Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Yucatan Wren |
 Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture |
 Black-headed Trogon |
|
 Velasquez's Woodpecker |
 Golden Warbler |
 Yucatan Vireo |
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Introduction:
This was a 25-day birding trip to the Yucatán with my non-birdy wife Gerda so my own birding activities were as usual limited to between dawn and dusk, although I know Gerda does enjoy our “adventures” to these far-flung lands really. Especially afterwards. We don’t really do “holidays” as we don’t have the time, but anyway why sit on a beach when there are >500 bird species out there? In the event I saw nearly half of them (226 species) and 95 were lifers. Had I not been to California, eastern North America and South America before, they would have all been new.
This was our first visit to Mexico and as usual I searched the internet for trip reports on the Yucatán before going – and there are so many good accounts that I’m not going to repeat in detail all the site information that is already available but as I couldn’t find much for the time of year we went, I submit this report in the hope of highlighting that, in spite of this being the wettest time of year to visit, don’t be put off, take an umbrella.
In the event and much to our surprise, we hardly suffered any rain at all, the heat being more of an issue perhaps with temperatures around 32 degrees most days – but apparently it’s always like that. Coming from cold, wet Land’s End in Cornwall, that wasn’t a problem for us!
Transport
In July, Gerda found us a direct BA flight from Gatwick to Cancún for only £532 each. Bargain! Whether this was because she booked so far ahead I can’t say but we were more than happy with this and it took <10 hours to get there.
We spent the first week on buses and bikes with a ferry crossing to Isla Cozumel but after that we returned to the airport at Cancún to collect our 5-door VW Golf hire car from Mexico Rent A Car which Gerda had booked in advance via Economy Bookings. As we already have car hire excess insurance, the daily hire only cost us £2.99 so again, a bargain and in the 18 days we had it, we covered virtually the entire peninsula, 2,566 km to take in all the top birding locations described in Howell’s excellent book Where to Watch Birds in Mexico, which we took with us.
Before I go any further, there are a couple of things to mention about driving here.
(1) Number plates. On our second day out I noticed the rear number plate was missing and worried that I would be stopped and fined by the police for this, we visited a large police station in Puerto Morelos to report it. Gerda had read that number plates are sometimes stolen (we presumed for their metal value) and that these can cost up to $200 US to replace, although down the road in Costa Rica, one unlucky person was charged $400 US for a replacement! This appears to be a scam as we found out it is not illegal to drive without a rear number plate in Mexico. Not only that, but the police in Puerto Morelos showed us their large collection of number plates stacked on shelves – including our very own! Apparently they had taken this back in February so it wasn’t that ours had been stolen or fallen off. It isn’t that the locals are taking the plates after all – it’s the police! If you are guilty of a traffic offence, instead of taking the registration number, the police take the whole plate! You only get it back when you visit the station and pay your fine.
The police told us about the scam that some hire car companies are pulling (this wasn’t the case with ours) and provided us with details of when THEY removed (I nearly said stole!) it 7 months earlier. Anyway, the result was we left with photocopies of the missing plate and if the hire car company wants the real thing (they didn’t) they need to pay the fine to these wonderful police in Puerto Morelos!
(2) Speeding. In contrast to the above, where the police couldn’t have been more kind and helpful, as a tourist in a hire car, you will ‘stand out’ when driving the Yucatán and of course if you are speeding you will be stopped. Of course this is the case worldwide and rightly so but with so few hire cars in the Yucatán away from the coast, you really do need to concentrate on the speed restrictions and these aren’t always obvious or signed. Most vehicles we encountered were either taxis or trucks and it was always frustrating to move over to allow them to overtake at great speed wherever we went, seemingly immune to the traffic police. After being pulled over by a policeman riding a moped in a town near the Guatemalan border who took my passport and driving licence for “speeding” – I protested my innocence to no avail – I had to part with £40 (he wanted £80) before he let us go. After that I found the best way to travel was to “hide” between two trucks belting along at speed or to drive at night. The only problem with this concerns the pot holes which in some areas were large enough to take your car out. Otherwise, driving the Yucatán was a pleasure as the roads are mostly empty of traffic and we didn’t encounter any further problems.
Food
I’m struggling to remember what we ate, writing this five months after our return but food is not one of my priorities when birding and I can happily go all day without it. Maybe Gerda should write this bit but to be honest we didn’t eat a lot. We both lost weight in fact, not so much because we were ill, apart from a few days with stomach upsets, but because of the heat and being in remote locations without any shops. The (few) restaurants we did visit were great though.
Accommodation
Given our limited time and the top ten places I wanted to visit (as per Howell’s book) which required quite a bit of advance planning in terms of how long to spend at each, Gerda booked everything over the internet before we went. Accommodation is relatively cheap in the Yucatán though. The cheapest hotel we booked was £8.75 ea and the most expensive £20.50 ea. In the event, there seemed to be no shortage of places to stay but I’ve always found it more efficient to spend time booking ahead from the UK rather than wasting valuable birding time upon arrival. You are probably also more restricted in finding a good bargain at a similar rate if you just turn up and enquire on the day. A note of caution though as everywhere said we could “pay by card upon arrival” but in reality this wasn’t the case and we had to pay cash at most. I have included the accommodation prices (as advertised on the internet) in the list below but in addition there were taxes to be paid. These didn’t amount to much though.
Exchange rate
We got $24.16 MXN (peso) to the pound (so 1 peso = 4.1p).
