Field Guides Birding Tours

WESTERN MEXICO
San Blas & the Sinaloa Highlands

Superb and varied birding in one of Mexico’s richest areas with a number of northwestern Mexican endemics and plenty of scenery.

2009
February 11-21
with Jesse Fagan & David Mackay

$2575 (2009 fee). 11 days
from Mazatlan. Limit: 14
Excellent hotel in San Blas, clean and basic motel in the highlands; easy to moderate terrain, hot to cool climate, some moderate elevation. Our staff travel agents can book your travel to this tour. Contact us at (800) 728-4953 for more information.

See our triplist for 2008 or 2007 or 2006.

Tufted Jay
Tufted Jay
by guide Chris Benesh
In the northwestern corner of Mexico, the small states of Sinaloa and Nayarit are blessed with a rich diversity of habitats and avifaunas, and this tour takes in nearly all of them, from the sandy shores of Mazatlán to the beautiful Barranca Rancho Liebre at 7000 feet.  In northeastern Sinaloa, accessed via the Durango Highway, we’ll focus on species of the cool pine-oak forests, the “Madrean” avifauna, which reaches its northern limit in southeastern Arizona.  Here the scenery of peaks and canyons is spectacular, home to the splendid Tufted Jay and many other special birds: White-naped Swift, Mountain Trogon, Pine Flycatcher, Aztec Thrush, Golden-browed and Red warblers, White-striped Woodcreeper, Red-headed Tanager, and Green-striped and Rufous-capped Brush-Finches; even Eared Quetzal and Hooded Grosbeak have been seen here.  At lower elevations, the foothills and arid thorn scrub hold Black-throated Magpie-Jay, Red-breasted Chat, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Sinaloa and Happy wrens, Citreoline Trogon, Purplish-backed Jay, Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Military Macaw, Golden-crowned Emerald, Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird, Golden Vireo, Colima Pygmy-Owl, and Elegant Quail.

To the south, in the state of Nayarit, the San Blas area has become famous for its rich birdlife, and here we hope to find Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, Northern Potoo, Mexican Parrotlet, Lilac-crowned Parrot, Collared Forest-Falcon, White-throated Flycatcher, San Blas Jay, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Russet-crowned Motmot, and Fan-tailed Warbler.  Nearby montane habitat also holds Bumblebee Hummingbird, Mexican Woodnymph, Gray-collared Becard, Spotted Wren, and Gray-crowned Woodpecker.  By visiting both the northern Sierra Madre and the tropical lowlands, it is possible to see more than a quarter of the bird species documented in Mexico (over 300 species), including more than a third of Mexico’s 100 or so endemic birds—a fine introduction to this wonderful country!

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