Mexican Specialities
(Pause
your cursor on the photo to see the species name. For some of the birds,
you can click on the birds for more info... )
Photo
copyright Andrew Wilson
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Photo copyright Phillip
Coffey
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Photo copyright Peter
Weber
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Courtesy
of Ducks Unlimited, Mexico
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Photo copyright Richard
Garrigues
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Photo copyright Bill
Scholtz
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Courtesy
of Ducks Unlimited, Mexico
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Photo copyright Marcus
Martin
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Photo copyright Peter
Weber
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Photo copyright Marcus
Martin
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Photo copyright Don
DesJardin
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Photo copyright Greg
Lasley
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Photo copyright Guido
Band
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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Photo copyright Greg
Lasley
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Photo copyright Marcus
Martin
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Photo copyright Tyler
Hicks
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Photo copyright Jean
Coronel
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...
 ....El
Cielo Biosphere Reserve is a 356,872-acre site
stretching from the
eastern to the western slopes
of the Sierra Madre Oriental. The tropical forest around the town of Gomez
Farias near El Cielo is a paradise for birdwatchers with species such as
the warbling vireo, amethyst-throated hummingbird and least pygmy-owl.
Bird
list. Or check out Troy
Gordon's site on El Cielo. Also this
site.
...
....Sierra
Gorda Biosphere Reserve - Encompassed in this
relatively
small area
is a broad range of almost unexplored ecosystems.
...
....Birding
in Mexico's Copper Canyon - Written by Keith Albritton,
guide in Batopilas and Bird
Expert. Incised in the Pacific slope of the Sierra Madre Occidental, the
network of canyons known collectively as "Copper Canyon". Easily one of
the largest and most complex canyon systems in the world, the area contains
a vast array of habitats. It is the combination of these habitats that
allow for such a diversity of resident, migrating, and wintering bird species;
more than 400 in all!
...
....Bird
Watching in Mexico - Mexico is habitat to hummingbirds,
woodpeckers,
macaws, parrots, vultures, toucans, and quetzals. Few places in Mexico
are without our feathered friends, though some places are particularly
good for bird-watching, such as southern Mexico (El Triunfo in Chiapas,
Calakmul in Campeche and Celestun, and R’o Lagartos and the Sian Ka'an
in Quintana Roo).
...
....Birding
in Mexico - Puerto Vallarta - With more than 300 species of
birds,
Puerto Vallarta is called El Paraíso or Paradise. This site provides
maps, checklists, and information on specialities and endemics.
...
....Ixtlan
de Juarez: Oaxaca's Northern Sierra - by Norma
Angelica
Montes R. and Gustavo Ramírez
Santiago. The Northern Sierra is the perfect destination for nature lovers,
since it is home for an array of plants and animals, including five hundred
species of birds.
...
....Oaxaca
at Christmastime - This commercial site provides
an itinerary
regarding birding in Oaxaca.
The area has also acquired a reputation among birdwatchers, for in the
immediate surroundings of the city one can find a variety of habitats,
from desert and oak-thorn scrub to pine and cloud forest. Birds of at least
three distinct faunal regions occur here, among them many of Mexico's most
notable endemic species.
...
....A
Site Guide to Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico - by Peg Abbott.
Looking
for an great winter escape fairly close to home? A mere four-hour drive
from either Tucson or Phoenix will bring you to a beautiful, white sand
beach and fabulous birding. Puerto Peñasco lets you capture the
exotic without the time and expense of a long vacation. It is quickly emerging
as a popular location for birders.
...
....World
Conservation Monitoring Centre - information on protected
areas
in Mexico, includes information on:
...
....El
Triunfo Biosphere Reserve - by Fulvio Eccardi and
Cesar Carrillo
- in
the highlands of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. See also this
site by Philip D. Tanimoto, November 1997.
...
....Calakmul
Biosphere Reserve - The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
in
southern Mexico protects
723,000 hectares of some of the most important humid tropical forest in
Mesoamerica. Home to 350 different kind of migratory and native birds (including
the threatened great curassow), as well as howler and spider monkeys, the
Reserve also provides habitat for five of the six species of cat found
in Mexico.
...
....The
Birdlife of Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve - With an amble list
of 345 species, (which would
no doubt increase with special attention given to the migrating shorebirds),
Sian Ka'an is certainly well worth a visit by birdwatchers. The total number
of species represents 33% of all species identified for the entire country
of Mexico and 67% of those reported for the Yucatan Peninsula.
...
