The Birds and Natural History of OAXACA, MEXICO
January 15 - 25, 2007 & January 25 - February 4, 2007

Harboring about ten percent of Earth's biodiversity, Mexico is one of the most biologically rich countries in the world. During this natural history and birding adventure, we'll explore and learn about some of that richness as we travel through the valley of Oaxaca, the bordering sierras, and the lovely Pacific Coast.

Tropical deciduous forest, the lush evergreen forests of the Sierra Madre del Sur, mangroves, beaches, and the arid scrub of the Oaxaca valley make up the varied sites we'll visit as we enjoy the birds, natural history, and culture of southern Mexico. During our journey, we'll experience fantastic birding as we search for species such as Dwarf Jay, Red Warbler, Bumblebee Hummingbird, Mountain and Citreoline Trogons, Lesser Ground Cuckoo, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Slaty Vireo, Ocellated Thrasher, Gray-breasted Woodpecker, Gray-barred Wren, Red-breasted Chat, Russet-crowned Motmot, Spot-breasted Oriole, and many others. We'll also tour Zapotec ruins and receive lectures on regional plants, art, culture, and cuisine.

In addition to the natural wonders, a major trip highlight will be the unique and superb lodging situations we'll experience. All have excellent food, warm hospitality, and terrific views, and some have great birding right outside your front door.

Led by naturalist and bird guide Mark Pretti, the cost of this tour is $1950 per person, double occupancy, and includes all lodging, meals, and transportation from Oaxaca City.

Group size is limited to eight participants. For more information, contact Mark at (520) 803-6889 or mpnaturetours@earthlink.net

Itinerary for the Birds and Natural History of
OAXACA, MEXICO
January 15 - 25, 2007 & January 25 - February 4, 2007

Day 1 - Arrive at the Oaxaca airport from where you'll take a taxi or collectivo to the Hotel Azucenas about 20 minutes away. This lovely hotel is perfectly situated in a fairly quiet neighborhood about 5 blocks (5-10 minute walk) from the bustling zocalo and restaurants and will serve as a comfortable home base from which we'll explore the area around Oaxaca City. Check out www.hotelazucenas.com for more information on the hotel.

Day 2 - After breakfast at 6:15 AM, we'll head east toward the weaving town of Teotitlan del Valle, about 35-40 minutes away. The habitat in the area is oddly reminiscent of the grasslands and desert scrub of southeast Arizona, with some of the very same plant species. The avifauna also shares similarities but with a few interesting twists. Instead of Gila Woodpecker, we'll be looking for its cousin, the endemic Grey-breasted Woodpecker, and instead of Canyon Towhee, the local one here is White-throated Towhee. Just above town is a small reservoir that, like other open bodies of water in arid areas, can be attractive to grebes, waders, ducks, shorebirds, and a variety of passerines. We'll pass by a grove of Erythrina trees, which should be close to their flowering peak. The crimson blooms may be hosting several hummingbird species (with possibilities for Dusky, Berylline, Ruby-throated, and Green-fronted) as well as orioles including Black-vented. The hills above town are home to several Oaxaca Valley specialties including Ocellated Thrasher, West Mexican Chachalaca, Boucard's Wren, and Bridled and Oaxaca Sparrows. Also in the area are Blue Mockingbird, Golden Vireo, wintering sparrows and warblers, and various flycatchers. We'll drive up the dirt road a few miles, reaching first oaks, then pines as we look for Oaxaca Sparrow, Rufous-capped Brush-finch, Green Violet-ear, and Red Warbler. After our half-day in the foothills, we'll return to Teotitlan del Valle for lunch at the wonderful Restaurant Tlamanali that serves wonderful Zapotec specialties with mescal (optional) as the appetizer. Following lunch, we'll visit Isaac Vasquez Garcia, a master Zapotec weaver with a love of sharing his knowledge. From Isaac, we'll learn how local artisans spin wool, use natural dyes, and create finely woven and colorful products. If you're interested in purchasing a carpet or other weaving, this is the place to do it. On the way back to Oaxaca City, we'll stop at Santa Maria del Tule to see the "biggest" tree on Earth, a Montezuma cypress (Taxodium distichum) with a circumference of about 50 meters and a footprint of about 2000 square feet. It's a big tourist spot, but you just have to see this tree.

