18 April - 2 May 1999
by Christine E. Rideout
INTRODUCTION
This trip was a combined family vacation, business award trip, and birding trip. Our family consists of myself, my husband, Doug and our seven-year-old daughter, Katie. We rented a car and stayed at Punta Allen, Chichén Itzá, Mérida, Tizimín and Cancún.
We used Steve Howell's A Bird-Finding Guide to Mexico and Frommer's 1999 Guide to the Yucatan. Both books were excellent. Frommer's was great for background info. on the ruins, and for loads of info. about hotels and restaurants. Howell's book gave good advice for birding in Mexico and great directions to specific places. Our bird list differed greatly from his, but we arrived at many destinations later than I would have liked and it was very hot.
For field guides we used Earnest Preston Edwards' A Field Guide to The Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas, the National Geographic Field Guide to North American Birds (2nd ed.) and the Peterson Field Guide to Mexican Birds. None of these books would have been adequate on its own.
Edwards' book was very hard to use in the field as families were not all on the same plates and the pictures were small. Examples: three gnatcatchers on plate 34 and the other two on plate 46; Boat-billed Heron on plate 4 and all other herons & egrets on plate 1; the five kingfishers peppered throughout 3 different plates, mixed in with trogons, woodpeckers, swallows and flycatchers. We were frustrated often when trying to look up new birds in it. Why on earth the plates are laid out this way is a mystery to me.
I was glad to have the Peterson guide with us. Although it is a bit outdated (copyright 1973) at least it was organized intelligently. The plates were much more useful for most families, and who can beat the Peterson system of arrows pointing to the important field marks? For instance, we could turn to the oriole plates and see immediately the differences between similar species without having to wade through the text.
National Geographic was used almost exclusively for identifying those pesky eastern warblers (we're from California) and as a supplement for other migrants that we encountered.
Overall, I consider our birding successful, although we did miss some important birds (Mexican Sheartail, Yucatan Wren) we got some great ones (Great Curassow, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Barred Woodcreeper and others) for a total of 155 species. I added 39 lifers on the trip. I'm sure our list would have been bigger if this were a birding-only trip in winter and we weren't dragging an overheated seven-year-old through the jungles with us. We got late starts on most days (late morning) and our choice of lodging for the first three days forced us to sacrifice one of the most important birding areas (Felipe Carillo Puerto). We also chose to skip Cozumél this trip because our daughter deserved a break (it's her vacation, too) and we had obligations to attend functions related to my husband's business.
TRIP REPORT
18 April 1999
We began our day at 3:30 a.m.! The shuttle picked us up at 4:30 and we were in the air at 7:00. We flew first class to Dallas, due to a ticketing error, then changed planes. Doug was stuck in coach for the rest of the way, while Katie and I enjoyed more first class comfort.
We arrived in Cancún at 15:30 in the rain and picked up our rental car, a Plymouth Neon. Renting a car in the Yucatán is expensive--$450 a week for our little Neon, but I can't imagine doing what we did without one.
Our first birds, seen from the plane, were Cattle Egrets and Great-tailed Grackles. Our first lifer was at the hotel. It was a Tropical Mockingbird. Little did we know then that we would see hundreds of them in the coming two weeks. The rain soon stopped and was replaced by very strong winds. The only other ticks we got in our short time at the Mexhotel were Brown Pelican, Neotropic Cormorant, White Ibis and Magnificent Frigatebird. Mexhotel was adequate, (but overpriced as is everything in Cancún) as all we wanted was a place to crash before starting our adventure the next day. I wouldn't want to spend any length of time there.
19 April 1999
We began our day with breakfast at the hotel. Then, after buying water at a convenience shop, we headed south on Route 307. We stopped at Croco Cun, a zoological park where crocodiles are raised, near Puerto Morelos. Admission was cheap and we had a nice guide, Jose, who was interested in birds.
I got to hold a 3-year-old crocodile. That was different! Jose showed us how to sex the crocs by inserting a finger into the cloaca. He also demonstrated how the croc opens and closes its throat and the nictitating membrane of the eye and the ear flaps. Very interesting, but I'm glad he did the finger-thing after I held it!
