Birding in Puerto Vallarta - Vallarta Botanical Garden

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens is a 20-acre garden that was selected in 2013 as one of the "Top 10 North American Gardens Worth Traveling For" by the North American Garden Tourism Conference's International Tourism Award Jury.  It's primarily tropical dry forest, but highlights many oaks, bromeliads, agaves, cactus and wild palms.  It was arranged to have lunch here after the morning field trip.  Because it was a hotter part of the day, the feeders were most active.  Under heavy canopy we did see a few other birds, too - see below. 

Yellow-billed Caciques are a constant companion -
at the Gardens, at a hotel, in a parking lot - anywhere.
The feathers at the crown can display in many
different arrangements.

The feeders are an amazing and welcome part of the stop.  They even have artfully placed branches for birds to perch on - and photographers to take advantage of!

Golden-cheeked Woodpecker. 

Male (top) and female.  Can really
see the difference in plumage.
The male has more red/orange
on head.

What really is sexier than a San Blas Jay? 

Why - three San Blas Jays, of course!

Orange-fronted Parakeets were never
far away. 

Wow - another sexy bird.  Masked Tityra.  Males have
more black on the head.  Understated seduction - that
just says Stephen Amell to me.  The mask (Arrow)
notwithstanding.

Female Masked Tityra.

You'll have to take my word that there is a
Squirrel Cuckoo in here.  Face is bottom left - tail is
jacked up and more to the right.