Prior to beginning this blog, I had embarked on a swing from the Yucatan to Chiapas in southeastern Mexico in late March and early April 2025. I was joined by Paul Thompson. Paul recently got round to curating his best photos from the trip and sent them to me, so I decided a few blog posts were in order.
Having made several trips to this area already, especially
to the Yucatan itself, I had a limited number of target species. Top priority
was to get good looks at Yucatan and Tawny-collared Nightjars, which I had only
heard previously, and to see the recently split Yucatan Gnatcatcher. After that
there were a number of rainforest species I had failed to see on my previous
trip into eastern Chiapas, along with a few north American migrants and wetland
birds. Paul, of course, needed a lot more species, including all the Yucatan
endemics and many migrants. I planned out a trip of almost three weeks to give
us a good chance at everything, although this did not include a trip to Cozumel.
The initial part of our itinerary had us staying for three
nights about 20 KM inland from Puerto Morelos along the Camino de Cenotes. This
was an area that I had found productive for many Yucatan species some 17 years
ago on my first visit to the area. The plan was just to drive around looking
for tracks into the thorn forest and then bird along them.
Our hotel was located in thorn forest and we had Turquoise-browed
Motmot, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and Keel-billed Toucans in the hotel compound. Checking
the nearby tracks on the first morning added our first Yucatan endemics such as
Green-backed Sparrow, Rose-throated Tanager and Yucatan Flycatcher. I was
particularly glad we were able to quickly get good looks at Yellow-lored Parrots (formerly Yucatan Parrot) as it can be difficult to get satisfactory perched looks at any
parrot. In addition, we were able to snag a few resident and migrant species
that Paul had missed in Oaxaca: Hooded Warbler, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing and
Green Jay.
In the afternoon and early evening, birding along a couple
of tracks further up the road added Yucatan Woodpecker and Mangrove Vireo (not strictly
confined to the Yucatan but much easier here) to the endemic list. Many other interesting
resident species included White-fronted Parrot (Amazon), Scrub and Yellow-throated
Euphonias, N. Tropical Pewee, Blue Bunting and Black-crowned Tityra, while additional
migrants to the list were Palm and Yellow-throated Warblers, Yellow-throated Vireo
and a surprise Olive-sided Flycatcher. We failed to hear any caprimulgids
calling and this turned out to be an unwanted feature of much of the trip.
The next morning, we got close to a Middle American Screech
Owl by the hotel but could not see it. We headed back to the track we had
birded the previous afternoon and struck Black Catbird and Orange Oriole off
the endemic targets list, with excellent looks at both. We also made a
concerted effort to see the different hummingbirds, which were most easily
attracted by mobbing calls. We saw Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, Canivet’s and
White-bellied Emeralds and Buff-bellied Hummingbird. In addition, we made sure
we saw the endemic local race of Carolina Wren – White-browed Wren. Typical
resident species included Gartered (formerly Violaceous) and Black-headed
Trogons, Collared Aracari, Blue Bunting, and both Black-headed and
Cinnamon-bellied (formerly Grayish) Saltators. Many Mexican raptors species are
difficult to see so a Crane Hawk was very welcome and we were surprised to get
a brief look at a Swallow-tailed Kite.
In the afternoon, we paid a visit to a cenote, since Paul had not seen one. Birding around there added another endemic, a Yucatan Vireo, which can be a bit tricky as it is largely confined to the immediate coast, which we were not planning to visit until the last day or so of the trip. We also lucked into an ant-swarm that provided Paul’s first ever Tawny-winged and Ruddy Woodcreepers. A further stop around an opening in the forest, again aiming for caprimulgids, produced our only Caribbean Dove of the trip, but no nightjars.
Although we had seen plenty of Brown and Green Jays, we had
yet to encounter a Yucatan Jay. On our third and final morning we headed down
to a forest reserve that appeared to have a lot of records of this species,
although I wasn't sure we would be able to access the reserve. My access fears
were confirmed, but the reserve workers were having breakfast, and it turned
out that the local Yucatan Jays made a habitat of being around to cash-in! We
saw at least half-a-dozen. A nearby track had some flowering trees that proved
great for orioles. As well as the expected Hooded, Altamira, Orange and Black-cowled
Orioles, we had our first Yellow-tailed Orioles of the trip – a species I more
typically associate with floodplains. We also finally added the Mexican endemic
White-bellied Wren, which was new for Paul.
