On a recent 'vacation' to the Mayan Riviera, I was more than a little surprised by the variety and beauty of the birds to be found in and around the resort.
Some of my favourites:
6-8 white ibis
100+magnificent frigate birds
50+ brown pelicans
2-3 yucatan woodpeckers-one was so kind as to stop in a tree right across from my balcony for 2-3 mins
dozens of hooded orioles and altamira orioles
2-3 pairs of orchard orioles
1 roadside hawk
8-10 lesser yellow-headed vultures
dozens of tropical mockingbirds and great-tailed grackles
3-4 yellow-thraoted warblers
other warblers of note: redstart, prothonotary, rufous crowned, black and white, northern parula, golden cheeked, kentucky, mangrove, nashville, tennessee...
black vulture
dozens of yucatan jays
dozens of laughing gulls
3 anhinga
10+ greater kiskadess
4-5 gray catbirds
yucatan vireo
1 summer tanager
1 blue grosbeak
1 painted bunting
1 ferruginous pygmy owl
The second half of the trip was to a smaller city near Mexico City... again I came across some awesome birds...
2 loggerhead shrikes
1 bewick's wren
2 ladderbacked woodpeckers
1 red-shafted N. Flicker
4-5 curve-billed thrashers
1 orange-crowned warbler
other warblers of note: magnolia, wilson's, blackburnian, nashville, golden-crowned,
lazuli bunting
a dozen or more vermilion flycatchers
2 aplomado falcons
3 yellow backed orioles
tropical kingbird
50+ american coots
a dozen great egrets
1 black-crested titmouse
cinnamon, buff-bellied, black chinned and ruby-throated hummingbirds
1 black-throated sparrow
4-5 rufous-backed robins
a dozen clay-coloured robins
1 canyon towhee
1 scott's oriole
A great trip and truth be told a lot of birding surprises. I went in with zero expectations and came out more than a little surprised, thrilled even.
Happy birding!
