The charming Yucatan Wren only occurs in the extreme north of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mark Van Beirs) THE YUCATAN PENINSULA 21 FEBRUARY – 4 MARCH 2018 LEADER: MARK VAN BEIRS A very well-behaved Lesser Roadrunner posing for scope views in a derelict meadow near Rio Lagartos became the Bird of the Tour on our 2018 Yucatan trip. Our explorations of the different habitats of the Yucatan Peninsula produced many more splendid observations. The very touristy island of Cozumel yielded cute Ruddy Crakes, White-crowned Pigeon, Mangrove Cuckoo, Cozumel Emerald, Yucatan Woodpecker, Yucatan Amazon, Cozumel and Yucatan Vireos, Black Catbird and Western Spindalis. The astounding waterbird spectacle at the lagoons and mangrove-lined creeks of Rio Lagartos, situated near the northernmost tip of Yucatan is always great fun. Highlights included glorious, endemic Mexican Sheartails, 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Yucatan Peninsula 2018 www.birdquest-tours.com Yucatan Bobwhite, Bare-throated Tiger and Boat-billed Herons, American White Pelican, Clapper Rail, Rufous-necked and Rufous-naped Wood Rails, Kelp Gull, Yucatan Nightjar, Yucatan Wren and Orange Oriole. The dry woodland of the Sian Ka’an reserve held Middle American Screech Owl, Pale-billed Woodpecker, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Couch’s Kingbird, Yucatan Flycatcher, Yucatan Jay, Green-backed Sparrow, Rose-throated Tanager and Blue Bunting. Fabulous Grey-throated Chats gave excellent views in the semi-humid forests of the magnificent Mayan archaeological site of Calakmul, where we also found impressive Great Curassows, gaudy Ocellated Turkeys, Bicoloured Hawk, Yucatan Poorwill, Lesson’s Motmot, White-bellied Wren and interesting mammals like Grey Fox and Yucatan Black Howler and Geoffroy’s Spider Monkeys. An excellent selection of migratory North American warblers greatly added to the birding experience of this holiday, where good food, nice accommodation, smooth roads and very enjoyable birding conditions are the norm. Plain Chachalacas were more often heard than seen (Mark Van Beirs) The tour started with a pre-dawn drive from the infamous resort town of Cancun to the carferry terminal south of Playa del Carmen. A single Plain Chachalaca obliged beautifully as the sun was hitting the horizon and soon we were sailing towards Cozumel, the ‘Island of the Swallows’. Two Cabot’s Terns and a few Laughing Gulls entertained us on the boat journey. Several frighteningly enormous cruise ships were anchored in the harbour of Cozumel. After checking into our harbourside hotel, we explored a stretch of scrubby forest in the north of the island. As soon as we got out of the minibus, a smart male Western 2 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Yucatan Peninsula 2018 www.birdquest-tours.com Spindalis of the endemic race benedicti sat up for great views and a Yucatan Woodpecker showed briefly. We slowly walked along a wide track, picking up goodies like Yucatan Vireo, the endemic Cozumel Vireo, a cracking shiny Black Catbird and several responsive Mangrove Warblers. The Cozumel race of Southern House Wren obliged at length. We also found Ruddy Ground Dove, Lesser Goldfinch, White-collared Seedeater and Yellow-faced Grassquit, while an impressive Black Spiny-tailed Iguana was sunning itself. After this brief, but excellent introduction to the avifauna of Cozumel we had a leisurely lunch which was interrupted by great looks at male and female of the endemic Cozumel Emerald feeding in a flowering hibiscus. They were regularly joined by a Green-breasted Mango and several Bananaquits (of the near endemic race caboti). A couple of Collared Peccaries provided more entertainment. In the afternoon we explored another nice area of woodland where a pair of Yucatan Woodpeckers gave terrific looks and we also observed Black-and-white, Magnolia and Palm Warblers, American Redstart, Northern Parula and Blue- grey Gnatcatcher (endemic race cozumelae). As we drove to our next destination we noted Snowy Egret, Brown Pelican, Turkey and Black Vultures, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Northern Jacana, Ruddy Turnstone, Spotted Sandpiper, Royal Tern, Eurasian Collared Dove, Tropical Mockingbird and good numbers of Great-tailed Grackles. In mid-afternoon we birded a small marsh where some of us obtained fair looks at a Ruddy Crake and where Least Grebe, Blue-winged Teal, Little Blue Heron and Great Egret were added to the list. The final birds of the day included White-crowned Pigeon, Mourning and White-winged Doves and Vaux’s Swift. Black Catbird is easily seen on Cozumel (Mark Van Beirs);Yucatan Vireo regularly showed well (participant Rainer Kopa) Before dawn, we were waiting for nightbirds in a nice stretch of woodland, but only a Pauraque called and showed well. Sunrise found us in another patch of scrubby forest where goodies included all too fleeting Caribbean Doves, a splendid Mangrove Cuckoo, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush and a lovely White-nosed Coati. At a secluded marsh we managed to get excellent looks at two cute, well-behaved Ruddy Crakes and a fine Least Bittern. We returned for a scrumptious breakfast, followed by a