After finishing up around the Camino de Cenotes, we then
headed up to Rio Lagartos on the north coast of the Yucatan, where several
localized endemics may be found. Of greatest importance, the Yucatan Nightjar
could be reliably seen by taking boats out into the mangroves. We arranged the
boat trip with a local guide – William Canto – and we also hired him for the
following morning. William is a very active and knowledgeable local birder and
speaks good English. I would highly recommend him. It’s most effective to contact
him and other Mexican bird guides via Whatsapp.
The next morning, we began by looking for Yucatan or
Black-throated Bobwhite. After just hearing a few, we got good looks at a covey
and quickly found some Yucatan Wrens after that. A Laughing Falcon and some Lesser
Yellow-headed Vultures were nice additions to the day list and exploration of
some drying up wetlands yielded four Russet-naped Wood-Rails, a target species for
Paul, but no Glossy Ibis, which I needed for Mexico.
We then headed into town to visit some hummingbird feeders,
where the endemic Mexican Sheartail was easily seen very well, along with some
Cinnamon Hummingbirds. A second attempt for better looks at Clapper Rail was
successful. After that, we said goodbye to William and headed east towards Progreso.
After checking into our hotel, we drove out to find some low
scrub along the coastal strip, which is the habitat for Yucatan Gnatcatcher.
Looking at the amount of development happening along the coast, I suspect the outlook
for this species may not be too cheery. We found four gnatcatchers without too
much effort and had very good looks, along with more Yucatan Wrens. An added
bonus was Paul’s first Painted Bunting, a species he had missed earlier in the
day.
By late morning, we had begun the long drive to Calakmul. The spectacular ruins here are set in an extensive Biosphere reserve and the only place to easily see Ocellated Turkey. As we entered the reserve, I was stunned to find a brand-new railway station with a road overpass. It transpired this was part of the “Tren Maya” project. Part of this project included a hotel close to ruins, some 40 KM down the road. Unfortunately, this hotel can be booked as part of a package with train travel. Furthermore, at the time of our visit, one had to be a Mexican national to book one of these packages. From our perspective, the new hotel was a definite negative as there was a regular procession of water tankers driving along the road to supply the hotel. Since there are no other hotels within 30 KM of the start of the entrance road, we had to be content with the campsite near the start of the entrance road. Large tents with beds and mosquito nets were provided but the washing and bathroom facilities were distinctly basic.
I had had good luck hearing Yucatan Poorwills (and distant Yucatan Nightjars) on my previous visit in December a few years and was expecting these species to be very vocal in late March. However, that proved to be far from case, with virtually no birds calling spontaneously and few calling in response to playback. Over several sessions of night birding, the only success was a well-seen and heard Northern Potoo – a lifer for Paul. More frustrating were heard-only Black-and-White and Middle American Screech Owls, Yucatan Nightjar and Poorwill.
The first morning, we made an early start to make sure we
were one of the few cars on the road into the ruins. We were soon having great
looks at Ocellated Turkeys, with one launching an attack on the car, presumably
seeing its reflection on part of it. We eventually got a look at a Great Currasow,
which are much shyer than the turkey.
One bird I was hoping to finally actually see, rather than just
see, was Barred Forest-Falcon. On the drive in, I was surprised to hear one
calling from right by the road. Even more surprisingly, Paul was able to see it
from the car window when we stopped. I was able to get so-so views with some contortions
but eventually got much better looks by getting out of the car and using
playback to bring the bird back into view.
The ruins themselves were fairly quiet bird-wise, but use of
playback secured nice looks at Mayan Ant-thrush and Barred Woodcreeper, while
Great Crested Flycatcher and Wood Thrush were new birds for Paul. Ant-thrushes are one of the few deep jungle birds I really like. We clambered
up to the top of one of the highest pyramids to do a raptor watch. Other than
the common two vultures, we saw none, although Purple Martins provided another
lifer for Paul.
Returning back towards the campsite, we turned up a bunch of
migrants but little else. However, prior to our night-birding session, we were
able to get good looks at a Gray-breasted Chat – the last of the Yucatan endemics
we needed, although we had only heard the Poorwill.
The next morning, we hiked out along a trail about 10 KM south
from our campsite. Birding was slow but we eventually found an ant swarm that
had a nice Ruddy Woodcreeper, along with a Bright-rumped Atilla, Rose-throated
Tanagers, a Stub-tailed Spadebill and a couple of Smoky-brown Woodpeckers.
Although we were due to spend another night at the campsite,
the generally ho-hum birding made us decide to head out early to spend more time
in the Usumacinta floodplain.
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