Touring Yucatan (1 Viewer)

[Maroon Jay]

Today was my first day of birding in Yucatan. I saw 16 species of which four were lifers. These were Social Flycatcher, Tropical Mockingbird, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Northern Jacana. All of these were seen in the hotel zone which is along the beach just outside of Cancun. Also saw about 30 Spiny-tailed Iguanas of various sizes.

 

[Maroon Jay]

Today we went by bus to a town called Puerto Morelos, which is about an hour’s drive south of Cancun. We went to tour the Botanical Gardens that are located there. It is Mexico’s largest botanical garden. It is supposed to be a hotspot for birds, but I was disappointed. I did not see a single identifiable bird. I heard some in the forest and a saw a few flying across the trail in the distance but I did not see any close enough to identify them. The man who works there said that most of the birds had left in the recent hurricane and have not returned. We were not able to walk all of the trails because of water. The hurricane did not seem to do much damage but there is still a lot of water on the ground.
We did see many kinds of pretty butterflies and a few iguanas. We climbed an observation tower that is three-stories tall in hopes of seeing some raptors or other birds. We didn’t see any birds up there but were surprised to see an iguana in the treetops; three stories above the ground.
There were lots of mosquitoes but once we put some repellant on, they did not bother us too much.

 

[Hamhed]

Hey, Maroon Jay - Great to see something posted in this forum. Looking forward to your reports on Yucatan adventures. Sounds like birding the gardens was tough. I hope it gets better as you travel south. Maybe further inland at Coba the birds were less affected by the hurricane.
Good luck!

Steve

 

[Maroon Jay]

Magnificent Frigatebirds

Went by ferry today to an island called Isla Mujeres, not too far off the coast of Cancun. During the ferry ride I saw some Magnificent Frigatebirds flying low over the boat. These males which are all black look something like a stealth bomber. The females have some white on them.

 

[njlarsen]

The attached image is actually a young bird, adult female Magnificent Frigatebirds have black on the head itself (with white in throat area).

Niels

 

[Maroon Jay]

Thank you Steve, Hope I can make it interesting. Only four new birds so far.
Right you are Niels. I saw adult males, adult females, and adolecents.
Today I went by boat to Isla Contoy, a small island park about one hour's boat ride from Isla Mujeres. Didn't see any new birds but I got a great look at the frigatebirds close up. Also saw iguanas, lizards and hermit crabs.

 

[Maroon Jay]

Saw some birds today around Isla Mujeres that were new for this trip but I had seen them last winter in Texas. Eruasian Colored Dove, Royal Tern, Ruddy Turnstone, Laughing Gull, Coot, and White-winged Dove. Common birds. Not having good luck so far.
Total since 1 Nov: 21, includes lifers: 4

 

[njlarsen]

Seeing the Frigatebirds in their colony can be a really good experience, which I have had in Barbuda (the Caribbean)

Niels

 

[Maroon Jay]

Hi Niels, Yes, the trip to the Frigatebird colony on Isla Contoy was great. Something I have wanted to do for a long time. Didn't see any new birds and got tormented by thousands of mosquitoes. I guess it is the only way to see the males with their red throat patch blown up. (Or should I say expanded? I don't think any of them exploded from over inflation.)

 

[Maroon Jay]

Today we moved from one Caribbean island to another. I wanted to go to an island called Cozumel. As there is no direct link between the two islands, getting there was complicated and expensive. First we took a bicycle taxi to carry our luggage to the ferry. Then the ferry to Cancun and a taxi to the bus station. Next, a bus from Cancun to Playa del Carmen. The bus station in Playa del Carmen is very close to the shore so we did not need a taxi here. That saved one step in the trip. Instead we used another of the handy bicycle taxis to carry our luggage and we walked along behind. For some reason the ferry to Isla Cozumel cost more than double the ferry to Isla Mujeres although the service and distance seems about the same.
I am here to for one week to look for some endemic birds that live on this island and nowhere else in the world. They are the Cozumel Vireo and the Cozumel Emerald (a type of hummingbird). If I don’t find them this week, then I will never see them. Also on the island is supposed to be the Caribbean Dove which is not endemic to this island only but lives only on Caribbean islands and not on the mainland. This is my third island and I have not seen one yet. In addition to these endemic birds, I am still searching for some that I had hoped to find in the Botanical Gardens, near Cancun, but did not. These are the Yucatan Vireo, the Black-Cowled Oriole, Rose-throated Tanager, Red-throated Ant Tanager, Couch’s Kingbird and the Yucatan Woodpecker.
Wish me luck.

