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MEXICO -- YUCATAN
09 - 23 January 2002
by Kenneth Burton & Laurie Ness
We structured our trip around the information presented in Chapter 14
of A Bird-finding
Guide to Mexico by Steve N.G. Howell (1999 – henceforth
“Howell”). The information presented here is intended to
compliment that chapter, site by site. For convenience (ours),
species are listed within sites in chronological order. All
prices are in pesos; the exchange rate was about 9 pesos/dollar.
The sequence in which we visited the sites was 14.1, 14.10, 14.2, 14.3,
14.9, 14.8, 14.6, 14.7, 14.6, 14.4, 14.5, 14.3, 14.1. The weather
during our trip was unseasonably cool and dry the first week, warmer
and more humid with showers and occasional rain the second.
Note that Rock Dove, present at many sites, was omitted intentionally
(by Howell and us) from site lists.
Site 14.1 (Jardín Botanico Dr.
Alfredo Barrera M.): If arriving from the north, it is
necessary to pass the garden and then double back at the next retorno
(less than a km). Admission (map included) was $50/person at the
beginning of our trip and $70/person at the end, illustrating the
unstable nature of prices in Mexico. We were allowed to exit the
garden after closing time. The chiclero camp and the trail on
either side of it were particularly active, even at midday. We
also encountered an army ant swarm, with many attendant birds, along
the east trail south of the camp trail. Notable birds: Great
Black-Hawk, Olive-throated Parakeet, Plain Chachalaca, Gray Catbird,
Rose-throated Becard, Violaceous Trogon, Gray-throated Chat, Ruddy
Woodcreeper, Thrush-like Schiffornis, Summer Tanager, Zone-tailed Hawk,
Roadside Hawk, Caribbean Dove.
Site 14.2 (Cobá):
Look for Yellow-tailed Oriole along the highway between Tulum and
Cobá and Singing Quail around the cemetery just east of
Cobá, especially along the track behind it. The road going
northeast from the highway junction outside Cobá was good for
Yucatán Poorwill and lightly traveled. Spotted Rail
apparently has not been seen recently. The dock at Villas
Arqueologicas (Club Med) offers good lake viewing. The ruins open
at 0800. Notable birds:
Baltimore Oriole, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Blue
Bunting, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, Tree Swallow, Black-crowned Tityra,
Rose-throated Becard, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Tropical Gnatcatcher,
Yellow-throated Vireo, Lesser Greenlet.
Site 14.3 (Felipe Carrillo Puerto):
The traffic level along the Vigia Chico road seems to have increased
somewhat in recent years but is still relatively light. We
recommend spending at least two full mornings here. We had no
trouble entering (or leaving) Sian Ka’an or traveling therein
unaccompanied without a permit – we even camped at Vigia Chico – but we
were asked to make a donation (part of which we suspect was pocketed by
the guard) upon our exit. The birding in the reserve was
unspectacular but did provide our only Great Horned Owl, Clapper Rail,
and Yellow-billed Cacique. Notable
birds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Cattle Egret, Tree
Swallow, Indigo Bunting, Ocellated Turkey.
Site 14.4 (Río Lagartos/Las
Coloradas): We arranged a 3+-hour, very-focused boat trip
at Restaurant Isla Contoy for only $350. We saw another tourist
boat with a roof but were glad ours didn’t have one. There was an
active Bare-throated Tiger-Heron nest about 100 m downstream from the
Las Coloradas bridge on the right (north) bank, not visible from the
bridge (though the birds might be). We stayed at Posada Leyli and
do not recommend it; evidence indicated that our room had not been
cleaned. Unleaded gas is available. The clock tower is a
couple of blocks off the waterfront, but there’s another tower that one
can ascend next to the main pier. The best upland birding we
found was along the tracks to ranchos San Salvador and El Xux,
beginning at Km 8 on the Las Coloradas Road, which is now paved
essentially all the way and bends right, not left, when it reaches the
coast. The swamp on the south edge of San Felipe was very birdy
early in the morning. Notable
birds: Collared Forest-Falcon, Northern (Ridgway’s)
Rough-winged Swallow, Crane Hawk, Clay-colored Sparrow (possibly the
first record for Yucatán), Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Boat-billed
Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Site 14.5 (Chichén Itzá):
Like the other ruin sites (except Cobá), this site probably is
not worth visiting from an ornithological standpoint alone but
certainly is worth birding (early) if you’re going there anyway.
