BIRDING TOURS WORLDWIDE ITINERARY. WESTERN MEXICO San Blas & The Sinaloa Highlands November 14-24, 2012

Transcription

1 field guides BIRDING TOURS WORLDWIDE ITINERARY WESTERN MEXICO San Blas & The Sinaloa Highlands November 14-24, 2012 We include here information for those interested in the 2012 Field Guides Western Mexico: San Blas & The Sinaloa Highlands tour: a general introduction to the tour a description of the birding areas to be visited on the tour an abbreviated daily itinerary with some indication of the nature of each dayʼs birding outings Those who register for the tour will be sent this additional material: an annotated list of the birds recorded on a previous yearʼs Field Guides trip to the area, with comments by guide(s) on notable species or sightings a detailed information bulletin with important logistical information and answers to questions regarding accommodations, air arrangements, clothing, currency, customs and immigration, documents, health precautions, and personal items a reference list a Field Guides checklist for preparing for and keeping track of the birds we see on the tour after the conclusion of the tour, a list of birds seen on the tour The northwestern Mexican states of Sinaloa and Nayarit are blessed with a rich diversity of habitats and avifaunas, and this tour explores highland, foothill, and lowland habitats from sea level to 7000 feet! In the northeast, along the Durango Highway, weʼll focus on species occupying the cooler pine-oak forests, the so-called Madrean avifauna, which reaches its northern limit in southeastern Arizona. Here the scenery of the Barranca Rancho Liebre and nearby canyons and mountains is spectacular. One of the premier species in this part of Sinaloa is the splendid Tufted Jay, perhaps the gaudiest of the many striking Mexican jay species. A host of other special birds here include 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. Rarities we could encounter include Eared Quetzal and possibly Hooded Grosbeak. In addition to a day in the high mountains, weʼll visit arid thorn scrub nearer Mazatlan in search of Black-throated Magpie-Jay, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Sinaloa and Happy wrens, Citreoline Trogon, Purplish-backed Jay, Scrub (Godmanʼs) Euphonia, and Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, as well as some higher foothills for Military Macaw, Elegant Trogon, Golden-crowned Emerald, Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird (Woodstar), Golden Vireo, Colima Pygmy-Owl, Elegant Quail, and Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow. Field Guides Incorporated 9433 Bee Cave Road #1-150 Austin TX fax

2 To the south, in the state of Nayarit, the San Blas area offers a fine mix of lowland habitats ranging from shade coffee plantations and thorn forest to shrimp farms and mangrove swamps; we will also travel farther afield to visit highland habitat once again. San Blas has become famous for its rich birdlife, and during our time here we hope to find species such as Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Rufous-necked Wood-Rail (now quite scarce following hurricane Kenna), Northern Potoo, Mexican Parrotlet, Lilac-crowned Parrot, Collared Forest-Falcon, White-throated Flycatcher, and San Blas Jay. We will take several mangrove cruises during the course of the week, concentrating on the wood-rail and in the process seeing a great diversity of shorebirds, waterbirds, and other species at close range. A morningʼs birding in the mountains about an hour-and-a-half from San Blas will include searches for Bumblebee Hummingbird, Elegant Quail, Flame-colored Tanager, Mexican Woodnymph, Gray-collared Becard, Spotted Wren, and Gray-crowned Woodpecker; nearer to town, sites for Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Russet-crowned Motmot, Crested Guan, Fan-tailed Warbler, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, and a variety of hummingbirds and sparrows will be checked. By visiting both the northern Sierra Madre along the Durango Highway and the tropical lowlands surrounding San Blas it is possible to see more than 25% of the bird species documented in Mexico (over 300 species), including more than a third of Mexicoʼs 100 or so endemic bird species! 