Scott or anyone else familar with the Puerto Vallarta-San Blas(ted) area,
I'm off to this area in a week and am wondering if other spots like
Yalapa exist. If you are privy to such information I'm all ears, well
eyes in this case. Also, is Howell and Webb a must, or can I get by with
my Peterson's Guide To Mexico? Howell and webb seems to weigh in at 2X
my luggage. Thanks
Barry Levine

On Fri, 9 Feb 1996, Scott Richardson wrote:

> Mexico is...
> a good place to go when it's 20 degrees in Seattle. A brief report from
> a brief visit:
> First: the Howell and Webb guide is indispensible. It weighed more than
> my clothes, but it was worth it. I brought the Natl Geogr book, too, but
> didn't use it so much. I decided not to spend much time trying to figure out
> species that "seemed" to be from north of the border.
> We arrived Puerto Vallarta Friday afternoon (85 deg) and left there
> Monday afternoon. I used binoculars at two locations (after 25 years, I
> still haven't gotten the hang of wearing binoculars as an integral part of
> my everyday apparel). One was just outside of P.V. (suggested by Michael
> Carmody) and the other was Yelapa, a tiny village accessed only by boat.
> I identified 60 species and saw at least a dozen other "probables" and
> "possibles". Twenty of the species were new ones for me and five were
> endemic to west Mexico (Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, San Blas Jay, Happy Wren,
> Rufous-backed Thrush, and Yellow-winged Cacique). Other favorites included
> Military Macaw, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis,
> Least Grebe, and Northern Jacana. I am well acquainted with boobies and
> frigatebirds, so adding Blue-footed and Magnificent to my list wasn't as
> thrilling as it might have been (I did enjoy watching a frigatebird harass a
> booby into waves breaking on the beach while I sat in an open restaurant
> across the street munching enchiladas). I saw NO ducks or sparrows and
> almost no hummingbirds.
> It's not wise to reveal secret spots, but let me suggest spending time
> in Yelapa. We were traveling light and had heard that it was a great place
> to spend time, so we got off the boat and immediately rented beachfront
> palapas for one night. Inexpensive and tranquil. I could go on, but won't. I
> will say that the butterflies complemented the birds well. There were so
> many. Some were incredible.
> Thanks to everyone for advice and offers of help.
> ------------------------
> Scott Richardson
> NE Seattle
> salix at isomedia.com
>
>