Itinerary
(1) Jardin Botanico Dr Alfredo Barrera Marin & Puerto Morelos 28 Sep–01 Oct. Stayed Buenos Dias Guest House, Manzana 6 Lote 10, Region 17 Colonia Zetina Gasca 77500, Puerto Morelos for 3 nights @ £14 each per night incl B&B.
The botanical gardens are well described in Howell (1999) and most trip reports as they are only 21km from Cancún airport. We caught a bus from the airport to Puerto Morelos and after booking in at the guest house I then used one of their bikes (free for guest use) to cycle around, visiting the gardens, mangrove swamps and beaches in the general area. As an introduction to Yucatán birding, the 60 ha forest that make up the “gardens” provide a convenient place to start your trip as they are so close to Cancún. As such they are well visited and the bird list is high – but personally I found them rather disappointing and quite hard work on the bird-front, although this may have been because they don’t open that early and the forest is relatively quiet a few hours after dawn. The entrance fee is now $120 (£5). I found the tree-lined streets, football pitch and environs around Puerto Morelos more birdy.
(2) Isla Cozumel 01-04 Oct. Stayed Villas Las Flores in the main town San Miguel for 3 nights @ £9.50 each per night.
This is a wonderful place! The tropical island, 45 km long by 15 km wide, sits on a huge barrier reef just 20 km off Playa del Carmen (45 minutes on the passenger ferry and single fare of $135 MXN = £5.60 each way) and as well as home to several island endemic birds, it is justly famous for snorkeling. Unfortunately Gerda had hurt her foot in Puerto Morelos so couldn’t join me for either. In the event I trod on a spiny sea urchin upon entering the Caribbean and spent the rest of the trip with three black spines embedded in my left foot – fortunately not poisonous! It was worth it though, the reef was amazing. I bought a snorkel and mask in the town and hired a push bike for $150/day (£6.20) but as the proprietor wasn’t keen to book it out from dawn on Sunday I had it for two and a half days at no extra cost!
I discovered the golf course just 6 km up the road on my bike was so full of birds, mostly migrant warblers, that I didn’t really go anywhere else…I just kept going back there.
(3) Tulum & Coba 04-07 Oct. Stayed at Posada Malix Pek in Tulum for 3 nights @ £11 each per night.
We left Cozumel on 4th and caught the ferry back to the mainland (at a slightly cheaper rate of $245 MXN for both of us), then a bus to Cancún airport where we collected our hire car and returned south to our hotel base in Tulum. 169 km travelled today but Tulum is only 44 km from the Maya ruins of Coba which we then visited over the next couple of days and were well rewarded on the archaeological and avian front. There is a fairly large lake at Coba and as well as hosting Least and Pied-billed Grebes, Blue-winged Teal and Snail Kites, it is also home to Morelet’s Crocodiles. Apparently there were up to six of the crocs in recent times but now only one – which I tracked down on my last visit to the lake.
The ruins are spectacular and were busy with tourists but @ $65 MXN (£2.70) entrance fee and $50 MXN (£2) car park well worth the money. I also saw the only other birder of the entire trip here – a local guide with two American ladies in tow. What a difference to birding the UK! After we left here, we were surprised not to even see another tourist for two weeks, until we returned north to Cancun. We seemed to be the only tourists in Mexico, or at least travelling the open road and away from the Maya archaeological sites.
(4) Felipe Carrillo Puerto 07-09 Oct. Stayed at Hotel Turquesa Maya for 2 nights @ £11 each per night.
FCP is 96 km from Tulum and to get there we tried to take the (dodgy) off-track road (known as the Vigia Chico Road) from the north which runs through the semi-deciduous forest alongside the famous Sian Ka’ an Biosphere Reserve to the lighthouse. However, the pot holes and trackside vegetation overgrowing the single lane track proved too much for our hire car and we eventually turned back and drove down the main road to FCP instead. Once there we found the Vigia Chico Road easier to access (from the south) and spent an enjoyable couple of days birding this well-known area, important for its avian specialties.
(5) Calakmul 10-11 Oct. Stayed at the Chicanna Ecovillage resort (106 km and a 2.75 hour drive away from Calakmul) for 2 nights @ £20.50 each per night.
Calakmul is fantastic and well worth the 244km drive south-west from FCP to our Ecolodge in Chicanna – itself a great birding location. It is only 35 km from the Guatemalan border and we had military road blocks en route and the small town of Nicolas Bravo was where we spent half an hour bartering with the policeman mentioned above before we were allowed to continue. Chicanna is still 46km east of the road that leads south to Calakmul and then another 60km drive from there to the ruins so to arrive early for birding we had to leave well before dawn. But it was worth it for the Ocellated Turkeys which we encountered along the road: 27 birds in total.
We had to pay three fees to visit Calakmul: $100 MXN at the first barrier (main gate), $124 at the mid-gate ($62 each) and finally $130 ($65 each) to enter the ruins. A total of $354 MXN (£14.65). There were only two other cars there and the Maya ruins were spectacular.
(6) Uxmal 11-13 Oct. Stayed at the magnificent La Casa del Mago for 2 nights for only £20 each per night.
