West Mexico: Durango Highway to Colima Itinerary
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February 27 – March 14, 2019
Daily Itinerary
Day 1 – Group members arrive Mazatlan, Mexico, to Copala. Traveling the short distance eastward, we’ll enjoy a bit of thorn forest birding before checking into our hotel. Night Copala.
Day 2 – Durango Highway, Barranca Rancho Liebre, Panuco Road, owling. We’ll visit nearby thorn forest habitats while cooler early morning hours hold sway. Hoped for species include Flammulated Flycatcher, Red-breasted Chat, Yellow Grosbeak and Orange-breasted Bunting. Traveling uphill as the day progresses, we’ll encounter mixed species flocks with many warblers—Townsend’s, Hermit, Crescent-chested, Red-faced, Olive and the incomparable Red Warbler—as a varied assortment of West Mexico montane birds present themselves. Expected species include Mountain Trogon, Tufted Flycatcher, Slate-throated and Painted Redstarts, With luck we may find Tufted Jay that afternoon! An afternoon hike near the barranca is planned, as is an after dark owling expedition. Woodland species we hope to find include White-striped Woodcreeper, Eared Quetzal, Aztec Thrush and Green-striped Brush-Finch. Owling targets for this area include Whiskered Screech, Mountain Pygmy, Northern Saw-whet (for us Mexican listers!) and Stygian Owls. Night Copala.
Red-breasted Chat. Photo by Kim & Cindy Risen ©.
Day 3 – Durango Highway, local clean-up, owling. Sunrise finds us driving slowly through the region’s spectacular pine forests. We’ll also do a bit of hiking on trails near the barranca. Although scenery will compete with the birds for our attention throughout the day, the birds are pretty amazing by themselves. Primary species of interest remain Tufted Jay and Eared Quetzal and the bulk of our efforts are to be spent locating these very local species. Another outing to look for nightbirds is possible after dinner. Night Copala.
Day 4 – Panuco Road, local clean-up, to Tepic, owling Cerro San Juan. One last morning birding arid scrub and riparian areas near our hotel. Dawn along the nearby Panuco Road is likely and these bird rich habitats may produce Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Elegant Quail, Mexican Parrotlet, Lilac-crowned Parrot, Colima Pygmy-Owl, Golden-crowned Emerald, Berylline and Sparkling-tailed Hummingbirds, Citreoline Trogon, Russet-crowned Motmot, Black-throated Magpie-Jay, Purplish-backed Jay, Happy and Sinaloa Wrens, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Blue Mockingbird, Fan-tailed and Rufous-capped Warblers, Blue Bunting, Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow and Five-striped Sparrow are a few possibilities. This will be treated as a ‘clean-up’ morning and if we have no holes in our want list we may have a predawn departure allowing us to bird some of the thorn forest areas closer to Mazatlan just after sunrise. Our afternoon will be spent driving to Tepic where we can enjoy an afternoon siesta before our after dark search for Mottled, Cinereous and Whiskered Screech-Owls and Mexican Whip-poor-will and Eared Poorwill. Night Tepic.
Cinereous Owl. Photo by Rick Bowers ©.
Day 5 – Cerro San Juan, to San Blas. We’ll return to Cerro de San Juan for sunrise and the opportunity to watch this beautiful forest become ever more active as daybreak occurs. Of primary interest to us are a few birds which seem to be more easily found here than any other location we visit on this itinerary. Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Elegant Quail, Colima Pygmy-Owl, Mexican Woodnymph and Bumblebee Hummingbird are members of this group. Birding Cerro San Juan is a pleasant local to spend a morning and the variety of habitats we visit insure a fun and productive birding outing. We’ll enjoy picnic breakfast and lunch during breaks in our birding activity. Our afternoon will see us traveling west to San Blas. We plan to visit a scenic overlook to scan for Military Macaws and a late afternoon bird walk near town after checking into our hotel. Common birds we may encounter include Sinaloa Crow, San Blas Jay and Yellow-winged Caçique.
We’ll thoroughly explore this charming part of Mexico that is still, surprisingly, untouched by ‘Tourist Zones’. One morning we’ll visit a low range of hills inland that are covered by more humid forest. The impressive dawn chorus here may be led by the hollow chants of a Collared Forest-Falcon while Lilac-crowned Parrots fly overhead. Afternoon visits here and neighboring wetlands may result in Crane Hawk, Spotted and Ridgway’s Rails, Purplish-backed Jay, Citreoline Trogon, Stripe-headed Sparrow and a host of wintering songbirds. Night San Blas.
