OAXACA/NEW YEAR IN OAXACASuperb birding with two dozen Mexican endemics and fascinating ruins while based in lovely Oaxaca City.
from Oaxaca. Limit: 14 Fine accommodations, one or two sites, easy to moderate terrain, ideal climate. In 2009, Tour I may be combined with COLIMA & JALISCO.
The beautiful colonial city of Oaxaca might itself be considered old were it not for the fact that the scenic semi-arid valley in which it stands is studded with the truly ancient cities of the pre-Columbian Zapotec culture. The imposing ruins of Monte Alban, overlooking the present-day city of Oaxaca, and Yagul in the giant cactus forest southeast of the city are reminders that a complex and advanced civilization flourished here millennia before the arrival of European conquistadors. The present-day Zapotecs, many still clothed in colorful traditional dress, are living testimony to the concurrent existence of several different and distinctive cultures in modern Oaxaca. Oaxaca is located at the crossroads of several major biogeographic regions of Mexico, and its bird life is influenced by all of these. The resultant mixture includes two dozen species endemic to Mexico, which in the Western Hemisphere stands among the top countries in its number of endemic birds. Some of these include West Mexican Chachalaca, Boucard’s and Gray-barred wrens, White-throated and Collared towhees, Dusky and Beautiful hummingbirds, Pileated Flycatcher (rare in winter), Bridled and Oaxaca sparrows, Gray-breasted Woodpecker, Dwarf Jay, Rufous-capped Brush-Finch, Russet Nightingale-Thrush, Ocellated Thrasher, Blue Mockingbird, Red Warbler, and Slaty and the rare Dwarf vireos. We’ll look to see them against Oaxaca’s rich backdrop of culture and ruins. In the valley of Oaxaca, cool mornings quickly give way to warm, sunny days and quite typically hot, breezy afternoons. As the temperature climbs and bird activity drops off, our focus will shift to include some exploration of the finer ruins of this remarkable area. The December tour will spend a few additional days in Puerto Escondido along the Pacific Coast for a different avifauna, with the possibility of Mexican specialties including Red-breasted Chat, Orange-breasted Bunting, Citreoline Trogon, Yellow-winged Cacique, and White-throated Magpie-Jay on the coast and in the mountains the endemic Blue-capped Hummingbird and Wagler’s Toucanet, as well as Ruddy Foliage-gleaner and Gray-collared Becard, among many others.
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