stopping en route to look for our first birds of the trip in the Lerma marshes west of Mexico City, one of the last homes of the threatened Black-polled Yellowthroat. Other stops will be in pine and fir forest, where possibilities include Pine Flycatcher, Golden-browned Warbler, Red Warbler and Colima Warbler. Night at Zitácuaro.
Day 3: Monarch Butterflies. We will drive to the site where millions of Monarch Butterflies spend the winter. The late morning is the best time to enjoy this spectacle. We will not be alone here, because this is a very popular destination for Mexicans and foreigners alike. Around 15 to 20 million Monarchs, most of the population of the United States and Canada, spend the winter here after traveling up to 120 kilometers per day in their October southward migration.
During the early winter they spend most of their time dormant, with their wings closed, in dense clusters covering the fir trunks and branches. This is a spectacle in itself but the Monarchs are even more impressive in late February and early March when they spend most of the day sunning themselves with their wings open, and occasionally flutter around to feed on nectar. Only two species of birds in this forest are capable of feeding on the normally toxic Monarch Butterflies, the Black-headed Grosbeak and the Mexican endemic Abeille´s Oriole (rare).
Day 4: Mountain Birds and on to Cuernavaca. After brakfast at our hotel we will spend the morning birding a road through pine-oak forest near Zitácuaro, where the many birds we may see include the cute Tufted Flycatcher, White-throated Robin and Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo. After lunch we will drive east to Cuernavaca, where we will arrive just before dusk, just in time to see hundreds of White- naped Swifts and smaller numbers of Vaux’s and Chestnut-collared Swifts flying into their roost close to the city center. Night at Cuernavaca.
Days 5 - 6: Around Cuernavaca. Cuernavaca is right in the transition zone between tropical and temperate regions, and short drives will take us into a variety of different types of forests in both. First, we shall visit a trail through tropical dry forest a few kilometers east of Cuernavaca. This trail always produces a large number of bird species endemic to the lowlands of western Mexico. Although driving east to see birds of western affinities seems paradoxical, this is because an arm of tropical dry forest, the Balsas Basin, extends 500 km east from the state of Colima, passing very close to Cuernavaca.
In this season the forest will be dry, most trees will be leafless and the birds will be easy to see. More than 20 Mexican endemic birds occur here, and although it is difficult to predict which ones we will see, it can be said that there is a very good chance of finding Golden-crowned Emerald, Violet-crowned and Dusky Hummingbirds, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Thick-billed Kingbird, Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow and Black- chested Sparrow, among others.
We will also be able to practice identification of Myiarchus flycatchers, because four particularly similar-looking species are rather common in this forest. In the afternoon, we will visit an oak woodland at Huitzilac (“land of hummingbirds” in the language of the Aztecs), where we shall encounter many birds of highland forest including, hopefully, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird and possibly even Bumblebee Hummingbird and, with a tremendous amount of luck, Aztec Thrush. Night at Cuernavaca.
In the morning of Day 6 we will visit a mountain meadow where the extremely local and endangered Sierra Madre Sparrow can be regularly seen (though few tours visit this site). Our principal tour leader carried out the first study on the natural history of this species here. Another Mexican endemic sparrow is common here too, the Striped Sparrow.
Nearby, we will visit a temperate forest which often produces a large number of Mexican endemic and specialty birds, including the look-alike Russet and Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrushes (they also sing very much alike! Concentrate on the color of their lower beaks), Green-striped Brush-Finch, Elegant Euphonia, Strickland's Woodpecker and many others. In the afternoon, we will make a relatively long drive to Córdoba, where we will spend the night. Córdoba is a XVII century city and largely retains its colonial architecture.
Day 7: Amatlán. A short drive to Amatlán will put us in a blend of tropical semi-evergreen forest and abandoned coffee plantation. The birdlife here is completely different from what we will encounter elsewhere on this tour and the area is very rich in species including such tropical gems as Blue-crowned Motmot and both Chestnut-headed and Montezuma’s Oropendolas.
We will spend the morning in this forest/plantation, keeping in mind that this is a special area for three birds that are rare elsewhere: Wedge-tailed Saberwing, Sumichrast’s Wren and Fan-tailed Warbler. This is one of the few forests in Mexico where it is possible to see 3 species of toucans. In the afternoon, we will drive to Cardel, stopping en route on a little side road to look for White-naped Brush-Finch and other mid-elevation birds. Night at Cardel.
Day 8: Cardel area. This morning we shall visit one of the few remnants of tropical dry forest in eastern Mexico to search especially for the tiny Mexican Sheartail and the very well-marked local subspecies of Rufous-naped Wren. White-bellied Wren also occurs here, though it can be quite elusive. In the afternoon we will drive to Tehuacán, where we will once again meet the eastern extension of Pacific tropical dry forest and associated West Mexican avifauna. Tehuacán is another XVII century town, but archaeological evidence indicates that in fact it is one of the earliest places where agriculture was practiced in Mexico, perhaps even in the New World, 8000 years ago.
Day 9: Tehuacán. This morning we will visit an impressive and unique ecosystem, a dense forest of giant columnar cacti (one usually doesn’t think of cacti as forming forests!). When the early morning sun’s rays hit the tops of the cacti we can expect to see Bridled Sparrow, Gray-breasted Woodpecker and other birds perching on the tall plants. These other birds will include Boucard’s Wren, probably Yellow Grosbeak and even Russet-crowned Motmot.
In the afternoon we will drive back to Mexico City. Night in Mexico City.
Day 10: Departure. The trip concludes after breakfast at our hotel next to the Mexico City airport.
What to Expect:
Our daily travel schedule will vary to account for weather, bird species and habitat. We will often want to be out birding very early in the morning—we may have dawn breakfasts or take a box breakfast into the field. In addition, there will be a few optional late evening expeditions in search of nocturnal birds for those interested.
The tour will involve generally easy walking and possibly some hill climbing of up to an hour to reach the Monarch Butterflies and the site for Sumichrast’s Wren. There will be a couple of long drives of up to four hours, but we will be stopping at one or two places along the way to break up these journeys into shorter segments.
Around noontime we will stop to have a sit-down meal at a restaurant. If it is hot, as it can be in most of Mexico, we may rest for an hour or so during the middle of the afternoon. On some evenings, we will arrange to go to a local restaurant, which we have selected for its good food and comfortable atmosphere. During dinner we usually discuss the day’s activities and review the list of birds seen and heard.
We will be visiting in the dry season and rain is unlikely. During three days of the trip, when we are at higher elevations, we will encounter cool weather.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
North America
Mexico
Birdwatching
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