Purplish-backed Jay. Photo by Rick Bowers ©.
Day 6 – Boat trip, tropical forest, dry forest, shrimp ponds. First rays of morning sun finds us in small boats gliding quietly through bird laden mangroves. We’ll thoroughly explore the estuary searching for its many waterbirds, especially Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, Boat-billed Heron and a huge variety of herons, egrets and raptors. If the tide is favorable, we may exit the river into the open ocean. We’ll circle a pair of offshore rocks searching for Blue-footed and Brown Boobies and perhaps a pelagic species or two cruising close to shore.
We’ll also be birding a few inland locations that hold a number of new birds for our group. Species that we hope to see include Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Elegant Quail, Lesser Roadrunner, Colima Pygmy-Owl, Mexican Woodnymph and Bumblebee Hummingbird (as well as a host of wintering northern hummers for our Mexican lists), White-striped Woodcreeper, Spotted, Happy and Sinaloa Wrens and Red-headed Tanager. Night San Blas.
Day 7 – Singayta, area clean-up, evening boat trip. The many wetlands, rivers and estuaries in the region beg to be explored and we’ll do so from the comfort of our small, open boats. Photography is at a premium on these boat trips as many of the birds allow close approach. We’ll hope for Rufous-necked Woodrail in the mangroves, virtually all the herons & egrets that visit Mexico including the odd looking, and even more bizarre sounding, Boat-billed Heron. On one such trip we’ll return after dark, searching for Mottled Owl and the truly unique Northern Potoo. On past trips we’ve recorded as many as 18 potoos! We’re likely to do a morning boat trip to an offshore island that’s home to Brown & Blue-footed Boobies and Red-billed Tropicbirds. We’ve always a chance to see pelagic birds and it’s likely we’ll encounter whales and/or dolphins which are surprisingly numerous in these waters. Night San Blas
Day 8 – Morning in foothills, to Puerto Vallarta. As dawn’s light reaches the tropical forest clad hillsides near San Blas, we’ll be searching for those species that are of most interest to us before moving southward. Elegant Quail, Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Purplish-backed and San Blas Jays, Rufous-backed Robin, Blue Mockingbird, Golden and Black-capped Vireos and a host of wintering migrants are always enjoyable. We’ll enjoy lunch enroute to Puerto Vallarta, and hope to arrive at our hotel with time for a late afternoon outing. Night Puerto Vallarta.
Rufous-bellied Chachalaca. Photo by Rick Bowers ©.
Day 9 – Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden, Cabo Corrientes, Playa Mayto. An early morning departure to visit a series of canyons/valleys holding Military Macaw and a nice mixture of habitats & birds. This relatively small area is always a fun one to visit. In addition to the macaws, we’ll search for Lilac-crowned Parrot, Rufous-capped and Grace’s Warblers and Black-headed Siskin before our trip to the botanical garden. Puerto Vallarta’s Botanical Garden has much to offer visiting birders. The many flowering plants/shrubs/trees attract a nice variety of hummingbirds topped by Plain-capped Starthroat, Cinnamon and Broad-billed Hummingbirds and Mexican Hermit. The fruit feeders below the restaurant (where we’ll enjoy lunch!) draw Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, San Blas Jay, White-throated and Rufous-backed Thrushes, Yellow-winged Caçique to the trays while Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow, wintering Macgillivray’s Warblers and others feed on the spillage below.
After lunch we’ll have a leisurely journey westward through some truly magnificent thorn forest habitat. West Mexican Chachalaca, Lilac-crowned Parrot, Colima Pygmy-Owl, Mexican Hermit, Flammulated Flycatcher, Red-breasted Chat, “Godman’s” Euphonia, Blue Bunting and a relaxing hike before dinner are to be expected. Night Cabo Corrientes.
Day 10 – Cabo Corrientes, to Barra de Navidad, Barranca el Choncho. ample time for exploring the beautiful habitats of Cabo Corrientes. This remarkable area holds a great variety of birds of interest to us as the thorn forest here is expansive, relatively intact and incredibly productive. Raptors like Hook-billed Kite, Gray, Roadside, Short-tailed and Zone-tailed Hawks, Lilac-crowned Parrot, Colima Pygmy-Owl, hummingbirds swarm flowering shrubs and we’ll search for Golden-crowned Emerald, Broad-billed, Cinnamon and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Happy, Sinaloa and White-bellied Wrens, Blue Mockingbird, Golden Vireo and a mass of wintering warblers, sparrows and buntings. A highlight from last year’s tour was a small roadside puddle with bathing Blue, Orange-breasted, Varied and Painted Buntings side-by-side!
