February 10: Arrive in Oaxaca, where you will be met at the airport and brought to the beautiful center city, where we will stay at the Hotel Con Corazon. Time permitting, we can explore the neighborhood and walk to the Zocalo & the central cathedral, which dates to 1535. We’ll also get our first tastes of the amazing Oaxacan cuisine, at lunch or dinner (depending on when people arrive).

February 11: We will have an early breakfast and drive up into the pine woodlands of the nearby mountains at La Cumbre Ixtepeji. We will look for Red Warbler, Collared Towhee, Gray-banded Wren, Brown-backed Solitaire, Dwarf Jay, and other endemic species. Lunch at Restaurante el Colibri, famous for its hummingbird feeders. We’ll do a bit more birding after lunch, and then drive down to Teotitlan del Valle, a village legendary for its basket-weaving and textile dyeing and weaving. We’ll participate in a demonstration of these ancient crafts and have the opportunity to purchase some to take home - make sure to leave some room in your suitcase! On our way back to Oaxaca City, we’ll stop to see the Arbol del Tule, an ancient Banyan tree that is the widest known tree in the world! Dinner & night in Oaxaca City at the Hotel Con Corazon.

February 12: Another early morning to visit the legendary archeological site of Monte Albán. We’ll bird nearby before Monte Albán opens, looking for endemic species such as Slaty Vireo, Bridled Sparrow, Blue Mockingbird, Gray Silky-Flycatcher, and Ocellated Thrasher. Then we’ll explore the archeological site and museum (and look for birds among the ruins too!). We’ll return to our hotel for a little siesta and lunch at the Fonda Florecita-Mercado de la Merced, before heading back out in the afternoon at San Pablo Etla, a hilly area at the edge of the city where we could find West Mexican Chachalaca, Lesser Roadrunner, Dusky Hummingbird, Berylline Hummingbird, Pileated Flycatcher, Golden Vireo, Bridled Sparrow, Oaxaca Sparrow, and other West Mexican endemics. Night in Oaxaca City at the Hotel Victoria.

February 13: Yagul Archeological site.

Targets: Boucard’s Wren, Dusky Hummingbird, Beautiful Hummingbird, White-throated Towhee, Gray-breasted Woodpecker.

We’ll check out of our hotel and drive to the east of the city to visit Yagul, a little-known and less-visited archeological site that was home to the Zapotec people, and features their structures and cave paintings. This is also one of the oldest-known sites of corn domestication, with ancient corn remnants carbon-dated to over 8,000 years ago -truly one of the cradles of mesoamerican civilization. And of course we’ll bird in the area!

After lunch we will visit Santiago Matatlán, the ‘World Capital of Mezcal’ where we will visit a mezcalero to see how mezcal is made from agave plants, and of course sample some too! We may visit the Casa Chigoya mezcaleria or similar.

In the afternoon we will drive ~ 3.5 hours to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrowest part of Mexico between the Gulf & the Pacific. This area is a hotspot of biodiversity & endemism. We’ll stay in Juchitan de Zaragosa.

February 14: Valentine’s Day! I’m not sure if the hotel has any heart-shaped bathtubs, but walking on the beach and gazing out over the Pacific ocean is rather romantic.

We’ll have another early start to drive to Tolostique Ojo de Agua, a beautiful spring & deep blue ‘ojo de agua’ that attracts many birds, including the most sought-after endemic birds of Oaxaca: the Rose-bellied Bunting (found only in SE Oaxaca and NW Chiapas) and the Orange-breasted Bunting. Also found here is the rare & local Cinnamon-tailed Sparrow, found only in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Lunch in Juchitán de Zaragoza, an indigenous (majority Zapotec) town and on with an ancient history as a trade route between Central and North America.

After lunch we will visit the Laguna Superior, a hotspot for waterbirds such as storks, ibis, egrets, herons ducks, plovers, and more.

We will then travel west along the Pacific Coast to the beautiful beachfront town of Santa Cruz Huatulco. Dinner & night in Santa Cruz Huatulco at the Villas Coral Huatulco, where we will spend the next two days.

February 15: Huatulco area

Targets: Citreoline Trogon, Russet-crowned Motmot, Red-breasted Chat, Turquoise-crowned Hummingbird, Flammulated Flycatcher

We will be joined by our local guide who will take us to Reserva Ecoturística Las Ninfas to look for rare & local endemic species such as the Turquoise-crowned Hummingbird.

After lunch we will have a free afternoon to spend at the beach, a short walk from our hotel.

In the later afternoon we will take a walk in the Parque Nacional Huatulco, and possibly have a night-hike to listen & look for owls & nightjars after dark. Dinner & night in Huatulco.

February 16: Huatulco & Pluma Hidalgo

Target species: Wagler's [Emerald] Toucanet, Red-headed Tanager, Blue-capped Hummingbird, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Masked Tityra

We will check out of our hotel and visit the Finca La Pasionaria, a coffee plantation in the mountains north of the coast. There will see the process of coffee growing and roasting, as well as the birds that inhabit coffee plantations.

After lunch we will continue higher into the mountains to the beautiful village of San José del Pacifico, best known for its shamans and fungi-enhanced ceremonies but also an excellent birding locale. We will bird in the afternoon and have dinner at La Cumbre, with a beautiful view of the sunset over the Pacific. Night at Cabañas Puesto Del Sol.

February 17:

Birding in pine-oak forest around San José del Pacifico, this montane area of pine forest hosts many interesting species of birds such as Brown-backed Solitaire, Bumblebee Hummingbird, Hooded Yellowthroat, and if we get lucky we may find the very elusive White-throated Jay.

Other targets include: Bumblebee Hummingbird, Long-tailed Wood Partridge, White-eared Hummingbird, and Common Chlorospingus.

After lunch we will start our drive back to Oaxaca city and have a last dinner together at the famous La Cocina De Humo. Overnight in Oaxaca City at the Hotel Victoria.

February 18: Breakfast and exploring in Oaxaca City - depending on the timing of folks’ return flights, we can walk around the old city or visit a market or museum. Shuttle van or taxi to the airport included. Some may choose to extend their stay or travel to other parts of Mexico (Chiapas, the wintering Monarch Butterflies in Michoacan, etc).