Katie held a large snake, which was very active. She didn't like it moving on her. She enjoyed the white-tailed deer more. There were 40 in all, including 5 fawns. We fed them hibiscus flowers, and Katie really loved petting the fawns.
We also fed hibiscus to the peccary.
Katie liked the turtle exhibit, too. She held some turtles, then we fed some chicle fruit to the spider monkeys. Some wild monkeys showed up for a visit and they had a baby with them!
Wild birds that we ticked in Croco Cun were Black and White and Magnolia Warblers, Ovenbird, Green Jay, American Redstart, Roadside Hawk, Hooded Oriole, Great Kiskadee, Zenaida Dove, Short-billed Pigeon, Melodious Blackbird, Turkey and Black Vultures. We also saw iguanas, basilisk lizards, and many beautiful butterflies. I recommend an early morning visit here, with bug repellent. It was fun.
From Croco Cun we headed towards Tulum. On the way we were amazed a the numbers of iguanas trying to cross the highway. There were hundreds! We had a lovely lunch at La Parrilla in Playa del Carmen overlooking Media Luna Bay then proceeded to Tulum.
At the ruins we added Altamira and Yellow-backed Orioles, Ridgeway's Rough-winged Swallow, Gray-breasted Martin, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Cave Swallow, Laughing Gull, White-winged Dove, Golden-fronted Woodpecker and Blue Grosbeak. We also had Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, Tropical Mockingbird, and Hooded Oriole. It was extremely windy near the water where the ruins are, but in the surrounding woods it was a bit better.
We left Tulum and headed down the long road to Punta Allen. The road is 56 km. and entirely sand. It was an adventurous ride. At one point I had my head buried in the field guide trying to figure out a bird we had passed when Doug stopped the car. He told me to roll down the window. I thought he wanted to look at a bird and I was frustrated at not being able to figure out the last one. I told him to wait a minute and he impatiently and emphatically told me again to roll down the window. I turned my gaze out the window and was staring at an M-16 rifle! I nearly wet myself! I rolled down the window and the bearer of the weapon gruffly spoke in Español. At this point, I couldn't even remember Inglés and began sweating. I was taken completely off guard. I thought at first we had encountered banditos. Once I realized they were Federales screening for drug smugglers I began to hear and understand his questions over my thumping heartbeat. He merely wanted to know our nationality and destination. Once I gave the appropriate answers, Estados Unidos, and Cuzan, he waved us through. I was teased about that for days to come.
We were stopped once more and asked to sign a visitor book at the entrance to Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.
The last several miles were very scary. The previous day's rains had created small ponds where huge ruts and potholes used to be. There were huge rocks in the road, too. Doug got us through safely, by God's Grace, and we got to the Cuzan Guest House at dusk and immediately got the car stuck in the sand!
Along the road we added Yucatan Parrot, Yucatan Woodpecker, Great Egret, Palm Warbler, and Pauraque (it's a wonder I noticed any birds at all!) and we saw a fox.
Jose helped us out of the sand and showed us to our cabaña. Very rustic—Gilligan's Islandish really—but with running water and solar lights. The wind was incredibly strong and we were very close to the shore. We had a delicious dinner (the dining room was a hut with no floor) of tacos al pollo and refritos negros and arroz. We hoped the wind would die down so we could take a boat tour of Sian Ka'an in the morning. There wasn't much else for us to do at the end of this remote peninsula as we are not into fishing. Bonefishing is what most turistas go to Cuzan for.
20 April 1999
The wind calmed down in the morning. After breakfast we went for a walk in the puebla. We added several nice birds, including Indigo Bunting, Aztec Parakeet, Social Flycatcher, Royal tern, Osprey, Common Ground-Dove, Lesser Greenlet, Mangrove Swallow and others.
We met a nice man named Manuel. He spoke a little English and we mostly conversed in Spanglish. He liked to watch birds. He taught me lots of Spanish bird names and I told him the names in English. He had a boat and we paid him 700 pesos to take us out for 3 hours. It was a little expensive, but very enjoyable.
We went out in his tidy bote on la Bahía de la Ascensión and into some mangrove areas. We got out and walked a little way on the mainland at Vigia Larga, too.
