HAWK WATCHING, BIRDING, AND OTHER FUN IN THE STATE OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO —FALL 2002

Sunday, September 29-Wednesday, October 9, 2002

While the state of Veracruz has not received the birding attention given to other regions of Mexico, it still came as a shock when Ernesto Ruelas and others from Pronatura documented the largest hawk migration in the world, in the fall of 1992—just north of the city of Veracruz. This amazing migration had been reported earlier in the century (Frank Chapman et al.) and had, of course, been known to the residents of central Veracruz for centuries, but its magnitude had never been documented as no one had monitored this flight to determine actual numbers.

Up to 1,000,000 migrating raptors have been seen in one day at one spot and over 5,000,000 in a season (21 species)! When this migration is combined with an additional 19 species of resident raptors, this state in eastern Mexico is a hawk watcher’s dream. If weather conditions are right we should see 200,000 or more individual raptors on the trip. In addition to several hawk watching days we will visit coastal riparian habitat, fresh water and brackish lagoons, a migrant trap in an urban park, coastal scrub, rainforest, a coffee plantation, grassland, and other habitats for a total of approximately 260 - 320 species of birds.

Besides birding, we will watch butterflies (many beautiful species which we can identify with the aid of a unique field guide put together by Southern California butterfly enthusiast Wanda Dameron) and other wildlife. We will visit a grand archaeological museum, a botanical garden, and pre-Columbian ruins; as well as savor some of the history, culture, and wonderful food (the best seafood I have ever had) of Veracruz. Although the emphasis of this trip will obviously be birds (especially hawks), this trip is meant to be a sampler of the natural and cultural history of Veracruz—not a life lister’s marathon. The group will take breaks, enjoy nice meals, watch butterflies, and do much more than just chase birds. While the trip will not attempt to compile as large a list as possible in eleven days at the expense of all else, well over 200 species will be tallied. The pace will sometimes be fast (with a couple of long drives), but the walks will be mostly easy with some moderate hill climbing. If physical abilities or interests so dictate, we can break into two groups. Accommodations will range from quite nice to slightly run-down but clean. Profits are a tax deductible donation to KRP and SSRS.

DATES: Sunday, September 30 through Wednesday, October 10, 2001

LEADER: Jim Royer

Jim Royer has been a leader of Audubon Society fieldtrips for over 20 years along with other groups such as the Western Field Ornithologists, Kern River Research Center, San Francisco Zoological Society, Mono Bay Winter Bird Festival, and the Kern Bioregions Festival. He has birded in Veracruz for parts of the past six years. While his groups have consistently had the highest species totals of the groups visiting Veracruz in the fall, they have also been fun trips. A species list of prior trips is available on request from Jim at the address or e-mail below.

ITINERARY:

Day 1, September 30: All participants should take the same flight from Mexico City to Veracruz City (or else be at the Hotel Bienvenido, in Cardel, the night before). From Veracruz City we will drive to the best hawk observation spot. We will spend the night at the Hotel Bienvenido in Cardel where we will eat dinner, make introductions, and discuss hawk identification and orientation for the trip.

Day 2, October 1: After an early light breakfast at Hotel Bienvenido and early morning birding at San Vicente along La Antigua River for a wide variety of birds (Ringed Kingfisher, White-crowned Parrot, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Red-billed Pigeon, various Swallows, Rufous-naped and Band-backed Wrens, Altamira Oriole, Melodius Blackbird, Blue-grey and Yellow-winged Tanager, and migrants) we will return for more hawk watching at either Cardel or nearby Chichicaxtle (both official hawk watch stations). The location of the hawk migration will determine our lunch spot (possibly the car). After the hawks slow down we will bird the Chichicaxtle area (Bat Falcon, Laughing Falcon, Blue-grey Tanager, Red-billed Pigeon, Couch’s Kingbird, Blue-black Grassquit, and Melodius Blackbird) and either Rancho Escondido or Puente Nacional to look for Mexican Sheartail and other birds. Dinner and bird review in Cardel before a third night at Hotel Bienvenido.