Day 3 - Breakfast at 6:15 AM, then depart for the Cerro San Felipe in the Sierra Juarez (sometimes called the Sierra Aloapanec) about 45 minutes north of the city. We'll spend most of the day around 8000 feet in the high "cloud" forests where firs, pines, and oaks are dotted with epiphytic bromeliads, lichens, ferns, and orchids. The area is lush and can be excellent for birds, and fortunately the forests are being protected by local communities whose efforts so far seem effective. Mixed flocks, which are sometimes more common when the weather is cool and foggy, are of two general types. One is led by noisy Steller's Jays and Gray-barred Wrens amidst which may be quiet and inconspicuous Dwarf Jays (endemic to the mountain range). The other type includes smaller songbirds such as warblers (Townsend's, Hermit, Red, Crescent-chested), White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Hutton's Vireo, Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo, and Spot-crowned Woodcreeper. The darkish understory is punctuated in places with wildflower blooms that should still be pretty good in December and January. We've enjoyed hummers including Green Violet-ear, Amethyst-throated (a cousin of the Blue-throated), Bumblebee, and White-eared and have also found Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer here. We'll have lunch at a mountaintop restaurant before an afternoon outing along another mountain road. We'll perhaps make a short stop at a foothill reservoir on our return to Oaxaca City where we'll have time to relax at the hotel before dinner.

Please keep in mind that because of the altitude on the Cerro San Felipe, the temperature will be colder than in Oaxaca City. Layers are important. A polypropylene-type undergarment, a good fleece jacket, and a windbreaker-type shell, as well as a light pair of mittens, are recommended.

Day 4 - Today you can sleep in before our 7:30 AM breakfast, after which we'll begin what should be an unforgettable day. We'll leave the hotel at 9 AM and head to the nearby Mercado Abastos, where we'll learn about the wonderful mix of local flora, culture, and cuisine on a guided tour. The market is a Disneyland of color, scents, tastes, sounds, and vibrant activity and simply shouldn‘t be missed. After our market tour, we'll head north to the town of Etla and the Seasons of My Heart cooking school where we'll be treated to a lecture and lunch with well-known chef and author Susana Trilling. This will be our big meal for the day. We'll return to the city in the late afternoon and have time for relaxing or to walk around town. If you still have an appetite, you'll be on your own for dinner or maybe for ice cream.

Day 5 - After an early breakfast (I'll let you guess the time), we'll have several options to choose from. One is to return to the Cerro San Felipe where we'll retrace our earlier journey in search of any of the special species that may have eluded us on our first visit. Or we can head east to Yagul where a wonderful patch of native arid scrub surrounds a quiet and usually visitorless ruin site. Yagul is a good spot for Boucard's Wren, Dusky Hummingbird, and the ever-elusive Ocellated Thrasher. We can also choose to make visits to both locations. We'll try to return to town with enough time for shopping and enjoying the ambiance.

Day 6 - After breakfast we'll spend the morning at the nearby Monte Alban ruins. Prior to our guided tour of the site with outstanding local guide Benito Hernandez, we'll walk along the nearby trails and search for some of the same birds as in the Teotitlan del Valle area - Ocellated Thrasher, Boucard's Wren, Beautiful and Dusky Hummingbirds - as well as others including the rare Pileated Flycatcher and the hard-to-find Dwarf Vireo. Monte Alban (a name given by the Spanish to the site known to its native Zapotec inhabitants as Danni Dipaa) is a major site that dominated the region between Teotihuacan (in the Valley of Mexico to the north) and the great Mayan sites to the south for about 1200 years. During its peak, from 500 B.C. to 750 A.D., the cultivation of corn, beans, squash, chiles, and fruit on the surrounding hillsides and nearby valleys sustained an urban population of about 40,000 people whose architecture, carvings, pottery, and mythology reflected a rich culture.

