Northeast
birding tour
9 days
In this expedition we divide our time between Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas states in the Northeast portion of Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental contributes to the formation of diverse ecosystems: from desert shrublands to oak and pine forest, and from the grasslands to the cloud forest and rivers from the mountains. This increases the diversity of birds, resulting in several restricted range species like the Maroon-fronted Parrot, Worthen’s Sparrow, Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl, Altamira Yellowthroat and others.
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Day 1: Arrival day (Monterrey Airport MTY) ☾ Sleep in Monterrey
Upon arrival in Monterrey, Nuevo León, we can plan some afternoon birding near the city, depending on your travel schedule. Afterward, we'll enjoy dinner together and check details of the itinerary.
Day 2: Santiago - Laguna de Sánchez ☾ Sleep in Laguna de Sánchez
Our first full day of birding starts in a great spot just outside of the city. This area is full of birds in the low mountains and oak forests. We will try to find some special birds here, like the Crimson-collared Grosbeak and the Blue-capped Motmot, but there are many other interesting birds to see too, like the Long-billed Thrasher, Blue Bunting, Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Audubon's Oriole, Varied Bunting, and Gray-crowned Yellowthroat. On a good morning, we can expect to see around 40 different bird species. In the afternoon, we'll drive high up into the mountains of Santiago. The scenery will change as we climb. First mountain shrubland then, we'll see lots of oak trees. Finally, way up high, there will be tall pine trees. We'll make several birding stops along the way, where we can spot the Mexican Jay, Painted Redstart, Brown-backed Solitaire, Rufous-capped Brushfinch, and many more interesting birds. Finally, we'll arrive at the Laguna de Sanchez area, where we'll spend the night. This location is very close to Maroon-fronted Parrot habitat, making it an ideal base for spotting these magnificent birds.
Day 3: Mesa del Oso, Sierra de Arteaga, Monterreal ☾ Sleep in San Antonio de las Alazanas
This morning, we'll aim to get good views of the Maroon-fronted Parrot, a special bird found only in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains. These parrots usually fly in pairs or small groups. We'll be waiting at the bottom of a cliff where they often land, eat, or go in and out of holes in the rocks. While we're looking for parrots, we might also see other cool birds that live high up in the mountains, like the Blue-throated Mountain Gem, Elegant Trogon, swallows, swifts, wrens. This is a very productive area with amazing views of the mountain range. In the afternoon, we'll drive through Parque Cumbres National Park, moving to a drier area: the Sierra de Arteaga mountains, we'll be looking for the Colima Warbler. We might see other birds there too like the Woodhouse Scrub Jay and Mexican Chickadee.
Day 4: Arteaga, Galeana (La Soledad) ☾ Sleep in San Antonio de las Alazanas
We'll explore a semi-desert area with grasslands and shrubs. This is the habitat of the endangered Worthen's Sparrow. We might also find other interesting bird species that like to move between the cacti, shrubs and small trees of the area . Some examples include Black-tailed Gnatcatchers, Scotts Orioles, Lucifer Hummingbird, and even Golden Eagle can be around. In the late afternoon, we'll head back to our place in the Arteaga area, we will bird around and wait for the night to try some nightbirds.
Day 5: Galeana - Linares ☾ Sleep in Gomez Farías
This morning, we'll decide where to begin birding. Depending on the target species we've yet to see, we can look for birds in either the pine forest or the dry area. In the dry area we can search for example the Crissal Thrasher, Botteri's Sparrow and Scaled Quail. Later in the morning, we'll drive to Gomez Farias in Tamaulipas state, with birding stops planned in Galeana and Linares. These stops could offer opportunities to see aquatic birds like the Mexican Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, Muscovy Duck, Bare-throated Tiger Heron, and others. In the evening, upon arrival in Gomez Farias, we'll target owls and nightjars like the Tawny-collared Nightjar, Mottled Owl, Stygian Owl, and Northern Potoo.
Day 6: El Cielo Biosphere Reserve - Alta Cima ☾ Sleep in Gomez Farías
This day, we'll enter El Cielo Biosphere Reserve. We'll use special 4x4 trucks to explore different heights and find many bird species. We'll start low, at 350 meters above sea level, and make birding stops as we climb to 1500 meters. Look out for interesting birds like the Singing Quail, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Great Curassow, and Crested Guan! Around Alta Cima (which is 950 meters high), we'll try to find the Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl and Black-headed Nightingale Thrush. We might also see a Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Gray-collared Becard, or even a Solitary Eagle soaring above! In the afternoon, we'll continue birding near San José. Keep an eye out for the Black-headed Siskin and Fan-tailed Warbler. Finally, we'll head downhill to Gomez Farias. Here, we can try to spot any missing nightbirds we haven't seen yet, like the Tawny-collared Nightjar or Stygian Owl.
Day 7: Gomez Farías - Bocatoma River ☾ Sleep in Gomez Farías
We'll spend a whole day exploring the lowlands near Gomez Farias. We'll start by looking for birds in the open grasslands. This is a great chance to see some special birds like the Altamira Yellowthroat, Tamaulipas Crow, Aplomado Falcon, Double-striped Thick-knee, Northern Bobwhite, Red-crowned Parrot, and many more! In the afternoon, we'll take a small boat trip on the Bocatoma River, a beautiful crystal clear water small river. This is a good spot to find birds like the Sungrebe, Amazon Kingfisher, Belted Kingfisher, Boat-billed Heron and Muscovy Duck.
Day 8: El Cielo - road to Monterrey ☾ Sleep in Monterrey
This morning, we'll try to find any birds we missed. We can either head back up to El Cielo or search the grasslands and open areas again. In the afternoon, we'll start driving towards Monterrey City. We'll make a few birding stops along the way before arriving. We'll spend the night near the airport in Monterrey.
Day 9: Monterrey drop off
We'll drop you off at the airport in time for your flight. If there's time before your flight, we can visit a good spot near the airport to do some last-minute birding!