2 For many, the endemic and striking Tufted Jay is the bird of the trip. Photo by Jesse Fagan. About the Physical Requirements & Pace: The pace of this tour is suited to anyone with a spirit of adventure and the ability to be on his or her feet and walking at a gentle pace for upwards of four hours at a time. With the exception of two days of birding on the Durango Highway, we will be at elevations comfortable for most people, with some uphill walking (steep at times). Heat combined with high humidity will be encountered in the lowlands, even in November. Generally, this tour will proceed at an easy to moderate pace, with occasional opportunities to relax during the hottest times of the day. Due to the paucity of accommodations on the Durango Highway, we will have drives of up to two hours to get to our morning birding locations there. There are two longer drives of 3-4 hours each when we drive from the Durango Highway to San Blas, and then back to Mazatlan on the last day of the trip. There will be multiple stops during both of these longer trips for birds as well as for bathrooms. Because of the remote nature of some of the areas we visit on this tour, there will be many times when we will not be near bathroom facilities. Participants should be prepared for field rest stops on most days. As our time in San Blas will be birding primarily in the tropical lowlands, it will be necessary to prepare for all that this habitat offers mostly good but some annoying aspects. On the annoying side, it can be warm and humid (in the 90s Fahrenheit on occasion), and the bugs will be an issue at some locations (see the Information Bulletin). We will be birding

3 in the early mornings and the evenings to avoid the hottest parts of the day, and proper clothing and insect repellent will do a lot to keep the annoyance of the insects to a minimum. 3 Mottled Owl, a widespread Neotropical owl always great to see and hear. Photo by participant Dominic Sherony. About the Birding Areas The Durango Highway Until the completion of Mexican Highway 16 in 1985, the Durango highway was the only paved route over the Sierra Madres in the 1200-mile expanse between the US border and Guadalajara! Considered an engineering marvel at its completion, it climbs from sea level to nearly 8000 feet in about 60 miles, and continues to be one of the most impressive and scenic drives in Mexico. To this day, it serves as one of the most important transportation links between the coastal ports of Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and the cities of Mexicoʼs Central Plateau region. It is referred to as the Durango Highway after the capital city in the state of the same name, which is the highwayʼs eastern terminus. On this tour, we concentrate on birding the western slope of the Sierra, in the state of Sinaloa, and never reach the state of Durango. The extreme elevation changes found along the highway, coupled with significant rainfall amounts and rugged topography, offer an abundance of unique habitats with an incredible variety of bird life. This part of Mexico is home to 30 or more endemic birds, many which are not possible or very difficult to find in the San Blas area. Our birding will focus primarily on exploring the higher elevations in search of the handsome endemic Tufted Jay. The Durango Highway offers the only easy access for locating this fantastic bird. These highlands also offer an amazing number of other interesting birds, including Eared Quetzal (rare), Green-striped Brush-Finch, Red-headed Tanager, and Golden-browed and Red warblers, to mention a few. In addition, we will take advantage of the opportunity to bird in the incredibly diverse dry tropical deciduous forest that dominates the lower elevations. This habitat holds numerous Mexican endemics including Happy and Sinaloa wrens, Mexican Parrotlets, Golden-crowned Emerald, Colima Pygmy-Owl, and Black-throated Magpie Jay. It is also a botanistʼs paradise, containing an incredible array of interesting plant life, although dry conditions usually mean that we encounter relatively few flowers in the drier environments at this time of year. San Blas Long recognized for its plethora of species diversity and just sheer numbers of birds, the area surrounding San Blas, in the Mexican state of Nayarit, is well known and a popular destination for birders. On numerous occasions, the San Blas Christmas Bird Count observers have logged the highest CBC tallies for Mexico (over 300 species), and the

4 current Big Day for Mexico was achieved in this area in February 2002 (prior to that, it was reached on the Durango Highway). The area offers the opportunity to see more than 30 Mexican endemics, interesting tropical birds at their northern limit, as well as large numbers of Neotropical migrants at their wintering grounds. Birdwatching in the San Blas area generally tends to be easy, as the best sites are very local and close in, requiring only short driving distances. Much of San Blasʼs enduring charm is due to the fact that it has never been developed for large-scale tourism and lacks the big Mexican beach resort feel prevalent in many coastal towns. San Blas is an interesting, comfortable, and friendly small Mexican town. In addition to the wonderful and relaxed atmosphere of the town, we will stay at