Mexico City with the Urban Birder

Sunday, February 18: Arrive in Mexico City

This afternoon after our arrival, we transfer to our beautiful hotel in Mexico City’s stylish Circulo Condesa, which exudes a European flavour with its Art Deco apartments and ornamental Art Nouveau mansions. After a briefing and trip overview with David, enjoy culinary Mexican delights at our Welcome Dinner.

Meals: Welcome Dinner. Overnight: Hotel Circulo Condesa, Mexico City.

Monday, February 19: Chapultepec Park: Castle, botanical gardens, and Paseo de la Reforma

A short drive from our hotel is Chapultepec Park or “Bosque de Chapultepec,” a sweeping green space covering 686 hectares (1,700 acres). Both Aztec ruins and preserved colonial architecture offer reminders of a colourful history. Our plan is to follow our eyes and ears, with a special focus on the easternmost Primera Sección. Montezuma Cypress or “Ahuehuete” trees were planted by the Aztecs, and they are worth scanning for songbirds, including many North America-breeding songbirds like Townsend’s Warblers and Summer Tanagers. The botanical garden is a great place to observe Broad-billed and Berylline Hummingbirds. With a bit of luck, we might see a Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer. In more open areas, spectacular Vermillion Flycatchers perch on shrubs and Black-headed Grosbeaks feed close to the canopy of taller trees. On the highest point of Chapultepec hill sits the Chapultepec Castle. This magnificent historic building has been a military academy, an emperor’s home, and the president’s residence. Today, it houses the National History Museum.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: Hotel Circulo Condesa, Mexico City.

Tuesday, February 20: UNAM Botanical Gardens, Xochimilco canals, Xochimilco Ecological Park

This second full day of exploration in Mexico City takes us southward to the UNAM Botanical Garden at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The many distinct smaller gardens at this hotbed of conservation, environmental education, and biological science are interspersed with bizarre rock formations that date back to the devastating Xitle volcanic eruption from around the year 300 C.E. Coral Trees with their bright red flowers attract several oriole and hummingbird species. The cactus garden, which features many local endemics, is also great for hummingbirds. Taller fruiting trees are magnets for the gorgeous Gray Silky-flycatchers and several thrushes. In beds of natural lava vegetation, look for endemic Hooded Yellowthroats.

Next, it’s off to Xochimilco, an intricate network of floating gardens or “chinampas” that make up the famed Xochimilco canals. These canals are an enduring relic of the ingenious agricultural practices of the Xochimilca people, whose chinampas fed themselves and then, following the Aztec takeover in 1430, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Enjoy a serene boat ride on a trajinera that includes a farm-to-table lunch of fresh foods from the chinampas themselves and prepared by local cooks. Recent restoration efforts at the Xochimilco Ecological Park have expanded natural areas and boosted biodiversity. As we slowly glide past Bonpland Willows or “ahujote” trees, waterbirds like American White Pelicans, Mexican Ducks, and Cinnamon Teal feed and roost on the water’s surface. There’s a good chance of seeing up to eight types of heron and egret — including such elegant species as Tricolored Heron and Green Heron — plus Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets wading in the shallows and Belted Kingfishers hunting for fish. The much sought-after Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Green Jay are also fairly reliable here.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: Hotel Circulo Condesa, Mexico City.

Wednesday, February 21: Travel to Valle de Bravo / Butterflies and birds at Piedra Herrada

This morning after breakfast we make our way about two hours westward to the historic town of Valle de Bravo, which has had various vocations since the 16th century. Now it is mainly a resort town owing to its relative proximity to Mexico City and its scenic location among hills and by a lake. A short drive from Valle de Bravo is the Piedra Herrada reserve. At more than 11,409 hectares in size, the beautiful landscape of Piedra Herrada is cloaked with Oyamel (fir) and pine trees, a perfect roosting place for millions of Monarch butterflies! There is also a mix of more intriguing highland bird species, including Mountain Trogon, Transvolcanic Jay, and Yellow-eyed Junco. One of the undisputed avian highlights of Piedra Herrada is the stunning Red Warbler, an endemic to highland Mexico. It is joined here by a nice mix of resident and North American-breeding warblers. After our day in the field, we check into our hotel nestled among mountain pines and endowed with wonderful grounds to enjoy a dinner at a local Spanish tapas bar.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Overnight: Misión Grand, Valle de Bravo.