Golden-chheked Woodpecker

 

One of the most popular areas for winter tourists is Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's Pacific coast.

For bird and nature lovers, it is an area with much to offer. Just to the south of Puerto Vallarta is a mountainous area of tropical forest offering changing species at different levels. A few hours drive to the North is the community of San Blas, renowned as a birding destination. As well, there is an opportunity for a variety of seabirds and shorebirds at the ocean.

 

 

The Mountains south of Puerto VallartaPainted Redstart

 

We contacted Birding Mexico and took their 1/2 day tour into the higher regions north of Puerto Vallarta. Essentially this involved driving the main highway south, and stopping a number of times at different locations and heights. If you had your own vehicle, you could easily do the area on your own, stopping at likely looking spots. The tour stopped in late morning and went to a restaurant. It is designed for the casual birder and those who are a little more hardcore will find this lunch stop frustrating as it reduces prime birding time to two or three hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Among the birds seen were Military Macaw, the endemic and threatened Lilac-crowned Parrot, Black Swift, Beryline Hummingbird, Russet-crowned Motmot, Acorn, Lineated and Pale-billed Woodpecker, Vermillion Flycatcher, White-throated Thrush, Green Jay, the endemic Golden Vireo, Grace's Warbler, Painted Redstart, Hepatic, Summer and Western Tanagers, White-collared Seadeater, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Orange-breasted Bunting, and Yellow Grosbeak.

 

 

San Blas area

Gray Hawk

 

San Blas has a well-deserved reputation as an excellent birding area as well as being a great place to surf. While we didn't go surfing, our party did find some excellent birding. It has a number of good habitants, Peso Island reached by a short ferry ride, Lower Sinayta, a village surrounded by a forested area about 5 miles away from San Blas, the sewage lagoons, and the shrimp ponds found a short distance outside of the town. You can also take a guided boat trip through the mangroves. You can take this at night as well, with a guide who can spotlight some excellent birds.

 

Roseate Spoonbill

 

We spent our day at the sewage lagoon and the shrimp ponds. Heron and egrets were plentiful at the shrimp ponds as was White and White-faced Ibis. The sewage lagoon hosted Fulvous Whistling Duck, Blue and Cinnamon Teal, and Northern Shoveler. Gray Hawk was common and we saw Short-tailed and White-tailed Hawk as well. Black-necked Stilts and American Avocet joined Northern Jacana at the sewage lagoon. In wooded areas it was easy to find White-winged Dove, Common Ground-Dove and Inca Dove. The spectacular Black-throated Magpie-Jay and beautiful San Blas Jay are to be seen.

 

By the ocean

Brown Booby

 

 

An early morning visit to the shore of the Pacific will produce an excellent variety of birds. I found Semipalmated and Wilson's Plover, as well as Whimbrel, Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, and Surfbird.  On the ocean itself, Magnificent Frigatebird were common, often seen harrasing Heerman's and Laughing Gulls. Bridled and Sooty Terns were seen, and Brown and Blue-footed Booby.

 

 

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