one of the best-managed hotels anywhere in Mexico. Arriving in San Blas, you would never expect to find accommodations of such caliber, much less a restaurant with a Cordon Bleu-trained chef! The hotel is a family-run business, offering a wonderful swimming pool, superb food, and a very attentive and friendly staff. The hotel is a great place to spend a hot afternoon relaxing after a wonderful lunch and before the evening birding. As early as the late sixteenth century, the San Blas area was explored by Spain as a possible port site. Its naturally protected harbors had been important to pirates for some time. Finally, in 1768, San Blas was officially dedicated as a port city and was the jumping off point for Spainʼs explorations into Baja California and Pacific North America. As New Spainʼs glory faded with the rise of the Mexican independence movement, so did the importance of San Blas. At the end of fighting in 1821, its income base destroyed and population decimated, San Blas slipped into relative obscurity. Finally in 1872, San Blas hit bottom when the massive stone church, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, had its doors closed and its bells removed. Ten years later, this act was the inspiration for Longfellowʼs final poem, The Bells of San Blas, penned only nine days before his death in Today, nature-based and general tourism are very important factors in the local economy, as well as small-scale fishing. San Blas is once again home to the Mexican Navy, which maintains a large base in the harbor. As many birders know, on October 25, 2002, San Blas was landfall site for one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the Pacific coast of Mexico. It was a devastating blow to the community, destroying more than 600 homes and leaving almost the entire city in ruins. Incredibly, the community, with the help of the federal government, responded with incredible speed and efficiency to get the town back on its feet. Although the town has now completely recovered from Hurricane Kenna, the effects on the surrounding forest are still quite noticeable. Nonetheless, though perhaps a dozen species are now harder to find than before the storm (and Collared Plover is no longer found here), most birds have rebounded quite nicely in the area. Itinerary for Western Mexico: San Blas & the Sinaloa Highlands Day 1, Wed, 14 Nov. Arrival in Mazatlan. Welcome! This is a small airport, easily negotiated and located very near our hotel, which is not in the town of Mazatlan itself. Remember to retain the stub of your immigration form, which you will surrender to airline ticket agents on your departure. Once you have collected your bags and cleared Customs, please plan on taking one of the taxis from the airport to our hotel, the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. Your tour leaders will meet you in the lobby of the hotel at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and a complete trip orientation. Night at the Holiday Inn SunSpree, Mazatlan. Day 2, Thu, 15 Nov. Mazatlan area and the lower Durango Highway. This morning we will depart early from our Mazatlan-area hotel and do some birding in the tropical thorn forest just north of town. After spending most of the morning here, we will head directly for the Durango Highway. Weʼll have lunch either near town or at our hotel in Copala. After lunch, weʼll explore some interesting foothill habitat, and we may offer a brief after-dinner drive to look and listen for creatures of the night. Night in Copala. Days 3-4, Fri-Sat, Nov. The Durango Highway highlands. Weʼll have two full days to explore this exciting area. An early morning departure and a 1.5-hour drive take us up to higher elevations with excellent evergreen pine-oak habitat at the Barranca Rancho Liebre. These days will require a fair bit of walking (most of the morning and about 1.5 miles of distance), and we will be at a relatively high elevation (over 7000 feet). We will maintain a relaxed pace as we search for Mountain Trogon, White-striped Woodcreeper, Brown-backed Solitaire, and Aztec Thrush (rare). We plan to have a picnic lunch at the Barranca. Time permitting; we may stop to check out a few lower-elevation sites on our way back to the hotel. Nights in Copala. Day 5, Sun, 18 Nov. Drive to San Blas. This morning we will pack up from our hotel and leave right after breakfast for some more birding on the lower slopes before driving on to San Blas. Todayʼs bird possibilities include Black-capped and 4