As expected, it took us all day (9.5 hours) to drive the 470 km from Chicanna to Uxmal – our longest drive of the trip – but when we were told upon arrival that we couldn’t stay in the apartment block (Hotel Hacienda) we had originally booked due to building works and had to be upgraded, the La Casa del Mago didn’t disappoint! Ordinarily our new room would have cost £102 each per night. Well it did have walk-in wardrobe, Jacuzzi, drinks cabinet, a bedroom the size of my house and more swimming pools outside than you could swim across in a day. Apparently Her Majesty stayed here once with Prince Phillip on a State visit. We reckoned they stayed in our room. The grounds of the hotel were teeming with birds including up to 25 Velasquez’s Woodpeckers. I wondered if the Queen had seen them – I still need to write to her in case she goes back and missed them first time round.
We had to pay two fees to enter the Maya ruins at Uxmal ($148 and $65 = £8.80) but again it was well worth it. An early visit was better for birding as it became very busy with visitors later in the day. To say we reluctantly left here on 13th Oct is an understatement and I had to drag Gerda kicking and screaming to our next hotel on the Gulf coast at Celestun which @ £13.50 per night…well it wasn’t the same.
(7) Celestún 13-14 Oct. Stayed at the Posada Lilia for one night @ £13.50 each.
Celestún is a large town on the Gulf of Mexico just 137 km (2.5 hours) drive from Uxmal and it made for a welcome change from the hot and humid rainforests of late to be greeted with a cooler sea breeze. There’s a great rubbish tip crowded with Wood Storks, White Ibis, Laughing Gulls and three species of vulture including Lesser Yellow-headed. I saw my first Yucatan Wrens and Mexican Sheartails in the scrubby areas and Salinas outside town too.
(8) Progreso 14-16 Oct. Stayed at the Hotel Maria’s Nicte Ha for 2 nights @ £9.75 each per night.
Lying on the north coast and only a 120 km drive from Celestún, Progreso’s pools and mangrove swamps are great for birding. We stayed three days here, surrounded by waders, Roseate Spoonbills, Great, Snowy and Reddish Egrets, Flamingos and the like.
The fishermen on the beach opposite our hotel were gutting their catch and this attracted lots of Laughing Gulls, Frigatebirds, cormorants and 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. As I knew the latter are said to be rare to uncommon here, I returned to the hotel for my camera and successfully took some ‘record’ photos to confirm their presence. Unfortunately, upon my return to the beach, the fishermen had left and three of the dogs from one of the boats set upon me, chasing me into the sea and one of them biting me rather badly in my right leg. This resulted in a visit to the hospital where my leg was treated with four different liquids, bandaged and a course of antibiotics administered. I would say it was all worth it for the gulls but of course my main concern was whether I had contracted Rabies (I had declined the [wise] recommendation to have a Rabies jab before coming to Mexico). The fact that I’m still here writing this proves I didn’t!
(9) Chichén Itzá 16-18 Oct. Stayed at the La Casa de las Lunas, Piste for 2 nights @ £8.75 each per night.
The hospital had done a great job with my leg and leaving Progreso to drive the 120 km to the Maya ruins at Chichén Itzá (a drive of 3 hours) meant I was feeling great today and ready for our next adventure. I had to visit local Health Centres every two days to have the dressing replaced but this didn’t hold us up – the doctors were so friendly and efficient and I was never charged a penny for the treatments.
Chichén Itzá was amazing of course but after all the other Maya sites we had visited, Gerda and I had been so spoilt that we didn’t really take to it. Of course if you are only going to be staying in the Cancún or coastal areas, it is worth the day trip out to see the temples but it is sooo busy and running the gauntlet of street traders lining the route put us off a bit. That said, it still offers good birding in spite of the crowds – but go early! We had to pay two entrance fees as usual to get in: $167 and $65 ($232 MXN = £9.60).
(10) Rio Lagartos 18-22 Oct. Stayed at the Hotel Villa de Pescadores for 5 nights @ £18.50 each per night.
We had originally booked just two nights here but Rio Lagartos was so good we decided to stay to the end of our trip. Our seafront balcony overlooked the mangrove swamps with pelicans, flamingos, egrets, Ospreys, Black Skimmers and waders galore. On windy days (and it was windy a lot of the time), Magnificent Frigatebirds and Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures glided past at arm’s length and the hotel hummingbird feeder below attracted Mexican Sheartail and Cinnamon Hummingbirds. Paradise in fact!
Acknowledgements
Thanks to ALL the hotel and guest houses that made us so welcome! I would like to thank Matt Brooks (of WINGS Birding Tours,1643 N. Alvernon Way, Suite 109, Tucson, AZ 85712 * USA Tel: 866-547-9868 (toll-free US & CA) * 1 520-320-9868 Fax: 1 520-320-9373
Web: www.wingsbirds.com) for confirmation of some of my tentative bird IDs from photos after returning home. Of course Steve Howell’s book (1999) Where to Watch Birds in Mexico was an indispensible aid to the top birding places in the Yucatan. Together with the field guide by Ber van Perlo (2006) Birds of Mexico and Central America, they made our trip!
Systematic list of species recorded.
Note following site abbreviations: Jardin Botanico Dr Alfredo Barrera Marin (JB), Puerto Morelos (PM), Isla Cozumel (Coz), Felipe Carrillo Puerto (FCP), Calakmul (Cal), Uxmal (Uxm), Celestún (Cel), Progreso (Pro), Chichén Itzá (CI), Rio Lagartos (RL).
Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca: 2 at Coba with a flock of Blue-winged Teal, the only sighting.
Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors: 4 PM, 2 Coz, 58 Coba, 7 Pro, 30 RL.
Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata: A single on Coz, the only sighting.