We added Reddish Egret (also in white phase), Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Mangrove (Yellow) Warbler, Semi-palmated Plover, Greater Yellowlegs, Yucatan Flycatcher, Willet and others. There were very young Brown Pelicans, an immature Osprey, and Great blue Herons feeding young on one island.
Back at Cuzan Doug had a siesta and I read while Katie played on la playa with some children staying in the next cabaña. Just before supper we took a short walk and added Common Black-Hawk.
There were many Magnificent Frigatebirds here and I was told that there is an island just south of the punta where they were nesting. Also numerous were Great-tailed Grackle, Osprey, Tropical Mockingbird, Laughing Gull, double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican and Royal Tern.
The wind picked up again in the afternoon. We hoped that it would end by morning as we had a 7 a.m. birding boat to catch.
21 April 1999
We got a late start on our morning boat ride because the motor broke down shortly after leaving the dock. Our Cuzan guide, Israel, exchanged motors and we were off to the bay.
We were treated early in the trip to two Common Black Hawks in the mangroves. Of course, I was enjoying them so much that I forgot to take their picture. We noticed as we rounded the point that the old wrecked-out radio tower at the lighthouse had an Osprey nest on top of it.
We went through some mangrove canals and visited one of the small mangrove islands that we had visited the previous day with Manuel where we added a Peregrine Falcon. We got stuck in the shallows and Israel had to get out among the stingrays and push.
I asked Israel to try to find the Halcóns Negros again on the way back, but we were unsuccessful. We did pass an immature Brown Booby perched over the water on a mangrove branch though. And of course, I missed the photo opp. again.
Katie was more interested in what was under the water than birds. It was clear, calm and shallow along the mangroves and she counted eight rays, two baby sharks, and some starfish among the thousands of pescaditos. We saw no manatees, but Israel said they sometimes see them in the canals.
After lunch we walked 2 km. to el faro. It was very hot and we saw few birds. We were lucky, though to see a Common Black Hawk on the nest. She was very upset by our presence so we moved on quickly. The Ospreys at the lighthouse didn't like us either.
In the water we saw thousands of tiny clear jellyfish. Lots of coral and sponges were washed ashore, and there was a lot of garbage on the shore and in the jungle. It seemed that most of it had accumulated after washing over the land during storms.
We added Cinnamon Hummingbird, White-breasted Mango, Yucatán Jay, Yellow Warbler and Giant Cowbird. All of these were added close to the puebla. We added nothing on the steamy trail.
It was nice to get back to the ocean breezes at the cabaña. Doug watched Katie on the beach for a bit while I did my journaling.
22 April 1999
It took us 3 hours to drive the 56 km. road from Punta Allen to Tulum. This was partly due to the poor condition of the road and partly due to our stopping for birds and other creatures along the way. We saw a few foxes and some big blue crabs scurrying across the road and into their holes.
We picked up some new birds along the road, including Plain Chachalaca, Caribbean Dove, and Tricolored Heron.
We finally arrived in Cobá around noon and ate at El Bocadito. I had comida tipica in the form of pollo pibíl, which was excellent.
We walked around the lake and got nothing but vultures, Rock Doves and a Neotropic Cormorant. It was extremely hot and I was really bummed out that we did not plan better for an early morning arrival.
We met a friendly twelve-year-old girl who showed us a cenote (water hole) near her house. We were soon joined by her mother and baby brother. They spoke no Inglés at all, but we managed with my very limited Spanglish vocabulary and gestures. The girl showed Katie the tadpoles in the cenote and they had fun catching and releasing them. She admired my many hat pins, so I gave her one with an owl on it. Later I realized that she probably wanted the American Flag pin, but I didn't understand at the time.
Katie's t-shirt had bird pictures on it. One of the birds on the shirt is my nemesis bird, the Painted Bunting. The mother said they see them siempre (always)—not what I needed to hear, since there were none present that day.
It was hotter than Tartarus in the ruins and we left the water bottle in the car. Each one thought the other one had it. Few birds, but good ones, were seen. We added Scrub Euphonia, Masked Tityra (several), Violaceous and Black-headed Trogons, American Redstart and Black-headed Saltator.