5 Golden vireos, Citreoline Trogon, Russet-crowned Motmot, Rusty-crowned Ground Sparrow, and Military Macaw. We may have lunch in Copala prior to our four-hour drive south to San Blas, or we may plan a picnic. Time permitting, we will make a few birding stops along the way. Night in San Blas. 5 A pair of endemic Spotted Wrens engaged in allopreening. Photo by participant Dominic Sherony. Days 6-9, Mon-Thu, Nov. San Blas area. Weʼll have four-and-a-half days to explore this very diverse area. Along the way, we will have our first taste of dense tropical forest birding. The morning bird chorus can be impressive, and it can be a challenge for birders to get their glasses on all of the birds that are being called out at once! The number and variety of birds can often times be nearly overwhelming. Your leaders will provide you with specific details of what the following dayʼs activities will include, but we hope to keep things flexible to maximize our productivity. Morning activities will include visits to several very birdy, forested areas near San Blas including Singayta and La Bajada. We will also include two boat trips through the mangroves in search of a variety of species, but highlighting Northern Potoo and Boat-billed Heron. One day will include travel slightly farther afield to montane area about a 1.5-hour drive from our hotel, where Mexican Woodnymph, Bumblebee Hummingbird, Graycollared Becard, Gray Silky-flycatcher, and Black-headed Siskin are all possibilities. After a picnic lunch, we will drive the back road down the hill and back to San Blas. Lunch will be in town most days. Nights in San Blas. Day 10, Fri, 23 Nov. Drive to Mazatlan area. After a morningʼs birding and lunch in San Blas, weʼll bid farewell to the area and set out for Mazatlan, about a four-hour drive with stops. Weʼll arrive by dinnertime. Night at the Holiday Inn SunSpree, Mazatlan. Day 11, Sat, 24 Nov. Mazatlan airport departures. Flights homeward may be booked at any time today and participants should plan to take a taxi to the airport. Coffee and rolls will be available in the morning at the hotel, and a final scan of the ocean here may produce a great variety of seabirds and even Humpback Whales! About Your Guides David Mackay designed and will be co-leading the Field Guides WESTERN MEXICO tour. David is a small town Iowa native. His introduction to birding came as a child spending summers with his best friend and his father, camping and studying hummingbirds in southeastern Arizona. This early southwestern experience heavily influenced his landing at Prescott College, where he pursued his interests in natural history. After a stint as a San Francisco bike messenger, he was hired as a tour leader for Backroads, a worldwide operator of bicycle tours. In 1994 David left a management position

6 at Backroads, packed up his wife and two kids, and moved to Mexico to take a yearlong break and prepare for his next ʻreal worldʼ move. Seventeen years later, he and his family are still in Mexico! David is the co-founder of Solipaso Excursions SA de CV, a Mexico-based birdwatching and natural history tour company. He and his wife, Jennifer, also operate a historic colonial guesthouse in the small town of Alamos, Sonora, called La Ciudadela. It is a 320-year-old Spanish fort that they have converted into very comfortable accommodations and it serves as their base of operations. They cater primarily to birders and people with varied natural history interests. David has been co-leader on numerous tropical natural history trips with experts from numerous fields of study, including botany and butterflies. A second guide will be added as tour size warrants. 6 Financial Information Birding along the rocky shoreline near San Blas. Photo by Jesse Fagan. FEE: $2650 from Mazatlan DEPOSIT: $265 per person FINAL PAYMENT DUE: July 17, 2012 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT (Optional): $400 (limited singles are available at our hotel in Copala) LIMIT: 14 Other Things You Need to Know TOUR MANAGER: The manager for this tour is Sharon Mackie. Sharon will be happy to assist you in preparing for the tour. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call her! ACCOMMODATIONS: The accommodations for this tour are pleasant and feature air conditioning (except for Daniel's, our hotel in Copala on the Durango Highway, but typically it is not hot in this location), private baths, and good to excellent restaurants on the premises. In the mountains, Danielʼs is somewhat rustic, even spartan, but it is clean and tidy. There are only 11 rooms, so singles may be limited and will be assigned on a 'first-come' basis. Though located a mile off the Durango Highway, Daniel's is well within earshot of the highway, and trucks frequently apply their ʻjake brakesʼ along the adjacent stretch of road. For this reason and because, as in most rural parts of Mexico, there are abundant crowing roosters and braying donkeys lighter sleepers should pack several sets of ear plugs. We stay at more modern hotels in Mazatlan and San Blas.