We'll enjoy a packed lunch after which we'll head south into the Sierra Miahuatlan, traveling about 3 hours to the ridge top town of San Jose del Pacifico and the Hotel Puesta del Sol where we'll spend the night. There may still be flower thickets on the hotel grounds in December and January, and we'll look for Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Hooded Yellowthroat, and hummingbirds such as Bumblebee, Garnet-throated, Berylline, Rufous, and Blue-throated. Madrean birds such as Greater Pewee, Hepatic Tanager, and maybe Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo are also possible. If the Pyracantha is in fruit, we may have great looks at Gray Silky-Flycatcher, White-throated Robin, Russet Nightingale-Thrush, and Brown-backed Solitaire. We'll have dinner at the hotel restaurant.

As in the Cerro San Felipe, please keep in mind that because of the altitude at the Puesta del Sol, the temperature will be colder than in Oaxaca City. Layered clothing is the key. The rooms all have fireplaces, a good supply of wood, and extra blankets.

Day 7 - Today we'll start with an optional pre-breakfast walk around the hotel grounds at 7:00 AM, during which we'll look for the above-mentioned species and others. After breakfast, we'll begin our gradual descent to the coast and Rancho Cerro Largo. We'll make several stops along the way on quiet side roads to enjoy the forests that will transition from mixed conifer to tropical evergreen (with shade grown coffee in the understory) to tropical deciduous (TDF) on the coast. There are all kinds of possibilities for birds and butterflies along this route. We'll make special stops at our favorite spots for seeing the diminutive Bumblebee Hummingbird and the highly endemic Blue-capped Hummingbird. If we're lucky we'll find standouts like Emerald Toucanet or perhaps some mixed flocks with Red-headed Tanager, Golden and Slaty Vireos, Common Bush Tanager, Gray-crowned Woodpecker, and others. We'll cover about 75 miles, have a packed lunch along the way, and arrive at Cerro Largo in the afternoon where we should have time for an optional swim in the warm Pacific. We'll eat well as Cerro Largo has wonderful food.

Day 8, 9 and 10 - The grounds around Cerro Largo have a few different trails and seem to have some of the best habitat in the area so we'll spend a fair amount of our three days right at the lodge. Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, Russet-crowned Motmot, Orange-breasted, Blue, and Painted Buntings, Banded Wren, White-throated Magpie-Jay, Yellow-winged Cacique, West Mexican Chachalaca, Citreoline Trogon, and White-lored Gnatcatcher are regularly seen on the grounds. The spell of this wonderful place may be such that we won't want to get in the van while we're there. Before breakfast we'll spend time on some nearby trails that can be extremely productive. We've had good luck finding Altamira, Streak-backed and Spot-breasted Orioles as well as Olive Sparrow, Red-breasted Chat, Colima Pygmy-Owl, and Happy Wren at these sites. One of the viewpoints from the bluff is an excellent spot to scan an offshore rock for Magnificent Frigatebird, Red-billed Tropicbird, and Brown Booby. The weather will be much warmer on the coast, and after our busy week in the Oaxaca Valley and in the mountains, we'll make ample time for relaxing, swimming, and reading at Cerro Largo. They have a small library or you may want to bring a good book. All of the cabanas have great Pacific views and comfortable hammocks

On our second day there we'll make an early morning trip back up Highway 175 into the broadleaf evergreen forest about an hour away. In the lush shade-grown coffee plantations we'll look for Golden-crowned Emerald, Emerald Toucanet, Masked Tityra, Audubon's Oriole, Golden Vireo, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Fan-tailed Warbler, Rose-throated Becard, Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Pale-billed and Lineated Woodpeckers, and many others. We'll have lunch and take a tour at Finca el Pacifico, the first certified-organic shade-grown coffee plantation in Oaxaca, before returning to Cerro Largo.