Katie and Doug got a little more than halfway up the Great Pyramid before she chickened out. We then trudged the 2 km. back to the salida where we guzzled drinks and ice cream before heading out on the road to Chichén Itzá.
It was an interesting ride through several small, poor villages. We drove by a brush fire where Doug was amazed at the number of beer bottles on the roadside. There were literally thousands, but you could only see them where the brush had burned.
We chose a lovely hotel within walking distance to the ruins. The Hacienda Chichén is the site of a 17th century cattle ranch. A former owner and henequen (type of agave used for fiber) farmer, E. Thompson uncovered many Mayan temples with the help of natives. In 1923 it became the headquarters for the Carnegie Institute's Mayan Expedition. The cottages used to house the Carnegie staff are now remodeled and air conditioned as the hotel's guest rooms. Some of the original buildings were built with stones from the nearby Mayan pyramids and temples. The service was excellent, food delicious, and the grounds were lovely and full of birds. Katie appreciated the pool.
23 April 1999
We woke up early and birded the hotel grounds, around the roadside and the adjacent Mayaland Hotel before breakfast. It was really birdy! It really pays to get out early in this hot climate.
We picked up Blue-crowned and Turquoise-browed Motmots, Squirrel and Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Grayish Saltator, Groove-billed Ani, Green-backed Sparrow, Great Curassow (female), Yellow-winged Tanager, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Vaux's Swift, Orange Oriole and others. The grounds were loaded with Social Flycatchers. They were nesting in a very large tree at the hotel entrance. Clay-colored Thrushes were numerous also.
We visited the ruins after breakfast. By then the birds were all in siesta and it was hot. We met a group of birders on the road—the first and only ones for the trip. They had been watching some Ferruginous Pygmy Owls a couple of miles away and were surprised that we saw the curassow.
We rested all afternoon and I washed clothes. After a swim we had a nice dinner (I ate Poc Chuc) and then Katie and I went to the light show at the ruins with our neighbors. Coincidentally, we had run into them at Punta Allen, too. They were there bonefishing. They were very much into the archeological and anthropological aspects of the Yucatán and filled me in on all that they had learned on their tour of Chichén Itzá that morning. The light show was very good.
24 April 1999
We got up early again to bird around the hotels. We saw the male Great Curassow! I spotted him down the road near the entrance to the ruins. He trotted towards us, coming within 15 feet of me for a great photo, then did an about-face and returned to wherever it was he came from. What luck! Definitely the bird of the trip.
We added a Gray Hawk eating its breakfast, Southern House Wren, Blue-black Grassquit, White-tipped Dove and Fork-tailed Emerald, and saw many of the same beautiful species as the previous day.
We drove to Mérida, which was a very different experience. It is a big city of 600,000 and the capitol of Yucatán state. Driving the narrow one-way roads was scary. It is a typical Latin-American big city—dirty, crowded, but with many parks (town squares) and grand historic architecture.
There was a big fiesta that night. There were musicians, dancers and vendors and the restaurants served on outdoor tables. Our hotel, Casa Balam, was on the main street of the fiesta and only two blocks from the town square. We bought souvenirs and gifts and Mexican clothes for ourselves. It was interesting and quite fun.
25 April 1999
We went to Celestún in the morning. It was a long drive—much longer than we thought it would be. Once there we took a boat ride to see the American Flamingoes. There were thousands of them.
We also went through some mangrove canals and saw a Pygmy Kingfisher. It kept flying ahead and landing a little way in front of us, like a little tour guide of the mangroves. We got out at a natural spring where people were swimming. Despite the people, we got close-up looks at a Gray-necked Wood-Rail. I even got a picture of it. There were also the usual herons and egrets and cormorants and in the mangroves we had Magnolia, Black and White, and Yellow (and Mangrove) warblers.
I had felt sick on the drive and even more so on the boat, so we drove back to Mérida after the boat tour. Unfortunately, I blew our chances for some great birds at Celestún.
I had a nap while Doug and Katie had a late lunch. Later we went to the town square, Plaza Mayor, for the "Domingo en Mérida" celebration and did some more shopping. There were great bargains in Mérida.
