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Veracruz River of Raptors Ecotour - Catemaco Extension A 3-night / 3-day birding tour to the famous Lake Catemaco district can
be added to the standard 9-day VRR itinerary. Exquisitely located on the
shores of an ancient crater lake at a point where the Tuxtla highlands
meet the Sierra Santa Marta just twelve miles from the Gulf Coast, the
Catemaco region boasts multiple birding sites of abundant diversity in
a variety of tropical forest habitats. From the wetlands of Tlacotalpan
to the rainforest reserve at Monte Pio to the cloud forests of Santa Marta
this relatively compact area is home to 320 resident bird species and
more than 120 tropical migrants. Here is where many members of tropical
bird families are easily observed such as toucans, trogons, parrots, woodcreepers,
tropical raptors and flycatchers, and several endemic species, as well
as the haunting calls of tinamous and howler monkeys. Here we can expect
to observe between 30 and 40 extra bird species that are not generally
found in our regular itinerary, including raptor species such as the White
Hawk and Black Hawk Eagle. And fortunately this area is located only about
3-1/2 hours from our hawkwatching base in Cardel, and with great birding
in between! General Itinerary Day 1:
This day is used as a travel day to move from our hawkwatching
base in Cardel to southern Veracruz and our destination in Catemaco. Fortunately,
along the 3-1/2 hour drive, there are several excellent birding stops
along the way. Morning:
From Cardel, we leave early morning for the natural savannah of Las Mid-day: As we move
closer to Catemaco, we will pass through the Alvarado wetlands where we
look for Snail Kite, Great Black Hawk, Limpkin, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron,
and Mangrove Swallow. We may also have time for a visit to the small colonial
town of Tlacotalpan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its well-preserved
architecture and colorful houses, cobblestone streets, and museums. Afternoon: We continue on to Catemaco, reaching our lakeside hotel perhaps for an afternoon swim in the pool and also excellent birding on the grounds where we have seen Collared Aracari, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Plain Chachalaca, White-bellied Emerald, and at night Mottled Owl. And we may also visit the small lakeside reserve at Nanciyaga, The reserve at Nanciyaga is a great place for North American migrants, and the normally secretive White-breasted Wood-Wren and Spot-breasted Wren, and also the elusive Ruddy Crake, where we have seen and heard up to five in the reeds on the lakeshore, and where some come as close as a few feet away as they respond to our imitations. Day 2: Morning: We awake early for the trip
to the UNAM Biological Station and Reserve in the foothills of the Tuxtlas
mountains. Here we can see several parrot species, Keel-billed Toucan
and Collared Aracari, Violaceous and Collared Trogon, Ivory-billed and
Olivaceous Woodcreepers, Long-tailed and Little Hermit, Black-cheeked,
Golden-olive and Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Red-crowned and Red-throated
Ant-Tanager, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, and where we hope to find fruiting
trees and a mixed-species flock when exciting surprises can happen; Howler
Monkeys also make their presence felt with the male's loud calls. Afternoon: From the reserve we move
on to the coastal lagoon at Sontecomapan for our boat ride. Here in the
lagoon, in the freshwater streams, we hope to see Bare-throated Tiger-Heron,
Pygmy Kingfisher, and possibly Sungrebe. We also look for Common Black
Hawk, Long-billed Gnatwren, Barred Antshrike, Yellow-tailed Oriole in
the marshes, and if the flowers are right many Violet Sabrewing. Night: If we are up for a late night, we return to the reserve to listen to the noises of the night and a search for the beautiful Black-and-White Owl that feeds on the many insects that are attracted to the station's lights. Day 3: Morning: Another early morning for
a drive on a new paved road up to 3,000 feet and beautiful cloud forest
habitat near the village of Ruiz Cortinez! Here we will enter into a spectacular
part of the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve. In the cloud forest we may
find the endemic Tuxtla Quail-Dove and Longtailed Sabrewing, also White-winged
Tanager, Spectacled Foliage-gleaner, and Slaty-breasted Tinamou. We have
seen several tropical raptors here including White Hawk, and both Black-and-White
Hawk-Eagle and the very rare Ornate Hawk-Eagle. Afternoon: After our full morning and lunch, we move on to Veracruz, with perhaps a stop along the gulf and Alvarado wetlands or savannah en-route. We hope to arrive in Veracruz at a reasonable hour so as to explore the exciting main square and the waterfront before our final dinner of the seafood specialties of Veracruz. Day 4: Morning departure. |