I am now back in Canada. It has been a great trip through the Yucatan peninsula, Chiapas, Peten in Gutemala, and Belize. I saw 155 new birds in total. 71 in Mexico, 70 in Belize and 14 in Guatemala. I didn’t tour all of Guatemala, just the area around Flores and Tikal in Peten.
My most productive areas were Rio Lagartos where I saw 16 new birds, Maya Centre in Belize where I saw 21, Crooked Tree in Belize - 12, and Tikal Guatemala -14.
My favourite sightings included a Peregrine Falcon which I had a nice look at in Rio Largartos. We have this bird and Canada and I had seen fleeting glimpses of it before but this one posed for me and I had a great look at it. Also in Rio Lagartos, I saw the Bare-throated Tiger Heron which is a striking bird. Striped like a tiger with grey wings and white throat and pinkish belly. Also in Rio Lagartos I saw the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. It also sat and posed for us. I was on a boat tour and the birds seemed to be used to people in boats. A really cute little owl. Also in Rio Largartos but not in the lagoon, I saw a Cinnamon Hummingbird on its nest. Also saw some feeding their young on a fence. The young ones are like sword-swallowers as the parent puts their long bill down its throat. Amazing. In Belize I saw the Hooded Warbler which is unique and very pretty. I saw the Barred Antshirke which is totally covered with black and white stripes. He looked like he was wearing his pyjamas. A really nice bird. I spend two days slogging around in the jungle near Red Bank Belize looking for the Scarlet Macaw. Two days of mud and rain. It is difficult to find anything in the jungle because you can’t see very far through the trees and bushes. I finally saw one in a tree right above me and later saw eight of them fly by. Magnificent birds. At Spanish Lookout in Belize I saw a pair of Jabiru Storks on their nest. Wonderful huge birds. In Tikal Guatemala I saw the Emerald Toucanet. A wonderful bird for my 500th lifer. One of the birds that I really wanted to see was the American Pygmy Kingfisher. I searched for it without success in Yucatan and again in Tikal. Finally I found one on my last morning in Tikal just before heading for the bus. What a wonderful little bird. At Cockscomb, in Belize, a Long-billed Hermit hovered right in front of face for several seconds. They are large for hummingbirds and that was a thrill. The Green-breasted Mango is a unique hummingbird. The male is dark green with a dark purple tail. The female had a white belly with a dark green vertical stripe down the centre. The Violet Sabrewing is a marvellous, large hummingbird. All dark purple. The best places I found for hummingbirds was at Green Hills near San Ignacio Belize and at Cockscomb, also in Belize. I saw several Torquise-browned Motmots. What a beautiful bird with a strange tail. The long tail has feathers about half-way down, then a space with no feathers, then more feathers at the tip. Sometimes it swings its tail sideways like a pendulum and looks like a beautiful wall clock. One of the birds I really wanted to see was the Painted Bunting since I saw one many years ago in the San Diego zoo. Such a beautiful multi-coloured bird. I saw a couple of them but both times in the shade which was unfortunate. Would like to have seen it in the sunshine. Back in Mexico at a village called Kantemo I found a bird that I had not expected to see. That was the \Pheasant Cuckoo. My book describes it as rare and seldom seen. I saw two of them (or could have been the same bird seen twice). Kantemo is also great for Motmots. Saw lots of them there.
I saw all of the Yucatan endemics except for the two nocturnal nightjars. These included the Black-throated Bobwhite, Yellow-lored Parrot, Cozumel Emerald, Mexican Sheartail, Yucatan Jay, Cozumel Vireo, Black Catbird, Yucatan Vireo, Orange Oriole and the Yucatan Flycatcher. The last two of these birds I saw in Puerto Morelos, near Cancun, just a few days before flying back to Canada. I thought I was not gong to get to see them.
Also in Puerto Morelos, on the beach, I found a Pectoral Sandpiper which is not a Central American bird. It lives in the Canadian Arctic during the summer months and in South America in Winter. I was just lucky to spot it when it stopped for breakfast on its migration north.
Of the Blue Bunting, Western Spindalis, Grey-throated Chat and Blue Grosbeak, I saw only the females and not the colourful males. Of the Grey-headed Kite and the Plumbeous Kite I saw only immature birds in their splotchy colours.
I didn’t make it out to Half Moon Caye (a Caribbean Island that belongs to Belize) to see the Red-footed Boobies. It is really difficult to get there. There are no boats for tourists going there and no accommodations on the island. Dive boats go there and they offered me a ride for $235 but they only stop for lunch at the island. Too much money for a very short time on the island.
Some of the birds on my Most Wanted list that I never saw include the Harpy Eagle which I didn’t really expect to find anyway, the Ornate Hawk Eagle, The Northern Potoo, any Manakin, several species of Parrot still not seen although I saw five species, The Golden-Crowned, Rufous-capped, and Crescent-crested Warblers which do not migrate and therefore cannot be seen in \Canada. Many of the migrating warblers that birders in Mexico get excited about are better seen in Canada or USA. I had a fleeting glimpse of a King Vulture but too far away for a good look. Several species of hawks, eagles and kites that I did not see. The Yellow-tailed and Yellow-backed Orioles evaded me. Also the Caribbean Dove and the Blue Ground-dove.
I usually get a lot of photos on my trips but had bad luck with that this time for various reasons.
Together with all the other sightings, my life list now stands at 518.
Where shall I\ go next I wonder?