Plain Chachalaca, Ortalis vetula: Up to 17/day at JB/PM and 7 FCP.
Yucatan Bobwhite, Colinus nigrogularis: 10 on a private track 1.5km from crossroads to San Felipe, RL.
Ocellated Turkey, Meleagris ocellata: 24 on road and 3 around ruins at Cal.
Least Grebe, Tachybaptus dominicus: Single Coz golf course and 4 at Coba.
Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps: 2 at Coba the only ones.
American Flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber: At least 80/day at Pro and >150/day at RL.
Wood Stork, Mycteria americana: 50 Cel and daily in small numbers at RL.
American White Ibis, Eudocimus albus: Up to 11/day at PM, 2 Coz, 100 Cel and up to 60/day at RL.
Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja: 1 at Cel, 30 at Pro and up to 3/day @ RL.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea: 1 Coz, 10 Pro and 2 daily RL.
Green Heron, Butorides virescens: 2 PM, 2 Coz, 1 Coba, 4 Pro, 2/day RL and 1 elsewhere.
Western Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis: Widespread, up to 60/day.
Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias: 2 PM, 4 Coba, 4 Cel, up to 5/day RL, few elsewhere.
Great Egret, Casmerodius albus: 2 Coz, 10 Cel, 60 Pro, common @ RL.
Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens: 3/day Pro with singles @ RL.
Tricolored Heron, Egretta tricolor: 1 PM, 2 Coz, 3 Cel, 40 Pro & common @ RL.
Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea: 4 PM,1 Coz, 1 FCP, 2 Cel, 3 Pro, 5/day @ RL.
Snowy Egret, Egretta thula: Common and widespread with counts of up to 200/day.
American White Pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos: 3 RL, 25 nearby at San Felipe.
Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis: Common along the coast eg Cel, Pro, RL where up to 150/day counted.
Magnificent Frigatebird, Fregata magnificens: Daily max of 50 PM, 10 Coz, 150 Cel, 200 RL.
Neotropic Cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus: 1 Coba, 5 Laguna de Bacalar, 1 Cel, 8 Pro, 10/day @ RL.
Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus: 1 Coz, up to 80/day Cel and 60/day Pro with >100/day at RL.
Anhinga, Anhinga anhinga: 1 PM, 1 Coz, 6 Coba, 4 RL.
Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura: Common and widespread. Highest count 150 on 13th.
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Cathartes burrovianus: 2 @ Cel but up to 40/day RL area.
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus: Common and widespread. Highest count 250 on 14th.
Western Osprey, Pandion haliaetus: 2 PM, 1 Coz, 3 Cel, up to 7/day RL and singles elsewhere.
Snail Kite, Rostrhamus socilabilis: 4 Coba, 10 Laguna de Bacalar.
Common Black Hawk, Buteogallus anthracinus: 1 Cel and up to 2/day RL.
Great Black Hawk, Buteogallus urubitinga: Single bird in forest at Uxmal showed well.
Roadside Hawk, Rupornis magnirostris: 8 en route to FCP, 1 Cal, 4 en route CI-RL with up to 3/day at RL .
White-tailed Hawk, Geranoaetus albicaudatus: Single at RL.
Grey Hawk, Buteo plagiatus: Singles at FCP, Cal and RL.
Zone-tailed Hawk, Buteo albonotatus: Single drifted low over road at CI on 17th.
Short-tailed Hawk, Buteo brachyurus: Singles at Pro and RL on single dates.
Grey-necked Wood Rail, Aramides cajanea: 2 FCP 7th & another there next day; up to 3/day at RL.
Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata: 20 PM, 3 Coz.
American Coot, Fulica americana: 3 Coz were the only sightings.
Limpkin, Aramus guarauna: 3 Coba and a single at Laguna de Bacalar.
American Oystercatcher, Haematopus palliates: 2 @ RL the only sighting.
Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus: 35 Coz golf course, 52 Cel, 40 Pro, daily RL with a count of 50 there 19th.
Grey Plover (Black-bellied P), Pluvialis squatarola: 14 Coz, singles Cel, Pro and elsewhere with 6/day @ RL.
Semipalmated Plover, Charadrius semipalmatus: 1 Coz, 20 Cel, 100 Pro and at least 10/day @ RL.
Wilson's Plover, Charadrius wilsonia: 2 @ Cel & 2 @ Pro.
Snowy Plover, Charadrius nivosus: 20 Cel & a single at RL.
Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus: 10 @ Cel.
Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous: 16 at Pro.
Northern Jacana, Jacana spinosa: 21 PM and 4 on Coz.
Marbled Godwit, Limosa fedoa: 8 at RL.
Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicate: A single at RL and 2 at a marsh en route to the airport on the last day.
Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca: 1 Cel, 4 Pro and up to 4/day RL.
Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes: 4 Cel, 5 Pro and up to 50/day RL.
Eastern Willet, Tringa semipalmata semipalmata [NB: Willet has been split into Eastern and Western but only afforded sub specific status by some]: 5 Cel, 2 Pro, up to 88/day at RL.
Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius: 4 Coz, 1 Cel, 1 Pro, up to 5/day at RL.
Ruddy Turnstone, Arenaria interpres: 32 PM, 10 Playa del Carmen, 30 Coz, 6 Cel, 8 Pro, 20 RL.
Sanderling, Calidris alba: 2 PM, 6 Coz, 35 Cel, 10 Pro, 12 RL.
Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla: 1 Cel, 100 Pro, 20 RL.