Day 10 - On our final morning at Cerro Largo, we'll return to the nearby side roads for birding before a late breakfast, after which we'll head west to Puerto Escondido and the Hotel Santa Fe - www.hotelsantafe.com.mx. We'll have lunch at the hotel before a late afternoon visit to the Rio Colotepec and its rich river mouth where waders, shorebirds, terns, gulls, and hopefully a Collared Plover, can be found. The nearby scrub can be good for White-collared and Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters. We'll have dinner at the hotel.

Day 11 - After a 6:15 AM breakfast, we'll head about 20 minutes west to the Laguna Manialtepec, a beautiful estuary lined with tall red mangroves, where we'll take a boat tour. Both water and forest birds are found in and around the lagoon. Waders (including Bare-throated Tiger-Heron and Boat-billed Heron), perhaps some waterfowl, shorebirds (including Collared Plover), gulls and terns, songbirds like Mangrove Vireo and Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, and, with luck, West Mexican Chachalaca, may be found. We'll return to the hotel by 11 AM for a last swim and to pack, have lunch at noon, and head to the Puerto Escondido airport around 1 PM.

• Please note from the itinerary that this is generally an early-to-bed, early-to-rise trip. The early mornings at Puesta del Sol and Cerro largo will be optional if you want to sleep in.

• In late September I'll send each participant a packet with more information on some of the natural and cultural history of the area, a Oaxaca bird list, a suggested reading list, an updated itinerary, maps, and medical information and release forms to be filled out and returned to me.

• Accommodations on the trip are good, clean and comfortable. The Hotel Azucenas in Oaxaca de Juarez is wonderfully charming. The Puesta del Sol in the Sierra Miahuatlan is situated on a south-facing ridge that looks toward the Pacific Ocean. The rooms have a log cabin ambiance, and there is a restaurant on site. They also have fireplaces, as it can get fairly cold. Rancho Cerro Largo is an artful creation of our host Mario Corella. Perched on an isolated bluff above the Pacific, it has a magical ambiance unlike anything in the area, but it also has quite a few stairs, especially if you want to get down to the water. It's about 50 steps from the dining area to the first cabanas, about 100 steps to the lower cabanas, and about 170 from the dining area to the beach. Please note that their unique indoor/outdoor bathrooms have (odorless) composting toilets and, instead of traditional showers, large tubs of clean water to wash yourself with. The views from the bathrooms are exquisite and the habitat is excellent.

• Transportation - We'll have a local driver for the trip and will be traveling in a comfortable, air-conditioned, 15-passenger van with plenty of room for luggage. Most drives will be fairly short, about an hour or so, and road conditions, except for a few bumpy sections on dirt roads in the mountains, are good. The 35-40 minute drive up to Cerro San Felipe is winding, as is Hwy 195, particularly the 60-mile stretch from Puesta del Sol down to Cerro Largo. The drive up to the Sierra Miahuatlan is about 3 hours from Oaxaca city and mostly straight with slight rollers. We'll break up the drive to Cerro Largo with 3-4 stops and take most of the day to get there. We can rotate seats and try to accommodate any special needs. If you're prone to carsickness, please let me know and please be sure to bring whatever remedy you normally use.

• Travel to Oaxaca - You'll need to make your own travel arrangements to get to and from Oaxaca. Please note that the trip begins in Oaxaca City but ends in Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast. There are several airlines that serve Oaxaca City. You need to make the arrangements that work best for you. I have had good success with Continental, which has a direct flight from Houston to Oaxaca City, which is very convenient. They have also been able to arrange for the return flight from Puerto Escondido. You can also consider flying round-trip into and out of Oaxaca City. If you decide to do this, you'll need to return with our driver on the 6-7-hour, non-stop, winding drive over the mountains from Escondido to Oaxaca on the last day of the trip. I can help with your hotel reservations for the night. You'll want to arrive in Oaxaca on Day 1 of the trip. If you arrive early, the Hotel Azucenas will be expecting you but you'll be on your own for dinner.

• So what about birds and natural history? As with all of my excursions, we will do more than birding and include general natural history and some cultural history as well. Though we will do some wonderful birdwatching (which will include ecology and behavior as well as basic identification), we will also learn about mammals, reptiles, plants, butterflies, tropical deciduous forest and mangrove ecology, and some cultural history. We may see between 200 and 250 species of birds, including many regional endemics.

