The Field Guide
La Saladita · Guerrero · Mexico

La Saladita
Natural Surroundings.

The ultimate field guide to the weather, wildlife, ecology, geology, and conservation of a Pacific Mexico estuary. Live forecasts. Tracked species. Cited sources. For nature nerds.

Mangrove-fringed estuary on the Pacific coast of Guerrero, Mexico. Río Petatlán meets the sea at a left-breaking point. Olive Ridley nesting Jul–Dec. Humpback whales Dec–Mar. American crocodiles in the lagoon. Rainy season Jun–Oct.

Coordinates17.59°N, 101.43°W
ClimateTropical savanna (Aw)
HabitatMangrove estuary + open coast
FlywayPacific (shorebirds)
Turtle nestingJul – Dec
Whale seasonDec – Mar
Findings · Original analyses
Essay · June 2026
The polite story and the dangerous story
Three independent climate signals at this coast share the same structural shape. The means are polite. The extremes are running.
Strongest storms getting stronger. Decade p90: 120 kt → 185 kt. Five methods agree.
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Hurricane season starting earlier. ~19 days since 1949. Not an El Niño artifact.
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Big-day waves bigger. Peak power 24 → 81 kW/m. Mean wave power flat.
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Rain coming clumpier. Annual totals flat; wet runs +1/decade.
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November is a mirage. Tourist-season peak is observer-bias, not wildlife.
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Mushrooms read the rain. Fruiting tracks prior-month rainfall, r²=0.72.
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All 16 findings →
Live
Forecast

Weather, surf & tropical cyclones

Today's conditions. Open-Meteo + NHC.

 Birds

Pacific Flyway shorebirds

Recent sightings + 25-year monthly calendar.

 Turtles

Olive Ridley Jul–Dec

Nesting calendar, four species, conservation.

 Cetaceans

Humpbacks Dec–Mar

Migration window + year-round dolphins.

 Lagoon

Crocodiles, iguanas, fish

Stay out of the lagoon water.
Reference
Ecology

The estuary ecosystem

Mangrove–lagoon–coast continuum.

 Biodiversity

Species of La Saladita

Cross-taxon overview, IUCN status.

 Flora

Plants & mangroves

Red, black, white mangroves + dry forest.

 Fungi

Mushrooms & fungi

Aug–Oct fruiting after the rains.

 Insects

Butterflies, beetles, dragonflies

1,500+ species recorded.

 Geology

Coast & watershed

Subduction zone, sand, the point.

 Protect

How to help

Threats + visitor conduct + citizen science.

 Findings

Original analyses

Climate trends, phenology, saturation.
Data sources

Open-Meteo · NHC · NOAA OISST · ERA5 · HURDAT2 · GBIF · iNaturalist · eBird · Happywhale · IUCN · USGS · NOAA CPC ONI.