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Birding and Cultural Trips Throughout Mexico
El Pedregal Nature Lodge and Retreat Center |
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Montezuma's Quail seen at Rancho Santa Barbara Sonora on the REMM CBC. |
Happy New Year!
We hope your holidays were peaceful and 2012 is off to a good start!
In this newsletter, we highlight two upcoming trips and share some stories and images from the CBCs of southern Sonora and other goings on in the Alamos. |
March 10-20, 2012
$3100 per person ($625 single supplement)
 We start in the modern city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, with two days dedicated to visiting the rim and surrounding dry tropical forest of the immense Sumidero Canyon, one of the most impressive geologic features in North America, with sheer 3000 foot limestone cliffs. Here we look for Red-breasted chat, Fan-tailed Warbler, Belted and Flamulated Flycatcher, Blue and White Mockingbird, Highland Guan, Pheasant Cuckoo, Lesser Road Runner, a number of Hummingbirds and very extremely local endemic, Nava's Wren.
Heading into the cool pines, towards the culturally-rich town of San Cristobal de Las Casas, we look for Singing Quail, Black-capped Swallow, Pink-headed Warbler, Yellow-backed Oriole, Rufous-collared Robin, Mountain Trogon and Garnet-throated Hummingbird, White-napped Brush-finch and Black-headed Siskin.  | |
Slaty-tailed Trogon |
Lagos de Montebello is a famous national park dotted with a number of beautiful lakes of various colors with some wonderful walking trails that can produce birds like Resplendent Quetzal, Ruddy-Foliage-gleaner, Black-throated and Uni-colored Jay, Blue-throated Motmot, Violet Sabrewing, Blue-crowned Chlorophonia, Prevost's Ground-sparrow and Hooded Grosbeak. At Las Guacamayas, we will have our first exposure to a host of deep tropical species, including Scarlet Macaws! In the lowlands of the Lancandon jungle and the Usumacinta River, which border Guatemala, the extreme remoteness of this area explains why the last society of people to be contacted and recorded in North America lives here. Our last hotel is just outside the entrance to the Mayan ruins of Palenque, the birding outside and inside the ruins is very good, and we will spend a good deal of time doing both! We'll take a drive to the east one afternoon to visit the Usumacinta marshes, where we should find loads of wintering water birds and big diversity of raptor species. This trip begins in Tuxtla Gutierrez and ends in Villahermosa. We have a great trip report from March 2011...to read, click here (FYI: it includes both Chiapas trips we did) |
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FROM THE SIERRA TO THE SEA: YECORA-ALAMOS
April 14-22, 2012
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Grey-crowned Woodpecker |
Last year, the spring Yecora Alamos trip was one of our most prolific trips ever...and this year promises to be the same. This trip takes us into all of the major habitats found in the large and incredibly diverse state of Sonora. We begin in the Sonoran Desert habitat and the riparian area in the Rio Sonora river valley. From Hermosillo, we climb to an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet on the western slope of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains to the sleepy lumber town of Yecora. Leaving the mountains, we continue south into the extensive and dense stands of tropical deciduous forest in the southern portion of the state, before following the coastline of the Sea of Cortez, with its mangroves and Sinaloa thorn forest habitat.
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Mexican Parrotlet |
Along the way, we could run into more than two dozen Mexican endemic birds, many of them restricted to Northwest Mexico, along with a host of notable other tropical species. Birds like Elegant Quail, Mexican Parrotlet, Happy and Sinaloa Wren, Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Russet-crowned Motmot, Black-throated Magpie Jay, Purplish-backed Jay, Russet Nightingale Thrush, Rufous-capped
Brush-finch, Gray-crowned Woodpecker, Black-headed Siskin, Rusty Sparrow, Gray-collared Becard, Lesser Roadrunner, Mountain Trogon, Spotted Wren, Russet-crowned Motmot Squirrel Cuckoo, Black-vented Oriole and Colima Pygmy Owl, to name a few. The emphasis of this trip will be fantastic bird life that abounds in Sonora, but it is also a wonderful chance to get acquainted with the culture and diversity beyond the birds. From the incredible plants to the wonderful and rich human history, you will be impressed by the variety and beauty that lies only a short distance from the U.S. border. This trip begins and ends in Tucson. To read our trip report from Spring 2011 trip, click here!
For more information please contact us.
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Upcoming Birding Trips in 2012!
