Posted 17 February 2012 - 09:24 AM
My wife and I took a cruise down there for our honeymoon in May of 2007. We had stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo. Due to the nature of my trip, and the fact that my wife is a non-birder, I did not do any dedicated birding, but you know I was always on the lookout for lifers. I was actually surprised that a vast majority of the birds I saw were the same ones I see here in San Diego. At one of the ports, we did have Magnificent Frigatebirds circling. On a boat ride to a remote area in Puerto Vallarta we had a Blue-footed Booby swimming right next to the boat. I was surprised when we went on a mule ride and zip line through the jungle that I saw hardly any birds at all, and no lifers. Mazatlan had a lot of White-winged Doves (not a lifer) and Black Vultures (lifer.) The only birds I remember from Cabo are the same gulls as So Cal, Great-tailed grackles, Common Ravens, House Sparrows, Cactus Wrens, and Song Sparrows (no lifers in that group, of course.) We did a zip line in a desert canyon in Cabo, still nothing of note. If I was going just to bird, I would for sure hire a guide. Not only for bird knowledge, but safety as well. The cruise line might have someone they recommend. That would be best, as he would understand the necessity of getting you back to port at the right time. I would bird Puerto Vallarta over Cabo. Puerto Vallarta has lots of jungle, whereas Cabo is mostly desert.
