Petr Myska probably didn't think that the book he was writing would be threatened with extinction even before some of the species that were featured in his publication. Myska's work was published in 2007 as A Field Guide to the Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of Western Mexico. In short form, it is known as "Viva Natura." Only 2000 copies were published... read more

Isla Isabel is located 34 kilometers (21 miles) off Mexico's west coast. It is a National Park and wildlife refuge with a population of some 42,000 birds and, in 2003, was named a World Heritage Site. ... read more

Photos by Mariah Baumgartle The sun is setting off the coast of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur and, even though we are in the tropics, we are bundled up in heavy, hooded sweatshirts and jeans to pr... read more

Rodrigo Orozco shares his Guadalajara, Mexico, home with thousands of tarantulas and tens of thousands of crickets. He's a man with a mission. "I want to end the illegal trade in Mexican tarantulas," h... read more

 Climbing Mexican mountains, volcanoes and caves. Climbing Mexico's volcanoes Pico de Orizaba (Citlateptl) 5700m 18,700ft Popocatepl 5452m 17,887ft Iztaccihuatl 5286m 17,342ft ... read more

Its an oddity that most people I've asked don't know the National Bird of Mexico, especially considering that everyone seems to know that the eagle is the US National Bird. Do you know what Mexico's National Bird is? I only found out yesterday. Mexico's National Bird is the crested caracara, a mix between an eagle and a vulture or buzzard, and cousin to the falcon. read more

Cockroaches, scorpions, earwigs, mosquitoes, termites, beetles, ants and even fleas, present different challenges to homeowners here in tropical Mexico. They are part of the dark side of our little paradise read more

The first detailed scientific account of Lake Chapala was written by Henri Guillaume Galeotti. It was based on a visit to Chapala in February-March 1837. The article was published first in French in 18... read more

Vultures (zopilotes in Spanish) are among the most conspicuous birds in many parts of Mexico. Commonly misidentified as eagles, these blackish scavengers can be seen almost anywhere, often in large flo... read more

Our two friends from AmSoc told Mary and me about going to see the Monarch butterflies. Every year the Monarchs migrate from Canada and the US to their winter home in central Mexico. As they migrate, s... read more

Morelia is a colonial city, capital of the Mexican state of Michoacan, which is well-known for its majestic buildings, squares (plazas), gardens, an aqueduct of wondrous proportions and all of this ... read more

Believe it or not, the introduction of sheep to Mexico had serious environmental consequences.   After the Conquest, Spanish settlers introduced numerous Old World species into the New World. The mo... read more

Monarch Butterfly excursions - Please note that Tony Burton is no longer organizing Monarch Butterfly excursions. The area is well described in Tony's book on the region, " Western Mexico - A T... read more

Who hasn’t been amazed by the acrobatic antics of hummingbirds? What stunt flyers! They are able to fly not only forwards, but backwards and even briefly upside-down. They can also hover for extended... read more

Tlacuaches (opossums) are short-lived but smarter than most people imagine... Imagine "a monstrous beast with a snout like a fox, a tail like a marmoset, ears like a bat, hands like a man, and feet li... read more

Thousands of dinosaur bones have been found in northern Mexico. Bones literally litter the ground. Here's a femur; there's a tibia; vertebrae, ribs, skulls... Dozens of dinosaurs, including the world... read more

    The Quetzal Dance is one of the most colorful folkloric dances anywhere in the country. It is also thought to be one of the most ancient. Both the dance and the spectacular headdresses worn b... read more

Every winter, more than one hundred million monarch butterflies fly into Mexico from the U.S. and Canada. On arrival they congregate in a dozen localities high in the temperate pine and fir forests of ... read more

A surprising percentage of Mexico's land area is protected in one form or another. A very large number of sites of archaeological or historical importance are managed by the National Institute of Anthr... read more