Muyil Part II: Rediscovering the Ivory-billed; Plus Red-throated Ant Tanager and Blue Bunting

[April 2016. Mayan Ruins at Muyil]

Located near the Sian Ka'an lagoon ("Where the Sky is Born" in Mayan), Muyil is one of the most ancient sites of the Mayan civilization dating to 350 BCE. And, while the Pyramids still stand, they are but a hollow reminder of what must have been a thriving outpost of human civilization 2000 years ago.

But, with the humans gone, the jungle has reasserted itself and this means that an amazing assortment of birdlife can now be found here; species such as:

• Blue Bunting
• Red-throated Ant-tanager
• Ivory-billed Woodcreeper
• Yellow-throated Euphonia
• Black-headed Trogon
• Great Kiskadee
• Rose-throated Becard

We start with the Bunting:

Living in the US, we are blessed with a wealth of Buntings (Varied Bunting, Snow Bunting, Painted Bunting, Indigo Bunting, and Lazuli Bunting) but the diversity continues south of the border as well.

This stunning species is a midnight blue with turquoise highlights on the crown, face and shoulders. Blue Bunting is a rare vagrant to Southern Texas so the best chances of observing one will require a trip to Mexico.

Ants are a phenomenon in the American tropics and a whole ecosystem of ant specialists have evolved around them -- including this Red-throated Ant tanager:

These birds will follow army ants and other insects. They are found by the forest edge (hence the low lighting in the photo's):

While the reader is unlikely to come across an Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a close namesake -- the Ivory-billed Woodcreeper is probably the next best thing:

This huge woodcreeper feeds on insects on tree trunks much like our Brown Treecreeper.

Yellow-throated Euphonia, like others in the family, is a bright songbird of the tropics:

Finally, Black-headed Trogon:

Great Kiskadee:

and the Becard:

Man overestimates his ability to mold Nature to his whims -- many ancient civilizations have come and gone yet each was convinced of their invincibility in their heyday. 

What remains after these countless ups and downs is something far more enduring -- the incredible diversity of Nature and the resilience of life in adapting to the changing environment. A fact that is so well underscored by iconic species such as the Ivory-billed Woodcreeer and the Red-throated Ant-tanager profiled here.

Birding the Yucatan Part III: Jardin Botanico featuring Black-headed Trogon, 3 Jays and White-fronted Parrot

[Jardin Botanico, Puerto Morelos. April 2016]

A little known fact is that Botanical Gardens are not only ideal for studying plants and shrubs but also great venues for encountering the local avifauna. This tip has proven beneficial to this blogger before -- the astute reader will recall the blogger's earlier trip to the Island of Hispaniola where an assortment of Caribbean specialties were successfully observed at the Jardin Botanico in Santo Domingo.

On the occasion of this blogger's trip to the Yucatan, this formula was repeated at the local botanical gardens in Puerto Morelos -- a mere 20 minutes by car from the Hacienda Tres Rios. The best birding at the Jardin Botanico can be had from the "torres" -- two (rather rickety) observation towers connected by a rope bridge. It was from here that the vast majority of the following species were observed:

1. Altamira Oriole
2. Buff-bellied Hummingbird
3. Black-cowled Oriole
4. Black-headed Trogon
5. Brown Jay
6. Couch's Kingbird
7. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl 
8. Inca Jay
9. Melodious Blackbird
10. Mangrove Vireo
11. Northern Waterthrush
12. Rufous-browed Pepper-shrike
13. Roadside Hawk
14. Summer Tanager
15. Tropical Mockingbird
16. Golden-fronted Woodpecker
17. White-fronted Parrot
18. Yellow-backed Oriole
19. Yucatan Jay
20. Yucatan Vireo

We start with the Trogon:

Trogons are a group of 39 distinctive and colorful species found in the Neotropics, Africa and Asia. Black-headed Trogon is no exception -- both males and females have a bright yellow breast, black head, and pale turquoise eye-ring:

From the front, both the female and the male look alike. However, a view from the back and side, shows the male's brilliant blue-green back:

The female -- seen above -- has a plain black back; now look at the male's:

The sighting of a trogon is always a special event and the Black-headed Trogon's striking color combination of yellow, black and blue-green is truly a sight to behold.

The Jardin Botanico was not wanting in corvids -- indeed, all 3 expected Jay species were observed: Brown, Inca and Yucatan Jays.

Brown Jay is a large Jay and like other jays, is both gregarious and noisy. Somewhat plain looking -- it could easily be mistaken as the mascot for UPS -- it pales in comparison to our next Jay -- the Inca Jay:

The Inca Jay is a stunningly colorful and looks like a Green Jay with a yellow iris. While both the Brown Jay and the Inca Jay range beyond the Yucatan Peninsula -- the next Jay is endemic to the region:

The Yucatan Jay is another striking species with yellow legs, black body and a brilliant blue back and tail.

