December 17, 2004
Viva Mexico! Part 3 - Sian Ka'an
After an overnight stay in Tulum, we headed south to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve to stay in a newly opened 'eco-hotel'. So newly open, in fact, that we were the only guests! The hotel sits on a peninsula bordered by the Caribbean to the east and a series of mangrove-lined brackish lagoons to the west.
The hotel's lookout tower is a great place to scan for treetop birds - during our stay we noted Plain Chachalaca, Aztec Parakeet, a Parrot sp (White-fronted or Yucatan), Hooded and Yellow-backed Orioles, Black-headed Trogon and this Caribbean race Osprey (with a freshly-caught fish) from this spot.
While I only saw one or two Yucatan Woodpeckers, Golden-fronted Woodpecker was common. The local race here has a distinctive red patch at the base of the bill - very confusing when you're trying to identify them, as many field guides don't illustrate this!
On our first evening we joined a sunset birding tour, a boat trip to an isolated mangrove island where thousands of waterbirds come in to roost - quite a spectacle! We saw more Boat-billed and Tricolored Herons, hundreds of White Ibis, a single adult Roseate Spoonbill, Magnificent Frigatebird
and Reddish Egret among the commoner species.
Non-birding highlight was a very close Stingray where the lagoon meets the sea. The sunset prior to the brewing tropical storm was worth the trip in itself.
Next day we took a fun trip upriver where the boat captain dropped us at a small Mayan ruin and left us to float back downstream in the warm, clear water - very relaxing!
Not many birds save for some distant ducks which were probably Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and my life Wilson's Plovers on the beach along with Spotted Sandpipers. The rest of the day was spent in the vicinity of the hotel, admiring the local butterflies (any help with the identification appreciated).
On our final morning I got up early to bird around the boat launch, encountering a nice flock of Royal Terns.
The highlight, however, was a fine view of a male Mangrove Warbler.
We rented bikes and cycled down the peninsula to the reserve HQ, which offers a panoramic view of the lagoons.
En route we saw a string of American warblers, the best of which was my lifer Prairie Warbler (an adult male). We hired a kayak to explore the lagoon system, a great way to bird as the lack of any engine noise allows close approach to many of the birds, such as this Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.
One of the mangrove islands was particularly fruitful, with an Osprey nest, Mangrove Warblers and Swallows, and a Great Kiskadee all showing well. The best bird, however, came shortly before we docked - a bird moving furtively through the mangroves proved to be a Ruddy-necked Wood-Rail!
After cooling off from kayaking, we continued cycling down the peninsula to the Boca Paila, where we were rewarded with astonishing close views of Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. These photos were taken without bins!
Caribbean sunrise:
Kayak birding:
felt like I was on holiday with you. beautiful scenery and some stunning bird photos
Posted by: jono at December 18, 2004 9:01 AM