relaxed drive around the southern half of the island. The wild, windward eastern side gave us a totally different feeling compared to the western side, which is sadly crammed with resorts and hotels. Marshy ponds held Black-bellied Whistling Duck, American White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Tricoloured Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Killdeer and Myrtle Warblers. In the afternoon we checked an area of farmbush in the interior of the island where, next to a squadron of roaring tourist quads, we obtained glorious views of a male Hooded Warbler and a couple of male Painted Buntings. The scope studies of a male Green-breasted Mango were fabulous and we also noted Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Eastern Wood Pewee, a singing male Grey-crowned 3 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Yucatan Peninsula 2018 www.birdquest-tours.com Yellowthroat and a stylish Black-throated Green Warbler. Upon returning to our vehicle two Yucatan Amazons flew over showing their distinctive markings and minutes later we observed several more going to their roost. The male of the endemic Mexican Sheartail is a real gem, as is the male Vermilion Flycatcher (Mark Van Beirs) The following morning, we took the first ferry across to the mainland, enjoyed a delicious breakfast in Cancun and drove along an almost deserted highway to the northernmost tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. We arrived around midday in the quiet seaside village of Rio Lagartos. While enjoying some tasty seafood we observed American White and Brown Pelicans, loads of Magnificent Frigatebirds, Double-crested Cormorant, American Oystercatcher and Mangrove Swallow. The hummingbird feeders were visited by a splendid male and a female of the localized, endemic Mexican Sheartail. Ruby-throated, Cinnamon and Buff- bellied Hummingbirds added to the enjoyment. In the afternoon we had a look at an active heronry in the mangroves, where lots of colourful Roseate Spoonbills, Great and Snowy Egrets, Tricoloured and Little Blue Herons and Neotropic Cormorants were displaying and nesting. Afterwards we birded the nearby cactus- The Rio Lagartos boat trip produced great looks at a flock of stately American White Pelicans (Mark Van Beirs) 4 BirdQuest Tour Report: The Yucatan Peninsula 2018 www.birdquest-tours.com studded scrubby woodland. At first everything was still very quiet because of the heat and the strong wind, but gradually things started to wake up. Our main target here was the endemic, very localized Yucatan Wren which eventually showed very well as a pair perched on top of a prickly pear cactus. A cute Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was hooting away and a glistening male Canivet’s Emerald obliged at length. While wandering about we also added American Flamingo, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Western Osprey, Black-necked Stilt, Least Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Zenaida Dove, Groove-billed Ani, Velasquez’s Woodpecker, Northern Crested Caracara, Olive-throated Parakeet, Vermilion Flycatcher, Tree Swallow, Blue-black Grassquit, Northern Cardinal and Indigo Bunting to the tally. The rarely-seen Rufous-necked Wood Rail performed very well (Mark Van Beirs), as did this Yellow-crowned Night Heron (participant Rainer Kopa) At dawn we were already slowly sailing along the edge of the extensive mangroves of the Ria Lagartos Reserve. It was low tide, so a nice stretch of mud was visible. Our man on the spot took us straight to a specific area, where soon we were first observing a well-performing Clapper Rail. Minutes later several Rufous-necked Wood Rails appeared and showed brilliantly. Both adult and immature birds were about and allowed in depth studies! A splendid accomplishment. As we had seen our main target so soon, we had time to just enjoy the abundance of waterbirds, while slowly cruising about. We obtained cracking looks at an exquisite Bare-throated Tiger Heron, admired the marvellous display of Great Blue Herons, approached a large flock of ponderous American White Pelicans and bizarre Black Skimmers and studied a very friendly Common Black Hawk. Other interesting species included American Flamingo, Wood Stork, Yellow-crowned Night and Green Herons, Reddish Egret (a dark morph), lots of Double-crested Cormorants, several Western Ospreys, Belted Kingfisher and a pair of White-fronted Amazons. We collected a good selection of waders like Grey and Semipalmated Plovers, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Sanderling, Semipalmated, Western and Spotted Sandpipers and Willet. Next to the abundant Laughing Gulls, we found decidedly uncommon gulls like Ring-billed, Kelp, American Herring and Lesser Black-backed! Terns were also well represented as Gull- billed, Caspian, Royal, Cabot’s, Common and Forster’s showed very well. Several Common Raccoons were seen along the edges of the mangroves soon after dawn and a couple of medium-sized Morelet’s Crocodiles were found basking on the mud banks. While enjoying a flavoursome lunch we observed the comings and goings of very smart male and more modestly-clad female Mexican Sheartails next to a couple of Cinnamon Hummingbirds.