After a late supper we took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city. It was very fun. Paseo de Montejo was beautiful, with all it's big historic buildings, monuments and fancy restaurants.
26 April 1999
We went to Dzibilchaltún, only 9 miles outside of Mérida, in the morning. We thought it was the nicest ruin site of all we had been to. There was a museum, but it was closed on Mondays. We hired a nice guide named Julio for a short tour. It was interesting. We clapped rhythms together in the Central Group and were amazed at the acoustics.
Katie swam in the Cenote Xlacah. Doug even waded in for a little while! The cenote was beautiful. It was shallow at one end, but dropped off at the other into a cave to a depth of over 60 meters. There were many pretty fish, including sailfin mollies which I recognized from my days as an aquarist. Beautiful butterflies were abundant also. My best vacation photos were taken at Dzibil.
We walked the nature trail which was very hot. We picked up White-browed (Carolina) Wren and Northern Parula. There were motmots and kiskadees and doves all over.
We bought some souvenirs at the gift shop, the best of which was a hand-painted picture of some highly stylized green birds on handmade paper. When I got it home and took it to be framed, the art shop owner really admired it and said I "stole it legally." He then proceeded to legally rob me for the framing cost.
We decided to head to Progresso for the remainder of the day. We saw more flamingoes, added many shorebirds and picked up American White Pelican, Sandwich and Least Tern. We did not find any Mexican Sheartails or Yucatán Wrens, which were supposed to be abundant in the area. The guide said to look at the agave blooms which the sheartails would be fighting over, but at this time of year the agave blooms were all dried up, as were many of the ponds we were supposed to visit for shorebirds and waders.
We got back to Mérida after dark and dined on Paseo de Montejo at Las Brasas. ¡Muy sabroso!
27 April 1999
We visited Mérida's Parque Centennial and Zoologico in the morning. The zoo was small, with several local species (coati, ocelot, birds, etc.). The aviary had Plain Chachalacas, parrots, peacocks and budgies. An eclectic mix from different continents. There were many large felines, especially African lions, and they all looked fat to me. The enclosures have a long way to go to get to the standard of the San Diego Zoo.
Katie played at the playground for a while. I asked a local boy in my weird Spanglish to ride the see-saw with her. Then we headed toward Tizimín.
We stayed at Hotel 49 for 250 pesos (about $25). It was clean and nice and the jovial owner was friendly and helpful. He directed us across the town square and past the park to Restaurante Tres Reyes for dinner. Our food was outstanding (I had the chuletas), although it was a bit smoky from some local nicotine-addicted patrons. Our table was situated next to a birdcage which held Painted Buntings (aarrrgh!), White-collared Seedeaters, and Yellow-faced Grassquits. Although this is illegal, I presume there is no enforcement of the laws against the captivity of local birds.
Katie and I and the waiter all had a good laugh when Doug asked for pipas fratas instead of papas fritas with his pollo.
28 April 1999
We got up early and walked to the panadería for pastries and juice. Our breakfast cost a whopping 80 cents for all three of us!
We drove to Río Lagartos and Las Coloradas. We birded quite a bit along the way. One roadside pond had two Bare-throated Tiger Herons and when I got out to look at them I flushed some Black-throated Bobwhites.
We picked up Black Skimmers at Río Lagartos and saw many of the same species as at other coastal sites we visited. We got great close-up looks of Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture when one circled low near our car at Las Coloradas. A Lesser Roadrunner crossed the road in front of us. Still no luck with the sheartail and wren.
We took the cuota (tollroad) to Cancún and arrived around 13:00. Our hotel, the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach, was fancy and very expensive. Quite a difference from the Hotel 49 at over $300 per night. The remainder of the trip was paid for by my husband's company Generous Electric and was very different from our 10 days in the "real" Mexico.
Katie was enamored with the swimming pools and was happy to have a babysitter in the evenings when we were at our GE functions. Our first evening there was a welcome dinner for the participants at poolside. It was very hot and humid and the food was Americano and mediocre.
