Veracruz Itinerary

Veracruz River of Raptors Main Tour

General Description Our main 9-day / 8 night (7 full birding days plus 2 travel days) Veracruz River of Raptors tour specializes in witnessing the greatest migration spectacle in the world. Here in central Veracruz, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, every fall season the monitoring team from Pronatura Veracruz counts well over 5 million migrating raptors, of over 25 species! A good day sees more than 100,000 migrant raptors and vultures, and a Big Day may see more than 500,000! The spectacle of the passerine and waterbird migration can be just as amazing, with more than 10 million daytime migrants estimated to pass through each fall. Aside from the bird migration, teams of biologists have recently estimated the insect migration of butterflies and dragonflies, where along the coast we have counted more than 1 million individuals in one day!
During our tour, we also make sure to experience the great variety of other resident birds of the region; more than 540 species have been catalogued in central Veracruz, including more than 25 endemics. We will have plenty of time due to the fact that the raptor migration is usually concentrated in the middle hours of the day, which allows us to make early morning and afternoon expeditions into the surrounding lowland forests and coastal lagoons in search of resident specialties. We also include a two-day visit to the cloud forests and pine-oak forests surrounding Xalapa, at over 4,500 feet elevation yet only 90 minutes away from our base near the coast.
While visiting the area of central Veracruz we will be able to observe how the region also serves as a crossroads for the bird communities of North and Middle America, and eastern and western Mexico. For example, we have species in the mountains surrounding Xalapa from both the lowlands of eastern Mexico and the highlands of central and western Mexico, such as Rufous -tailed and Berryline Hummingbirds, Brown Jays and Dwarf Jay. We also have resident tropical species side-by-side with North American species that reach the southern limit of their ranges, such as Clay-colored and American Robins, and Black-headed and Pine Siskins. Additionally, during migration and winter we find at our shaded raptor-watch at Chichicaxtle migrant species from both western and eastern North America side-by-side, such as Western and Summer Tanagers, Eastern and Western Wood-pewees, and Black-throated Green Warblers feeding with Hermit and Townsend's Warblers. All this makes for a very exciting and dynamic region, and very exciting birding!
The tour includes very full and active days, yet in a comfortable setting, as we will only have two bases of operation. These are: the coastal town of Cardel, closest to the great migration spectacle and the lowland forests and lagoons; and Xalapa, the beautiful colonial capital city of Veracruz, in the mountains surrounded by cloud forest, shade-coffee plantations, and pine-oak forests. Also included are several visits to local archaeological sites, including La Antigua and Cempoala, where Herman Cortez had his first Spanish colony and initial contact with the local Indians. We will also include a visit to the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa, one of the finest and most beautiful of its kind.
Days 1-4: The tour generally begins with a late-evening arrival at the Veracruz International Airport on Day 1, with that night spent at a pleasant beach-side hotel in Veracruz City (the specifc hotels used may vary from year-to-year; hotel details will be provided at time of participant sign-up).
Following some brief morning birding around the hotel and along the adjacent beach, we shuttle to Cardel early on Day 2 and spend most of the first three full days of the tour based here to concentrate on the raptor migration. Each morning we will also visit one of the surrounding lowland dry thorn-forest sites, coastal lagoons, and/or beaches-often all included at the same site. We also include a delightful river boat-trip, ending at sunset. Birding highlights may include many of the local raptor species such as Grey Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Hook-billed Kite, Great and Common Black Hawks, and Aplomado Falcon. Other local species provide a great introduction to tropical birding with species that include Altamira Oriole, the very local Rufous-naped Wren, Black-headed Trogon, Rose-throated Becard, Black-headed Saltator, five species of kingfisher, Montezuma Oropendola, Aztec Parakeet, and Masked Tityra. At each of the sites we will also hope for a spectacular passerine and waterbird migration. The butterfly and dragonfly migration can be spectacular as well.
We can expect excellent local seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, deliciously flavored Mexican-style, quite a bit different than what you may expect from your local Mexican restaurants in the US or elsewhere!
Days 5-6: Toward the end of Day 4, we will shuttle a short ways up into the mountains to the city of Xalapa for the night, which will then be our base of operations for the next two days. This colonial city is quite pleasant, with beautiful architecture, a pleasant climate, and very fine Mexican cuisine, quite different than the coast. Here we will be visiting several sites in the surrounding cloud forest and pine-oak forest, including shade-coffee plantations, a beautiful waterfall, and a spectacular 2000-foot canyon. The habitat of the higher elevations supports many endemic species as well as excellent birding of migrants and other residents, especially of mixed warbler flocks. We will hope to see endemics such as the Blue Mockingbird, Red Warbler, Brown-backed Solitaire, Grey Silky, Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, and Rufous-capped Brushfinch, among others.
Days 7-9: We will return to Cardel from Xalapa late on Day 6 and spend Day 7 and most of Day 8 here again to afford more exposure to the raptor migration, hoping to catch one of the big days, if we haven't already. We will continue to visit the surrounding habitat, including slightly different habitat at a local reserve, and we will also search for two endemic hummingbirds, the Mexican Sheartail and Canivet's Emerald in the dry forests and open areas of central Veracruz. On the final day we will visit a natural tropical savannah where we hope to see specialties such as Double-striped Thick-knee and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. We will also visit an extensive wetland and lagoon system where we may see Mangrove Swallow, Black-collared Hawk, and Pinnated Bittern. We will then finish the tour spending our last night back in the festive port city of Veracruz, where our favorite hotel is located on the main square, active every day of the week with outdoor cafes, live music, and dancing. The tour generally ends with an early morning flight out of Veracruz International Airport on Day 9.