 

[Hamhed]

Yes,Maroon Jay, good luck on Cozumel. For what it's worth, from my scattered notes I find that in '08, I found the Yucatan Vireo at Muyil, the Yucatan Woodpecker at Coba and the Rose-throated Tanager and Red-throated Ant-Tanager at Vigia Chico Road. There is still much hope to find those birds once you are back on the mainland.

While on Vigia Chico Road, I took a picture of a man on what he called a "triciclo" or "tricycle", very similar to your picture. Sort of a pedal-powered, Mexican rickshaw.

The female red-throated Ant-tanager pic was taken at an ant swarm just off Vigia Chico Road.

Steve

 

[Maroon Jay]

Thanks Steve, I will check those places. I am going to Tulum next. Tom

 

[Hamhed]

Maroon Jay - Try to get there as soon as they open. The crowds from the tour buses that arrive in mid-morning are immense.

Steve

 

[Maroon Jay]

I went to San Gervasio today. I did try to get there early but nothing opened before 8am. By the time I rented a car and drove there it was 9am. However, the bus loads of tourists did not arrive until almost noon. I saw several new birds. Some of which I could identify and some I could not. I have posted the unknown ones in the bird ID section. Once I figure out what they are I will make an updated list here. Tom

 

[Maroon Jay]

The island of Cozumel is dotted with Mayan ruins. Most of them have been pretty much destroyed by the many hurricanes since they were abandoned in the 1500s. The only one that is worth visiting is San Gervasio. That is where we went yesterday.
Cozumel is a big island. In fact, it is Mexico’s largest island. It is difficult to get around. There are no busses. The only way to get around the island is to take a taxi or rent a car or scooter. I rented a beat-up old Volkswagen beetle with half the top missing. It was only $35 per day with unlimited kilometres plus $10 for optional insurance which I would not go without. I checked into going places by taxi and found that it was cheaper to rent the car.
On the road to San Gervasio I saw many other old VW’s and one old VW van. I owned a couple of beetles and VW vans way back in the 1960s and early 70s. They seemed to be the only cars on the road this morning. I felt like I was in a time warp.
The ruins were interesting but there are many more impressive ones on the mainland.
Besides seeing the ruins, of course I was also looking for new birds. The main ones that I hoped to find are the two endemic birds that can be found only on the island of Cozumel. I found one of them, the Cozumel Emerald, an emerald green hummingbird with a long black tail. In fact, it was the first find of the day. It was feeding on some trees that were filled with some type of yellow flower. Also on the same group of trees I found some Bananaquits, which was a nice discovery. In the ruins I saw some American Redstarts. The adult female I recognized straight away as I had seen it before but an immature one had me puzzled as I had never seen one before and could not find it in my guide book. Got it identified by the great guys here in BF. Other birds that were new were the Yellow-faced Grassquit and the Tropical Pewee.
I saw a black bird but did not know if it was a Melodious Blackbird or a Black Catbird. Did not get a photo of that one. Twice I got a glimpse of a woodpecker but not long enough to id it or get a photo.
The ones that I wanted to find but did not are the Cozumel Vireo, Caribbean Elaenia, White-crowned Pigeon and the Caribbean Dove. The Cozumel Vireo is endemic to the island so I really want to find it. The others are endemic to several Caribbean Islands. I have a few more days before I have to move on.
Trip total so far 29. Includes lifers 8

 

[Maroon Jay]

I spent one week searching for birds on the island of Cozumel. I saw several birds that I had seen before in Canada or Texas such as the Roseate Spoonbill and several kinds of herons, egrets and warblers.
New birds include the Ruddy Ground Dove. I thought I had also seen the Plain-breasted Ground Dove but it turned out to be a female Ruddy which looks much like the Plain-breasted.
I saw two different black birds and it took me some time to learn the difference between the Black Catbird and the Melodious Blackbird. Both are all black but they have different bills and tails.
I had wanted to see a Painted Bunting since I saw one in the San Diego Zoo many years ago. It is such a beautiful bird. I am not usually disappointed in finding a new bird but this time I was, as I saw only the olive-green coloured female. So I will count it as a new bird but the hunt is still on to see the multi-coloured male.
I also saw a female Western Spindalis. Much like the bunting, I saw only the plain female so I am still searching for the male. This bird is a resident of Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos and other Caribbean islands and is rare here so I doubt if I will find another one.
On my last day I was getting desperate as I still had not see the Cozumel Vireo which is endemic to the island and if I don’t see it here, I will never see one. So for my last day I hired a guide. After searching all morning with the guide we managed to find the vireo. I saw only one and only for a brief moment. It popped into view, I had a quick look, and then it was gone. The Cozumel Vireo is not rare but they are really difficult to find. They always stay in the underbrush and seldom come out into the open where you can get a good look at them. I would have liked a better look at this little bird but at least I saw it.
The guide also managed to find a White-crowned Pigeon. This bird is all grey except for the top of its head which is white. They live only in the forest and only on Caribbean Islands, so this was a good find.
If you ever go to Cozumel and need a guide, let me know and I can give you his contact information.
I saw a Broad-winged Hawk. I had seen it before in Canada. This is a common bird from Canada to South America but they are rare in the Yucatan for some reason. A local biologist and birder told me that it was the first one to be reported on the island of Cozumel. He had never seen one.
Birds that I was looking for that I did not see include the Caribbean Elaenia and the Caribbean Dove, both of which live only on Caribbean Islands. I plan to visit a couple more islands off the coast of Belize so perhaps I will see them there. The Yucatan Woodpecker has also evaded me so far. I was not able to tell the difference between the Couch’s Kingbird and the Tropical Kingbird so I studied their songs so that I could identify them by sound. Since then I have seen several but they were silent so still don’t know which is which.
I am now back on the mainland.

