Hello all,

I just returned from a wonderful trip down to veracruz and have to let
everyone know what an INCREDIBLE place it is to visit. We were at both
watch sites, one in downtown cardel, the other just about 10k west,
called chichicaxtle (chichi). we were fortunate enough to hit several
big days; almost half a million birds in one day. not only were we able
to see large numbers of birds, but also extremely close up views (25ft)
and large numbers of raptor species. one of the highlights was
experiencing morning liftoff of thousands of raptors that had perched in
the valley for the night. it was definitely one of the highlights of
the entire trip.
we also visited the rain forest in southern veracruz, a place called
catemaco. on the way down we had an awesome view of a perched laughing
falcon, not 30 feet off the road!!!
for those of you interested in raptors, it is probably the trip of a
lifetime in terms of sheer numbers.
so as not to drive everyone crazy with listing, those that wish more
info concerning species seen etc. please contact me personally via
email.
start planning for next fall, i am there already!!!

marissa j benavente
junebug at pol.net
vashon, wa