I'll add a little to Mike's post and I'll second his recommendation on the following two books:'A Bird Finding Guide to Mexico' (Steve Howell)
'A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America' (Steve Howell & Sophie Webb) (only shortcoming of this book is that it lacks shore birds so you need something else if you want them, otherwise it is heads above the rest).
The Bird Finding Guide covers this area pretty well so would be quite useful.
Might need to taxi or take a bus to a few of the sites but well worth while.
Also if you have a full day for birding, we used a bird guide (Jorge) that we arranged through a small tour operator in PV. They were very good and quite reasonable. Here are the details for them:
"
[email protected]
Altamira Birdwatching
Come and join us in a wonderful experience exploring this semitropical route where you will be able to see a lot of different species of migratory and resident birds like Macaws, Orioles, Trogons, Pewees, Doves, Hawks, Jays, Tangers Woodpeckers, Martins and much more!! Schedule:. Meeting at 6:45 a.m. at Open Air Expeditions Headquarters. . Departure 7:00 a.m. Arrival around 3:00 p.m.Tours Includes:. Specialized Bilingual Guide. . Medical Insurance. . Continental Breakfast. . Ground transportation to El Tuito and back to the hotel by Ram Vagon 2000. . Binoculars and Telescope for Clients Use. . Energetic Snacks, Fruit and Purified Water. . Checklists and Guide Books. . Lunch (Grilled beef, Hamburger, Cheese Quesadillas or Club sandwich, 1 drink Public Price: $700.00 Pesos per Person.
Tropical Regards
Oceanologist Isabel Cardenas
Director
Open Air Expeditions / The Whale Watching Center
Guerrero 339, colonia El Centro
tel. (322) 22 233 10
tel.fax. (322) 22 324 07
www.vallartawhales.com
[email protected]