Trip total so far: 42. Includes lifers: 15

 

[Maroon Jay]

Today I went birding in the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve on the coast with a guide. Sian Kaan is more than 5,200 square miles and takes up 10% of the state of Quintana Roo. It is a Untied Nations World Heritage Site. It is home to 1,200 types of flora, 336 species of birds, 103 different mammals and 23 Mayan structures.
With the help of the guide, I saw 12 new species including: an immature Roadside Hawk, Brown Jays, Grayish Saltators, the pretty blue Yucatan Jay, Grey-throated Chat, Masked Tityra and the Northern Parula. We saw Canivet’s Emerald which is an all-green hummingbird with a forked tail. It looks much like the Cozumel Emerald. Both are emerald green with orange bills. They can be told apart by the range. The Cozumel Emerald lives only on the island of Cozumel. We saw a Yellow-Billed Cacique which is all black with a thick yellow bill. The Grey-headed Tanager has a grey head on a yellow body with brown wings and tail. The Yellow-throated Euphonia is a pretty little black and yellow bird. It is told from other Euphonia by the range map and the colour of its throat. The Ruddy Woodcreeper is an interesting bird. I saw it clinging to a tiny tree like a person with their arms wrapped around a pole.
Also saw a beautiful Mexican Red-rump Tarantula.
Getting photos was difficult. Did not get any good ones. It was dark in the forest and the birds were constantly moving.


Trip Total 61 - includes lifers 27

 

[Maroon Jay]

Today we went for a boat tour in the lagoon at the northern tip of Yucatan near Rio Lagartos. The main attraction here is the flamingos but there are hundreds of other birds too. We got up early and left at 6 a.m. First we went to see the flamingos while the light was good for photography. And before it gets very hot. I have seen flamingos before; two of them in Bermuda. Today I saw about 200 of them. It was a marvellous sight.
Then we travelled slowly back looking for birds along the way. I saw some Black Hawks. I got a photo of one with a fish but unfortunately it turned out blurry.
I saw a beautiful Peregrine Falcon. I had seen this bird once before in British Columbia but only briefly. Today I got a good look at it as it sat in a tree.
I saw a strange the Grove-billed Ani. I had long wanted to see this strange bird. It was much smaller than I had expected it to be with its huge distorted bill..
The Bare-throated Tiger-heron is a very striking bird with a striped neck like a tiger, grey wings, white throat and a pinkish belly. I saw a few of them and one was spreading its wings to enjoy the morning sun.
We saw a cute little owl called the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. Unfortunately I did not get a photo. Bird photography is challenging. That is one reason that I enjoy it.
I saw a second kind of falcon called a Laughing Falcon.
Other birds that I saw included the Mangrove Cuckoo, Snowy Plover, Belted Kingfisher, Cara Cara and many others.
The rarest bird of the day was a Lesser Black-backed Gull. This is a European bird but they are regularly sighted on the east coast of North America. I was really surprised to see one here.
On the way back, we saw other tourists just heading out as the sun was heating up. They come from Cancun for the day to see the flamingos and head back to their all-inclusive hotel on the beach in time for supper. We got back to town about 10:30, had breakfast and then went for a siesta.
In the evening we found that all the restaurants were closed due to lack of customers and I ended up having coke and cookies for supper.

 

[Hamhed]

Hey, Maroon Jay - You sure get around! One day down south; the next far north.
Rio Largartos is a cool place, isn't it? We enjoyed our three day stay there, especially the flamingos. Some endemics up that way if you have time.
Watch out for the "El Popular Vaselina" restaurant in San Felipe. Their food will clean out your pipes!

Steve

 

[Maroon Jay]

Hi Steve, will be searching for the endemics tomorrow. Yes, I really like it here but there are no banks, grocery stores or good restaurants. Already had my pipes cleaned at a resturant in Tulum. Tom