Similar to the wealth of Jays found in the region, the Yucatan is also rich in Icterids. Such as the Altamira Oriole:

And, the Black-cowled Oriole:

The very aptly named Melodious Blackbird:

Yellow-backed Oriole:

Over to the Raptors:

Finding the Ferrugionous Pygmy Owl at the Jardin Botanico was no surprise. Roadside Hawk, was seen in flight:

The Vireos were also well represented with Mangrove Vireo:

The endemic Yucatan Vireo:

And, the amazing Rufous-browed Peppershrike:

And now for the rest:
Buff-bellied Hummingbird:

Couch's Kingbird (this species is also found in S. Texas):

A familiar warbler, the Northern Waterthrush:

Summer Tanager:

Tropical Mockingbird:

Golden-fronted Woodpecker:

And the fabulous White-fronted Parrot:

Easily accessible and possessed with multiple avian delights, the Botanical Gardens in Puerto Morelos should be on every intrepid birder's itinerary in the Yucatan where fantastic species such as the Yucatan Jay, Black-headed Trogon and the White-fronted Parrot may be enjoyed in full measure.

Birding the Yucatan Part II: Hacienda Tres Rios featuring Rose-throated Becard and Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

[Solidaridad, Quintana Roo. April, 2016] 

It was no coincidence that the hotel chosen for this blogger's sojourn in the Yucatan was a former nature park (incidentally, one that has recovered from Hurricane Wilma's legendary devastation wreaked in 2005). 

The sweet implication of this fact meant that simply meandering the hotel area could yield some lifers in a birding locale that offered a surprisingly rich assortment of habitats (mangroves, coastal, woodlands). Indeed, while other guests enjoyed the (dare I say mundane) attractions of the resort such as the pool and the beach, this blogger was lugging his photographic apparatus to remote areas of the hotel grounds to savor species such as:

1. Rose-throated Becard
2. Ferruginous Pygmy Owl
3. Yellow-billed Cacique
4. Social Flycatcher
5. Common Black Hawk
6. Laughing Falcon
7. Tropical Mockingbird
8. Altamira Oriole
9. Magnificent Frigatebird
10. Plain Chachalaca

Rose-throated Becard is a very scarce visitor to SE Arizona and S. Texas (indeed, this blogger's maiden sighting was in Texas in 2012). It was earlier classified with the Tyrant Flycatchers and even the Cotingas, however, it is now placed with the Tityras.

The male, shown above, is a striking combination of charcoal grey, black crest and a deep rose throat. The female below is a warm cinnamon and buff-brown:

While rare in the US, this Becard was seen both at the Hacienda as well as at Muyil.

This pair was getting ready for nesting and seen constructing a nest.

And now, the Owl:

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is a tiny owl about the size of a Starling. It is surprisingly common in the area and its rhythmic hooting can be heard at dusk in seemingly any wooded area. If you look at the EXIF information on the photograph, you will notice the very low shutter speeds necessitated by the crepuscular habits of this raptor.

Our next bird is an Icterid (New World Blackbird) and was a target species for the blogger: Yellow-billed Cacique.

 

Not much to look at; however, it is highly secretive and gave extremely stingy views.

This was not the case with the Social Flycatcher -- like many Tyrant flycatcher species, it can be found perching conspicuously:

 

Social Flycatcher looks like a smaller version of Great Kiskadee.

Toward the beach, a Common Black Hawk was observed roosting:

 
But the real prize for outstanding neotropical raptor of the trip must belong to Laughing Falcon:

Captured in fading light, this falcon's call is said to resemble laughter.

More familiar was the Tropical Mockingbird:

Next, the Altamira Oriole's range barely extends into Southern Texas; this Central American songbird is the largest Oriole found in the US.

The Altamira Oriole is also remarkable for making the largest nest of any songbird in North America; and, this blogger was fortunate to witness a male in the process of building one.
 
Nearer the beach, Magnificent Frigatebird, a species familiar to those in Florida, were flying by:

Finally, Plain Chachalaca -- the vocalizations of this bird, for those who have not heard them before, can be uniquely eerie:
 

This landfowl also ranges into Southern Texas (as recently reported here).

Finally, some Bonus animals:

The Coati above is a member of the Raccoon family while the Agouti below is a large rodent:

The Yucatan is rich in birdlife and while the best birding is in the South (towards Muyil), even the touristy areas can offer some fascinating species for the intrepid birder -- species such as Yellow-billed Cacique, Rose-throated Becard and Laughing Falcon.