• General safety and travel - after more than three dozen trips to Mexico, I've never experienced a safety problem. We follow common sense rules of travel that work well and pay close attention to health and safety issues. Overall the pace is relaxed to moderate, the scenery and natural history fascinating, the food good, and the experiences memorable. Though I'm always looking to improve my Spanish, I'm completely comfortable with the language in the situations we'll encounter.

• Trip difficulty - the walks in the mountains outside of Oaxaca city will be fairly short, about one mile in length. Surfaces are mostly even with a few uneven spots and, of course, some mild to moderate inclines. Puesta del Sol is located on a fairly steep hillside with short, steep paved paths between the parking area and cabins. As noted above, Cerro Largo has many stairs. You should be in good physical condition - if you can comfortably walk two to three miles with some gentle inclines at an easy pace, you'll be fine. Do be prepared to spend quite a bit of time on your feet. If you're a "flatlander" by location or habit, I recommend doing some "stair work" before the trip to get your leg muscles used to the eccentric work they'll be doing. Keep in mind that we will be taking our time and stopping frequently to enjoy flora and fauna, and we'll have some afternoon breaks as well as lots of relaxation time at Cerro Largo. No hurries. When out in the field, you need to be your own best judge of what is safe for you. Please don't take any unnecessary chances.

• Trip Cost - The price of the trip includes all meals, lodging, boat trips, entrance fees, hotel and restaurant tips, transportation from Oaxaca City, and one non-alcoholic drink per person per meal. It does not include airfare to Oaxaca City or alcoholic drinks. I'll keep a tab for each person for alcoholic beverages and any drinks beyond the one/person/meal, and you can pay me in US dollars or pesos at the end of the trip. Hotel and restaurant tips are covered in your trip cost, but if you feel that someone has provided exceptional service (especially our driver), please feel free to add a tip of your own, keeping in mind that these service providers are generally much poorer than us and can only dream of such a vacation as we'll be enjoying.

• Money - The only things you'll need to pay for are drinks, any tips you wish to leave, and any purchases you make. There are many excellent crafts available in Oaxaca - carpets and other weavings, hammocks, coffee, alebrijes (whimsically carved and elaborately painted wooden creatures), and mescal - for sale in Oaxaca City, Teotitlan del Valle, at Cerro Largo and Puesta del Sol, and Puerto Escondido. You'll be able to change dollars to pesos in Oaxaca City at a bank or at one of the many "Cambios" which are open most of the day and into the evenings. Please note that if you bring dollars, they are VERY picky about the condition of the bills. The smallest tear or blemish will make them unchangeable. There are safes where you can store valuables at Azucenas, Cerro Largo, and Santa Fe.

• Health - All of the hotels where we'll stay (except Puesta del Sol) have bottled water in your room. Please be sure to drink only bottled water and also use it to brush your teeth. We'll also have extra bottled water in the van. The food throughout the trip is excellent and varied. I recommend that you take it easy the first few days, particularly in terms of amount as sometimes the sudden change in diet can unsettle your stomach. I will have a first aid kit with Pepto-Bismol tablets and Imodium, but please be sure to bring some of your own. There are many pharmacies in Oaxaca City if we need one. We will be eating in restaurants where I have eaten with groups many times with NO problems.

• All of the hotels have soap and bath towels. Most don't have washcloths and some don't have shampoo so you might want to bring your own. Please keep in mind that plumbing in Mexico is different from that in the states and you MUST put toilet paper in the basin next to the toilet and NOT in the toilet itself. I'll have an alcohol-based hand cleaner for those times when we're out in the boonies. Please be sure to have some toilet paper in your pack, as there will be times when we won't have access to restrooms.

• Snacks - We'll have more than ample food throughout the trip, but if you're the type of person who needs an occasional snack between meals, please be sure to bring some granola-type bars or whatever works for you.