29 April 1999
We had a boring meeting in the morning. After lunch we walked to the "Mexican Flea Market." What a joke. It was gross, expensive, and the vendors were obnoxious.
We headed back to the hotel for a long swim. We also checked out the beach and waded in the Bahía de Mujeres, and I broke two toes on a big rock under the sand on the beach. That night GE treated us to a cocktail cruise and nice dinner and show at Mango Tango. The floor show was fun—Caribbean and Latin music and scantily-clad ladies—sort of Ricky Ricardo meets Las Vegas.
30 April 1999
We went to the Jardín Botanico Dr. Alfredo Barrera, about 15 miles south of the Cancún airport. Once again, we arrived too late (the price you pay for going with non-birders who want their restaurant breakfasts). It was hot. We there were the usual vultures, grackles, blackbirds, and orioles, parrots and woodpeckers. Katie kept finding bigger and bigger iguanas. We saw a family of spider monkeys and I got some mediocre photos of them. We picked up Lineated Woodpecker and Spot-breasted Wren and decided to come back early in the morning for our last day.
The evening was another GE event. We were taken into Cancún city to a place called Perico's. Not our bag. It was a private party for us, where all these middle-aged respectable American businesspeople and their spouses could act like Spring-breakers in Tijuana. The food was not great, it was very noisy and all the waiters were dressed like Pancho Villa and his banditos. Cheap tequila flowed like water and soon a Conga line formed. Since we don't drink we found it hard to relate to the mayhem. One thing is for sure: we felt better Saturday morning than anyone else!
1 May 1999
We got an early start and revisted the botanical gardens. We arrived before the gates were opened, but the caretaker on duty let us in early. We were treated to a birding bonanza. The first cool thing we saw was a humungous swarm of ants marching along the path and up and down trees. The second cool thing we saw was all the birds feasting on the ants. We picked up Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Tawny-winged Woodcreeper, and Barred Woodcreeper all within a few meters of each other. We also added Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Yucatán Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bronzed Cowbird, Gray-collared and Rose-throated Becards, and Collared Forest Falcon. We saw an agouti, too.
When we decided to leave we ran into a problem: we were locked in! The gates were chained and locked and there was no one in sight. Doug wandered around the trails for a while searching for the attendant while I imagined climbing over the fence and hitchhiking for help. When Doug got back a pickup truck pulled up to the gate. A woman explained in Spanish that the man got sick and went to her house. She had the keys and let us out. Weird.
Back in Cancún we had lunch at the Rainforest Café (yuck) and then Katie and I had our hair braided at the flea market. That night our awards banquet was nice, although it was American food again. We were given a short show by locals dressed up as Mayans who acted out a virgin sacrifice. They were very glitzy and wore peacock feathers in their headdresses (as if the ancient Mayans ever saw a peacock). Far from authentic, it was very Las Vegas. After dinner the DJ went to work and when several other attendees started lighting cigars we left.
2 May 1999