Broad-billed Hummingbird. Photo by Rick Bowers ©.
Our travels will soon turn southward, with several birding areas likely to be visited as time and conditions allow. A favorite thorn forest spot has always been productive for me on previous visits and some of the wetlands along our journey can hold absolutely amazing numbers of birds with which we can pad our lists. If time allows, an afternoon visit to nearby Barranca el Choncho is planned. A winding tendril of tropical forest surrounded by thorn forest, El Choncho is an island of habitat offering an interesting assortment of birds. West Mexican Chachalaca, Lilac-crowned Parrot, a nice assortment of hummingbirds and songbirds like Flammulated Flycatcher, San Blas Jay, Fan-tailed Warbler, Rosy Thrush-Tanager and the West Mexico race of Red-crowned Ant-Tanager to name but a few. Night Barra de Navidad
Day 11 – Playa del Oro Road, to Colima, owling La Cumbre. Today we visit one of the better thorn forest areas to be found during our trip. The habitat found along the Playa del Oro road is an unbroken expanse of thorn forest that holds a great number of our desired species. Topping this list are Flammulated Flycatcher, West Mexican Chachalaca, Mexican Parrotlet, Lilac-crowned Parrot, Golden-crowned Emerald, White-bellied Wren, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Red-breasted Chat, Orange-breasted Bunting and Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater. This has proven to be one of the most reliable location for Flammulated Flycatcher found along our tour route and we will make a concerted effort for this retiring endemic. We plan a picnic lunch near the beach as we search for Brown Boobies, Red-billed Tropicbirds and perhaps a pelagic species or two.
Following lunch we leave the coast behind us as we turn inland on our drive to Ciudad Colima. After getting checked into our hotel I plan to visit some of the nearby birding areas, staying out until after dark. Of particular interest is a small patch of thorn forest on the flanks of a hillside near town. I have never missed Colima Pygmy-Owl here and it serves as our best back-up location for this species. At this point all of the birds we are seeing should be old friends to us. At least until the sun sets. After dark this area is haunted by the presence of two of our highly desired nightbirds—Balsas Screech-Owl and Buff-collared Nightjar. I hope to find both of them before we return to the city for dinner. Night Ciudad Colima.
Balsas Screech-Owl. Photo by Kim & Cindy Risen ©.
Day 12 – Comala, Laguna La Maria, Volcan de Fuego, owling clean-up. The exact daily itinerary for today and the following three depend entirely upon weather conditions and which bird species we hope to find. That caveat in mind, expect our days to follow the basic agenda described here. Early morning departure for areas on the north and northwest slopes of Volcan de Fuego first, then explorations along the south and southeast slopes followed by visits onto Volcan de Nieve’s eastern flanks.
Our winding route from Comala to Laguna La Maria passes through mixed agricultural areas and habitat patches that often hold an interesting array of birds for us to enjoy. Flower patches attract a nice variety of hummingbirds with Golden-crowned Emerald, Broad-billed, Berylline, Cinnamon, Amethyst-throated, Lucifer, Ruby-throated, Costa’s, Calliope and Rufous Hummingbird observed on past tours.
Tropical forest shading coffee plantations and mixed woodlands provide cover for an impressive array of wintering warblers, vireos and flycatchers. Mexican specialties we’ve found in the area include Gray-crowned Woodpecker, Gray-collared Becard, Happy, Sinaloa and Spotted Wrens, Blue Mockingbird, Black-capped, Slaty, Dwarf and Golden Vireos, Slate-throated Redstart, Fan-tailed and Rufous-capped Warblers, Flame-colored and Red-headed Tanagers, Yellow Grosbeak, Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow and Streak-backed, Black-vented and Dickey’s Orioles. One area with bamboo covered slopes has held Slate-blue Seedeater on previous visits, and we’ll check any seeding bamboo areas for this bamboo specialist as we spend our entire day birding this bird rich environment.
We’ll have time for another nocturnal outing for Buff-collared Nightjar, Balsas Screech-Owl or Colima Pygmy-Owl if needed. Night Ciudad Colima.