Western Sandpiper, Calidris mauri: 6 Cel, a few Pro, up to 60 RL.
Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla: 30 Coz, 16 Cel, 200 Pro, 150 RL.
Stilt Sandpiper, Micropalama himantopus: 27 Pro, up to 100 RL.
Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus: 5 adults at Pro nearly cost me my life!
Laughing Gull, Leucophaeus atricilla: Very common. 80 PM, 20 Coz, 400 Cel, 300 Pro and common at RL.
Caspian Tern, Hydroprogne caspia: 2 PM, 7 RL.
Royal Tern, Thalasseus maximus: 6 PM, 1 Coz, 12 Cel, 15 Pro, >100 at RL.
Cabot's Tern, Thalasseus acuflavidus: 2 PM, 2 Playa del Carmen, 100 Cel, 50 Pro, >100 RL.
Common Tern, Sterna hirundo: 2 Cel, 1 Pro.
Forster's Tern, Sterna forsteri: 30 Pro, 35 RL.
Least Tern, Sterna antillarum: 4 at RL.
Black Tern, Chlidonias niger: 1 Coz golf course, 4 RL.
Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger: 1 over PM, 3 Cel, 4 Pro, up to 40 at RL.
Rock Dove (introduced - Feral Pigeon), Columba livia: Widespread including Coz where 80 counted on 1st.
Red-billed Pigeon, Patagioenas flavirostris: 1 PM, 2 Coba, 1 FCP, 4 Chicanna Ecovillage , 1 Uxm.
Eurasian Collared Dove (introduced), Streptopelia decaocto: Common and widespread with counts 80 PM, 120 Coz, 80 Coba, 130 Pro and 60 RL for example.
Common Ground Dove, Columbina passerine: Singles PM, Coba and Pro with 15 at Cel and 20/day at RL.
Ruddy Ground Dove, Columbina talpacoti: More common than previous species with counts of 70 PM, 20 Coz, 8 Coba, 15 FCP, 20 Uxm, 16 Cel, 10 Pro, 14 CI and 8 RL.
White-tipped Dove, Leptotila verreauxi: Singles at FCP and CI.
Caribbean Dove, Leptotila jamaicensis: Singles Coz and Uxm with 2 Chicanna Ecovillage and Cal.
Zenaida Dove, Zenaida aurita: Up to 3 at RL.
White-winged Dove, Zenaida asiatica: Fairly common and widespread with counts of up to 25 at PM and Cel-Pro and 60 at RL for example.
Groove-billed Ani, Crotophaga sulcirostris: 2 Cel and Pro, 4 CI, a group of 12 at roadside stop between CI and RL with up to 20/day at latter.
Lesser Roadrunner, Geococcyx velox: Single at RL. After much searching, the bird of the trip for me – on main road near track to Rancho San Salvador.
Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana: Singles Coba, Chicanna Ecovillage and Uxm with 3 @ Cal.
Mangrove Cuckoo, Coccyzus minor: Single at RL.
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Glaucidium brasilianum: 2 Coba, FCP, Cal, Uxm, CI & RL.
Pauraque, Nyctidromus albicollis: Single inadvertently flushed from road to San Felipe, RL before dawn. I used playback and it came back and circled the car.
Lesser/Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles sp?: 2 seen from our balcony at PM hawking for insects at dusk on 29th and one over Tulum at dawn, 7th were not specifically identified.
Vaux's Swift, Chaetura vauxi: 16 PM, 1 Coz, 6 Tulum, 15 FCP, 20 Laguna de Bacalar and 5 Uxm.
Green-breasted Mango, Anthracothorax prevostii: Singles on Coz and at Uxm.
Mexican Sheartail, Doricha eliza: 3 at both Cel and RL.
Cozumel Emerald, Chlorostilbon forficatus: Up to 3/day on Coz.
Canivet's Emerald, Chlorostilbon canivetii: At least 1 at FCP, others suspected.
Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Campylopterus pampa: Single at Coba on 5th.
Cinnamon Hummingbird, Amazilia rutila: 2 PM, 3 Coba, 2 FCP, 4 Uxm, 1 CI and 6/day RL.
Buff-bellied Hummingbird, Amazilia yucatanensis: 2/day at FCP, 1 Pro and 2 at CI.
Black-headed Trogon, Trogon melanocephalus: Single JB and 2 at FCP.
Gartered Trogon (Northern Violaceous), Trogon caligatus: Single at Coba on 6th.
Collared Trogon, Trogon collaris: Single at FCP on 8th.
Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon: Singles PM and Coba with 4 at Pro & 2 at RL.
Blue-crowned Motmot, Momotus momota: Single at Chicanna Ecovillage resort 10th.
Turquoise-browed Motmot, Eumomota superciliosa: 2 at Uxm 12th & 13th.
Collared Aracari, Pteroglossus torquatus: 3 Chicanna Ecovillage 9th with 7 there next day.
Keel-billed Toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus: Single over road at Tulum 6th.
Yucatan Woodpecker, Melanerpes pygmaeus: 8 PM, 10/day on Coz, 8 Coba, 1 Uxm, 1 RL.
Velasquez's Woodpecker, Melanerpes santacruzi: 3 Coba, 3 FCP, 2 Cal, up to 25/day at Uxm, 1 Cel, 2 Pro, 8 CI and 10 RL with occasionals elsewhere.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Picoides scalaris: Single at Cel Salinas 14th.
