Mexico: Oaxaca Christmas Dec 20—29, 2007
Posted by Héctor Gómez de Silva
Héctor Gómez de Silva
Héctor Gómez de Silva began birding at age eight in New York City. He published his first article about birds at age 15 while in Kenya, where he lived for six...Related Trips
The city of Oaxaca is like a hub for birders in this birdiest state of Mexico. Different ecosystems are found in the north, east, west, and south; as a consequence, hundreds of bird species, many of them endemic to Mexico (or even to the state of Oaxaca), are readily encountered in short to moderate length day-trips from the city. The city is also one of the most culturally interesting parts of Mexico, and Christmas is one of the most culturally interesting times to visit. All of these ingredients make this, as a rule, an outstanding tour.
Our 2007 Christmas in Oaxaca tour was no exception, with a small group of amiable birders with different levels of interest and experience participating. One of the most gratifying memories, for me, was seeing the participant least interested in birds delight at the encounter of a male Bumblebee Hummingbird singing away on his display perch up in the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur. In fact, the Bumblebee Hummingbird won the most votes for the favorite moment of our tour, but there were many other great moments. We even saw a male Blue-capped Hummingbird, endemic to a small portion of the state of Oaxaca; ours was the first Christmas in Oaxaca tour to encounter this species.
But let's get chronological. During the first full day of our trip, we took in the spectacular ruins of Monte Albán and its treasures in the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca. We also bumped into many special birds, including the rare endemic Pileated Flycatcher, our only one of the tour, and a pair of Lazuli Buntings (very rare in Oaxaca). The following day started with a delightful bit of birding in a montane apple orchard at the village of Arroyo Guacamaya, and ended with a demonstration and sale of alebrijes—fanciful carved animals. On Christmas Bird Count day we went to the montane forest of La Cumbre where, despite the misty and very windy conditions, we saw lots of warblers and the main species that birders go to La Cumbre for—Dwarf Jay. That afternoon we saw more birds in the still windy San Andrés Huajuapam reservoir, returning to Mexico City to see the unique radish contest held every 23rd of December.
Conditions were not windy on the following days, and on the day after the Bird Count we visited several habitats near Teotitlán del Valle, including the special arroyo where birds come down to bathe at midday, and the weaving demonstration (and shopping) at Teotitlán. After that we visited the birds and ruins of Yagul and the mezcal factory. After having seen most of the birds of the Valley of Oaxaca, the next day we decided to negotiate the long drive to La Soledad on the Sierra Madre del Sur on a mission to see two special hummingbird species: the cute Bumblebee and the very rare Blue-capped (Oaxaca endemic). That afternoon was devoted to sightseeing in two beautiful churches and the town of the black pottery. On our second-to-last day we also went farther afield, leaving the Oaxaca Valley on the road towards Tehuantepec, adding more new species. And lastly, we had an easy day of birding in the lower slopes of the ranges north of Oaxaca City in the morning, with a free afternoon during which some people returned to the Monte Albán ruins.
And all these ornithological and cultural wonders were accompanied every day by special meals of typical Oaxacan or Mexican cuisine. Our Oaxaca Christmas tour proved a wonderful combination of birds, cultural traditions, and rich, typical foods.