....The
Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve, by Sonja Macys, November
1996. This reserve is best
known for its spectacular
flocks of American Flamingos,
can be reached by car. Take Highway 281 through Uman or Hunucmá
and follow signs for Celestún. Over 320 species have been identified
in the Biosphere Reserve of which many are permanent residents. For the
true bird watcher, the best time to visit is in the winter when migrants
abound.
...
....Ría
Lagartos, Yucatán - The Ría Lagartos estuary is located
270km
from Mérida, the
capital of the province on the northeast coast of the state of Yucatán.
The area is considered outstanding for birds, with a total of 72 migratory
and 141 resident species. The symbol of the reserve is the Greater Flamingo
and the area is an important nesting site for this species. More
information.
...
....The
El Eden Reserve - El Eden is only 2 hours away
from Cancun
(30 miles
to the northwest) in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located in
the outstanding bioregion known as "Yalahau" (in Maya means "where the
water is born") at the northeast tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. In addition
to El Eden, this region includes the protected areas of Ria Lagartos, Isla
Contoy and Yum Balam.
...
....La
Laguna de Santa Maria del Oro, Nayarit, Mexico. Birding at a
volcanic
lake - A subtropical birders paradise. There are a large number of birds
in different habitats (lake, streams, fields,
roadside, mountain, and urban) in a relatively small area, offering excellent
winter birding in a moderately warm and dry climate. Includes a local bird
list. Visitors can also look for Ben Wassick at Koala Bungalows,
where he spends most of the winter. There are accomodations and an RV park
there, which is rare for a good birding site in Mexico. Or e-mailBen
Wassink - "When I'm there, I do take birders around and help them in
anyway I can. I'm not a professional guide, so I don't charge people."
...
....Raptor
Rapture in Veracruz - Tropical Conservation Newsbureau
-
January, 1997. The raptors,
or birds that hunt, come from all over North America, funneling down through
the narrow waist of Mexico and Central America to their wintering grounds.
Geography and favorable winds condense the birds over Veracruz during their
journeys south and north.
...
....Birds
of Cozumel - A brief paragraph part way down this page of
general information about
Cozumel identifies a few key birding locations.
...
....Iowa
Ornithological Member's Mexican Adventure - An illustrated Trip
Report by Matt Kenne. On
Friday, February 13, 1998, a diverse group of Iowans met at the Monterrey
Inn in Laredo, Texas, to embark on a birding trip through Tamaulipas and
San Louis Potosi, Mexico with Bob and John Cecil.
...
....Manzanillo
- The laguns of Manzanillo are a good place to see all the
wild birds, especially at
the Lagun of the Garzas and the Lagun of the Cuyatlan. Maps are included
on the site.
...
....Gandoca-Manzanillo
National Wildlife Refuge - 358 species of birds,
such as: crested mandible
toucan, ornate hawk eagle, red-lored parakeet and the red-capped manakin
and harpy eagle.
...
....Birding
in Mexico - by the Rio Grande Valley Bird Observatory
reports of research trips
and tours to:
-
Lake Catemaco
-
E. San Luis Potosi and N. Veracruz
-
Catemaco, Una Vez Mas!
-
Sierra Gorda, Queretaro
...
....Man
and the Biosphere Reserves in Mexico - clickable map
showing location of reserves.
...
....Birding
the State of Sinaloa, by Alwin A.K. van der Heiden.
Information
is provided here on birding in Mazatlan Sinaloa, the Sierra Madre Occidental,
and the Pacific lowlands and foothills.
...
....Marismas
Nacionales International Reserve, Sinaloa and Nayarit,
Mexico.
Part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.
....
....Trip
Report: Desierto de los Leones Recreational Park, Mexico City -
by
Charlie Moores. March 2005.
....
....Trip
Report: Birding and Duding in Yucutan and Belize, July 26 to
August 31, 2003. By Tim
Allwood and Claire Stephenson. There’s no feeling like that of the roar
and pull of the engines of a jet as you travel down the runway, and this
year our destination was the endemism hotspot of the Yucutan peninsula
in Mexico, and Belize. After last year’s epic expedition into darkest Peru
we fancied a slightly more sedate trip with the chance to relax, swim,
meet a few people and generally doss about with a beer or two. This area
has many endemic species and subspecies (a fair few probable splits in
the pipeline) along with many more species endemic to the wider area of
Central America.
...
....Mexico
Travel Diary - March 14 - 31, 2002, by James Ownby.
The
best place to find the Tufted Jay, endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental
in western Mexico is Barranca Rancho Liebre, a canyon near the Mazatlan
- Durango highway in Sinaloa state.