Our flight was delayed from Dallas for 5 hours due to storms, so we spent the whole day and night in airports and on airplanes. We got home late, glad to have gone, but glad to be home. Our trip list follows:
SPECIES SEEN
18 April to 1 May, 1999
155 seen
ENCOUNTER LOCATIONS:
CC=Croco Cun,
TU=Tulum,
PA=Punta Allen,
CO=Cobá,
CI=Chichén Itzá,
CE=Celestún,
DZ=Dzibilchaltún,
PR=Progresso,
RL=Río Lagartos,
Las Coloradas,
JB=Jardín Botanico Alfredo Barerra,
CA=Cancun
| COMMON NAME | WHERE ENCOUNTERED |
| FRIGATEBIRDS | |
| Magnificent Frigatebird | TU,PA,CE,PR,RL,CA |
| GANNETS AND BOOBIES | |
| Brown Booby | PA |
| CORMORANTS | |
| Neotropic Cormorant | CO,CE,RL,CA |
| Double-crested Cormorant | PA,CE,DZ,RL,CA |
| PELICANS | |
| American White Pelican | PR |
| Brown Pelican | TU,PA,RL,CA |
| FLAMINGOS | |
| Greater Flamingo | CE,PR,RL |
| HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS | |
| Reddish Egret | PA |
| Tricolored Heron | PA,CE |
| Little Blue Heron | PA,CE,PR |
| Snowy Egret | PA,CE,PR,CA |
| Great Blue Heron | PA,CE |
| Great Egret | PA,CE,PR,CA |
| Cattle Egret | PA,CO,RL,CA |
| Green Heron | PA,PR,CA |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | PA,PR |
| Bare-throated Tiger-Heron | PA,RL |
| IBIS AND SPOONBILLS | |
| White Ibis | PA,CA |
| Roseate Spoonbill | PA,RL |
| NEW WORLD VULTURES | |
| Black Vulture | CC,TU,PA,CO,CI.CE,DZ,PR,RL,JB,CA |
| Turkey Vulture | CC,TU,PA,CO,CI.CE,DZ,PR,RL,JB,CA |
| Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture | PR,RL |
| OSPREY | |
| Osprey | PA |
| HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES | |
| Common Black-Hawk | PA,CE,RL |
| Gray Hawk | CI,RL |
| Roadside Hawk | CC,CE |
| Red-tailed Hawk | CO |
| FALCONS AND CARACARAS | |
| Collared Forest-Falcon | JB |
| American Kestrel | PR |
| Peregrine Falcon | PA |
| GUANS, CHACHALACAS AND CURASSOWS | |
| Plain Chachalaca | PA,CI |
| Great Curassow | CI |
| WOOD-PARTRIDGES | |
| Yucatan Bobwhite | RL |
| RAILS AND COOTS | |
| Gray-necked Wood-Rail | CE |
| American Coot | CE |
| SANDPIPERS | |
| Greater Yellowlegs | PA,PR |
| Spotted Sandpiper | RL |
| Willet | PR |
| Ruddy Turnstone | PR |
| Western Sandpiper | PR |
| White-rumped Sandpiper | PR |
| AVOCETS AND STILTS | |
| Black-necked Stilt | PA,PR,RL |
| American Avocet | PR |
| PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS | |
| Black-bellied Plover | PR |
| Semipalmated Plover | PA |
| Wilson's Plover | PR |
| GULLS AND TERNS | |
| Laughing Gull | TU,PA,CE,RL,CA |
| Royal Tern | PA,CE,PR,RL |
| Sandwich Tern | PR |
| Least Tern | PR |
| SKIMMERS | |
| Black Skimmer | RL |
| PIGEONS AND DOVES | |
| Rock Dove | CO,CA |
| Short-billed Pigeon | CC |
| Zenaida Dove | CC |
| White-winged Dove | PA,CI,CE,DZ,PR,RL |
| Common Ground-Dove | PA,DZ,RL |
| Ruddy Ground-Dove | CO,CI,CE,DZ |
| White-tipped Dove | CI,DZ,RL |
| Caribbean Dove | PA |
| PARROTS | |
| Olive-throated Parakeet | PA,JB |
| White-fronted Parrot | PA,CI,JB |
| Yellow-lored Parrot | PA,CE |
| NEW WORLD CUCKOOS | |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | CI |
| Squirrel Cuckoo | CI |
| ANIS | |
| Groove-billed Ani | CI,PR,RL,JB |
| GROUND-CUCKOOS AND ALLIES | |
| Lesser Roadrunner | RL |
| NIGHTJARS | |
| Pauraque | PA |
| SWIFTS | |
| Vaux's Swift | CI,DZ,PR,JB |
| HUMMINGBIRDS | |
| Fork-tailed Emerald | CI |
| White-bellied Emerald | PA |
| Cinnamon Hummingbird | PA,CO,CI,DZ |
| TROGONS AND QUETZALS | |
