Mark Pretti Nature Tours, L.L.C.

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                              Mexico

I made my first trip to Mexico about thirteen years ago and remember vividly how exotic and exciting it all seemed even though we were only a few hundred miles south of our home in southeast Arizona.  Since then I've been fortunate to have made about 50 trips there, and, amazingly, the excitement hasn't waned.  If anything, Mexico feels as exotic and exciting as ever, and I look forward to making many more trips to see, enjoy, and learn more about the birds and natural history of the country.

Though it represents only about 1.5% of Earth's land area, Mexico harbors about 10% of worldwide biodiversity.  This richness is largely due to a combination of latitudinal span, topographic diversity, and recent climate history.  Traversing a latitude from 32 N to 15 N, Mexico is a bridge between the temperate zone and the tropics.

On a global scale, Mexico is one of a handful of areas considered as sites of megadiversity.  It is home to more species of pines, oaks, cacti, agaves, and reptiles than any other country.  It ranks second in mammal richness, fourth in amphibian species, and tenth in avian diversity.  Among the diverse species found in Mexico are many endemics, particularly among the cacti (about 700 of the 800-900 species), the reptiles (almost 600 of the more than 700 species), and amphibians (about 175 out of almost 300 species).  There are almost 90 endemic birds and perhaps just as many near endemics.

Among the many special birds we've seen on our Mexican adventures are blue mockingbird, rufous-bellied chachalaca, thick-billed parrot, eared quetzal, red-breasted chat, horned guan, giant wren, Cabanis' tanager, rufous sabrewing, lesser ground cuckoo, red-headed tanager, blue-capped hummingbird, ocellated thrasher, red warbler, tufted jay, purplish-backed jay, San Blas jay, elegant quail, green-striped brushfinch, white-striped woodcreeper, military macaw, Mexican parrotlet, Mexican woodnymph, bumblebee hummingbird, and too many more to list here.

I'm pleased to offer fixed date as well as custom trips to Sonora, Chihuahua, San Blas and the Durango Highway, Chiapas, and Oaxaca.  I've been fortunate to have developed excellent relationships with the locals in all of the areas that we visit and have worked to provide you with a safe, comfortable, exciting, and memorable experience.  For more information about my Mexican trips, just click on one of the buttons to the left, give me a call, or send me an email.  

I look forward to sharing the best of Mexico with you !!

Photos:
Sierra Madre by Sandy Kunzer
Copala by Maureen Gilchrist


Last updated: August 29, 2010.