Itinerary - Colima, Mexico

Please join us on another great Mexican birding tour originating in Manzanillo on the Pacific coast and including seacoast, thorn forest and mountain birding close to some scenically-beautiful existing volcanoes.
Day 1- Fly to Manzanillo. Drive to the coastal resort of Barra de Navidad. Walk beach and harbour area. Overnight: El Delfin Hotel. D.
Day 2 - AM- Bird the thorn scrub along the Playa de Oro Road which terminates at the Pacific Ocean. Birds here include Orange-breasted Bunting, Flammulated Flycatcher, Lilac-crowned Parrot, White-bellied Wren, Red-breasted Chat and Black-capped Gnatcatcher. PM - Bird the Manzanillo Airport marshes for waterbirds including Ruddy Crake, Limpkin, West Mexican Chachalaca, Mexican Parrotlet, San Blas Jay and Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater. Ov. El Delfin Hotel. B/L/D.
Day 3 - Drive 40 minutes to the Barranca el Choncho for birds in this tropical semi-deciduous forest. We hope to find Colima Pygmy-Owl, Mexican Hermit, Golden-crowned Emerald, Golden Vireo, Rosy Thrush-Tanager and Blue Bunting among others. PM - We visit another excellent thorn forest area close to the new Tamarindo Golf Resort. Ov. El Delfin hotel. B/L/D.
Day 4 - Drive north towards Autlan, stopping at Puerto Los Mazos to bird the road up to the radio towers here. Some rarities can be found with luck, including Singing Quail, Long-tailed Wood Partridge, Eared Poorwill, Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Amethyst-throated Hummingbird, Sparkling-tailed Woodstar and Black-chested Sparrow. If time allows, we will also go up the road to the microwave towers on the San Francisco Road north of Autlan. Ov. Motel Autlan. B/L/D.
Day 5 - From Autlan, we leave early for the Floripondio Road and the Viboras Track for more upper elevation birding for more rare species. Examples include Balsas Screech-Owl, Collared Towhee, Thick-billed Parrot, Gray-barred Wren, Russet Nightingale-Thrush and Chestnut-sided Shrike-Vireo among many others. Afterwards drive to Ciudad Guzman. Ov. Hotel Colon. B/L/D.
Days 6 & 7 - From the Hotel Colon we drive north to a mountain road up to the Volcan Nieve. Its peak is at 4240 m. This is fabulous habitat for upper level birds including Black-headed Siskins, Red Crossbill, Mountain Pygmy-Owl, Rufous-capped and Green-striped Brushfinches, Aztec Thrush, Olive Warbler, Pine and Buff-breasted Flycatchers. Because this habitat is so good, and the scenery breathtaking, we will visit this road on two consecutive days. Ov. Hotel Colon. B/L/D.
Day 8 - Today we again leave early to bird the dirt road leading up to the active Volcan Fuego (3820 m.). At the 14 km. mark, we will turn back downslope after some great birding enroute. Hoped-for-birds include Banded Quail, Crested Guan, Stygian Owl, Grey-collared Becard, Dwarf Vireo, Red Warbler, Red-headed Tanager, Dickey's and Abeille's Orioles. We then travel to Colima city for an overnight stop at the Motel Los Candiles. B/L/D.

Day 9 - On our final day, depending upon flight times, we may bird the Priscilla Road in the early morning and/or the Microondas La Cumbre road for more species ( possibilities include Lesser Roadrunner and Lesser Ground-Cuckoo ); then, reluctantly, we will head to Manzinillo Airport for our afternoon flights home. B.