Day 1 - Arrival and Orientation

Our Central Mexico birding tour begins in Mexico City. Our tour leader will meet you in the hotel lobby at 7:00 pm for dinner and to become acquainted, discuss the tour, and answer any questions. For logistical ease, our first hotel is either at the airport terminal or a short shuttle drive away. Overnight in Mexico City.

Day 2 – Mexico City to Amatlán

This morning we make one or two birding stops to look for the first of our Mexican endemics, possibly Dusky Hummingbird or Black-backed Oriole. After lunch, the drive to Amatlán puts us in a blend of tropical semi-evergreen forest and abandoned coffee plantation. The bird life here is completely different from what we encounter elsewhere on this tour and the area is very rich in species including such tropical gems as Blue-crowned/Lesson's Motmot and both Chestnut-headed and Montezuma’s Oropendolas. We spend this afternoon and the next morning in this area, keeping in mind that this is a special area for three birds that are rare elsewhere: Wedge-tailed Saberwing, Sumichrast’s Wren and Fan-tailed Warbler. This is also one of the few forests in Mexico where it is possible to see 3 species of toucans. Night in Fortin de las Flores.

Day 3 - Amatlán to Tehuacán

After spending a productive morning birding around Amatlán, we drive to Tehuacán, stopping en route on a little side road to look for mid-elevation birds. Tehuacán is a 17th-century town, but archaeological evidence indicates that it is in fact one of the earliest places where agriculture was practiced in the New World over 8000 years ago. Night in Tehuacán.

Day 4 - Tehuacán to Cuernavaca

This morning we visit an impressive and unique ecosystem, a dense forest of giant columnar cacti (one usually doesn’t think of cacti as forming forests!). When the early morning sun’s rays hit the tops of the cacti we can expect to see Bridled Sparrow, Gray-breasted Woodpecker and Boucard's Wren perching on the tall plants. Afternoon birding near Cuernava will depend on timing. Night in Cuernavaca.

Day 5 - Cuernavaca

Cuernavaca is in the transition zone between tropical and temperate regions, and short drives take us into a variety of different types of forests in both. First, we visit a trail through tropical dry forest a few kilometers east of Cuernavaca. This trail always produces a large number of bird species endemic to the lowlands of western Mexico. In this season the forest will be dry, most trees leafless and the birds should be easy to see. More than 20 Mexican endemic birds occur here, and although it is difficult to predict which ones we will see, there is a very good chance of finding Golden-crowned Emerald, Violet-crowned and Dusky Hummingbirds, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Thick-billed Kingbird, Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow and Black-chested Sparrow, among others. We will also be able to practice identification of Myiarchus flycatchers, because four particularly similar-looking species are rather common in this forest. In the afternoon, we make a stop or two in search of birds of highland forest including, possibly, Amethyst-throated or Bumblebee hummingbirds. Night at Cuernavaca.

Day 6 - Cuernavaca to Zitacuaro

This morning we visit a mountain meadow, a stronghold for the extremely local and endangered Sierra Madre Sparrow. Another Mexican endemic sparrow is common here too, the Striped Sparrow. Nearby, we visit a temperate forest which often produces a large number of Mexican endemic and specialty birds, including Russet Nightingale-Thrush, Green-striped Brush-Finch, Elegant Euphonia, Strickland’s Woodpecker and many others. In the afternoon, we make a relatively long drive to to Zitácuaro, a town close to the Monarch Butterfly wintering grounds in Michoacán. We stop en route to look for one of the most localized birds of the trip in the Lerma marshes west of Mexico City, one of the last homes of the threatened Black-polled Yellowthroat. Other stops are in pine and fir forest, where possibilities include Pine Flycatcher, Golden-browed Warbler, Red Warbler and Colima Warbler. Night in Zitácuaro or Jungapeo.

Day 7 - Dry Forest and Monarch Butterflies

In the morning we visit a tropical dry forest near Zitácuaro where Happy Wren, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Blue Mockingbird and many other birds may be found. In mid-morning, we drive to a site where millions of Monarch butterflies spend the winter, having lunch on the way. The late morning is the best time to enjoy the butterflies. We will not be alone here, because this is a very popular destination for Mexicans and foreigners alike. Around 15 to 20 million Monarchs, most of the population of the United States and Canada spend the winter here after travelling up to 120 kilometers per day in their October southward migration. During the early winter they spend most of their time dormant, with their wings closed, in dense clusters covering the fir trunks and branches. This is a spectacle in itself but the Monarchs are even more impressive in February when they spend most of the day sunning themselves with their wings open, occasionally fluttering around to feed on nectar. Night in Zitácuaro or Jungapeo.

Day 8 – More Monarchs and return to Mexico City

We spend this morning visiting a second site, Sierra Chincua, for wintering monarchs, which typically hosts hundreds of thousands of monarchs, and significantly fewer tourists. As we take in the magical setting, we'll discuss monarch ecology and learn about the multigenerational migrations of these impressive insects. After our second butterfly experience and lunch, we spend the afternoon birding a road through pine-oak forest near Zitácuaro, where the many birds we may see include the cute Tufted Flycatcher, White-throated Thrush and Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo. Night at Mexico City, at a hotel adjacent to the airport.

Day 9 - Departure

Our Central Mexico birding tour ends today. After breakfast at the hotel, we'll catch a flight back to the United States and dream about monarchs and rare Mexican birds for the whole flight home.