...
....Mexico
Trip Report - 2001. By Nicholas Block. Three other college
students
and I recently made a 10-day road trip to northeastern México, concentrating
on the El Naranjo/Gómez Farías and Tlanchinol regions. We
hoped to see all the northeastern endemics and as many other Mexican specialties
as possible. We missed one endemic, unfortunately, most likely due
to the fact we spent little time in the best habitat for it. However,
the trip was very successful overall, logging 262 total species without
any coastal birding at all and little lowland or wetland birding.
...
....Trip
Report: Yucatan Peninsula (incl. Tikal – Guatemala)
-
by Daniel Kronauer and Frank
E. Rheindt. From Dec 14 through 22, 2000, we traveled around on the Yucatan
Peninsula on what we term a "combined birding and herping" trip. The reason
we opted for Yucatan is its high endemism and easy accessibility from the
U.S. One of us (DK) is a passionate herpetologist, while the other (FER)
is an avid world birder, but fortunately the areas of interest for both
animal groups coincide well, so we could each just concentrate on the respective
group upon arrival at the sites. Information is provided on:
-
Felipe Carrillo Puerto
-
Tikal
-
Cobá
-
Isla Cozumel
-
Rio Lagartos
...
....Mexico
Trip Report: 27 Jan - 22 Feb 1999 by Jon Hornbuckle.
I undertook a Mexico "clean-up"
trip, excluding the northeast, having already briefly covered Yucatan and
Sierra de Atoyac, plus Guatemala. This followed 10 days in Cuba and so
started in Merida, for the three coastal endemics, before proceeding to
Oaxaca, southern Chiapas, Jalisco and Colima, San Blas, southern Baja (mainly
for whales), and the Mazatlan area. The trip was quite successful except
in Chiapas where we were unlucky with the owls and chose a degraded locality
in the morning, exacerbated by too little time.
...
....Birding
trip report: West Mexico 21 November to 3 December 1999 -
by
John van der Woude. For the birding we focused on four regions: 1. San
Blas in the state Nayarit at the Pacific Ocean, for the moist tropical
and subtropical zones, 2. The coast (Pacific as well) of the state Colima
for the dry tropical zone, 3. The volcanoes of the state Colima for the
different, mostly moist mountain zones, 4. Several sites on the central,
often rather dry, mountainous plateau, with large lakes.
...
....Mexico
Trip Report - 23 January - 20 February, 1998. By Greg Roberts.
Provinces of Nayarit, Jalisco,
Colima, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Yucatan.
...
.....Yucutan
Birding - by Stephen Marks. Scroll right to the bottom
section
of this page to see some Yucutan highlights.
...
....Trip
Report:Copper Canyon, Mexico, 21-31 March, 2003. By Mary
...
....Trip
Report for Northeast and Central Mexico, May 17th-24th 2003 -
by
Oscar Carmona. I led a group of 6 people from the Dallas-Fort Worth area
on a birding/history tour of NE and Central Mexico. About half the
time was spent looking for birds and the other half was visiting museums
and missions. The following is a report of the locations visited,
birds seen, hotels we stayed at, and restaurants we ate at.
...
....Trip
Report: Chiapas, Mexico - March, 2002 - by Don Roberson.
El
Triunfo is one of the most remote places one can reach in the Neotropics.
It is a beautiful cloud forest on the continental divide high in the Sierra
Madre de Chiapas, Mexico (and very near the Guatemala border). It is either
a three-day, 22 mile hike gaining over 6000' in elevation up the Pacific
slope (as we did in April 1986), or a one-day, 8 mile climb of 2400' elevation
from the east side (as we did in March 2002). Either expedition is a physical
challenge but the rewards are astonishing. The colors and contrasts of
the life zones one traverses, and the beauty and mystery of the birds and
wildlife encountered, are breathtaking.
...
....Trip
Report: Quintana Roo/Yucutan - May-June 2002. By Chris
Spagnoli. I took a trip
to Quintana Roo and the province of Yucatan from May 25 through June 4,
2002, with a group of my insane friends. Although they are not birders,
they take a real interest in my hobby and helped in spotting birds when
we did joint side trips to attractions such as the Mayan ruins. This was
my first birding trip to the tropics. My goal was to get one hundred life
birds. The season was such that the North American migrants had long departed,
so my total species count was not particularly high. The positive side
of that was that virtually all of the birds I saw were life birds and I
was not distracted by the movements of familiar species.