| Black-headed Trogon | CO,JB |
| Violaceous Trogon | CO,JB |
| KINGFISHERS | |
| Belted Kingfisher | PA |
| American Pygmy Kingfisher | CE |
| MOTMOTS | |
| Turquoise-browed Motmot | CI,DZ,RL |
| Blue-crowned Motmot | CI,DB |
| WOODPECKERS | |
| Yucatan Woodpecker | PA,CI,DZ,RL,JB |
| Golden-fronted Woodpecker | TU,PA,CI,DZ |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | CI |
| Golden-olive Woodpecker | PA |
| Lineated Woodpecker | JB |
| WOODCREEPERS | |
| Ruddy Woodcreeper | JB |
| Amazonian Barred-Woodcreeper | JB |
| TYRANT FLYCATCHERS | |
| Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet | JB |
| Yellow-olive Flycatcher | PA |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | CO,DZ |
| Tropical Pewee | CI |
| Vermilion Flycatcher | RL |
| Yucatan Flycatcher | PA,RL |
| Brown-crested Flycatcher | CI |
| Tropical Kingbird | PA,TU,CI,DZ,PR,RL |
| Eastern Kingbird | PA |
| Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher | CI |
| Social Flycatcher | PA,CO,CI,DZ,RL,JB |
| Great Kiskadee | CC,TU,PA,RL |
| Gray-collared Becard | JB |
| Rose-throated Becard | CI,JB |
| Masked Tityra | CO,CI |
| CROWS AND JAYS | |
| Yucatan Jay | PA,CE,RL |
| Green Jay | CC,CI,DZ |
| Brown Jay | CO,JB |
| VIREOS AND ALLIES | |
| Rufous-browed Peppershrike | TU |
| Red-eyed Vireo | PR |
| Yellow-green Vireo | PA |
| Yucatan Vireo | JB |
| Lesser Greenlet | PA |
| THRUSHES | |
| Clay-colored Thrush | CI,DZ,RL |
| MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS | |
| Tropical Mockingbird | TU,PA,CI,PR,RL,JB,CA |
| WRENS | |
| Spot-breasted Wren | JB |
| Carolina Wren (White-browed, T.albinucha) | DZ |
| House Wren (Southern,T. musculus) | CI |
| GNATCATCHERS | |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | CE,DZ |
| SWALLOWS | |
| Tree Swallow | CI |
| Mangrove Swallow | PA,CE,PR |
| Gray-breasted Martin | TU |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow (S. ridgewayi) | CI,DZ |
| Barn Swallow | TU,PA,CO,CE,DZ,PR,RL,JB |
| Cliff Swallow | CE |
| Cave Swallow | TU,DZ |
| NEW WORLD WARBLERS | |
| Northern Parula | DZ |
| Yellow Warbler (D. petechia) | RL,JB |
| (Mangrove, D. erithachorides) | PA,PR |
| Magnolia Warbler | CC,CE,DZ |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | CO,DZ |
| Palm Warbler | PA |
| Black-and-white Warbler | CC,DZ |
| American Redstart | CC,PA,CO,CE,JB |
| Ovenbird | CC |
| BUNTINGS, SPARROWS, TANAGERS, ALLIES | |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | RL |
| Green-backed Sparrow | CI,RL |
| Bananaquit | PA |
| Red-throated Ant-Tanager | JB |
| Summer Tanager | RL |
| Scarlet Tanager | CA |
| Yellow-winged Tanager | CI |
| Scrub Euphonia | CO,CI,JB |
| Blue-black Grassquit | CI |
| White-collared Seedeater | PA |
| Yellow-faced Grassquit | CI,PR,RL |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | JB |
| Northern Cardinal | CE,PR,RL |
| Black-headed Saltator | CO |
| Grayish Saltator | CI |
| Blue Grosbeak | TU,PA,CI |
| Indigo Bunting | PA |
| BLACKBIRDS, GRACKLES, ORIOLES | |
| Yellow-backed Oriole | TU,PA |
| Orange Oriole | CI,RL,JB |
| Yellow-tailed Oriole | PA |
| Altamira Oriole | TU,DZ |
| Hooded Oriole | CC,TU,PA,CE,DZ,RL,JB |
| Red-winged Blackbird | PA,RL |
| Melodious Blackbird | CC,TU,PA,CI,CE |
| Great-tailed Grackle | CC,TU,PA,CO,CI,CE,DZ,PR,RL,CA |
| Bronzed Cowbird | RL,JB |
| Giant Cowbird | PA,CI,DZ |
////---- STATISTICS ----/////
Species seen - 155
Christine Ridout
crideout@home.com