January 22-28
$1900 ($325 single) 1 spaces left
Durango Highway and San Blas
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Berylline Hummingbird |
February 4-13
$2850 ($525 single)
Oaxaca
February 20-March 2
$3150 ($625 single)
Chiapas - Pacific Coast and Central Valley
March 4-10
$1850 ($375 single)
Northwest Mexico
August 24-31
$2000 ($375 single)
Madera
September 3-6
$975 ($200 single)
Copper Canyon
September 17-25
$2350 ($425 single)
Beyond our scheduled dates, we also specialize in doing custom trips! For more information, please go to Custom Trips . We look forward to hearing from you!
www.solipaso.com |
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CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS IN SOUTHERN SONORA
It was a busy count season in southern Sonora! Through a great collaborative effort between several people and organizations, we were involved in three very different and equally enjoyable Christmas Bird Counts.
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Navopatia count...beers in the wind! |
On December 22nd, a group of us drove from Alamos to Navopatia. We were welcomed by Adam Hannuksela
and Sallie Herman (and their crew) at the Navopatia Field Station. After enjoying the beautiful sunset over the estuary and mangroves, we feasted on an amazing fish taco feast and carrot cake (baked in the solar oven...on the shortest day of the year, by the way)! Over dinner, we made a plan for the count the following day. We awoke the next morning to raging northerly winds and very cold temperatures...an unusual combination for the area and a challenge for the count day. The crew that was to go kayaking changed plans, since there were white caps on the bay. Instead, we had a team head out by boat, captained by Tino, and a couple of teams on land. We reconvened for another delicious meal prepared by Lupita and enjoyed a chance to get out of the wind! Then we all headed out to bird a couple of other spots on the coast and inland. From there, the Alamos team headed home and the Navopatia folks birded a few more spots before calling it a day. The winds and cold did affect the count total for this year, which turned out to be about 130 species which is lower than years past.
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REMM count group |
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Deep in Arroyo Santa Barbara |
The day after Christmas, 20 people headed up into the mountains to participate in the remote Rancho Ecologico Monte Mojino (REMM) count in the foothills of the Sierra Madre. The REMM project is focused on conserving the watershed land of the Rio Cuchujaqui drainage and the count took place on various different parts of this vast 23,000 acre protected area. A couple of teams went up high, to Rancho Santa Barbara, some hiked down through the pristine, wild Arroyo Verde and several other teams birded the San Pedro and Palo Injerto areas of the property. After a long day in the field, all the teams reunited at the Palo Injerto ranch house for a great meal, lively conversation and the compilation. Total species count was 144, which is on par with last year.
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Mario at the top of Mt. Alamos |
The last count of the trio was Alamos, where six different teams spread out and covered as much ground as possible within the count circle, including David and Mario who left at 3:30 a.m. for Mt. Alamos and were doing so well (including getting all of the owl species), they decided to hike to the top...El Pedregal was also a part of the count and is always a birdy place to be! After another long day in the field, the weary but enthusiastic group met for another great compilation meal at El Mirador Restaurant. The total species for Alamos this year was 169 (plus 4 additional for count week). One of the unique aspects of birding and CBCs is that it brings together people from all walks of life for a common interest. These events were no exception and it is always a very satisfying and fun thing to be a part of. It is wonderful to see these Christmas counts become true bicultural events. We invite you to come participate in the CBCs in December 2012! Start planning now!
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Quail Species of the Region Star in the NY Times
Over the last several months, Alamos has been home to two quail researchers who have been studying Elegant and Gambel's Quail. They have been blogging their work for the NY Times. Most recently, biologist Jennifer Gee has been studying quail hybridization in the area. Follow the link below for several blogposts in they Times!
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The last few weeks of 2011 were full of time with, family, friends new and old, bird counts, great meals, adventures, bonfires, veggies from the garden, yoga and much more. 2012 has also started off well. David is on his way to the Yucatan to lead a trip, followed by the annual Music Festival here in Alamos, during which we are looking forward to a full hotel, great music and cultural events and our Birds and Music Trip. In Alamos, Jen continues to work on a big conservation project as well as another community project that we'll share with you in our next newsletter, all the while teaching yoga, doing massages and feeding people good food! We hope that we have the good fortune to have you visit us at El Pedregal in Alamos or join us on a trip somewhere in Mexico, where life is good! 
Saludos,
David and Jennifer MacKay
www.solipaso.com
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COMING UP IN OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER!
- UPCOMING EVENTS IN ALAMOS, INCLUDING THE FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DE ALAMOS MAGICO AND AN IYENGAR YOGA WORKSHOP (in March)
- INFORMATION ON THE CONSERVATION WORK OF RANCHO ECOLOGICO MONTE MOJINO
- PRESENTATION OF A GREAT PROJECT FOR ALAMOS - PARQUE LA COLORADA
- ALASKA BIRDING TRIPS WITH HIGH LONESOME BIRD TOURS
- SUMMER TRIPS WITH SOLIPASO
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