Admission and parking prices at this and other ruins have increased
substantially (up to 200%) since Howell but admission is still free on
Sundays.
Site 14.6 (Progreso/Dzilam de Bravo):
The Yucaltepen exit off the Progreso Road is at Km 22.5, not
18.5. We were intrigued by the seven-km-long pier and got
permission to drive out; don’t bother, as you’re not allowed to stop or
get out of your car and boulders along the road block the view most of
the way. The Dzilam de Bravo road is being widened and soon will
bypass Chicxulub Puerto as well as Progreso. We couldn’t find the
“short, inconspicuous, narrow track to the right” at Km 8.9 but there
is now a conspicuous, developed flamingo-viewing rest stop in that
area. Most of the interesting birds we saw were along this road,
many of them quite far along, so we were pleased that we opted to go
all the way. Note that it makes more sense to stop at Xtampu
before doing the Nuevo Yucatán loop if you’re not returning to
Progreso; be prepared for mosquitoes there. If linking this site
with Río Lagartos, the route through Yalsihon, Panabá,
and San Felipe is recommended; if going east, turn left in
Yalsihon. Notable birds:
American Oystercatcher, Least Bittern, Dunlin, Greater Scaup
(apparently the first record for eastern Mexico), Piping Plover.
Site 14.7 (Dzibilchaltún):
See 14.5. Notable bird:
Common Yellowthroat.
Site 14.8 (Celestún):
We reached the site from Uxmal via Chunchucmil, an interesting road but
in very bad condition; the turnoff to Chunchucmil from Maxcanu was
unsigned. We were unable to arrange an affordable, focused boat
trip here and recommend Río Lagartos (site 14.4) instead.
The guides at Celestún Expeditions know a lot about birds.
Unleaded gas is available, and the main gas station is now on the west
side of the harbor. The pullout described in Howell as
“immediately before…the bridge” (into Celestún) is actually
several hundred meters before the bridge. It’s easier to walk to
the bridge from the parking lot on the west end than from the pullout,
but the area around the pullout is worth checking as well. The
grounds of the Eco Paraiso Lodge, 10 km north of town, and the
surrounding bush are good for a morning of birding. Notable birds: Marbled
Godwit, Brown Booby, Baltimore Oriole, Long-billed Dowitcher
(apparently regular in Yucatán; see Howell, page 300),
Violaceous Trogon.
Site 14.9 (Uxmal): See
14.5. There is inexpensive lodging in Santa Elena (as well as a
very nice campground). Notable
birds: Yucatan Jay (apparently omitted from Howell’s list
in error), Rose-throated Becard, Black-headed Trogon, Brown Jay, Great
Black-Hawk.
Site 14.10 (Isla Cozumel):
We found good, cheap lodging on Calle 10 (or was it 12?) Norte between
avenidas 5 and 10. The proprietor set us up with a rental car (an
old Beetle with holes in the floor and a broken speedometer – hence no
odometer - but cheap by Cozumel standards) and even let us use it to
carry our gear to the ferry the day after the rental. We had our
best morning birding in a clearing on the north side of the road into
the failed housing development at Km 6.3 south of town, about ½
km west of the fork; the rest of that area was pretty quiet. We
couldn’t find the seasonal pools near the east shore on the
Cross-Island Highway, but there’s a nice wetland on the west side of
the east-shore highway not far south of the Cross-Island. Notable bird: Rose-throated
Becard.
One other site that deserves mention is Highway 184 just west of Santa
Rosa, near the state line where the road to Peto branches off.
This area of tall trees, scrub, and fields was extremely active in
mid-afternoon, with an impressive variety of birds (all of which we
also saw elsewhere). If you’re traveling between Felipe Carrillo
Puerto and Uxmal, this could be a worthwhile stop.
Kenneth Burton
(kmburton@svn.net)