• Laundry - There is a cheap laundry right next to the Hotel Azucenas, and the hotel also has laundry service available for $5-10 per load depending on the amount. The cheap laundry can return it to you in less than 24 hours. Rancho Cerro Largo sometimes has laundry service available, and it is usually returned within a day.

• PASSPORT
• Binoculars
• Day pack/fanny pack (in which you should ALWAYS have water, sunscreen, toilet paper, raingear, and insect repellent). Ideally your pack will be big enough to carry an extra clothing layer if needed. We'll have plenty of room in the van and usually won't be so far from it that you can't get something if you need it.
• Water bottle - 1 liter recommended (we'll have plenty of purified water to refill)
• Small Flashlight - you'll need this at Rancho Cerro Largo and at Puesta del Sol as the
  trails to your cabana are not lit at night.
• Hat for good sun protection
• Sunscreen (minimum 30 SPF recommended)
• Sturdy walking/hiking shoes - there will be uneven surfaces and inclines in some places so hiking shoes with good support are best. If you benefit from the use of a walking stick and have a foldable one, you might want to bring it. I recommend wearing good walking or hiking shoes at ALL TIMES in the field.
• Earplugs if you're a light sleeper - though the Hotel Azucenas is in a pretty quiet neighborhood, Mexico in general is noisier than the states. The other hotels should be very quiet except for the sound of the waves at Cerro Largo and the hum of air conditioners at the Santa Fe.
• Insect repellent - you should bring a small container of whatever insect repellent works for you. I expect few biting insects in and around Oaxaca City, but there are some mosquitoes on the coast. Long sleeve pants and shirts will protect you from insects and sun.
• Sunglasses
• Rain poncho or jacket - we'll be in Oaxaca in the dry season, but with the high mountains, it's best to be prepared.
• Medications - if you regularly take medications, be sure to bring them. It is also good to bring some aspirin or other analgesic, Imodium, and Pepto-Bismol tablets.
• Patience and flexibility**

The remaining items to bring are up to you - casual clothes are fine. We'll have a first aid kit with Imodium, Pepto-Bismol, Dramamine, Band-aids, etc. (You should, however, bring some Band-aids, Imodium and Pepto-Bismol yourself.) In the lower elevations, expect balmy daytime temperatures - 70-75 degrees in Oaxaca City and 75-85 on the coast. In the mountains, early mornings may find temperatures in the high 40s to low 50s, hopefully warming to the high 60s or mid 70s by mid-day. Nights in Oaxaca City should be in the mid 50s while on the coast temperatures should be in the 70s.

You'll probably want to err on the side of dressing for colder weather so that we'll all be prepared for the mountains. Layers are the key, and I and others have found that a good fleece jacket, a windbreaker/outer shell garment, long pants, light mittens, a shirt, and a polypropylene-type undergarment sufficient. If you're the type of person who gets cold easily, don't be shy about bringing warm clothes for the mountains.

Also, don't forget your bathing suit if you want to do some swimming at the beach at Cerro Largo where the water is warm and beautiful or in one of the two pools at the Santa Fe. If you have any questions about what to bring, please contact me.

** Despite its proximity to the U.S., Mexico is a different country with a different culture so patience and flexibility are important when traveling there. In general we'll be very comfortable in terms of basic amenities. Like anywhere outside the states, the customs and style of service in Mexico are different. These differences are usually minor things, but it is important to keep them in mind and approach the experience with an open mind and enjoy learning about the Mexican culture. I've made every effort to make sure that the details of our itinerary are in place with our Mexican hosts, but occasionally things don't go as smoothly as planned. Almost always these are minor things, but it's good to be prepared for small itinerary changes.

BIRDING - Though we will see and learn about more than birds, the birds of the area are pretty exciting. We'll focus on a quality experience, seeing the birds as best we can, observing behaviors, listening to calls and songs, and seeing how they use habitats. The following list includes some of the 310+ species of birds, some of which are Mexican endemics that we've seen on past trips. As in most places, some are rare, some common, and some are really good at hiding!