Yucatan, Mexico 7 – 21 February 2016 www.avg-w.com [email protected] 1 Introduction In February 2016 we made a two-week trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This trip report presents the itinerary, the bird sightings, and some practical issues. The Yucatan Peninsula is an ideal birding destination. It offers a rich and diverse set of birds, fascinating Mayan Ruins, lots of other wildlife, beautiful beaches, and nice snorkeling opportunities. Travelling around is easy with a rental car. Roads are in good conditions, distances are small, and plenty of (affordable) accommodation and restaurants can be found in almost all places. 14 species are (near) endemic to the Yucatan Peninsula, including 3 of which can only be found on Cozumel Island. Some of these can be found throughout the peninsula, while others are more local. The Cozumel Thrasher is thought to be extinct. 1. Ocellated Turkey - Meleagris ocellata 2. Yellow-lored or Yucatan Parrot - Amazona xantholora 3. Yucatan Poorwill - Nyctiphrynus yucatanicus 4. Yucatan Nightjar - Caprimulgus badius 5. Red-vented or Yucatan Woodpecker - Melanerpes pygmaeus 6. Yucatan Flycatcher - Myiarchus yucatanensis 7. Yucatan Jay - Cyanocorax yucatanicus ...photo 8. Yucatan Wren - Campylorhynchus yucatanicus 9. Black Catbird - Melanoptila glabrirostris 10. Rose-throated Tanager - Piranga roseogularis 11. Orange Oriole - Icterus auratus 12. Cozumel Emerald - Chlorostilbon forficatus 13. Cozumel Thrasher - Toxostoma guttatum 14. Cozumel Vireo - Vireo baird A number of endemic taxa might entail future splits. These include Rufous-browed Peppershrike, (Cyclarhis gujanensis insularis) House Wren (Troglodytes aedon beani), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea cozumelae), Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena benedicti), and Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola caboti). During our trip we saw 252 different species, including most endemics. Furthermore, we saw 10 different mammal species, including a very unexpected and wonderful sighting of a Jaguar, and lots of butterflies and dragonflies. Pictures can be found on observado: Birds, Mammals, Butterflies, and Dragonflies. A lot of information about where-to-watch birds can be found on internet and in various trip reports. We used Observado.org and Ebird.org to get a better picture of where certain species are regularly encountered. We hired a car from the airport in Cancun and stayed in different hotels and guesthouses, which we booked online prior to our departure. On Cozumel we hired another car for one day as this is much easier and cheaper than bringing a car from the mainland. In total the trip did cost 1320 euro per person, including 565 for flight tickets. 2 Route Map 1 shows an overview of our route and the main places that were visited. L K J Itenerary 7-feb Amsterdam – Cancun Cancun (A) Dogtown suites 8-feb Cancun - Rio Lagartos Rio Lagartos (C) Hotel villa de los pescadores 9-feb Rio Lagartos - Valladolid - Mérida Mérida (F) Casa Carmita Hotel & Spa 10-feb Dzibilchaltún, Progreso Mérida (F) Casa Carmita Hotel & Spa 11-feb Mayapan Ruins Mérida (F) Casa Carmita Hotel & Spa 12-feb Mérida - Uxmal - Campeche Campeche (H) Hotel Lopez de Campeche 13-feb Campeche - Calakmul Calakmul (I) Rio Bec Dreams 14-feb Calakmul Calakmul (I) Rio Bec Dreams 15-feb Calakmul - Bacalar - Felipe Carrillo Puerte Felipe Carrillo Puerte (J) Hotel Turquesa Maya 16-feb Sian Ka'an Felipe Carrillo Puerte (J) Hotel Turquesa Maya 17-feb Felipe Carrillo Puerte -Tulum Tulum (K) Airbnb 18-feb Tulum, Cenote dos Ojos, Akumal Tulum (K) Airbnb 19-feb Cobá Tulum(K) Airbnb 20-feb Tulum - Cozumel Cozumel (L) Hotel Flamingo 21-feb Cozumel - Cancun Flight home 3 Sites visited Rio Lagartos This town on the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula offers a variety of habitats and the opportunity to see a number of birds that are not easily encountered elsewhere such as White-lored Gnatcatcher, Yucatán Wren, and Mexican Sheartail. The latter species is easily found around the town and in the scrub near restaurant Chiquila, just east of town. American Flamingo’s can be seen from the boulevard and it is possible to take a boat tour as well. Birding is mainly done on a small road that leads to Granaderia San Salvador. The turn-off to this road lies a bit southeast of Rio Lagartos, a 7,7 km drive along Carr. a San Felipe, and just before the northern turn-off to Iglesia Católica De Las Coloradas. We found Yucatan Wren, Mangrove Cuckoo, Ferruginous Pygmy-owl, King Vulture, Painted Bunting and Lesser Roadrunner during a morning walk. Early morning, just before we arrived to the place, we saw a Tayra crossing the road. Yucatan Wren Lesser Roadrunner