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Birding and Cultural Trips Throughout Mexico
El Pedregal Nature Lodge and Retreat Center
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Mexican Parrotlet feasting on figs at Las Cabras near Alamos
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Welcome to our world where there are all sorts of interesting things going on! Read about some of what we've been up to and will be doing in the upcoming months! In this newsletter:
Upcoming featured trips to northern Mexico and Alaska
A few trip reports from recent trips we ran this fall and winter
Our newly updated 2012-2013 birding trip schedule
The 2nd annual Festival Internacional de Cine Alamos Magico
An upcoming Iyengar Yoga workshop
The new addition to our lives at El Pedregal!
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FROM THE SIERRA TO THE SEA: YECORA-ALAMOS
April 14-22, 2012
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Gray-crowned Woodpecker
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4 spaces left!
Last year, the spring Yecora Alamos trip was one of our most prolific trips ever...and this year promises to be the same! The itinerary 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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Crested Caracaras
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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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SUMMERTIME IN THE SIERRA MADRES
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The Sierra Lodge in the Copper Canyon
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We are offering three great trips to the mountains of Sonora and Chihuahua this summer. Up in the mountains, the weather is perfect, the scenery is breathtaking and the birding is brilliant!
August 25-September 1
The great Sierra Madre adventure where we will see the Thick-billed Parrot, Aztec Thrush, the Basaseachic waterfall and more!
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Thick-billed Parrots near Madera
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September 3-6
This is a short trip to see the very localized Thick-billed Parrot and other high elevation Mexican endemics. A lot of great birding in 4 just four days!
September 17-25
Travel on the famous Copper Canyon train into the land of the Tarahumara Indians for spectacular scenery, Eared Quetzal and Mountain Trogon among many other high country species.
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Beautiful Yecora, Sonora in the summer
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TRIP REPORTS
Click on the below links for highly entertaining tour reports! Yecora Alamos Fall 2012
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THE GREAT WHITE NORTH...Birding in Alaska
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The town of Teller
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Every summer we migrate north to a few remote areas of Alaska to lead trips for High Lonesome Birdtours. David leads trips in Adak, Gambell, Nome, the Pribiloffs and Barrow. Both Jen and David work together in Gambell, on St. Lawrence Island where Jen cooks up great food and David guides. High Lonesome specializes in high-quality, small group tours and we have worked together and collaborated on trips for many years.
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Ivory Gull
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If you are interested in adding Alaskan rarities to your list or exploring the vastness of this great state, you will be in good hand with High Lonesome (and us!). Beyond the trips we lead for them, they offer other Alaska trips a well. Feel free to contact us for more information or go to High Lonesome Bird Tours .
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More Birding Trips in 2012 and 2013
September 29-October 5
January 20-26,2013
Yucatan
January 20-February 7
Durango Highway San Blas
February 14-23
Colima Jalisco (NEW itinerary!)
February 26-March 5
Colorado Chicken Trip (NEW!)
April 2-10
(contact us for a detailed itinerary)
Yecora Alamos
April 12-20
Beyond our scheduled dates, we 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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 2nd ANNUAL FESTIVAL DE CINE INTERNACIONAL ALAMOS MAGICO!
March 14-17, 2012 El Festival Internacional de Cine Alamos Magico started in 2011 with the intention of providing a platform for independent film in Alamos, Sonora which is a Pueblo Magico and gives a special backdrop for the film festival. The festival provides youth filmmaker workshops and strives to create a hopeful and creative space for attendees. FICAM also gives special attention to regional films giving voice to the natural world, indigenous communities, and rich history of Sonora. A colorful part of the FICAM is the classic Mexican films projected in the Alamos plaza nightly during the festival. FICAM has also teamed up with the Arizona International Film Festival to exchange films and create cultural bridges between Sonora and Arizona. At El Pedregal, we are offering a special 10% discount for all Film Festival attendees! |
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IYENGAR YOGA WORKSHOP
Join us for a great workshop in beautiful straw bale studio at El Pedregal. We are happy welcome back Deborah Bristow from Santa Fe, NM, to share her vast knowledge of the foundations of Iyengar yoga, emphasizing correct muscle movement in the asanas which keeps correct alignment. She is a Senior Iyengar yoga instructor and has studied directly w/ B.K.S. Iyengar and is family in Pune, India. This workshop is open to all levels of yoga practioners.
Dates: March 19, 20 and 21, 2012 Cost: $565 (includes lodging, meals and instruction)
Contact us
for more information or to reserve a space in the workshop!
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It is now official! This closing block will now be referred to as 'Jen's Korny Korner'! After years of teasing from David about how 'corny' she can get at times in the closing remarks, we decided it was time to embrace the genuine good ol' home spun love from Jen. For our first official 'Korny Korner', we leave you with a photo of us with our ridiculously Kute and Korny new little puppy! Meet Chico, our new addition to El Pedregal! You really do want to come meet this little guy before he gets HUGE! Look forward to hearing from you, seeing you at El Pedregal or on a trip in the near future.
Saludos,
David and Jennifer MacKay
www.solipaso.com
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Coming up in our next newsletter:
Information on two great projects in the Alamos area:
- Rancho Ecologico Monte Mojino...conservation work in the tropical deciduous forest and the Rio Cuchujaqui watershed.
- Parque La Colorada...a park and greenspace to promote recreation, education and conservation for the community of Alamos and its visitors.
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