“Even when we don't see the birds initially, Gerardo knew -from their calls - the Species of birds we were hearing. And with our eyes peeled, we found Gerardo was right in better than 9 out of 10 times! He is a wonderful guide!”

“After the day “ended”, we'd seen more than 70 unique species. On our drive back to town, the tour actually continued: a Sparrow Hawk, a kingfisher and a Red-Eyed Cowbird. Wonderful!”

“Gerardo told us that we could go bird-watching in the jungle or the country, but we chose the coast. On our way to Punta Mita, we saw Gray, Black and Zone Tailed Hawks, and a Caracara . And the day hadn’t even truly started. lncredible!”

Come now and take an Eco-Tour with GERARDO HERNANDEZ. You’ll be so glad that you did.

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Birdwatching in Puerto Vallarta
( Published in Ambito Puerto Vallarta newspaper,
issue 168, May 15, 2005 )

Last week I went out bird watching with my friend Gerardo. He is an experienced tour guide who specializes in nature tours and bird watching, and received first-hand training by Manuel Lomelí,a specialist with over 40 years of experience.

Puerto Vallarta is a very special place for bird watching. Because it has wetlands, coastal lagoons and estuaries as well as jungle covered mountains, it offers a home for all kinds of birds, from spoonbills, herons, egrets, ducks, to woodpeckers, doves, flycatchers, parakeets, jays, magpies, orioles, hummingbirds, mockingbirds, owls, hawks and eagles. There are numerous endemic species, some of which share a home in Puerto Vallarta and can only be found together here.

Bird watching is an early morning activity. We left before sunrise towards the outskirts of Puerto Vallarta, and very soon we spotted some ducks flying to their feeding areas, a prelude to the many species of birds we were about to encounter.

With the rising sun we arrived at a crossroad were we got off the van and started walking on foot trails, and immersed in a birdsong symphony; at a certain point we could hear the song of ten different species of birds around us.

Gerardo, of course, knows all the birds by name. And he told me the name of every bird we spotted, but they were simply too many to remember. I do remember a few of them, like the black-throated magpie and the San Blas jay, the blue jay, elegant trogon, cinnamon hummingbird, gray hawk, a black hawk we spotted in the distance.

As we strolled along the paths under the evergreen trees, we enjoyed witnessing the life of birds, something that looked like hummingbird courtship later turned out to be a territorial quarrel; and the magnificent flight of two gray hawks was in fact a diversion to drive us away from their nest, which we discovered on the top of a huge tree, and from which we kept a respectful distance. This diversion proved to be a priceless opportunity to admire those wonderful birds flying around for quite some time. One of them later remained perched on a tree branch, and that was a treat to our eyes. It was a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by such an abundance of wildlife. At times we had a hard time deciding on which specimen to set our binoculars. Sparrows, jays, trogons, parrots, hummingbirds, it was a feast!
We spent the morning filling our senses with the sounds and the sight of beautiful birds, and the cool morning breeze on our faces.

As we headed back for Puerto Vallarta, we were both very pleased by our successful bird watching expedition. We had enjoyed the sight of numerous species of all kinds of birds, even enjoyed the excitement of spotting a species of robin for the first time, and rejoiced in the close contact with nature.

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Recently, at the convention rooms of Canto del Sol Hotel, a five-day update training session for tour guides took place, to meet the requirements established by the Mexican Norm.
According to regulation NOM-08-TUR-2002, tour guides must accumulate at least 160 hours of training every four years in order to renew their license.

Gloria Lopez Gomez, from the Tourism Ministry Procedures and Verification Department was in charge of supervising the organization of the training.

Classes were taught by specialists, and included aspects of History of Puerto Vallarta and the practice of Bird Watching.
The latter was taught by Tour Guide Gerardo Hernandez Vazquez, Specialized in Nature-Oriented Tourism, Certified in Whale watching and whose Bird Watching Certification is in being processed by the Ministry of Tourism.

Gerardo’s appointment as trainer in this session was determined by his ten years of expertise in the field, by his participation in the Bird Watching Guide Training Regional Workshop, and his recent participation in the recent First International Meeting of Tourism in Protected Areas, where he coauthored the paper “Birds of Puerto Vallarta, Natural Legacy of Tourism in Nature; Preservation and Tourism, Experiences in Ecotourism in Natural Protected Areas; Good Practices in Development of Tourism in Natural Protected Areas”.

During the four-hour initial session, Gerardo shared with his peers his experiences in bird watching expeditions, bird migrating cycles, and the specifics on what makes Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay such a paradise for bird watchers. In the region, a variety of ecosystems coexist, which make up the habitat for a wide range of bird species, both resident and migrating.

According to Researcher Fabio Cupul Magaña’s article published in Mexicoa science magazine, volume 3, numbers 1-2, 2001-2002; at least 369 species, 24 of them endemic to Mexico, can be found in the region.

Training was supported by a slide presentation with photos taken by Hernandez Vazquez over his ten years of career as bird watching guide.

Among the birds presented by Gerardo to his peers, the following stand out: Bobo Patiazul (Sula n.Nebouxii) Blue-Footed Booby, Momoto Coronicafé ((Momotus mexicanus) Russet-Crowned Motmot and species endemic to México like: Urraca hermosa carinegra (Calocitta formosa? Colliei) Black-Throated Magpie Jay, Loro Corona-violeta (Amazona Finschi) Lilac-crowned Parrot, Periquito Mexicano (Forpus cyanopygius) Mexican-Blue-Rumped-Parrotlet, Tecolotito Colimense (Glaucidium palmarum) Colima Pygmy-Owl, Trogon Citrolino (Trogon citreolus) Citroline Trogon, Saltapared Feliz (Thryothorus felix) Happy Wren, Saltapared Sinaloense (Thryothorus sinaloa) Sinaloa –Bar-Vented-Wren, Zorzal Dorsirrufo (Turdus rufopalliatus Rufous-backed Thrush-Robin-, Mulato Azul (Melanotis caerulescens) Blue Mockingbird, Vireo Dorado (Vireo hypochyseus) Golden Vireo, Carpinterito Cachetidorado (Centurus chrysogenys) Golden-cheecked woodpecker, Chachalaca Mexicana (Ortalis poliocephala) West Mexican Chachalaca, Chachalaca Vientre-castaña (Ortalis-poliocephala?-wagleri) Rufous-bellied-West Mexican Chachalaca, Codorniz Elegante (Callipepla douglasii) Elegant Quail, and Colorin pecho naranja (Passerina leclancherii) Orange-breasted Bunting.

An emphatic warning was issued by Hernandez to the class against the use of recorded sounds to attract birds to the purpose of watching them, since the recorded birdsong is interpreted by the resident bird as an invasion of his territory, and could reach the point of eliminating its offspring in outrage.

The issues dealt with during the training were of such great interest to the participating guides that they all requested field practices, and according to Ms. Gloria Lopez Gomez’s response, such practices are to be included in the next session’s curriculum.

Undoubtedly, training like this works very well in maintaining quality service standards in tour guide activities, but also to promote awareness as to environmental preservation and protection of bird species.