I’ve just returned from a wonderful two-week trip to Mexico with Travelian Tours. Travelian is owned and operated by Rodrigo Lopez. I birded the state of Guanajuato with Rodrigo and a small band of Hamilton-area birders from March 31-April 7 of 2019 and it was a very successful experience. Travelian features small groups and a sustainable approach. Local guides and locally-owned accommodations and restaurants are employed whenever possible. The focus of our tour was the Sierra Gorda (the fat mountains) biosphere and adjacent region. The area we visited is more or less within the red circle on the map.
A closer look shows you our route. Our airport transfer took us to Bernal, where we spent our first two nights. Our group was comprised of four birders (beat that!), driver Alejandro, local guide Alvaro Rojas and Rodrigo.
DAY ONE – BERNAL
Bernal is home to the Peña de Bernal, a prominent peak that dominates the town. Bernal is a popular weekend destination for Mexicans and is well served with good hotels and restaurants. We certainly weren’t disappointed with the Hotel Parador Vernal (the V is not a typo). Check out the view from our backyard. The Peña is a rather imposing presence.
The backyard birding wasn’t bad at all. Peter may have been invoking a higher power while scanning for a lifer or two.
The variety of orioles on the trip were a pleasure to observe. The hotel grounds hosted Black-backed and Black-venteds. Now’s the time to remind the reader that I’m not much of a bird photographer. I wish I had photos of all of the species we saw.
DAY TWO – BERNAL
We were up early for breakfast. Following that, a short drive took us to a trailhead at the base of the Peña. It was quite cool and the bird activity gradually perked up. The scenery was outstanding.
Our hike was very rewarding in terms of birds and also a treat for amateur botanists, entomologists and lepidopterists. These tiny Pincushion cacti were smaller than a tennis ball.
Our guides believed that this was a Northern Mockingbird nest
Alejandro met us with the van at the far end of our walk so we didn’t have to backtrack. We went into town for lunch and a stroll around the centro. The Peña was rarely out of view.
Late afternoon was time to relax. However, Rodrigo had spotted a small pond nearby on the satellite map. A few of us walked over, hopped a stone wall, and found a few birds in a wooded area and pastures by the pond. The pond itself was home to Mexican Mud Turtles and the foliage along the bank was alive with Mexican Silverspots.
We returned to the hotel to freshen up before going into town for a delicious meal. The sun goes down at this time of year just as early as it does in Canada so we settled in and prepared ourselves for another early start. Our first stop on Day Three was to be Cuatro Palos. Stay tuned!
The Experienced Intermediate Birder 
Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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