Day 3, October 2: After an early light breakfast at the hotel, we will start with an optional 6:15 am trip to Laguna San Julian (herons, N. Jacana, Grey and Roadside Hawks, Crested Caracara, Common and Ruddy Ground Doves, kingfishers, Black-headed Saltator, the three similar Tyrant flycatchers— Social, Boat-billed and Great Kiskadee, Brown Jay, and Melodius Blackbird) and Laguna Catalana (Snail Kite?, Zone-tailed Hawk, jacana, Mangrove Swallow, Least Grebe, Y-c Night Heron, Anhinga, Carcara, Ringed Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher, Belted Kingfisher, and Yellow-faced Grassquit). We will arrive back in Cardel for the raptor migration at approximately 10:00 am and have lunch in Cardel. We will spend midday watching migrating hawks and other likely migrants such as Wood Storks and Anhingas. After an afternoon trip to the Totanac ruins at Zempoala (Bronzed Cowbird) and a nearby beach (Aplomado Falcon, Cray and Roadside Hawks, Double-striped Thick-knee, Collared Plover and other shorebirds, Sandwich and other terns, and herons) we will spend another night in Cardel, with dinner and bird review at the Hotel Bienvenido.

Day 4, October 3: We will rise very early so that we will arrive at La Mancha at first light and breakfast at the car—to enable us to see as many species as possible at this beautiful preserve which contains a great range of habitats (possible Sungrebe, Boat-billed Heron, other herons, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, White Ibis, Aplomado Falcon, Common Black Hawk, Aztec Parakeet, Red-billed Pigeon, White-bellied Emerald, R-t Becard, Masked Tityra, M. Oropendola). It includes a pristine beach with terns, shorebirds, and frigatebirds overhead (take your swimsuit!). Time allowing, we will explore this section of coast and do some hawk watching before heading south to the rainforests of Catemaco and out stay at the Hotel Catemaco. On the way south, we will stop at Tlacotalpan and Alvarado, an immense river wetland/lagoon where Pronatura is working to catalog and preserve the native wildlife. We will look for lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Snail Kite, Black-collared Hawk, Limpkin, and Purple Gallinule. We will have dinner and a preview of the rainforest birds at the Hotel Catemaco.

Day 5, October 4: We will get going very early to bird the thick rainforest preserves at the Las Tuxlas Research Station (Blue-crowned Motmot, Collared and Violaceous Trogons, Golden-olive Woodpecker, White-tipped Dove, Spot-breasted Wren, Black-cowled Oriole, Keel-billed Toucan, Collared Aracari, Plain Xenops, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Black-throated Shrike-Tanager, Crimson-collared Tanager, and many other resident birds as well as a large variety of migrants such as Red-eyed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, and many others (in ‘96 we had 2 Swainson’s Warblers)). We can eat breakfast and watch some berry-loaded trees which sometimes “drip” with birds. We will also take a walk next to nearby pasture land for such raptors as White Hawk, Great Black Hawk, Black Hawk Eagle, Bat Falcon, Laughing Falcon, and Pale-billed Woodpecker along with other resident and migrant species. In the afternoon, we will take a beautiful boat ride at Sontecomapan (brackish lagoon linked to the gulf) (Snail Kite, herons, anhingas, Neotropic Cormorant, Sungrebe, and many North American breeders such as Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, and Prothonotary Warbler if we hit a migrant wave) as well as a possible crocodile. Dinner and bird review will precede a second night at the Hotel Catemaco. If some insomniac participants desire, we may try an optional evening owling excursion (Ferruginous Pygmy, Mottled, or maybe even Spectacled Owls and Potoo).

Day 6, October 5: More early morning birding at a local ejido or back in the Las Tuxlas Rainforest. This day provides more time to look for the local specialties such as Brown-hooded Parrot and Gray-breasted Chat. In the afternoon we may do some more rainforest birding and birding at the edge of a lagoon at either Nanciaga or La Jungla (Least Grebe, herons, jacana, rails such as Ruddy Crake (seldom seen), and mixed flocks of migrants and residents). Nightly bird review before retiring at the Hotel Catemaco.