7 DOCUMENTS: For US citizens traveling to Mexico, a current passport is necessary to reenter the United States. If you are not a US citizen, please check with the Mexican consulate nearest you for entry requirements. Information about consulates and entry requirements is generally available online or you can contact us and we will be happy to look this up for you. Passports should have an adequate number of blank pages for the entire journey. Some countries require a blank page for their stamp and as a precaution it is best to have one blank page per country you will visit or transit. AIR ARRANGEMENTS: The tour begins and ends in Mazatlan. Please plan to arrive in time for dinner at 6:30 p.m. on November 14. Continental has a direct flight from Houston to Mazatlan with connections to many US cities out of Houston. America West has a direct flight from Phoenix, and Alaska Air and Delta offer direct flights from Los Angeles. Should these airlines fly from your home city, it may be best for you to book a ʻthroughʼ fare from your home to Mazatlan. Departures can be made for anytime on November 24. Field Guides is a full service travel agency and your tour manager will be happy to assist you with flights to join this tour. Field Guides does not charge a service fee for these services to clients booking a tour. However, we understand that tech-savvy clients often prefer to shop online or that you may wish to use mileage to purchase tickets. Regardless of which method you choose, your tour manager will be happy to provide assistance regarding ticket prices and schedules, along with rental cars and extra hotel nights as needed. Please be sure to check with your tour manager prior to purchasing your ticket to make sure the flights you have chosen will work well with the tour itinerary and that the tour is sufficiently subscribed to operate. Once purchased, most airline tickets are non-refundable and carry a penalty to change. Field Guides cannot be responsible for these fees. Also, it is imperative that we receive a copy of your comprehensive flight itinerary including any and all flights not covered in the tour fee so that we may track you in the event of missed connections, delays, or other mishaps. LUGGAGE: Please be aware that many airlines have recently modified their luggage policies and are charging additional fees for checked bags. Updates could easily occur before your departure, so you may wish to contact your airline to verify the policy. Additional charges for bags on any flights, whether these are covered by the tour fee or not, will be the clientʼs responsibility. TOUR INCLUSIONS/EXCLUSIONS: The tour fee is $2650 for one person in double occupancy from Mazatlan. It includes all lodging from Day 1 through Day 10, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through dinner on Day 10, all ground transportation except taxis and/or shuttles to and from the airport, entrance fees, tips for baggage handling and meal service, and the guide services of the tour leader(s). The above fee does not include your airfare to and from Mazatlan, airport transfers, airport taxes, visa fees, any checked or carry-on baggage charges imposed by the airlines, any alcoholic beverages, optional tips to local drivers, phone calls, laundry, or other items of a personal nature. The single supplement for the tour is $400. (Please note that limited singles are available at our hotel in Copala.) If you do not have a roommate but wish to share, we will try to pair you with a roommate from the tour; but if none is available, you will be billed for the single supplement. Our tour fees are based on double occupancy; one-half the cost of a double room is priced into the tour fee. The single supplement is calculated by taking the actual cost of a single room and subtracting one-half the cost of a double room (plus any applicable taxes). TOUR REGISTRATION: To register for this tour, complete the enclosed Registration/Release and Indemnity form and return it with a deposit of $265 per person. If registering by phone, a deposit must be received within fourteen days, or the space will be released. Full payment of the tour fee is due 120 days prior to departure, or by July 17, We will bill you for the final payment at either 120 days or when the tour has reached sufficient subscription to operate, whichever date comes later. Since the cost of your trip insurance and airline tickets is generally non-refundable, please do not finalize these purchases until you have received final billing for the tour or have been advised that the tour is sufficiently subscribed to operate by your tour manager. SMOKING: Almost all of our clients prefer a smoke-free environment. If you smoke, please be sensitive to the group and refrain from smoking at meals, in vehicles, and in proximity to the group on trails and elsewhere. 7