...
....Mexican
Trip Reports - for an outstanding series of Mexican Trip
Reports - see Blake Maybank's
"Birding
the Americas: Trip Report and Trip Planning Repository". A great
collection of over 100 trip reports from the states of:
-
Baja California
-
Chiapas
-
Colima
-
Durango
-
Guerrero
-
Hidalgo
-
Jalisco
-
Mexico City
-
Nayarit
-
Nuevo Leon
-
Oaxaca
-
Quintana Roo
-
San Luis Potosi
-
Sinaloa
-
Sonora
-
Tabasco
-
Tamaulipas
-
Vera Cruz
-
Yucatan
-
Multi-State trips, four or more
States
...
....Trip
Report - West Mexico: Colima and Jalisco - March 5-12, 1995 -
by Carol Schumacher. Focus
on lowlands from Manzanillo north toward Barre de Navidad.
...
....Trip
Report - Mexico - West Central, Nov.-Dec. 1996
By Garry George. Here's
a long trip report from a Thanksgiving trip to San Blas, Colima,
Volcan de Fuego near Colima and near Manzanillo.
...
....Trip
Report - Mexico - Ixtapa, Dec. 96-Jan. 97
By Timothy Barnekov. This
is a report of a trip that my wife and I made to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo,
Mexico, between December 28 and January 5, 1997. We recommend this
trip for those who want to combine relaxing in the sun and sea with some
reasonably good birding. This birding needs to be done along the
coast because, much to our dismay, we discovered that any venturing into
the foothills is extremely dangerous even for a sizable group.
...
....Trip
Report - Mexico - Yucatan, 1/13-17/97
By Jeff Perkins. First of
all, as far as familiar North American songbirds go, winter in the Yucatan
is like a good spring day in High Island. 13 familiar warbler species,
5 vireos, Least Flycatchers and Wood Thrushes were everywhere we turned.
And then came the Mexican endemics. The woods were a riot. See also another
one of Jeff's trip report on the Yucatan.
...
....Trip
Report - Yucatan Peninsula, 22-30 September, 1995 -
The last week in September
my non-birding (but indulgent) wife and I took advantage of the present
cheap airfares and hotels within Mexico, and risked hurricanes. Advantages
of Yucatan in September are off-season hotel rates ($15-40); few tourists
at the Mayan sites, except at Chichen Itza and to a lesser extent Uxmal
and Tulum; a flood of migrants; and (I think) the easy viewing of a large
part of the Flamingo flock, midway between its less acessible breeding
and wintering lagoons.
...
....Yucatan
Trip Report - Jeff Perkins. OK, I'm hooked. This was our
first birding adventure
south of the Rio Grande. Although only a very quick taste, this birding
in a strange land brought back that thrill of discovery and adventure we
all had when we first pointed our binocs at a tree.
...
....Trip
Report, Durango/San Blas , Mexico. By James Norman Paton
What follows is a report
of a trip I and another birder took March 18 - 24, 1995 to Durango and
San Blas, Nay. in Mexico. In was done from El Paso in my car, and may be
of particular interest to border residents who have not yet ventured into
Mexico.
...
....Mexico
- Yucatan, Chiapas and Tikal Trip Report - February, 1997
by Mark van Kleunen. In
February 1997, we took a three week trip to Southern Mexico including
a two day excursion to Tikal, Guatemala. Our daily activities
mainly consisted of birdwatching. We wanted to see as
many of the Yucatan and Cozumel endemics as possible, but we
also visited the lowland rainforest, highlands and pacific slope
of Chiapas.
...
....Trip
Report - Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, Oct 4-11, 1996.
By Wayland B. Augur. All
in all, it was a great trip! I'd like to do it again with another birder
who can put up with the heat; another person to work out Ids of complicated
Flycatchers and Pelagics would have been very nice, and who knows how much
my single pair of eyes missed!
....
....Trip
Report: Central America (A birding travel report on: Mexico,
Guatemala
and Belize) - 16 March - 12 April 1991, by Michiel de Boer. This is a report
of a birding holiday of four weeks in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. We
didn't book anything in advance (except for the flight) didn't rent a car
and still visited all the good spots we wanted to visit. It was a great
pleasure and a terrific experience, we would recommend to any birdwatcher
or nature-lover. The planning of this trip relied on sources like travel-reports.
By writing this report I hope I can contribute to the planning of trips
of other people.
....
....Mexico
Trip Reports - Blake Maybank's great trip report archive
holds
many more trip reports on various parts of Mexico.
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