Our Colima trip is loaded with migrants from North America. Here a Louisiana Waterthrush. Photo: Steve N.G. Howell -
Our Colima trip is loaded with migrants from North America. Here a Louisiana Waterthrush. Photo: Steve N.G. Howell
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Red Warbler is a brilliant Mexican endemic. Photo: Steve N.G. Howell
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The charming Happy Wren is another Mexican endemic. Photo: Steve N.G. Howell
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We bird in a number of quiet tropical canyons. Photo: Steve N.G. Howell
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The slopes of the active Fuego Volcano provide some of the best birding on the tour. Photo: Steve N.G. Howell
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The poorly known White-throated Flycatcher is one of 10 species of Empidonax possible on the tour. Photo: Steve N.G. Howell
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The slopes of Fuego Volcano is the best place in Mexico (and the world!) to see the handsome Aztec Thrush.
Mexico is noted for its spectacular, varied, and abundant birdlife and its remarkable diversity of habitats. Nowhere is this variety and sheer abundance better represented than in the tiny state of Colima and surrounding areas of Jalisco. We’ll travel from pristine Pacific beaches to deliciously cool montane forests on the Volcanes del Colima, whose majestic twin peaks dominate the region. Some 400 species occur in this small area, including more than 40 of Mexico’s 100 or so endemics—ranging from the flashy Red-breasted Chat to the enigmatic Balsas Screech-Owl. The short distances involved make this trip a splendid opportunity to become familiar with a fascinating region.
Day 1: The trip begins at about 7:00 pm with a meeting followed by dinner in our Barra de Navidad hotel. Night in Barra de Navidad.
Days 2: We’ll spend a day exploring the coastal lowlands within easy reach of our hotel. Habitats range from mangrove to thorn forest, and some of the birds we should see are Lilac-crowned Parrot, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, San Blas Jay, Orange-breasted Bunting, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, and, with luck, perhaps the elusive Red-breasted Chat and Rosy Thrush-Tanager. Night in Barra de Navidad.
Day 3: We’ll spend the morning birding in tropical semi-deciduous forest, home to Golden-crowned Emerald, Flammulated Flycatcher, and West Mexican Chachalaca. After lunch we’ll drive inland to Ciudad Guzmán, a town at about 5,000 feet elevation at the extreme southwest corner of the Mexican central plateau. This will be our base for three nights, allowing us easy access to the forested slopes of the twin volcanoes that dominate the region. Night in Ciudad Guzmán.
This was my first dedicated birding tour, and it met all my expectations and then some. We were fortunate to have a group of friendly compatible people who all had a great interest in birding and the adventures that result. Steve Howell’s knowledge, patience, and personality greatly enhanced the tour, and I heartily recommend any tour he might lead.
Terry Bronson, Feb 2015
Days 4-5: We’ll have two full days to explore the twin massifs of the Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of Fire) and the Volcán de Nieve (Volcano of Ice) and the surrounding plains. The former peak, still steaming, rises to 12,500 feet, the latter to over 14,000 feet. We’ll bird in lush montane forests whose valleys echo with the rollicking choruses of Long-tailed Wood-Partridge and the cascading melodies of Brown-backed Solitaire. Numerous mixed-species feeding flocks often hold such gems as Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, Gray-collared Becard, Red Warbler, and Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer. In addition, there are skulkers such as Blue Mockingbird, Golden-browed Warbler, and Collared Towhee, as well as 15 species of hummingbird and such rarities as Aztec Thrush and Great Swallow-tailed Swift. In some areas, a drier, more open pine-oak forest hosts a rather different avifauna, including Olive Warbler, Buff-breasted Flycatcher, and Black-headed Siskin. The surrounding plains are home to White-tailed Hawks and Crested Caracaras, and nearby lakes add a diversity in the form of migrant waterbirds and spectacular flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Nights in Ciudad Guzmán.
Day 6: After a last morning birdwatching on the slopes of the volcanoes, we’ll drive to Ciudad Colima, capital of the state of Colima. The thorn forest near town is home to several interesting species, and we’ll stay out after dark in search of Balsas Screech-Owl and Buff-collared Nightjar. Night in Ciudad Colima.
Day 7:We’ll spend today on the hillsides above Ciudad Colima, where birds we’ll be seeking include Lesser Roadrunner, Gray-crowned Woodpecker, Flame-colored Tanager and Golden, Dwarf, and Black-capped Vireos. Night in Ciudad Colima.
Day 8: After a morning around Ciudad Colima we’ll depart for colorful Manzanillo, Mexico’s most important Pacific Coast port. We’ll arrive at our hotel in mid-afternoon, when the beach or pool may prove irresistible. Night in Manzanillo.
Day 9: The tour concludes this morning in Manzanillo.
Updated: 23 February 2016
Notes
Questions? Tour Manager: Erin Olmstead. Call 1-866-547-9868 (US or Canada) or (01) 520-320-9868 or click here to email.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a 4% discount. Details here.
Maximum group size seven with one leader, 12 with two leaders.