Highlights:
* Tour starts in Veracruz, Mexico and ends in Villahermosa
* Superb birding in a wide variety of habitats, including the spectacular Sumidero Canyon and the pre-Columbian pyramids at Palenque
* A wealth of birds, over 40 endemic or near-endemic species, including many localized wrens, hummingbirds, and the splendid Rosita's Bunting, Orange-breasted Bunting and Red-breasted Chat
* Our leader, Hector Gomez de Silva, is among the foremost birders in Mexico!
Target birds:
* Nava’s Wren
* Red-breasted Chat
* Giant Wren
* Bridled Sparrow
* Rosita’s Bunting
* Belted Flycatcher
* Russet-crowned Motmot
* Oaxaca Sparrow
* Ocellated Thrasher
* Orange-breasted Bunting
Trip Summary:
* Moderate walking, some hill climbing
* Warm and hot days, pleasant nights
* Mainly very good accommodation, with a few nights in basic hotels
* Spectacular scenic ruins
* Includes all meals and transport
* 4 to 8 participants with one leader; 9 to 12 with two leaders plus a driver
We visit cloud forest, pine woodland, subtropical scrub and tropical dry forest, taking in the remarkable pre-Columbian ancient cities of Monté Alban and Yagul. Birding is rich and diverse as we search for several endemics including Dwarf Jay and Dwarf Vireo. We also hunt for two of Mexico’s most restricted species: Nava’s Wren and Long-tailed Sabrewing.
We visit the spectacular steep-walled Sumadero Canyon and the charming city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, again targeting some very special birds, such as Black-throated Jay and Red-breasted Chat. Our tour culminates at the outstanding Mayan archaeological site of Palenque, where we expect a dazzling array of species in the luxuriant rain forest and the marvelous Usumacinta marshes.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival and Orientation. This tour begins with arrival in Veracruz, where our tour leader(s) will meet you in the hotel lobby after dinner. Night in Veracruz.
Day 2: Veracruz wetlands/grasslands to Tuxtepec. After breakfast we will leave the hotel, driving through extensive grasslands and wetlands in central Veracruz while generally making our way to Tuxtepec in northwestern Oaxaca. On our way we shall see many tropical land and waterbirds in and near Alvarado, such as Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Double-striped Thick-knee, Rufous-breasted Spinetail and Fork-tailed Flycatcher.
After lunch in Tuxtepec, we will bird a short distance away. This area has a very high bird diversity, but our main target will be the very hard to find Sumichrast’s Wren. Other birds we will probably encounter include Red-legged Honeycreeper and Montezuma’s Oropendolas, with their interesting colonial nest trees.
Day 3: Drive to Oaxaca. We’ll have a pre-dawn departure this morning. Much of today will be devoted to driving to the city of Oaxaca. We will bird along the way, seeing quite a variety of species in the numerous habitats we traverse, mainly the lowlands close to Tuxtepec, the cloud forest slopes where we may see Unicolored Jays, Bumblebee Hummingbird, Slate-colored Solitaires and Blue-crowned Chlorophonia and, as we near Oaxaca, the humid pine-oak forest at La Cumbre, where we can expect to see birds such as Red Warbler, Crescent- chested Warbler, Painted Redstart, Slate-throated Redstart, Tufted Flycatcher, Gray Silky, Gray-barred Wren, Yellow-eyed Junco and others while we search for the rare Dwarf Jay, which is found nowhere else in Mexico.
Days 4 - 5: Oaxaca. The pine woodland, subtropical scrub and tropical dry forests within half an hour’s drive of Oaxaca, possess nearly one third of Mexico’s endemic bird species. We allow ample time to search for most of these in the foothills and mountains east of the city and at nearby sites in the Interior Valley of Oaxaca such as at Teotitlán del Valle and Yagul. We also spend part of an afternoon enjoying the weaving and dyeing demonstration by Zapotec weavers in Teotitlán del Valle.
In the foothills, expected birds include Dusky and BeryllineHummingbird, while we will be specifically searching for Oaxaca Sparrow and three endemic species of vireos: the Dwarf, Golden and Slaty Vireo. With luck, we may also find Ocellated Thrasher and Pileated Flycatcher. Nights in Oaxaca.
