The second Vallarta Bird Festival from March 7 to 10 features four days of birding and nature walks with expert guides in unique habitats that will be sure to satisfy even the most advanced birders.
Organized by the Vallarta Bird Conservancy and hosted by the Vallarta Botanical Gardens, the festival also includes lectures from local and international authorities on interesting bird and birding related topics.
The host hotel is the Casa Iguana, located in the fishing village of Mismaloya, a short distance south of Puerto Vallarta and part way to the Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Tours will depart and return (after lectures) from the hotel, and some of the lectures will be held there.
The keynote speaker and tour leader is Greg Homel, an ornithologist, award-winning international nature photojournalist, documentary film producer, and lecturer. He lives and works from his home within the magnificent Los Padres National Forest, California (home of the California Condor) and from his second home at Rio Lagartos, surrounded by the magnificent Ria Lagartos National Park and Biosphere Reserve at the north tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Since 1990, Homel has guided, educated, and inspired travelers in over 80 countries throughout the world.
Other tour guides and speakers include Neil Gerlowski, executive director of the Vallarta Botanical Gardens and the development director of the Patronato for the University of Guadalajara’s Puerto Vallarta Campus, and Paul Hart, a retired Canadian nature photographer currently resident in Ajijic.
Also on the team are Marine Biologist Luis Morales, co-founder of the San Pancho Bird Observatory, Bill Trachtenberg, the Vallarta Bird Conservancy’s 2012-2013 vice president and Tiberio Cesar Monterrubio Rico, a member of the National Researchers System (SNI).
Among designated sites on the festival itinerary are El Jorullo (a nesting ground for the military macaw), Rancho Primavera, the Laguna del Quelele, the Bioto Road (Selva El Tuito), El Salado estuary and Provincia Road.
The subjects of the lectures are as follows:
- Art and Legacy of John James Audubon - Conservation of Green Macaws in Mexico - Spectacular Diversity of Birds of Mexico n Flying the Ocean: Seabirds of Banderas Bay - Situation of Yellow Headed Parrot in Mexico - Tounges, Toes, and Tails of Mexican Woodpecker.
A one-time mandatory registration fee of 30 dollars entitles participants entrance to the Vallarta Botanical Gardens for the four days of the festival, a garden tour, all festival lectures and a copy of the guide book “Birds of Puerto Vallarta” by Homel. Tours and transportation are charged individually, depending on the participant’s selection.
For further information and registration details visit www.vallartabirdfestival.org. Also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Alternatively, call (322) 269-0209 or (322) 269-0257.