Northern Crested Caracara, Caracara cheriway: 2 Cel, 2 Pro and up to 9/day RL.
Laughing Falcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans: 2 birds on three dates at RL.
American Kestrel, Falco sparverius: Singles Uxm, CI and RL.
Merlin, Falco columbarius: Singles Coba, FCP and Pro with 2 at RL.
Bat Falcon, Falco rufigularis: Singles at Piste and the airport.
Peregrine, Falco peregrines: Singles at Cel & Pro with at least 2 at RL.
White-fronted Parrot (Amazon), Amazona albifrons: 9 at Uxmal on 12th were the first confirmed sighting after numerous distant flocks which could have been Yucatan (Yellow-lored) Parrots. Thereafter 18 at CI 17th and 16 there next day were the only positive IDs.
Yellow-lored Parrot (Yucatan Amazon), Amazona xantholora: Two flocks of 4 and 5 at FCP were the only confirmed sightings.
White-fronted/Yellow-lored Parrot: Flocks of 30, 22, 20, 8, 46 and 10 seen in flight, often whilst driving, remain unidentified.
Olive-throated (Aztec) Parakeet, Eupsittula [nana] astec: Flocks of 5 & 20 at Coba, 6 FCP, 2 Chicanna Ecovillage, 3 Uxm, flocks of 20 & 30 at Cel with 3 at RL.
Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Sittasomus griseicapillus: Singles 5th & 6th at Coba, 3 FCP and 4 at Cal.
Ruddy Woodcreeper, Dendrocincla homochroa: 1 at Chicanna Ecovillage the only sighting.
Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Dendrocolaptes sanctithomae: Single seen twice at Coba.
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper, Xiphorhynchus flavigaster: Singles Coba & FCP, 7 Cal & 3 Uxm.
Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Camptostoma imberbe: 4 Coba, 2 RL.
Northern Bentbill, Oncostoma cinereigulare: 1 seen well and photographed at Cal.
Eye-ringed Flatbill, Rhynchocyclus brevirostris: 1 Coba 5th with 3 there next day.
Yellow-olive Flatbill (Flycatcher), Tolmomyias sulphurescens: Single Coba two dates.
Eastern Wood Pewee, Contopus virens: A confusing array of plumages with some resembling Olive-sided Flycatcher (which doesn’t occur here according to Howell) but all confirmed as C. virens from photos later. Up to 5/day at PM and 8/day on Coz. Only 1 away from the coast seen between Chicanna Ecovillage and Uxmal on 11th.
Tropical Pewee, Contopus cinereus: 3 at FCP, Cal and Uxm with singles Cel and CI.
Acadian Flycatcher, Empidomax virescens: Single bird seen twice at Coba.
Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus: Singles Coz, FCP, Uxm, CI and RL.
Vermilion Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus: 7 at both Cel and RL.
Bright-rumped (Flammulated) Attila, Attila [spadiceus] flammulatus: Single at Chicanna.
Yucatan Flycatcher, Myiarchus yucatanensis: 2 Coz, 1 Coba, 2 FCP and 1 at RL.
Great Crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus: Single at Cal.
Brown-crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus tyrannulus: Singles Tulum & FCP with 6 at Cal.
Great Kiskadee, Pitangus sulphuratus: Up to 7/day at PM, 2 FCP, 4 Laguna de Bacalar, 8 Chicanna Ecovillage, few Cal, 8 Uxm and up to 11/day at RL.
Boat-billed Flycatcher, Megarynchus pitangua: 4 PM, 1 FCP and 2 at Uxm.
Social Flycatcher, Myiozetetes similis: Daily max of 4 PM, 6 Coba, 8 Tulum, 10 FCP, 2 Laguna de Bacalar, 20 Chicanna Ecovillage, 14 Uxm, 8 Cel, 2 Pro and 6 RL.
Tropical Kingbird, Tyrannus melancholicus: Common and widespread – seen daily with highest counts 40 at Coba, 30 Cel and 24 RL for example.
Couch's Kingbird, Tyrannus couchii: Single PM, 2 Cel and 6 CI but probably overlooked.
Masked Tityra, Tityra semifasciata: 3 at Coba and Chicanna Ecovillage, 7 at Uxm.
Rose-throated Becard, Pachyramphus aglaiae: 4 Coba, 3 Chicanna and 4 Uxm.
Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Cyclarhis gujanensis: Singles PM, Uxm and RL.
White-eyed Vireo, Vireo griseus: Daily max of 2 Coz, 10 Coba, 11 FCP, 4 Chicanna, 6 Cal, 8 Uxm, 7 CI and 3 RL.
Mangrove Vireo, Vireo pallens: 3 at RL only.
Yellow-throated Vireo, Vireo flavifrons: 1 Coz, 3 Coba, 1 FCP, 1 Cal, 3 Uxm and 1 CI.
Philadelphia Vireo, Vireo philadelphicus: A single bird Coz on 4th.
Yellow-green Vireo, Vireo flavoviridis: A single at CI.
Yucatan Vireo, Vireo magister: Common on Coz where 21 seen 4th. A single at Coba 6th was the only mainland sighting.
Lesser Greenlet, Hylophilus decurtatus: 2 FCP and 1 Cal.
Brown Jay, Psilorhinus morio: 3 JB, 2 Coba, 6 FCP – Chicanna, 8 Chicanna & 3 Cal.
Green Jay, Cyanocorax luxuosus: 1 JB, 6 Uxm, 1 Piste, 3 CI.
