Attached is a Word document describing the Veracruz River of Raptors
trip that HawkWatch is sponsoring in October 2000. Please contact me if
you have any questions, and feel free to forward this document to anyone
you feel might be interested. I've also included the text below. If
you have trouble opening this document, please e-mail me and I'll make
sure you get it one way or another. Thanks!

Vivan Las Rapaces,
Howard Gross
HawkWatch International
1800 South West Temple, #226
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Voice (801) 484-6502
Fax (801) 484-6810
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"Protecting raptors and our environment"
www.hawkwatch.org
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"VERACRUZ RIVER OF RAPTORS"
HAWKWATCH INTERNATIONAL and PRONATURA VERACRUZ
Invite You To Witness
The World's Largest Raptor Migration Flyway!

9 Day / 8 Night Guided Tour; October 1-9, 2000
Price per person: $1,825, includes:
All food, lodging, bilingual guides, entry fees, transportation in
Mexico
(Not included: airfare to Veracruz)


The state of Veracruz has registered approximately 680 species of birds,
including 16 endemic, consisting of 73 families. This represents almost
65% of all the birds found in Mexico. In addition, Veracruz is quickly
gaining fame as the site of the world's most concentrated migratory
raptor flyway, the Veracruz River of Raptors (VRR). Each fall,
four-to-five million raptors migrate through the state of Veracruz,
Mexico, heading to points further south in Central and South America.
Because of the region's geography, raptors from eastern, central, and
western North America converge, providing visitors with a display
unequaled anywhere on the planet. 1.7 million Broad-winged Hawks, over
half a million Swainson's Hawks, and over 100,000 Mississippi
Kites--nearly the entire world population for these three species-- pass
through Veracruz each fall. In addition, over 1.5 million Turkey
Vultures join the flight, as do thousands of other raptors, waterbirds,
and songbirds. Combine this with the hundreds of resident bird species
in the state of Veracruz, and the scores of Olmec, Totonac, Mayan, and
Aztec archeological sites, all set in the friendly, unspoiled culture of
eastcentral Mexico, and you have the adventure of a lifetime.

Join HawkWatch staff and guides from Pronatura on a 9-day, 8-night
ecotour to Veracruz, from October 1-9, 2000. This should be the peak of
the migration, with tens to hundreds of thousands of migrants counted
daily. Besides viewing the River of Raptors, we will watch birds in
numerous other habitats ranging from the beach to wetlands to
mountainous highlands. We will also visit several archeological sites,
shade tree coffee plantations, and the colonial city of Xalapa.

This trip is limited to 12 people, so sign up soon. For more
information call 1-800-726-HAWK or 801-484-6808. Approximately 20% of
the price of this tour is a tax-deductible donation that goes to funding
the research and environmental education efforts of Pronatura in the
state Veracruz; donation receipts will happily be provided upon request.

The Veracruz River of Raptors Project is a partnership amongst
Pronatura Veracruz, HawkWatch International, and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Association.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 Travel to Veracruz, meeting at the Veracruz Airport. Your guides
will meet you with our private transportation. Overland transfer to
Cardel, about forty five minutes, and check into the Hotel Bienvenido.

Day 2 Morning: Optional early morning birding at San Julian, with
opportunity to see wading birds. Returning to Cardel, we will climb 5
stories to the roof of the hotel for hawk watching. Meet the
international team of migration counters, who are expert in
identification and counting of the thousands of raptors that pass
overhead. In addition to the millions of raptors, the Veracruz count
tallies an enormous flight of White Pelicans, Anhingas, Scissor-tailed
flycatchers, Wood Storks and other migrants.
Afternoon: Visit La Antigua, the first town established in Mexico by
Hrnan Cortes, whose home still stands in ruins. Dinner along the
Antigua river. Retum to Cardel.

Day 3 Morning: Early morning birding at Playa Juan Angel to search for
Aplomado Falcons, Peregrines, and shorebirds, including the elusive
Double-stripped Thick-knee. Retum to Bienvenido for more hawk watching
on the rooftop. Late September marks the peak for enormous kettles of
Broad- wing hawks.
Afternoon: Travel to Zempoala, a pre-Hispanic cultural site with
pyramids, temples and other unique ruins. This was the 13th century
capital for the Totonac people, who allied themselves with Cortes on his
march to conquer the Aztec Empire. Overnight Cardel.

Day 4 Morning: Early morning birding at the La Mancha Biological
Station, a research site with mangroves, a beautiful beach and
estuaries. This is a good area for Laughing Falcons, Aplomado Falcons,
Zone-tailed Hawks, Black Hawks, Peregrine Falcons and Scissor-tailed
Flycatchers. With some luck we may spot the rare Collared Forest-falcon.
Frigatebirds are common along the beach, and many waterfowl, like the
Boat-billed Heron, can be found among the lakes and mangroves. We will
continue bird and hawk watching from the hill top Totonacan ruins at
Quiahuitzlan. The site is impressive for both its unique burial tombs
and its scenic location in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Mountains.
Afternoon: We'll stop by Pronatura's second count site in the nearby
town of Chichicaxtle, where a two-story observation tower is constructed
in the town's soccer field. The town is also the site of one of
Pronatura's most important projects, an elementary school environmental
education program. Travel up to the highlands, about one hour, to the
capital city of Xalapa, a colonial city with a cool comfortable climate.
Overnight in Xalapa.

Day 5 Morning: Early morning birding at Macuiltepeti Ecological Park to
look for songbirds, including the endemic Blue Mockingbird, Green Jay,
and several species of hummingbirds. There we can visit the Pronatura
Wildlife Museum which provides conservation information to the local
public. Afternoon: Tour the Museum of Anthropology, known as one of the
most beautiful museums in the country, it boasts the largest collection
of Olmec pieces, including the famous colossal stone heads. Dinner in
Xalapa at one of the many fine restaurants. Over night in Xalapa.

Day 6 Morning: Early morning birding in the mountain habitats around
Xalapa where shade tree coffee plantations provide crucial habitat for
bird populations.
Afternoon: Travel to Xico, a spectacular waterfall in the mountains west
of Xalapa. A pleasant restaurant overlooks the falls. This site is home
of the endemic Bearded Wood-partridge. The wildflower garden provides
excellent habitat for numerous butterfly species including the Blue
Morpho. In the afternoon we will return to Cardel to watch the Hawk
migration. Overnight in Cardel.
Day 7 Morning: Rise early to drive one hour to Tlacotalpan and Alvarado,
an immense river wetlands area, where water- fowl abound. Opportunities
to see the lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Snail Kite, Black-collared
Hawk, Limpkin, and Purple Gallinule. The Alvarado wetlands conservation
project is one of the areas where Pronatura is working to save the flora
and fauna of Veracruz.
Afternoon: Return to Cardel for Hawk watching.

Day 8 Morning and afternoon: Early morning birding at La Catalana, a
nearby coastal lagoon, and our last opportunity to observe the Veracruz
River of Raptors migration.
Evening: Drive to Veracruz and check into the Hotel Colonial, located on
the historic Zocalo, or town square. The Zocalo is famous for its night
life and the local restaurants for their seafood cuisine. We will have
the opportunity to sample both. Zocalo boasts the 17th century Palacio
Municipal on one side and an 18th century cathedral on the other. The
square is lined with open air cafes and provides some of the most
colorful people-watching in the new world.

Day 9 Morning: After breakfast, transfer to the Veracruz airport and
connections home. (Flight departure time permitting, we may haye time to
visit the 16th. century fort of San Juan de Ulua.)