8 CANCELLATION POLICY: Refund of deposit and payment, less $100 handling fee, will be made if cancellation is received up to 120 days before departure. If cancellation occurs between 119 and 70 days before the departure date, 50% of the tour fee is refundable. Thereafter, all deposits and payments are not refundable. This policy only applies to payments made to Field Guides for tour (and any services included in those fees). Airline tickets not included in the tour fee and purchased separately often carry penalties for cancellation or change, or are sometimes totally non-refundable. Additionally, if you take out trip insurance the cost of the insurance is not refundable so it is best to purchase the policy just prior to making full payment for the tour or at the time you purchase airline tickets, depending upon the airlines restrictions. The right is reserved to cancel any tour prior to departure, in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. The right is reserved to substitute another guide for the original one. Where this is necessary, notification will be given to tour members, and they will have the right to cancel their participation and receive a full refund. TRIP CANCELLATION & MEDICAL EMERGENCY INSURANCE: We strongly recommend you consider purchasing trip cancellation (including medical emergency) insurance to cover your investment in case of injury or illness to you or your family prior to or during a trip. Because we must remit early (and substantial) tour deposits to our suppliers, we cannot offer any refund when cancellation occurs within 70 days of departure, and only a partial refund from 70 to 119 days prior to departure (see CANCELLATION POLICY). In addition, the Department of State strongly urges Americans to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and if it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. US medical insurance plans seldom cover health costs incurred outside the United States unless supplemental coverage is purchased. Furthermore, US Medicare and Medicaid programs do not provide payment for medical services outside the United States. When making a decision regarding health insurance, Americans should consider that many foreign doctors and hospitals require payment in cash prior to providing service and that a medical evacuation to the United States may cost well in excess of $50,000. Uninsured travelers who require medical care overseas often face extreme difficulties. When consulting with your insurer prior to your trip, please ascertain whether payment will be made to the overseas healthcare provider or whether you will be reimbursed later for expenses that you incur. US and Canadian citizens will receive from us a brochure regarding optional tour cancellation/emergency medical insurance. Our agent, CSA, will insure for trip cancellation and interruption, medical coverage, travel delay, baggage loss and delay, 24-hour accident protection, and emergency medical transportation. If you purchase the insurance when making final payment for the tour, pre-existing conditions are covered. The CSA brochure includes a contact number; you may also purchase your CSA policy on-line by visiting our website at and clicking the link to CSA. Please note, once the insurance is purchased it is non-refundable, so please check with your tour manager prior to making the purchase to assure the tour will operate as scheduled. Citizens of other countries are urged to consult their insurance broker. RESPONSIBILITY: For and in consideration of the opportunity to participate in the tour, each tour participant and each parent or legal guardian of a tour participant who is under 18 agrees to release, indemnify, and hold harmless Field Guides Incorporated, its agents, servants, employees, shareholders, officers, directors, attorneys, and contractors as more fully set forth in the Release and Indemnity Agreement on the reverse side of the registration form. Field Guides Incorporated acts only as an agent for the passenger in regard to travel, whether by railroad, motorcar, motorcoach, boat, airplane, or other means, and assumes no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity caused by defect in such vehicles or for any reason whatsoever, including the acts, defaults, or bankruptcies of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour. Field Guides Incorporated accepts no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. The tour participant shall bear all such losses and expenses. Field Guides Incorporated reserves the right to substitute hotels of similar category for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules. Field Guides Incorporated reserves the right to decline to accept or to retain any person as a member of any tour. Baggage is at ownerʼs risk entirely. Participants should be in good health and should consult a physician before undertaking a tour. If you have questions about the physical requirements of a tour, please contact our office for further information. Participants should prepare for the tour by reading the detailed itinerary, the information bulletin, and other pertinent matter provided by Field Guides. Each participant is responsible for bringing appropriate clothing and equipment as recommended in our bulletins. 8

9 THE RECEIPT OF YOUR TOUR DEPOSIT SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE CONSENT TO THE ABOVE CONDITIONS. EACH TOUR PARTICIPANT AND EACH PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN OF A TOUR PARTICIPANT WHO IS UNDER 18 SHALL SIGN AND DELIVER THE RELEASE AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION. 2/12ADR 9