With More than 300 Species of Birds, Puerto Vallarta is called El Paraiso or Paradise.

High mountains come down to the waters edge generally extending from San Blas, Nayarit to the north, and southward to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The Bahia de Banderas, is carved out of these mountains and the cut extends inward in a northeasterly direction as a valley, the Valle de Banderas, or Valley of Flags. The high mountains surround the edge of the valley forming an area isolated from other sea level valleys to the north and south.

The valley is not large by world standards with an area of 100 to 150 square miles. It is relatively flat, especially in the delta area. Towards the sides of the valley there are low foothills, but then the mountains rise quite sharply, sometimes precipitously. On the north side, the valley is bound by the Sierra Vallejo, and on the south, by the even higher Sierra Cuale.

This list covers the floor of the valley primarily, up to 100 meters in altitude, including the foothills and some of the river gorges for a short distance, but excluding the mountains themselves. It also includes the edges of the bay from Punta de Mita on the outer northwestern point on around the bay to Yelapa on the south, as well as the bay itself.

The mountainside surrounding the bay and valley are coated with vegetation distinctly different from that of the valley, namely the tropical deciduous forest. Locally, this type of terrain is called "the jungle", but is quite different from true jungle vegetation of more southern parts of the continent.

The tropical deciduous forest ends at the bottom of the mountains although in some places it may extend along rivers briefly where they enter the valley. In the dry winter period much of the vegetation becomes leafless. The valley is as much as it represents a more-or-less unique biological area isolated for miles from other such units, isolated by mountains clothed with vegetation very distinct from that of the valley. This isolation is not absolute by any means, but works for many species of birds, and retards movements of many others.

The Rio Ameca is the major river in the valley and has had a major influence on the valley floor it comes out of the mountains to the east, through a steep-walled rocky gorge, having arisen in the vicinity of Guadalajara. A constant wash of sand occurs from out of the mountain gorge of the river. This is constantly being removed as a major construction material in the area, and after each rainy season when the river is at its peak, a new supply of sand seems to have been deposited. The terminus of the river forms an estuary of three or four miles in depth and at the mouth are some small mangrove swamps. Only one other river of consequence, the Rio Mascota, exists in the valley. The Rio Mascota is a tributary of the Rio Ameca. The Rio Ameca is the border, locally, between two Mexican states, Nayarit to the north and Jalisco to the south.

Vallarta Lifestyles magazine announces "Best of 2008"
BEST New Animal Conservation Group:

Guacamayas Siempre
Banderas Bay still harbors some of the last remaining populations of Green or Military Macaws (Ara Militaris) in the world.

This highly endangered species is facing extinction due to loss of habitat and mainly since hatchlings are widely extirpated by poachers to be sold as pets.
Despite the fact that this bird is under protection by Mexican and International laws the Black market poaches around 200 chicks per year from their nests, although 80% of them die during this process and 10 % more die after the process of extraction.
And unless strong measures are not taken immediately, this species will be disappearing from the wild within the next 20 or 30 years.

In order to avoid this to happen a Multitasked group of people got together and formed a group called MACAWS FOREVER, GUACAMAYAS POR SIEMPRE A. C.
Even tough just being started since 2007 this conservation group has already achieved great recognizition for meeting their goals and established several strategies for trying to overcome the extinction process for this bird and other endangered species.
Although the challenges are enormous and sometimes it seems that all the efforts will not be enough. We believe macaws belong to the wild and they represent the spirits of the wild in the Tropical Forests and Jungles where they inhabit. We invite you to participate and join us in our duty to maintain the beauty of the wild where it belongs.

• DO NOT BUY OR ENCOURAGE PET BIRDS (UNLESS CAPTIVE BREEDING).
• EVEN TOUGH BIRDS ARE FRIENDS, FREE FRIENDS ARE BETTER THAN CAGED ONES.
• SUPPORT LOCAL CONSERVATION GROUPS THAT PROMOTE PRESERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES.
• PARTICIPATE IN ECOTOURISM ACTIVITIES THAT ACTIVELY PROMOTE CONSERVATION PROGRAMS.
• LOCAL CONSERVATION GROUPS OFTEN WILL USE ALL THE HELP THAY CAN GET.

[readon1 url="http://www.birdinginmexico.com/"]Source:www.birdinginmexico.com[/readon1]