Yucatan Jay, Cyanocorax yucatanicus: 6 JB, 7 Tulum, 1 Coba, 11 FCP, 3 Chicanna, 4 Cal, 1 Uxm, 10 CI, 13 RL, 10 RL – airport.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis: 3 Coz, 20 Tulum, 4 Laguna de Bacalar.
Ridgway’s Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx widgwayi: 6 PM, 10 on wires in village 15km south of Coba, 9 Uxm, 20 Pro and 1 RL.
Grey-breasted Martin, Progne chalybea: 80 PM, 1 Coz, 2 Coba, 1 FCP,
Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor: Single Cel 14th but perhaps overlooked amongst the commoner Mangrove Swallows.
Mangrove Swallow, Tachycineta albilinea: 20 Laguna de Bacalar, 6 near Chicanna, 60 Cel, 120 Pro and 60 RL.
Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica: 70 PM, 40 Coz, 1 Coba, 4 FCP and 3 RL.
Cave Swallow, Petrochelidon fulva: 30 Tulum, 40 Coba and >200 in ruins at Uxmal where nesting.
House Wren, Troglodytes aedon: 2 at PM on 1st were the only sightings.
Yucatan Wren, Campylorhynchus yucatanicus: 7 around Salinas at Cel and up to 15 at RL.
Spot-breasted Wren, Pheugopedius maculipectus: Single Coba and 5 at FCP.
White-bellied Wren, Uropsila leucogastra: Singles Chicanna and Cal.
Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea: 4 Coz of the endemic island race, P.c.cozumelae. Otherwise up to 5/day Uxm, 6 Cel, 2 CI and 10 RL.
White-lored Gnatcatcher, Polioptila albiloris: 2 at Cel 13th and 4 others there next day.
Swainson's Thrush, Catharus ustulatus: A single at FCP, the only sighting.
Clay-colored Thrush, Turdus grayi: 2 Coba, 1 Chicanna, 4 Uxm and up to 9/day CI.
Grey Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis: Singles at Coba and RL the only sightings.
Black Catbird, Melanoptila glabrirostris: Common on Coz with up to 22/day. Single at Coba and max of 5 at FCP, the only mainland sightings.
Tropical Mockingbird, Mimus gilvus: Common and widespread, seen daily. Counts of up to 20/day PM, 40 Coz, 40 Coba, 50 Uxm, 60 Cel, 30 Pro, 100 RL for example.
Scrub Euphonia Euphonia affinis Very nice observations of these lovelies.
Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapillus: Up to 3/day PM/JB, 6 Coz and singles FCP, Cal & Uxm.
Worm-eating Warbler, Helmitheros vermivorum: Single at Coz golf course 1st.
Northern Waterthrush, Parkesia noveboracensis: Max day counts of 3 PM, 10 JB, 5 Coz, 3 Coba, 15 FCP, 2 Cal, 9 Pro and 4 RL.
Blue-winged Warbler, Vermivora cyanoptera: Singles Coz, Coba & FCP.
Black-and-white Warbler, Mniotilta varia: Max day counts of 5 Coz, 5 Coba, 4 FCP, 6 Cal, 3 Uxm, 1 Cel, 4 CI and 1 RL.
Prothonotary Warbler, Protonotaria citrea: 2 at Tulum 5th were a surprise find.
Tennessee Warbler, Leiothlypis peregrine: 17 at Coz on 4th represented a fall (only 1 daily there otherwise). Otherwise only a single at Coba and 2 at CI.
Grey-crowned Yellowthroat, Geothlypis poliocephala: 2 Pro, 1 near CI and 2 RL.
Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas: 8 PM, 7 Coz, 4 Coba, singles Pro and CI & up to 5/day RL.
Kentucky Warbler, Oporornis formosus: Single photographed on forest track Coz on 3rd.
Hooded Warbler, Setophaga citrine: Up to 5/day Coz, 1 Coba, 3 FCP, 1 Chicanna, 2 Cal, 4 Uxm, 1 CI and 1 RL.
American Redstart, Setophaga ruticilla: Max day counts 27 Coz, 6 Coba, 10 FCP, 2 Cal, 1 Uxm, 1 CI and 1 RL.
Northern Parula, Setophaga americana: Max day counts 7 Coz, 1 Uxm, 3 CI and 4 RL.
Magnolia Warbler, Setophaga magnolia: Max day counts 15 PM, 17 Coz, 6 Coba, 6 FCP, 1 Chicanna, 10 Cal, 3 Uxm, 1 CI and 2 RL.
Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechia: Common and widespread winter migrant including Coz. where up to 11/day. Single Chicanna, 5 Cel, 20 Pro, 2 CI and 10 RL.
Yellow (‘Golden’) Warbler, Setophaga p. rufivertex: Island endemic resident race on Cozumel where up to 12/day.
Yellow (‘Mangrove’) Warbler, Setophaga petechia [erithachorides group]: At least 4 Pro and 2 RL. This red-headed resident is a distinctive bird which may be split from above and afforded full species status but is presently regarded as one of 12 races in this group referred to as Dendroica (Setophaga) petechia bryanti by some.
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Dendroica pensylvanica: 2 Coz on 2nd and 1 CI 17th.
Black-throated Blue Warbler, Setophaga caerulescens: Male on Coz 2nd.
Palm Warbler, Dendroica palmarum: 4 Cel 14th and 1 on last day en route to the airport.
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dendroica coronata: Single on Coz on 2nd.