Day 7, October 6: We will rise early again for some birding along rainforest in the hills above Catemaco. We will then pack up, and head for the large waterfall at Xico, and more birding. Then we will complete the drive to the lovely capital of the state of Veracruz—Xalapa (some maps say “Jalapa”)—where we will spend the night. We will stop enroute to look for Mexican Sheartail and other birds of the scrub. We will check in at the Posada de Cafetos, before a short tour of the downtown area and dinner and bird review at a restaurant near the hotel.

Day 8, October 7: We will start out before light for the drive to the mountains near Las Minas for higher elevation birds (Tufted Flycatcher, Mexican Chickadee, the Mexican form of Stellar’s Jay, Dwarf Jay, White-breasted Wood Wren, Grey Silky, Crescent-chested Warbler, Red Warbler, Slate-throated Redstart, Rufous-capped Warbler, Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, Yellow- eyed Junco, and many North American breeders). After dinner and bird review we will spend a second night at Posada de Cafetos.

Day 9, October 8: Morning birding at a coffee finca near Xalapa. Such shade tree coffee plantations provide important habitat for bird populations. In the afternoon we will visit the Museo de Anthropologia which has a splendid exhibit of artifacts of the Olmec, Totonac, and other cultures of eastern Mexico (including many colossal Olmec stone heads). (I was blown away on my first visit to this beautiful museum). The grounds here can be birdy as well. This will be our last night at Posada de Cafetos and in Xalapa.

Day 10, October 9: We will start by birding right in Xalapa— at the Parque Ecologico Macuiltepetl —looking for resident species such as Blue Mockingbird, Squirrel Cuckoo, Green Jay, Rusty Sparrow, White-naped Brushfinch, and several hummingbird species along with mixed flocks of eastern and western North American breeders, and beautiful butterflies. We can call Cardel to see if we want to drive back to Cardel for one last day of potentially phenomenal hawk watching (to be able to compare and contrast the hawks we see at this date with the species we saw one week before) We will bird our way back to Veracruz arriving at the Hotel Colonial for our last night of the trip. If time permits we can take a short tour of old Veracruz. The “zocalo” (square) adjacent to the hotel is the focus of old Veracruz with live music and celebration. Dinner and bird review at a local restaurant (excellent seafood and drinks) before starting our final pack and retiring.

Day 11, October 10: We will have one last opportunity to see some wetland birds and perhaps some hawk migration near the airport before we depart. If you are leaving on this day plan to schedule your departure flight with the group on Mexicana, as we will arrive at the airport for that flight, or make your own arrangements for a later time. Some may want to stay longer in Mexico once they are down there. You can rent a car in Veracruz (do not do it through U.S. companies—too expensive—but do it when you arrive in Mexico).

COST: $1,990.00 for the eleven day trip, (payable with a non- refundable deposit of $500 by July 31, 2001 and the remainder by September 1, 2001). Cost includes all food and accommodations between the afternoon of our arrival to the morning of the day of departure, daily local guides, boat trip, all transportation within Mexico, and all entrance fees. This cost is based on double occupancy (participants are responsible for securing a roommate, but we will provide names of other unmatched participants if desired). A single occupancy supplement is available for an additional $200. AIRFARE (not included): Airfare from LAX should run between $400 (with a senior discount) and $600 (from Mexicana). It may be more expensive from departure points farther east in North America. Participants must arrange their own Mexicana flight from Mexico City to Veracruz and departure from Veracruz City on Wednesday, October 10 (unless you have made your own arrangements for staying on in Veracruz longer). Check prices for connecting flights to Mexico City with United, American, Aero Mexico, and Mexicana—different carriers will be lowest at different times and prices fluctuate wildly. A minimum of 5 participants and a maximum of 12 will be allowed for the trip. Transportation will be in two air-conditioned vans, with a leader in one van and a local driver in the other.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Email Bob Barnes, or snail mail: P.0. Box 953, Weldon, CA 93283.

Reservations will be held after the $500 deposit is received. This itinerary may be changed and a final completely correct itinerary will be provided before the actual trip. Please cheek on the exact flight times before booking your tickets—all participants should plan to arrive on the same flight in Veracruz and depart on the same flight unless arrangements are made otherwise.