Day 6: Tehuantepec. Today we make several stops along the drive to Tehuantepec, At the archaeological site of Yagul, surrounded by beautiful scenery, the endemic White-throated Towhee, Gray-breasted Woodpecker, Beautiful Hummingbird and Boucard’s Wren should not be difficult to find while, with luck, we may hope to see Bridled Sparrow. Further toward Tehuantepec, we hope to see Green-fronted and Doubleday’s Hummingbirds, Plain-capped Starthroat, White- lored Gnatcatcher and Cinnamon-tailed Sparrows. Night in Tehuantepec.
Days 7 - 8: Arriaga. After birding in the morning around Tehuantepec, we head eastward into yet another biotic province. In the Arriaga area we look for waterbirds, including Reddish Egret and, hopefully, Collared Plover, and several endemic or nearly endemic birds, including Yellow- naped Parrot, Orange-chinned Parakeet, Spotted-breasted Oriole, Giant Wren and Rose-bellied Bunting. Nights near Arriaga.
Days 9 - 10: Tuxtla Gutiérrez. After breakfast we spend the day traveling to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, stopping along the way at several birding spots, including a sinkhole where dozens of Green Parakeets roost. Our stay at Tuxtla Gutiérrez includes a visit to a special site where Nava’s Wren occurs. Our leader, Hector Gomez de Silva was responsible for discovering this bird and having it classified as a separate species. To our knowledge, very few people, other than participants in Eagle Eye Tours, have ever seen this bird. Nights in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Day 11: Nava’s Wren and San Cristóbal de las Casas. Before heading to San Cristóbal de las Casas, we visit the spectacular Sumidero Canyon, where we will search for such spectacular birds as Belted and Flammulated Flycatchers, Lesser Roadrunner, Red-breasted Chat, Bar-winged Oriole, and, with luck, possibly even the gorgeous Slender Sheartail and the elusive Lesser Ground Cuckoo.
After lunch we climb into the highlands of Chiapas, where, near the folkloric San Cristóbal de las Casas we see several new species including Rufous-collared Thrush (Robin) and Rufous-collared Sparrow. Birding in pine forests, we may see some of the following species: Amethyst-throated and White-eared Hummingbirds, Black-capped Swallow, White- naped Brush-finch, the blue- chested, southern form of the Steller’s Jay, Rufous-browed Wren, and even, if we are very fortunate indeed, Pink-headed Warbler, Black-throated Jay and/or Unspotted Saw-whet Owl. Night in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Days 12 - 13: Palenque. After looking for Pink-headed Warbler near San Cristóbal, we head toward Palenque, an outstanding archaeological site surrounded by luxuriant rain forest in the land that belonged to the Mayas. Hundreds of bird species can be found in this area, among which we can expect to see Long-tailed Hermit, Masked Tityra, Red-capped Manakin, Montezuma’s Oropendola and several species of trogons, parrots, tropical tanagers, wrens, flycatchers and more.
An optional night trip can produce Pauraque and any of a number of species of owl. The most common owl here is Mottled Owl, but we can also hope for views of the handsome Black-and-White and Spectacled Owls. Nights in Palenque.
Day 14: Usumacinta marshes. Leaving Palenque we will drive through the grasslands and marshes near Emiliano Zapata and Villahermosa. We will be looking for a number of interesting birds including Double-striped Thick-knee, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Grassland Yellow-Finch, Plain-breasted Ground-Dove and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. Night in Villahermosa.
Day 15: Departure From Villahermosa. The trip concludes after breakfast at our hotel in Villahermosa.
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 breakfast before dawn 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 some hill climbing and sometimes it may be muddy in one or two places. During these times we will stop frequently to observe nature. There will be a couple of long drives of up to five or six hours, but we will be stopping at two or three places along the way to break up these journeys into shorter segments.
Around noon time we will stop to have a picnic lunch or for a sit-down meal at a restaurant. If it is hot, as it can be in southern 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.
The rainy season will have just ended in most places that we will visit, but the Palenque and Villahermosa areas, where we will be on the last few days, will be hot and humid and we may encounter showers late in the day. 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.
Cost: US $3295 with single supplement US $525
$3595 with single supplement $575.
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North America
Mexico
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