CENTRAL MEXICO & BELIZE EXPEDITION
Tour Description
We're
tempted to say, "This trip has it all!" Our route certainly covers an expansive
range of birding habitats: from Monterrey's Highrise in Northern Mexico, south to the high
volcanic mountains of Angangueo (10 500 ft.) and La Cima, east to the Valley of Oaxaca,
down to the Pacific coast at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, then east to the Mayan ruins of
Palenque, south to the birder's wonderland of Belize, and north along the Mexico's Gulf
Coast.
We'll travel through the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains, starting our birding with a
visit to the home of the Maroon-fronted Parrots in Cola de Caballo
. Climbing through the mountains, some towering
above us at 12 500 ft., we'll see Cerro El Potosí and, birding beneath its shadow, we'll
seek Worthen's, Black-throated and Black-chinned sparrows. Then we'll travel the central
plateau of Mexico until we thread our way to the famous Monarch Butterfly preserve high in
pine-forested mountains. Imagine seeing tens of thousands of butterflies on a single tree , and that tree surrounded by a forest of
similarly arrayed trees. We should also see Green Violet-ears, Olive-backed Towhees, and
Boucard's Wrens. Among the pine trees at Tecámbaro we've found Red Warblers,
White-throated and Rufous-backed robins ,
and in the same area, Blue Mockingbird. Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireos and Cinnamon-bellied
Flowerpiercers are on our list for Coajomulco, as are Orange-billed and Russet
Nightingale-Thrushes. On the rural outskirts of Mexico City, we've got a great location to
find Sierra Madre, Striped and Stripe-headed sparrows .
Next we
travel to Oaxaca, where we spend leisurely time at this historic city in a valley
surrounded by high peaks and excellent birding.
We'll target Ocellated Thrasher, Beautiful Hummingbird and Oaxaca Sparrow. Only a few of
us saw Aztec Thrush last trip, so we'll look harder this time now that we know where they
hang out. We had an impressive 168 species in the Oaxaca area last trip, so we look
forward to revisiting this hot spot again and again. On the road once more, we'll reach
the Pacific Ocean at the southern point of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Only one of us
found Sumichrast's Sparrow on a previous trip, but we were much more successful at finding
an equally elusive species: Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, a bird with strange blue mascara-shaded
eyes. Next we bird the lowland rain forests in a remote area near the Trans-Isthmus
Highway, 
perhaps
lucky enough to find the obscure Nava's Wren. We'll be spending several days in another
birding hotspot: the foothills of Palenque (one year's favorite was the tree full of Green
Honeycreepers!) and the nearby Bonampak ruins along the Guatemala border, where
Band-backed Wrens nest in the bromeliads growing on tall trees and Purple-crowned Fairies
dance between flowers.
The best is yet to come! Belize is a country birders cannot get enough of. Every visit offers many more opportunities to see life birds and on this tour we will spend 21 days in the marvelous birding paradise. And if it's your first visit, you will be amazed at the number of colorful new species you will encounter each day: Violet Sabrewing, White-necked Jacobin, Crimson-collared and Golden-hooded tanagers to name a few. An ever-popular boat trip takes us to the Lamanai ruins, buried in dense tropical jungle, and a return river trip at night to see Mottled and Stygian Owls, Yucatan Nightjar and Northern Potoo.
An all time favorite, our overnight stay in the Rio Bravo Conservation Area east of the Guatemala border, should give us great views of soaring King Vultures and, deep in the jungles, tantalizing looks at elusive lurkers such as Thrush-like Schiffornis and Stub-tailed Spadebill. Further south in Belize, we'll visit Mountain Pine Ridge in the Maya Mountains, looking for Orange-breasted Falcons that nest near a thousand foot waterfall, then head to a site where we might find Lovely Cotinga, a neon blue gem that well deserves its name and is one of the rarest of Belizean birds. A prize bird and the favorite of our 2003 trip is the flock of Scarlet Macaws we watched south of Dangriga.
For variety, on our return northward we'll stop at a coastal grassland prairie near Veracruz, adding Grassland Yellow-Finch to the list. Then at Gómez Farías, while searching the ridges of the Sierra Madre Oriental for Crimson-collared Grosbeak, we might be surprised by a flock of Military Macaws calling overhead.
If
you are a non-birding partner and think you may have little to do on this trip, think
again. Our tour guide will see to it that our days and nights offer opportunities to shop
the villages, dine at good restaurants, swim on sandy beaches and absorb the rich
indigenous and Mexican history and culture. Our trek takes us through incredible scenery,
fascinating Mayan ruins and beautiful beaches. Because this is a birding caravan, we see a
Mexico not often seen by other tourists, but we also hit many of the traditional tourist
spots.
We visit Mexico's most typical colonial village at San Miguel de Allende, a quaint town with cobblestone streets and an exciting central square surrounded by musicians, restaurants, and historic churches, beautifully illuminated at night. Our social director will lead us on a side trip to Guanajuato, a picturesque city of tunnels and lovely plazas.
At
Pátzcuaro, enjoy eating mole Poblano, followed by the historical regional Dance of the
Old Men. The shopper will have plenty of time to browse as we visit some of the best areas
available for Mexican crafts: hammered copperware in Pátzcuaro, silver jewelry in Taxco,
green pottery and black pottery in Oaxaca, colorful rugs at Teotitlán del Valle, and the
hand-worked embroidery of Mayans in Palenque.
Mayan ruins are a part of this trip also, with visits to Palenque, Monte Alban , Oxtankah, Lamanai and Altun Ha. We will see
the magnificent color paintings on the temple walls of Bonampak, one of the most recently
discovered Mayan ruins. Then there is the unusual Belize Zoo, the amazing jungle visit at
the Jaguar Preserve, the snorkeling on the Barrier Reef, and on and on.