Mangrove Cuckoo Grey Fox Around Mérida We found Mérida to be a convenient place from where the surrounding places could be visited. The first morning we went straight to Dzibilchaltún. This is a beautiful Mayan complex in a nice setting where many species can be found. There were only a few visitors early morning (they are not open before 8 o’ clock). Later during the day more tourists came in. The rest of the day we 4 drove along the coast, from Progresa to the east. Several waders can be found in the shallow lakes just south of the road, but nothing special. We searched in vain for Piping plover, a species that sometimes can be found in the salt pans here. The following day we visited the Mayapan Ruins, a nice complex which attracts very few visitors. We mainly had the place to ourselves the whole morning. We drove around on the secondary roads on the way back to Mérida and found a Lesser Roadrunner. Uxmal This is a large and beautifully sited Mayan Complex that offers plenty of opportunities for bird watching, especially early morning. We made an early start from Mérida, but opposite the entrance is also a hotel where you can stay. It lies outside the main tourist routes and hence is much quieter than other places like Chichén Itzá and Cobá. Cave Swallow breeds in large numbers in the complex. We spend the night in Campeche, a nice colonial town along the north coast, to break the journey to Calakmul. Calakmul On our way to Rio Bec Dreams, we visited the Maya Ruins of Balamku just before the turnoff to the entrance road to Calakmul. We had this place to ourselves and found many birds in the afternoon. Our visit the next day to Calakmul was definitely the highlight of our trip to Yucatan. The ruin complex is very impressive, completely surrounded by forest and only visited by a handful of people. It is also a place where one can find many species that are not present on the Yucatan Peninsula. Rio Bec Dreams offers nice accommodation, close to the turn-off to Calakmul. They serve great food and we had a delicious Valentines Diner here. From Rio Bec Dreams it is about a 100 km drive to the ruins. The road is surfaced all the way and leads through pristine forests. Numerous birds can be found along this road and one should definitely make several stops on the way when bird activity is still high. Most birds around the ruins can also be found later on the day. We saw several Ocellated Turkeys, Great Curassows and Singing Quail 5 along the way. Highlight of our drive was a Jaguar that crossed the road right in front of our car. We had splendid views of this rare and elusive mammal that is seldom encountered in this area. Ocellated Turkey Yucatán Spider Monkey Felipe Carrillo Puerte, Sian Ka'an The road that leads from Felipe Carrillo Puerto to Sian Ka’an is a popular place among birders as it offer easy access to good habitat and a number of specialties can be found along the road. The road into the area starts from Calle 63 (see map 2). The road itself is narrow and unsurfaced, but it can easily be driven with a normal car. Birding is done along the road. We found Yucatan Poorwill along this road at the town fringe. Yucatan Nightjar and Northern Potoo should also be possible here. Map 2 Where to find the road. 6 Cobá Coba is another wonderful Mayan complex. As it is close to Tulum and all the beach resorts there, it attracts a lot of visitors, but early morning and the more remote tracks gave us plentiful opportunities to enjoy the area without the crowds. Species seen here include Crested Guan, Rose-throated Tanager, and Ruddy Crake. A very obliging Mayan Antthrush gave great views and picture opportunities. Tulum is an easy place from which to explore the surroundings. We also visited the Maya Ruins of Tulum, but these were extremely crowded. Access to the beach can be difficult as the whole beach is built up with, most luxury, hotels. Rose-throated Tanager Mayan Antthrush Cozumel A visit to Cozumel is necessary for a number of endemic species and subspecies. A one day visit, including an afternoon and morning should be sufficient to find these birds. We chose to stay overnight, which gave us the opportunity to drive around and explore the island a bit more. A number of species, such as Yucatan Woodpecker and Black Catbird are more easily found on Cozumel than on the Peninsula. We spent the afternoon in the San Gervasio Ruins. The entrance fee to the ruins is very high compared to the fees one pays for visiting the ruins on the main land. The ruins are not really impressive and the place is mainly visited by large groups of tourist from the cruise ships that harbor in Cozumel. Yet it is worth a visit because a number of Cozumel 7 specialties are easy to find here.