Day 13 – Volcanes de Colima. We first pass through agricultural areas with an opportunity to find Banded Quail and Lesser Roadrunner, then roadside flower banks with a variety of wintering hummingbird species and finish in a variety of more tropical type habitats. We should be birding all day with lunch in the field. Goal birds would include West Mexican Chachalaca, Mexican Parrotlet, Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, Spotted, Happy and Sinaloa Wrens, Fan-tailed Warbler, Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow and Abeille’s (Black-backed) Oriole. Staying in the area until dusk for Eared Poorwill, Colima Pygmy-Owl and Mottled Owl is planned. Afternoon visits to Laguna Zapotlan and bordering marshes outside Ciudad Guzman provide an incredible number of Yellow-headed Blackbirds (present in wintering flocks that can number in the millions!) and a pleasant selection of waterbirds. For those working on Mexico lists, highlights may include Eared and Clark’s Grebes, Snow Goose, a variety of ducks, the “Chapala” Yellowthroat and, with luck, Sprague’s Pipit. Night Ciudad Guzman.
Day 14 – Volcanes de Colima, Laguna Zapotlan, owling. Predawn departure for the southern and southeastern slopes of Volcan de Fuego and eastern slope of Volcan de Nieve. These may well prove to be the most amazing birding days of the entire trip. Starting out on the lower slopes, we’ll work our way up in altitude covering a staggering array of habitats. Transitioning from fields and scrub to oak, pine/oak and through fir forest to near treeline. A complete list of the day’s possible birds would be far too long to include here. A partial list of the specialties include West Mexican Chachalaca, Long-tailed Wood-Partridge, Singing Quail, Banded Quail, Bumblebee Hummingbird, White-striped Woodcreeper, Gray-barred, Spotted, Happy and Sinaloa Wrens, Aztec Thrush, several nightingale-thrushes, Dwarf and Golden Vireos, Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, Crescent-chested, Red, Rufous-capped and Golden-browed Warblers, Rufous-capped and Green-striped Brush-Finches and Black-vented, “Dickey’s” and Abeille’s or Black-backed Orioles. Another night outing will be offered for Eared Poorwill, Buff-collared Nightjar, Mexican Whip-poor-will and Whiskered Screech, Mountain Pygmy, Mottled and Stygian Owls. Our efforts to be concentrated once again on those species we still have not encountered. Another after dark excursion to look for any needed nightbirds is possible. Night Ciudad Guzman.
Stygian Owl. Photo by Rick Bowers ©.
Day 15 – Volcan de Nieve, Laguna Chapala. Today is scheduled as a ‘clean-up day’. By that we mean our itinerary is not preset, but instead is planned to allow maximum flexibility in areas to be visited. Any bird species that participants may not have yet seen will determine where we bird today. I expect that we may be glad we have the extra time in which to search for those more difficult or nomadic species. I include Long-tailed Wood-Partridge, Singing Quail, Banded Quail, Thick-billed Parrot, Aztec Thrush, Dwarf Vireo and Abeille’s (Black-backed) Oriole in this group of birds.
Afternoon brings us northward, visiting the nearly ephemeral Laguna de Sayula. If water levels are proper, we are likely to encounter a wonderful selection of wintering waterbirds, shorebirds and sparrows. We want to time our arrival at Laguna de Chapala for those magical birding hours of late afternoon. Our primary goal is to obtain close-up views of Aztec (King) Rail, Chapala Yellowthroat and a large list of waterbirds in the warm late afternoon light. We’ll return to Ciudad Guzman for our farewell dinner and drinks at a typico Mexican restaurant…a fine way to end our last full day in Mexico! Night Ciudad Guzman
Day 16 – Clean-up, to Puerto Vallarta. Our final morning to search for any target species that remain before beginning our journey to Puerto Vallarta. Past experience has shown that most flights returning to the U.K. depart Puerto Vallarta in the early evening. We plan our return to Puerto Vallarta about 4:00 PM so that folks have plenty of time to shower, change clothes and repack before transferring to the airport. Timing is dependent upon each individual’s schedule, but we’ll get you to the airport with ample time before your departure flights. During your journey home, your mind can focus on memories of colorful birds, people and scenery. Hopefully, enough to last until your next visit to Mexico!
| Intro | Itinerary | Tour Pricing & Information | Gallery | Bird List | Registration |