Yellow-throated Warbler, Setophaga dominica: 2 PM, up to 4/day Coz, 2 Uxm, 1 Cel, 3 CI and 1 RL.
Black-throated Green Warbler, Setophaga virens: 1 at Uxm on 12th the only sighting.
Blue-grey Tanager, Thraupis episcopus: 2 PM, 3 Coba, 6 Tulum, 2 FCP, 3 Piste & 2 CI.
Yellow-winged Tanager, Thraupis abbas: 1 road opposite JB, 11Tulum, 2 FCP & 2 CI.
Blue-black Grassquit, Volatinia jacarina: Single CI and 10 at RL.
White-collared Seedeater, Sporophila torqueola: 2 Coz and 18 at RL.
Bananaquit, Coereba flaveola: Up to 13/day on Coz but on the mainland only seen at Coba where 3 on 5th and 1 on 6th. The race on Coz is endemic C.f.caboti.
Yellow-faced Grassquit, Tiaris olivaceus: 5 Coz on 2nd with 2 there next day. 2 @ RL.
Black-headed Saltator, Saltator atriceps: Singles Coba & Uxm with 4 at CI.
Greyish Saltator, Saltator coerulescens: 1 Coz, 2 Coba, 2 FCP and 4 Uxm.
Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus: 4 FCP and 1 Uxm.
Lark Sparrow, Chondestes grammacus: A Yucatán rarity, 1 was seen well and photographed in dry scrubland on a private estate on south side of road just before rubbish tip 2km west of the crossroads leading to San Felipe from RL on 20th. It could not be found next day.
Rose-throated Tanager, Piranga roseogularis: 3 Coba and 3 FCP.
Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra: 1 PM, 1 JB, 1 Chicanna, 2 Uxm and 1 CI.
Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Habia rubica: Female FCP and male Chicanna.
Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis: 4 at RL.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus: A single bird photographed on Coz.
Grey-throated Chat, Granatellus sallaei: Male photographed at Chicanna.
Blue Bunting, Cyanocompsa parellina: Male & female photographed at Cal.
Blue Grosbeak, Passerina caerulea: 2 CI 17th then 2 others next day en route to RL.
Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea: Single PM, up to 16/day at RL.
Painted Bunting, Passerina ciris: 3 at RL.
Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus: 5 Pro and up to 11/day at RL.
Melodious Blackbird, Dives dives: 4 PM, 2 Chicanna, 15 Uxm, 1 Cel, 8 CI and 2 RL.
Great-tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus: Commonest bird? Sample counts of 250 PM, 100 Coz, 100 Coba, 400 Cel, >100 Pro, 200 CI and 300 RL for example.
Bronzed Cowbird, Molothrus aeneus: 20/day at PM, 30 FCP and 100 Piste.
Black-cowled Oriole, Icterus prosthemelas: 2 in a fruiting fig at Uxm, the only sighting.
Orchard Oriole, Icterus spurious: 2 Pro 16th, 1 RL 20th with 3 there next day.
Hooded Oriole, Icterus cucullatus: 8/day at PM, 4 Coz, 6 Coba, 2 FCP, 2 Chicanna, 6 Uxm, 2 Cel, 1 Pro and 3 RL.
Orange Oriole, Icterus auratus: 2 near football pitch at PM.
Altamira Oriole, Icterus gularis: 2 Coba, 1 FCP, 3 Chicanna, 12/day Uxm, 1 CI and up to 18/day at RL.
Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula: Single Chicanna on 9th.
Yellow-billed Cacique, Amblycercus holosericeus: 2 at JB.
Yellow-throated Euphonia, Euphonia hirundinacea: 8 Coba 5th with 2 there next day. 5 CI.
Scrub Euphonia, Euphonia affinis: 2 at Coba on 5th with above species.
Lesser Goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria: Single female at RL 19th the only sighting.
MAMMALS
Yucatan Squirrel, Sciurus yucatanensis
Central American Agouti, Dasyprocta punctata
Grey Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus
White-nosed Coati, Nasua narica
Central American Spider Monkey (Black-handed S M), Ateles geoffroyi
White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus
Long-tailed Weasel, Mustela frenata
REPTILES
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (Black Ctenosaur), Ctenosaura similis
Morelet’s Crocodile (Mexican C), Crocodylus moreletii
American Crocodile, Crocodylus acutus
Eastern Casque-headed Iguana, Laemanctus longipes
Lundell’s Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus lundelli
House Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus
Brown Anole, Anolis sagrei
Greater Scaly Anole, Anolis tropidonotus
Green Vine Snake, Oxybelis fulgidus
Red-cheeked Mud-Turtle, Kinosternon scorpioides
Gulf Coast Toad, Incilius valliceps
ARACHNIDA
Mexican Redrump Tarantula, Brachypelma vagans
ORTHOPTERA
Central American Locust, Schistocerca piceifrons
BUTTERFLIES
Grey Cracker, Hamadryas februa
Blue Morpho, Morpho peleides
Monarch, Danaus plexippus
Massilia Sister, Adelpha paraena massilia
Large Orange Sulphur, Phoebis agarithe
Yellow angled-sulphur, Anteos maerula
White angled-sulphur, Anteos clorinde
Yucatán Buckeye, Junonia coenia
Zebra Heliconian, Heliconius charithonia
Variable Cattleheart, Parides erithalion
Florida White, Appias drusilla
Mexican Tanmark, Emesis liodes
Julia Butterfly, Dryas julia moderata