Rancho Primavera, Jalisco, Mexico

3 – 5 August 2013

We were fortunate to spend a couple of days birding at Rancho Primavera outside of El Tuito, Nayarit, Mexico.    As soon as we drove into Rancho Primavera we were greeted by a Military Macaw and a Lilac-crowned Parrot.   After we got settled, we headed out for an evening walk and found six Common Pauraque foraging in the fields and a juvenile Mottled Owl.  Not a bad evening!  At night we fell asleep to the sounds of Cane toads and a symphony of Mexican Tree Frogs.  We both giggled when a chorus of Mexican Tree Frogs

Kathi birding the trails at Rancho Primavera

came to an end but one individual decided to provide us with an encore…croaking out three more notes and then there was dead silence.

The ranch hosts numerous hiking trails through tropical semi-deciduous forests that provide great opportunities to see Elegant Trogons, Golden Vireos, San Blas Jays, Orange-fronted Parakeets, and many more.  The highlight for us was seeing two Black-vented Orioles, a species that we hadn’t yet found in West Mexico.  Other trip reports confirm that Black-vented Orioles are indeed easiest to find at Rancho Primavera.  In one full day and two partials days of birding we saw 63 species.  We also had the opportunity to record several bird songs for the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  We recorded Yellow Grosbeak, Sinaloa Wren, Stripe-headed Sparrow, and Golden Vireo.

Fields around Rancho Primavera

We had a great visit and highly recommend staying at Rancho Primavera.  It’s a great place to relax and enjoy the amazing birds West Mexico has to offer, and we both thought that a trip to San Sebastian del Oeste and Rancho Primavera would be terrific thing to do with our parents! A special thanks to Bonnie for providing us with the opportunity to bird and stay at Rancho Primavera.